Where We Left Off - Romeo Alexander Page 0,14

inches to Nate’s height, but where once he’d been taller than Tyler, the top of his head now came up to Tyler’s chin. He’d filled out more in the shoulders, and from the tight shirt he was wearing, Nate had kept up with a workout regimen enough to keep him in shape.

But Tyler would know that face anywhere, as surely as he would know the voice.

Nate’s eyes widened. “Tyler?”

He snorted. “Jesus, I thought you were supposed to be like, on the other side of the country.”

Something shadowy passed behind Nate’s hazel eyes, then disappeared. “Ah, yes, I was. But I decided to take a small break from my schooling and return to the city.” Nate cocked his head, then winced. “Ah, excuse me. I should probably find something to clean myself up with.”

Tyler flinched, turning to the bar to try to get the bartender’s attention. “Right, shit, sorry about that.”

The unexpected benefit of everyone apparently keeping an eye on him was that the bartender had already witnessed Tyler slam into Nate. Smirking, the bartender handed over a dry cloth and took the now empty glass from Tyler. Jogging back, he reached out as though to help Nate, then realized that he’d have to touch the man to do it. Cringing at the thought, he held out the towel.

“Here, sorry,” Tyler repeated.

Nate smiled gently, taking the towel. “Thank you. And please, there’s no need to apologize. Accidents happen, especially in a crowd.”

“Uh, yeah,” Tyler said sheepishly. “I still should’ve been watching where I was going.”

“Perhaps,” Nate begrudgingly agreed, flashing a quick smile. “But unless time has changed you a great deal, you have always been prone to becoming lost in your thoughts.”

There wasn’t much he could say in his own defense and Tyler only cringed. If he were honest, he couldn’t help but appreciate what time had done for Nate. Sure, he probably had all the best trainers and would have the best food available to him, but it was still impressive. He was dressed down, wearing a simple t-shirt and pants that hugged his legs. He’d always seen Nate in at least slacks when they had been younger, and seeing him in jeans was a little surreal.

And with that, he realized he was staring and jerked his gaze back up to Nate’s face. He was surprised to see the man was staring back at him, his expression hidden behind a mask of neutrality.

“I do believe there will be no getting this drink off me completely unless I shower,” Nate said after a moment. “And before you do it, please do not apologize.”

Having been ready to do just that, Tyler frowned. “Fine. But I’m still sorry.”

“Ah, I shouldn’t have been out anyway. Better that I go home.”

“Yeah, I was getting ready to do the same thing myself.”

Nate looked him over. “You look good, Tyler. It was good to see you again.”

A sense of alarm rang through him as Nate turned to walk away. Before he could think about what he was doing, and going against the advice he’d given the grabby man, he caught Nate by the wrist, stopping him in his tracks.

“Wait. It’s been years, Nate,” Tyler said hurriedly. “And I’d really like to play catch up...if you want to.”

Nate looked him over curiously, not moving away. “Really? Curious.”

“Is it?” Tyler asked.

Nate’s lips twitched. “It is. Truth be told, I would be more than happy to meet at a later date and talk.”

The more the other man talked, the more Tyler began to see the differences between the teenager he’d once known and the man Nate had become. Nate had always been a little stiff and formal in his speech, but it had grown even more so with the years. Before Nate had been yanked out of the city and thrown into some private school, far away from Tyler, he’d been shedding the formality of the speech his family had insisted he use constantly.

Tyler slowly let go of Nate’s wrist to pull his phone out. “Give me your number and I’ll text you then?”

Nate took it, turning his eyes away from Tyler only long enough to type in his contact information. “There. Message me so I can have yours as well. Just contact me when you want to meet. I have...well, a surplus of free time lately so don’t worry about that too much.”

It felt as there was more Nate wanted to say, but to borrow his comment from before, if Nate hadn’t changed too much over the years, he