compared over the years.
“Of course I came.” Noah’s voice had gotten deeper over the years. All the boyish lines of his body had been replaced by those of a man. He was still sinewy, but there were new, sharp edges about him.
“It’s good to see you,” he said with a hesitant smile that barely lifted the corners of his mouth. His eyes were moving up and down rapidly, taking in Alex, like Noah was afraid his time would run out and Alex would disappear.
“Yeah. You too.” Alex cleared his throat. Silence stretched between them, heavy with the weight of all the unspoken words. “So, how have you been?”
God, this was awkward. It had never felt awkward between the two of them before. Then again, they’d never tried to engage in small talk before either.
“I’ve been… fine,” Noah said, avoiding Alex’s eyes as he said it. The bartender came and Noah ordered a glass of water. “I’ve been keeping myself busy,” Noah added as the bartender moved to the next customer.
Alex nodded. “I gathered. A vet, huh?”
Noah took a sip of his water, and it took everything in Alex not to stare at how Noah tilted his head back when he drank, or groan when the other man licked his lips after.
“Yeah. It’s been good. The job’s great. I love it.” Noah looked down on his hands. “I’ve got you to thank for that.”
Alex almost choked on his beer. “How do you mean?” he asked.
“I guess you could say you inspired me to really stand my ground. Mom had been trying to talk me out of becoming a vet since I saved my first frog when I was six. I might have given in before I met you, but that summer… it gave me confidence to make a stand.”
Logically, Alex knew he was reading too much into the statement, but it felt like a punch in the gut.
“I guess it’s good our breakup helped you achieve your dreams,” he said before he could stop himself. So much of remaining unaffected.
In an instant Noah’s palm covered Alex’s hand. Sparks crackled in the air between them. Alex’s skin felt hot and cold all at once, and all he could do was stare at the man he’d once loved.
“No! That’s not what I’m saying at all,” Noah rushed out. “This whole time, whenever I was facing a tough decision or when I was about to give up or back down, the first thought that popped into my head was, What would Alex do? And the answer was usually that Alex would tell whoever was stopping me—even if the one holding me back was me—to go fuck themselves.” Noah clutched Alex’s hand in his. “I owe everything to you, Alex.”
“Well, I’m glad it all worked out for you.” It was impossible to hide the bitterness. He wished he could take it back. Nod and be cool and unaffected about the situation. Maybe throw in something about how successful Alex himself was.
But it was too late. The words were already out, and even though Alex had been the one to throw them out there, he didn’t want to hear Noah’s reply. Didn’t want to hear how great life had been for Noah. Didn’t want to sit there and listen to Noah recount the last ten years of his life and how wonderful it had been. Hell, maybe Noah even had a boyfriend. Or a husband. A house in the suburbs and a fucking golden retriever.
Blissful ignorance definitely sounded like the best option right then.
“You know what? Never mind. It doesn’t fucking matter anyway.” Alex pushed himself up from his seat. He hurriedly threw some money on the bar. “We’re done,” he mumbled more as a reminder to himself than anything else, before he took off.
The door slammed shut behind Alex. It had begun raining since Alex entered the bar, a heavy sheen of rain that had already cleared the streets of people. Fat drops bounced back from the pavement as Alex sloshed through the streets that were quickly turning into rivers. He pushed a wet strand of hair out of his eyes and looked to his left, about to cross the street, when somebody crashed into him, grabbed his elbow and pushed him against the wall of the building behind him.
Before Alex could react, his mouth was covered in a hungry kiss. Alex’s brain seemed to be a step behind, but his body didn’t have the same problem. Alex’s hands immediately moved to Noah’s back, pulling