Chapter Twenty-Three
Emmet
Adam puts his beer bottle down and takes his controller in two hands.
I’ve stopped taking it easy on him and he beats me for real sometimes. Not all the time, but enough that I’m impressed. I’m not really surprised though. He was better at this game than me when we were younger, but of course I’ll never admit that out loud.
“So, I was thinking,” he says, smashing the buttons on his controller, his eyes laser-focused on the television.
“Uh oh,” I say.
He shoves me with his shoulder. “Seriously,” he grumbles.
“Okay, what?”
“I have to go to California next week. You should come with me.”
The controller falls out of my hands, and I whip my head in his direction. “What?”
He takes the opportunity to absolutely destroy me—and kill me.
Adam turns to me with a smug grin, reaching for his beer to take a victory sip. “I want you to come with me.”
“Why?”
He shrugs, taking another sip. “Why not? You’ve been working hard at the bar. Take a vacation.”
“A vacation back home?”
“This is your home now, Emmet. So, it’ll be like a vacation. We’ll have to stay in a hotel.”
I narrow my eyes. “What kind of hotel?”
“A fancy one with a hot tub in the rooms, a pool, and room service.”
Damn, that sounds nice. I could use a break from all this. There is a lot of work to do, but I’m getting a little burnt out.
“I’ll have to check a few things. I’m not sure—”
“I’ll pay for your room,” he coaxes.
“No, that’s crazy.”
“It’s fine, Emmet, really. I’m selling my house. I have the money. And it’s just a few days in California.” He bumps me with his shoulder. “Come on. It’ll be fun.”
We start a new match, and I consider it.
What could be the harm?
Everything at the bar can wait. Pete has handled that bar himself for years, so me leaving for a few days won’t be an issue.
There’s no one here waiting for me. A vacation isn’t a terrible idea, even if it is kind of a generic one.
Despite how much of a vacation it is, it’s still time away from the bar and the headache the financial stuff is giving me.
“Okay.”
“Okay?” Adam asks, forgetting the game and turning to face me.
I should end him right now, but that’s not fair. So I stop fighting and look at him.
“Yeah, I’ll go.”
“Hell yeah,” he says with a grin. “It’ll be great.”
We finish the match then order pizza and have a few more beers.
He kicks my ass in football, which is a surprise since he always sucked at it.
For a little while, we go old school and take turns playing Crash Bandicoot.
It’s harder than we remember and we both suck at it.
He goes home at a reasonable time, and I shower before going to bed.
We’ve talked every day and have seen each other just about every day, making our encounters even more natural. When he leaves, though, I miss him more than I did the last time, and that’s a problem. Outside of when alcohol was involved, Adam hasn’t shown any sign of being into me like that.
We’re going to get a few days in California together. Just us.
Just us.
This could go really well or really bad. Maybe both.
It’s best I don’t think about it too much, or I’ll drive myself insane. I just have to wait and see how everything plays out.
The week goes by faster than I could have imagined, and before I know it, it’s time to leave for the airport, but I’m stalling.
Is this such a good idea?
Going on a trip with Adam, back to California, with only us…
My heart is thrilled.
My brain is worried.
I guess if things don’t go great, I can fake being sick and hide out in my room for whatever time is left. Or come up with an excuse about the bar and Pete needing me. There are options, at least.
But what may be more scary, is the other side of that.
What if things go so well? What if my time with him in California is so amazing that I don’t want to come back? Of course I know we’ll have to, but how will I rid myself of those feelings? How will I ever accept that he only wants to be friends with me?
What if more happens, and then I get that awkward morning after?
I shouldn’t think about any of this. I shouldn’t worry about it.
When coming to Seattle, I was so confident about what I wanted, and I’m not sure what changed.
I mean, I still know exactly what I want, but being around Adam again, it’s made me feel different.
Worried, I guess. It’s making me take things slow, and maybe that isn’t a bad thing, but maybe it is.
What if I never get the courage to take the next step because I’m afraid of ruining what he’s willing to give me?
I scrub a hand down my face, my phone pinging with a text.
Adam
Did you leave yet?
He offered to pick me up, but I told him I had a few things to do before heading out, and I didn’t want to risk him being late. Of course, he then said if I let him pick me up, neither of us would be late. I couldn’t really argue with that, but assured him I would be fine.
If I don’t leave within the next ten minutes, I very well could miss the flight.
So before answering his text, I order a car and shut down my laptop that I’ll leave here. My duffel bag is packed and sitting by my desk, ready to go. Once I’m in the car and on my way to the airport, I respond to Adam.
Yep. See you soon.
It’s not a lie now. I am on my way.