Chapter 5
“USUALLY, I HAVE TO confirm I’m over eighteen before I see someone take a ball to the face. You okay, man?”
Riley blinked at Cole, wondering what it was like being in his head, then nodded. A few drops of freezing water dripped down his face from the bag of ice he held against his eye.
Josh reached over and brushed the drops away from his cheek, offering a sympathetic smile that warmed Riley from the inside.
“I still can’t believe you scored off your face. That takes real talent, Ri!”
He bumped his shoulder against Josh’s and took a swig of his beer.
The Cherry Stems had an indoor soccer game that night, and Riley caught a ball to his eye as it ricocheted off the wall right above the goal.
It bounced off his face into the back of the net, surprising both him and the opposing goalie.
The guy was kind enough to check he was okay instead of caring about the goal Riley had scored.
That was the nice thing about playing in adult recreational leagues. Yeah, they were there to win, but no one wanted to sacrifice their bodies when they all had to go to work the next day. One of the benefits of playing with a bunch of thirty-somethings.
The ball had hit him right in the corner of his eye, which now stung like hell. He didn’t seem to have a concussion, and the ice was more of a precaution forced on him by his worried group of friends gathered at Hero’s Pub, Cherrywood’s go-to neighborhood bar.
Hero’s had a welcoming atmosphere that made it perfect for a laid-back, casual hangout, yet it was nice enough for a date night.
A huge granite bar sat in the middle of the room, with stools and tables surrounding it on all sides.
Servers walked around with smiles and delicious food as games played on the flat-screen TVs above the bar and along the walls.
Their team always gathered here after a game, trying to sit away from others so their sweat-soaked clothes didn’t bother anyone.
“I’ll live,” Riley said as he turned his attention to Abby and Emilio at the other end of the table. “Are you two getting excited for your travels?”
Abby’s blonde curls bounced around her face as she nodded excitedly, leaning into the man next to her, an Italian she fell in love with while touring the country over the summer with the girls.
“Yeah, we think we’re all set at this point. We’re going to go north first and make our way up the coast, and then hit Canada before heading to Iceland and then Scandinavia. We’re hoping to see the Northern Lights.”
“That sounds so amazing. I wish I could follow you the whole time,” Josh said, which made Riley think about CJ Rollins again. What were the chances this guy was really following them around? He tried to block it from his mind—for now—so he could enjoy this time with his friends.
Since Emilio was an experienced tour director and Abby had hit a rut in her writing career, they decided to tour the world together and blog about their travels.
It didn’t hurt that Emilio was the heir to a toppled mafia empire and had plenty of money to take them anywhere they wanted, but that was another story.
It warmed Riley to see Abby so happy, and it was great listening to someone without a South Jersey accent.
Riley vaguely remembered Josh having a Chinese accent when they were young, but he eventually grew out of it once his parents were gone.
Apparently, it was hard to hold onto that accent when nearly everyone around you said things like wooder instead of water.
Emilio always tried to hide his shudders when any of them mispronounced water.
“Okay, yeah, we’re all excited to hear about Emilio and Abby’s travels, or the entity I will now refer to as Abilio to save time, but let’s not forget we have our own travels first. Who’s ready for the Poconos next week?”
Quiet cheers erupted around the table as they tried to keep down the noise so as not to disturb other patrons in the bar. That meant nothing to Josh as he shouted, “Hell yeah!” and drew most of the bar’s attention. He didn’t have much of a noise filter when he was excited. Which was often.
He couldn’t help it, though. Josh was legitimately excited for life. Riley loved seeing him so happy, and long ago he made it his mission to keep him that way, despite his tragic past.
“I finalized our housing. We should be able to see fireworks for New Year’s from there. Elena and I found a place with mountain views, a hot tub, three bathrooms and four bedrooms with double beds, so each set of partners gets their own room.”
Riley’s heart stuttered as Cole made eye contact with him when he said the word partners.
“Josh and I aren’t partners,” he said, a little too quickly based on Cole’s smirk. Elena glared at Cole from her spot at his side.
“We’re not?” Josh said, pouting as Riley snapped his attention to him and took in the devastation on his face.
“Uhh…”
“We’re partners in crime, man!” Josh exclaimed, his bright smile returning.
Riley's pulse settled as he smiled at his best friend’s exuberance.
“Yeah, partners in crime,” he agreed, bumping his shoulder against Josh’s again.
Josh’s arm found its way around Riley’s shoulders, practically tugging him off his chair into a side hug.
“We’re probably the best partners at this table. We could take on any of you!”
“Josh, that’s an amazing idea,” Hailey said. “We should totally have a competition between the couples. Oh, like a couples version of the Newlywed Game or a cooking challenge.”
“I’m pretty sure Emilio will wipe the floor with all of us when it comes to cooking,” Avery said diplomatically, his arm around his wife, Hailey.
“You Americans love everything as long as there is enough cheese on it,” Emilio said, and everyone reluctantly nodded in agreement. “But I am happy to show you how to make real pasta.”
“Yes! That’s one thing we didn’t get to do in Italy, a pasta-making class.” Elena brightened. “And also, I agree with Emilio. You guys always ruin my Mexican cooking with too much cheese.”
Elena was half Mexican and half Black and grew up with her abuela’s cooking. Riley had asked her once if they’d get to try a meal from the other branch of her family tree, but, according to Elena, her dad couldn’t cook for shit. His love of reading didn’t extend to cookbooks.
“Battle of the countries!” Josh shouted. “Cole can help Elena with a Mexican dish one night, Emilio and Abby can do an Italian one, Riley can help me with a Chinese dish, and Avery and Hailey… You guys can make something American, like… chicken-finger-mac-‘n’-cheese pizza.”
Emilio snorted and tried unsuccessfully to hide it by coughing.
“Is there a grill?” Avery asked. “We could make burgers.”
“Barbecue in the snow sounds like a lot of fun, actually,” Abby said.
“Okay, it’s decided. Our Poconos trip will also be a battle of the couples,” Cole announced, drawing cheers and taunts from everyone.
Riley and Josh weren’t technically a couple, but like most people around their table, they were competitive.
Game on.
————————
After about two hours on the road, they arrived at a cabin nestled in the Poconos Mountains in Pennsylvania.
The place was exactly as Cole described, with views of snow-covered mountains all around them.
It was picturesque, and Riley pulled out his phone to take pictures once he climbed out of the car.
“Damn, it’s really beautiful here,” Josh said as he sidled up next to him, taking in the view.
Riley turned to Josh and couldn’t help but smile as he caught the boyish enthusiasm radiating off his best friend, the steam puffing out of his mouth from his breaths. The view was gorgeous, but few things warmed his heart as much as a happy Josh.
“Come on, let’s go make sure we don’t get the worst room,” he said, pulling Josh toward the house where everyone was taking their bags.
“Dibs on the master,” Cole shouted from the front door.
“Dibs only works if you’re in sight of the room,” Riley shouted as he raced past Cole, trying to beat him up the stairs.
He heard Cole drop all of his and Elena’s luggage, followed by Elena cursing at him and Cole’s footsteps racing after Riley.
He had studied the house’s online ad to see which room was the best, so he knew he wanted the renovated attic space that had the best view of the mountains and was farthest from everyone else in the house, making for a quieter stay.
He raced up the first set of stairs and heard Cole cheer behind him as he passed the biggest room, which included a luxurious master bathroom.
Cole could have that one. Riley and Josh would rather have the views.
When Riley climbed the second set of stairs, he threw the attic door open and skidded to a halt in the doorway.
The opposite wall was practically all window and offered the most amazing view of the mountains.
He paid little attention to the full bed, not even a queen, as he slowly ventured toward the window.
The bed wasn’t a big deal, as he was used to sharing with Josh after hundreds of sleepovers over the years.
The clear day offered a landscape he’d struggle to catch on camera.
Pictures never did justice to a view like that.
“Shit, your view is way better,” Cole said next to him, startling him out of his reverie. He hadn’t even heard him enter the room. “Ours has a tree blocking half our window.”
He was aware, and he didn’t bother hiding his smug smile.
“You got the king-size bed, though.”
“True. Maybe Elena will want to christen it now. I better go check to make sure.”
Riley chuckled as Cole hurried out of the room, brushing past Josh carrying both of their duffel bags.
“You got the room with the view!” Josh shouted as he dropped the bags and stepped quickly to Riley’s side, throwing an arm around him as they gazed out the window.
After a few moments, Josh turned to take in the rest of the room and gasped, making Riley spin to see what caused that reaction.