Chapter 33
Nolan sat in his car across the street from the little cafe, heart palpitating like he had a small bird trapped underneath his ribcage.
How many times had he patrolled this street, looking for Kai on Liam’s say so?
The whole time he’d been right in there.
Liam had known, that little shit, and had decided to torment him, which, Nolan thought, was on brand for him.
He still had no idea what he was going to say or if he was even going in there.
He’d debated waiting and showing up at Matteo’s, but he didn’t want to spook Kai.
When Matteo had confirmed that Kai was staying with him, the relief had been overwhelming.
He knew Matteo would keep him safe, and he wasn’t willing to jeopardize that for anything.
That left waiting on Kai to finish work.
If he could compel himself to wait that long.
He’d already forced himself to wait until the morning rush had passed, and that had worn out most of his patience.
Fuck it. Who was he kidding? It had been over a month since he’d laid eyes on Kai, and he wasn’t waiting another Goddamned minute.
He slammed his door, barely registering the flow of traffic as he jogged across the street.
Through the window, he could see Kai behind the counter, his back turned.
It looked like he was focused on a task, but Nolan would recognize him anywhere.
He took off his sunglasses as he pulled the door open, praying he wasn’t about to make a catastrophic mistake.
Kai had called him last night for a reason. He had to believe that.
The pink-haired girl at the counter stood up straight and turned to give him a welcoming smile that turned to appreciation as she gave him a once-over. Nolan barely spared her a glance. His eyes locked on Kai, his back still to the counter while he finished fixing the cup in his hand.
“Uh, Kai?” the girl called while Nolan waited to get his attention.
His mouth curved in an affectionate smile, his heart expanding painfully, when Kai turned and did a double-take, undisguised longing in his eyes.
It was all Nolan could do not to jump the counter and scoop his sad boy into his arms.
The pink-haired girl silently took the cup from Kai’s hand and handed it to a gentleman to Nolan’s right, and Kai’s attention flickered back to the present. He moved to the cash register, his gaze never wavering from Nolan.
“Are you going to ask me what I want?” Nolan asked, keeping his voice low but unable to keep a little bit of humour out of it.
Kai punched a few buttons on the screen, then looked at Nolan expectantly.
Alright, so he wasn’t talking to him. He wasn’t throwing him out either, so Nolan was going to count it as a win.
He looked down at the confirmation screen in front of him and smiled when he saw that Kai had punched in a cortado for him. Of course he knew his order.
“Do you mind making it a double? I haven’t been sleeping well.”
Was he pushing his luck? Maybe, but the rush of affection he felt at the flicker of concern in Kai’s eyes made it kind of worth it. Maybe it made him an asshole, but he was grateful for any confirmation that Kai still cared. Even after what he’d done.
Nolan watched him while he prepared his drink.
His face was thinner and Nolan was sure that meant he wasn’t eating properly.
His eyes were bruised and tired, and his hair had grown out some.
Before he was done looking his fill, Kai was sliding a paper to-go cup across the counter.
Nolan pulled out a brown, hundred-dollar bill from his wallet, and when Kai gave him his change, he dropped it into the tip jar.
Kai stared at him, his expression uncertain and confused.
Nolan gave him a reassuring smile, pulling Kai’s phone from his pocket and sliding it across the counter to him. Then he picked up his cup and left.
When he got back into his car, he glanced over, meeting Kai’s eyes where he stood in the cafe window.
“Don’t worry, baby. Everything’s going to be fine.” He spoke the words quietly, manifesting it into existence, because he was not going to accept anything less when it came to Kai. He started the car just as his phone rang, and he hit the button to connect Myles to the car.
“Hey. They want to go in tonight.”
“No. I need time. I want him to see it,” Nolan said coldly, his heart hardening instantaneously.
Myles hesitated. “We’ll have to find him first. You want me to arrange it?”
“No. I found him. I’m on my way. We’ll discuss next steps when I get there.” He glanced over one more time. He was going to make things right, and it was already coming together beautifully.