Chapter 20 NOAH
NOAH
Eye of the Tiger comes on, the guitar riff loud enough to rattle the windows, and Aiden groans like he’s physically in pain. The hit of happiness I get from annoying him makes me downright giddy.
“Seriously? This shit again?” He slams a towel down on the front desk aggressively, and I have to bite my lip to stop from laughing.
But his scowl only makes me want to laugh harder.
“You’re doing this on purpose. You’ve got the entire history of music at your fingertips, and this is what you choose. Why are you like this?”
“It’s motivational,” I say, smirking as I check the board for the midday class. “Classic. Timeless. The clients love it. Really gets the blood pumping.” I start squatting just to be an obnoxious shit.
“It’s torture,” he mutters while rubbing his temples.
The gym door opens, saving him from what I’m sure would have been more ribbing.
And… Gabe walks in. The effect is instant; my heart starts to gallop in my chest, and my breathing becomes labored.
He’s got a brown paper bag in one hand and a drink carrier in the other. Dark jeans, a forest-green button-down that makes his eyes look brighter than last night, cheeks already pink from the cool air outside. His hair’s a little wind-swept, he looks… Fuck, he looks gorgeous.
No, that word isn’t enough for someone like him.
Resilient.
I know how much he struggled yesterday. I saw the bone-weary exhaustion in his face by the time we went our separate ways for bed. The haunted look in his eyes when I got home yesterday, the way he reacted to me raising my hand to fix my hair.
I couldn’t sleep for so long, replaying the moment over and over. I wish I could take all his fears away, hold him close, and protect him. I’m not sure how I can support him. But I will.
Now he’s here. For me… I hope it’s for me, anyway. Gabe doesn’t usually break routine. He keeps to what he knows, keeps to safe ground. And I think it means something that he’s here now, especially after yesterday.
The dopey grin on my face feels impossible to stop.
Ciarán follows behind him, high leather boots thudding against the rubber flooring, cropped tee flashing lightly defined abs on olive skin, black pleated skirt swishing with an oversized blazer.
He hops up onto the counter with all the confidence in the world, crossing his legs and smiling demurely.
I’ve never seen him dressed like this, and judging by the way Aiden’s mouth drops open and his brow furrows like he’s solving a math equation, neither has he.
I love my best friend, but if he so much as hints at a problem with Ciarán’s outfit, we’re going to have an issue.
I don’t like the way he’s been acting toward Ciarán, sometimes the banter is fun, and I can see they both enjoy it.
But other times, I worry Aiden seems to genuinely dislike him, and Gabe told me Ciarán’s softer than he lets on.
I’ve been trying to stay out of it, but Ciarán is important to Gabe, so he’s important to me.
Plus, the little shit has really grown on me.
He shows up at the store or apartment regularly, subtly—well, as subtly as his personality allows—checking in on Gabe.
The fridge constantly has homemade Italian dishes ready to be reheated.
It’s ruining my plans to cook with Gabe, but it’s also so delicious I can’t be too upset. And we still eat together each night.
“Um…hi. We brought lunch from Kindle’s,” Gabe says, lifting the bag slightly, shifting on his feet.
He nervously adds with an awkward laugh, “Small-town life, you can close whenever you want for lunch.” His eyes flit around the space like he’s checking for exits, I can feel the anxious energy coming off him.
I step closer, his gaze flying to mine and holding.
He glances toward the speaker, mouth twitching. He shakes his head with a little chuckle. “‘Eye of the Tiger,’ really?”
“Of course,” I echo, fighting the urge to laugh. Because he came here, unannounced, with food and that shy little smile. Because last night, he kissed me again. After panicking. After everything. He kissed me anyway.
Ciarán narrows his eyes at me like my playlist is a personal insult. He props his chin on his hand, a smirk tugging at his mouth. “You running a gym or a time machine?”
“Weird,” I say with a mock surprised tone. “You and Aiden finally found something to agree on.”
Ciarán’s lips flatten while Aiden grunts in response, already leaning over the bag Gabe set down. “Please tell me that’s not kale. I’m not a rabbit.”
“It’s not kale,” Gabe says patiently, unpacking containers. “Chicken, couscous, and those lemon bars you both love.”
“You are my favorite brother,” Aiden declares with absolute seriousness, looking smug as hell.
I snort. Under the seriousness of parenthood, he’s still that goofy kid I grew up with.
Gabe rolls his eyes at him, the corner of his mouth quirking, and turns toward me.
He passes over a cup, our fingers brush, and I see the smile he tries to hide, the way his cheeks pinken further.
I fight the urge to groan loudly because he’s so fucking edible.
I want to press my lips to his heated cheek and feel the warmth of it.
“The mint tea you like,” he murmurs, breaking me out of my wandering thoughts. I take it from him with a quiet, “Thanks.”
We sit at the small staff table tucked in the back corner, opening containers and passing forks.
“Rose is obsessed with dancing now,” Aiden says around a mouthful. “Full-on choreography to ‘Baa Baa Black Sheep.’ Arms everywhere. So cute.”
“Did you record it?” Gabe asks, eyes lighting up.
“Obviously,” Aiden says, lips tipping up. “I’ll send it to you.”
The pleased look on Gabe’s face melts me.
Aiden’s eyes flick down Ciarán’s bare legs again, the smooth line of skin above those heavy boots. His brow furrows again before he looks away, muttering something I can’t hear.
Ciarán grins, but it’s full of challenge, boot tapping agitatedly against the leg of his chair. “Problem?”
Aiden glares at him. “What? No.”
Ciarán’s eyes narrow, but he doesn’t say anything more. He turns toward Gabe. “Did you ever contact Wild Fern about events?”
“Oh, not yet, but I’m going to. I checked out their website, and they’ve done some great events recently. It’s a pity I missed them.” There’s a sadness to his tone, regret for missing things.
Ciarán gives him an encouraging smile. “That’s great, Gabe, and there will always be more events.
If you see one you want to go to, we’ll go.
Abbie is looking for any excuse to get out of her apartment these days.
I honestly have no idea how she shares her space with two roommates that don’t know how to act like adults. ” He shudders dramatically.
“She said the other day that she’s looking for a place in Willowrun. I think the commute is wearing her down, too,” Gabe replies, sounding bright at the idea of his friend being closer.
“I think there’s a studio apartment in my building that just became vacant. I can ask my landlord if he knows anything about it?” Aiden adds helpfully.
Gabe nods. “That would be great.”
“You three living in one town sounds like trouble. I’ll be forgotten as your new bestie,” I tease, pouting dramatically at Gabe with my best puppy eyes, which earns me a laugh I barely hear over Aiden’s scoffing.
Gabe pushes a container toward me, voice going shy. “I got you extra chicken. Thought you might want more…” He trails off, catching his bottom lip between his teeth. It’s darker now, pink and glistening, and my eyes stick there too long.
I lean closer and lower my voice so the others can’t hear. “Aren’t you a sweet boy for thinking of me.”
Color rushes over his face instantly, and his eyes widen, darting around the table. His fork slips against the edge of the container, and he ducks his head so fast his hair falls forward, hiding him. The tips of his ears are bright red.
I spear a bite of chicken like nothing happened, fighting a grin. Watching him light up under praise is its own reward. Fuck, he’s too cute.
Ciarán picks up a lemon bar, taking a delicate bite as he reads over the whiteboard schedule. “So, do all your classes have ridiculous names, or is that some weird gym bro branding I don’t get?”
“They’re not ridiculous,” I say defensively. “They’re clever.”
“They are ridiculous. I had no part in those names,” Aiden says pointedly.
“You two really do have a lot in common today,” Gabe mumbles while staring at the table, shoulders shaking.
Ciarán and Aiden are wearing matching scowls. I love it when they get together.
“Tonight’s class is ‘Core-ruption,’” I announce, smirking.
Ciarán groans loudly, dragging a hand down his face. “That’s unforgivable.”
“Okay, okay. What about ‘Sweat it’s something small I’ve noticed.
He always ducks his chin or covers his mouth when he laughs, like he thinks he needs to hide it.