Chapter Five
Brogan
Brogan had been looking forward to winding down at the diner after a long day. He always did. A plate of fries, a casual chat with Andrew, and most importantly, seeing Archie. But as soon as he walked in, his easy mood was knocked off balance.
Andrew leaned against the counter; arms crossed. “Hey, how’d it go today?”
“Great,” Brogan said, stood by the stool. “Long, but good.”
Andrew nodded, but there was something in his expression, a hesitation.
Brogan frowned. “Where’s Archie?”
Andrew sighed, shaking his head. “That’s what I was going to ask you. He never came in. Didn’t move any of his boxes, either.” He tapped the keys on his phone. “I sent him a few messages, but nothing.”
Brogan felt an uncomfortable twinge in his gut. That didn’t sound right. He didn’t think Archie was the type to flake.
Instead of ordering food like he usually did, Brogan slid off the stool. “I’m going to check on him.”
Andrew raised an eyebrow but didn’t question it. “Let me know if he’s alright.”
Brogan drove home faster than he meant to, the unease tightening in his chest, each thump of his heart echoing the drumming of his tires on the pavement. He rushed out of his van and ran up to the house. When he stepped inside, what he saw stopped him cold.
Jade.
Sitting in his living room.
With a suitcase.
Brogan’s breath hitched, confusion and frustration crashing together in his brain like a storm. What was Jade doing here? Why was he here like he belonged?
He didn’t check to see if Archie’s motorcycle was still parked behind the house. Brogan barely registered that since his focus zeroed in on Jade.
“What the hell are you doing here?” Brogan’s voice was sharper than he intended.
Jade stood, smoothing his shirt like he hadn’t just appeared out of nowhere after three years of radio silence. “Came to see you.”
Brogan scoffed, his disbelief quickly morphing into anger. “Three years, Jade. You show up after three years, just like that?” His gaze flickered to the suitcase. “You didn’t just ‘come to see me.’ What, you think you can just show up and stay?”
Jade’s face twisted in irritation. “I wanted to talk. You didn’t answer my emails or texts, so I came here.”
“There’s nothing to talk about,” Brogan shot back. He could feel his pulse pounding, his hands clenching at his sides. “We ended things. That was your choice, if I remember correctly. So why are you in my home?”
Jade sighed, rubbing his forehead. “I thought—I don’t know, maybe things would be different if you saw me in person.”
“Different? I know what you look like.” Brogan laughed, but there was no humor in it. “You left, Jade. You made your choice.”
Jade’s expression darkened. “And you didn’t fight for me.”
Brogan’s anger sharpened. “You wanted out. I gave you what you wanted.”
Silence hung between them, tense and heavy.
“Archie let me in and said you’d be excited to see me.” Jade broke the silence.
“Where is Archie?”
“He had a date.”
Brogan stood in the center of the living room, arms crossed tightly over his chest, frustration burning beneath his skin. Jade had been invading his space since the moment he showed up, but now? Now he was pushing into things that didn’t even concern him.
“What do you mean Archie has a date?” Brogan demanded, his voice sharper than he intended.
Jade, leaning against the armrest of the couch like he belonged there, raised an eyebrow. “Relax. He’s just going out.”
Brogan’s jaw tightened. “With who?”
Jade smirked, clearly enjoying the reaction. “Some guy from Grindr.”
That shouldn’t have affected him the way it did. Archie could do whatever he wanted, see whoever he wanted. It wasn’t Brogan’s business. And yet, the thought of him meeting some stranger from a dating app made something in Brogan’s stomach turn over unpleasantly.
He rubbed his trimmed beard. “Archie doesn’t know anyone here. What is he doing messing with Grindr?”
Jade shrugged, completely unbothered. “Same thing everyone does on Grindr.”
Brogan felt his frustration shifting into something else, something heavier.
He had spent time with Archie last night, talked to him, trusted him in his space.
And maybe that was the issue. Brogan wasn’t used to trusting people, wasn’t used to getting comfortable around them. But Archie had seemed different.
And now Jade was here, throwing everything off balance. He could only imagine what Jade had told Archie about their past relationship.
Brogan’s voice was colder now. “You don’t get to walk into my home and start telling me things like this.”
Jade laughed lightly, shaking his head. “Oh, come on. You’re pissed I’m here, but you’re more pissed Archie’s seeing someone. Just say it.”
Brogan clenched his jaw, refusing to take the bait. “You shouldn’t be here at all. You have no right.”
Jade’s smirk faltered, but only slightly. “You say that like you really mean it.”
Brogan meant it. Every second Jade lingered in his home, Brogan felt like he was losing his grip on something important. On the things he had built since Jade had left. On the people he had let himself care about.
And maybe, just maybe, Archie was included in that.
But Brogan wasn’t about to admit that. Not to Jade. Not to himself.
“Let’s get back to you being in my home. You can’t just show up like this. You don’t get to decide when you waltz back into my life.”
Jade opened his mouth like he was going to argue, but Brogan had had enough.
He pulled out his phone, tapped through his contacts, and ordered a cab. “Wait outside for the cab.”
Jade stared at him like he thought he might change his mind. Brogan didn’t. Brogan’s anger was still burning, but beneath all of it flickered something else.
Disappointment.
It wasn’t just Jade showing up that set him off—it was that, after all this time, Jade still thought he had the right to walk back in, like nothing had changed.
But everything had.
And Brogan wasn’t about to let him undo it.
“Won’t you take me to a motel?”
“Motel? Take the cab to the airport and get the hell out of here. Go home.”
“I’m not going home. I bought a one-way ticket. I’m staying in Foggy Basin.”
“Get the fuck out of here!”
“It’s not over between us. I won’t let it be.” Jade picked up his suitcase and left through the front door.
Brogan immediately checked Archie’s room.
He stood in the doorway, staring at the empty room.
The air felt heavier, thicker, as if it carried the weight of what had just happened.
The room wasn’t trashed, not in the dramatic, thrown-furniture kind of way, but it was stripped bare in a way that made his stomach twist.
The phone charger was gone. The duffle bag—gone.
Even the stupid little water bottle Archie had left beside the bed was nowhere to be found.
The only sign that Archie had ever been there was the wrinkled comforter, half dragged across the mattress, like he’d sat there for a moment before walking out for good.
Brogan ran a hand through his hair, exhaling sharply. This wasn’t supposed to happen.
He stepped further in, dragging a hand over the bed frame like it might tell him something like Archie might’ve left some kind of explanation behind. But there was nothing. No note, no last-minute text, not even a damn sock in the corner.
Brogan sat down, elbows on his knees, rubbing at his face. Archie had really left.
The weight of it settled in, a slow, sinking realization. The entire house felt different now. Quieter. Emptier.
And Brogan wasn’t sure how to handle that. He sat on Archie’s bed and called Archie. No answer. He sent him several messages with no response. That was it. He left the house after he heard the cab pick Jade up.
He jumped into his van and adjusted the rearview mirror as if he had gotten shorter over the Jade ordeal. Brogan gripped the steering wheel a little too tightly, his jaw clenched as he stared out at the empty road ahead.
The night settled around him; the streetlights casting long shadows that stretched across the pavement. He barely noticed them. His thoughts were tangled, restless.
Archie hadn’t picked up. Not even a damn text.
The phone had rung, over and over, and each time Brogan’s frustration edged closer to something that felt like regret.
Jade had shown up out of nowhere, just like he always did, bringing chaos with him like it was stitched into his skin.
And Archie had walked out before Brogan could say a word.
Before he could explain whatever mess Jade thought he could drag him into. It was over before it started.
Did Archie think he had welcomed Jade back? That he would be okay with Jade showing up without notice?
The idea twisted into something sharp in Brogan’s chest. Archie had been—hell, he had been important. More than Brogan had expected, more than he had let himself admit. And now Archie was gone. No warning, no chance to talk. Just packed up and left.
Brogan exhaled, forcing himself to ease up on the wheel. The diner was up ahead, glowing like a beacon against the dark. If anyone knew where Archie had gone, it would be Andrew. He found an opening in the parking lot, then scanned the lot for Archie’s motorcycle. Nowhere in sight.
And if Brogan had any chance of fixing this mess, he’d have to start there.
The Blue Star Diner was quiet at this hour, the late-night regulars nursing coffee and leaning into conversations that felt heavier in the dim lighting. Brogan pushed through the door, scanning the place until he spotted Andrew behind the counter, wiping down the register.
Andrew glanced up as Brogan approached, brows knitting together. “What’s going on?”
Brogan exhaled sharply, planting his palms on the counter. “I need to know where Archie is.”
Andrew hesitated, studying him. “Why?”
Brogan ran a hand through his hair, frustration simmering beneath his skin. “Just tell me, Andrew.”
Andrew sighed, setting the rag down. “He moved out, Brogan. He’s staying with Joe.”
Brogan stiffened, processing the words, letting them settle deep. Moved out?
Andrew crossed his arms, observing him. “What happened?”
Brogan shook his head. “I wish I knew.”
Andrew raised an eyebrow, waiting.
Brogan exhaled, rubbing his jaw. “Jade showed up.”
Andrew’s eyes widened slightly. “Jade?”
“As in my ex from three years ago,” Brogan confirmed bitterly.
Andrew let out a low whistle, leaning against the counter. “Didn’t see that coming.”
“Yeah. Neither did I.” Brogan shook his head, staring at the scratched-up surface of the counter. “I kicked him out. Didn’t ask questions. Didn’t want to hear whatever excuse he had.” He hesitated, then muttered, “But Archie was already gone before I could explain.”
Andrew’s expression shifted, something softer edging into his features. “You think he misunderstood?”
Brogan shrugged. “Hard to say anything when he won’t pick up my damn calls.”
Andrew studied him for a moment, then reached for a coffee cup, pouring something dark and steaming. He slid it toward Brogan. “Might want to figure out what you’d even say if he did.”
Brogan stared at the coffee, then at Andrew. “And what if it’s too late?”
Andrew shrugged. “Archie’s stubborn. But he’s not unreasonable.”
Brogan exhaled slowly, the weight of the night pressing harder against his chest. Archie hadn’t waited for an explanation. He had just left.