Scott did the same with his dolly, then looked at Tad. “Be back in a few, babe.”
Tad nodded. “Drive safe.”
Beside him, Breck lifted his eyes and fastened them quietly on Kai.
For only the briefest moment, Kai held his gaze—because damn it, he wasn’t even supposed to belookingthat way—then diverted his eyes to the exit and wheeled his stack out the door.
* * *
“So…” Scott drawled as they rolled their dollies toward the elevator. “Still nothin’ going on between you and Breck?”
Kai kept his eyes trained straight ahead. “Nope. Not a thing.” And presently not a lie.
“Riiight,” Scott murmured under his breath.
Kai grinned halfheartedly and slid him a look. “You don’t believe me.”
Scott shrugged. “I dunno what I believe. All I know is that the tension back in that apartment wasthick.” He regarded Kai curiously. “But not like the night at the art show.Thatnight you couldn’t stop givin’ him eyes. Today was like the opposite. You wouldn’t evenlookat the guy.”
Kai barely fought back a frown. Turned his gaze back toward the elevator and loosed a quiet breath. In truth, he’d love to confide in Scott. Someone to vent to would be really nice. God knew, his tight lid on this matter had nothing to do with not trusting Scott, or even not wanting him to know that he was interested in Breck. It was merely just an effort to respect Breck’s privacy.
He still wasn’t sure if Breck’s friends knew he was bi, and Breck’s orientation wasn’t his secret to tell. If he divulged their situation to Scott, that’d mean Tad would find out via someone other than Breck. Which wasn’t okay. Breck held the rights to that information, especially when it came to sharing it with his closest friends. And Kai wouldneverask Scott to keep secrets, especially not from his Tad.
“Just focused on the task at hand.” He cut Scott a smirk and stopped at the elevator.
“Yeah,” Scott chuckled, stopping too. He pushed the down button. “Never seen you sofocusedin all my life.”
Kai’s lips twitched. “I’m a one-track-mind packer. Take it or leave it.”
Scott laughed and nodded. “Oh, I’lldefinitelytake it.”
Kai inclined his head with a little smile.
But that look in Scott’s eyes said he wasn’t quite ready to let it go. Turning back to the elevator, he cleared his throat. “Speaking of Breck… Me and Tad hung out with him on Friday. Over at Grangers. Watched some live music. It was good.”
Kai nodded, wondering how Breck had been holding up in front of his friends after Thursday night.
As if reading his mind, Scott muttered thoughtfully, “He looked like hell. Circles under his eyes. Hardly talked at all. Not a smile in sight.”
Kai’s heart squeezed as he fought not to react. As of right now, Scott only suspected that something was up. If Kai’s expression betrayed him even slightly, his friend would know for sure. Feigning a smirk, he casually shook his head. “Textbook frat boy. Too much alcohol and never an ounce of sleep.”
The elevator opened with an echoingding.
Scott rolled his dolly inside. “I dunno. He kinda looked more bummed out than tired. And he definitely wasn’t drinking like he normally does. One beer the entire night. Well, except for that shot Tad bought him in an effort to cheer him up.”
Kai didn’t reply, as his pulse thudded restlessly. Just moved in beside him and stared back out into the hallway. He didn’t trust his mouth, his voice. Histone. Any reply he gave would surely give him away.
Scott stayed quiet as the door slowly closed. Continued to say nothing as their descent finally got underway. Moments later, the elevator opened back up again, light spilling into the enclosure, the parking lot visible just off to the right.
Kai maneuvered his dolly of boxes back out again. Scott exited behind him, then fell in beside him and started talking again, his words sounding more thoughtful this time, as if he were expressing them with a degree of finesse.
“When me and Tad first started interacting… he kinda dragged his feet about coming out. I understood and tried to give him time, but…” His expression sobered. “In the end, it was just too hard. I couldn’t do it.”
Kai looked at him, sensing the emotion in his voice. “That’s a tough place to be.” He could certainly relate.
Scott nodded. “Yeah, it hurt, Tad wanting to keep me a secret. Thankfully, he came around in the end. But honestly? I don’t think I could’ve stayed away even if he hadn’t. I love him, ya know? And despite my pride, I’m confident I would’ve waited for that man forever.” He flicked Kai a smile as they eased their dollies off the curb and onto the asphalt.
Kai returned the gesture as best he could. “I’m glad he didn’t make you wait.” Tad had faced his fears and Kai respected that.