Page 107 of Close Quarters

“He’s a sentimental bastard,” Reed said, but his grin was as soppy as a sponge left in a pool.

“He’s as soft as Riley’s skull,” Max sighed.

Riley tugged on his arm. “Max, shh. Let Leon have this. You know he’s insanely proud of Reno for this. Look how far he’s come. Let them have this.”

“I know, I know,” Max said, trying to sound annoyed, but I could see he’d been properly chastised by his sweeter but not exactly fragile boyfriend. Honestly, those two were a lesson in how opposite two people who were really good together could seem.

I knew all too well Reno and I gave off the same impression, but we knew better. There were more similarities between us than people might understand, and in many ways, our differences balanced one another. It was probably a lot like that with those two, and if anything, Riley had managed to soften Max…or maybe he just made Max feel comfortable and safe enough to let the hidden softness finally find its way out.

If that was the case, I hoped he’d had an easier time of it than I’d had with Reno. Not that I regretted it for a moment. Finding ways to dig around Reno’s defenses and settling down comfortably to slowly show him he was safe with me had been trying but well worth it. No one would accuse him of being a softy, but at least he no longer felt he had to respond to everything with rage and threats.

Max narrowed his eyes at me. “What’s going on in that head of yours?”

“I bet you’re the world’s biggest cuddler,” I told him with a smirk.

“Bet on something else,” Max said, and while he tried to ignore Riley beside him nodding at me, I saw him scowl for a moment before swatting Riley on the shoulder, who only laughed.

I glanced at Reed and snorted. “And you don’t have to say it. We both know Leon is a cuddler.”

“The best of the best,” Reed said, a twinkle in his eyes. “Among other things.”

Max groaned, but Riley and I laughed, then quickly stifled it when eyes turned to us. Other than the daily interaction of getting my meds, I’d never interacted with Reed much. Even then, I wasn’t surprised to find he had a mischievous side. It was a good balance to Leon’s serious and earnest personality, which, while sweet, could potentially drag the mood down without someone to nudge him along.

I still wasn’t sure how the two of them had finally broken that awkward ‘I like you, but I’m not going to say it’ stage, but they had. For the most part, they kept whatever happened between them a complete secret. Much like Max and Riley had, and Reno and I, but not quite as well. I didn’t have the details, but apparently Mona was ‘scarred for life’ after catching them in the supply room in the clinic once.

“And,” Leon’s voice suddenly carried over the crowd, louder than before, “despite all his personal achievements and solo effort, we cannot forget the person who helped him along the way.”

“Oh, that had better not be me he’s dragging into this,” I said, eyes going wide. “I did this once. Thank you very?—”

“The first person Reno established a bond with was someone who helped show him that fellowship and camaraderie are the first steps to rehabilitation,” Leon said, and his eyes found me in the crowd.

“Balls,” I hissed and then slapped a smile on my face, waving as people looked at me. “Hey, hi everyone, it’s me. Please stare at my boyfriend instead.”

Laughter rippled through the crowd, and Reno scowled heavily at me. It wasn’t like it was a secret anymore. People had figured it out when we hadn't gone to different cabins even after he stayed a Tier Two and I was upgraded to Tier One. Technically, I should have got my own, but I’d stayed with him, though when he made it to Tier One shortly before I graduated, we did get to spend our last few months together in the program in a more isolated cabin…meant for one.

And if that hadn’t given us away, then the fact that I visited him as often as possible would have done it. Technically, the ranch allowed friends and family of the participants to visit, with the occasional ‘night pass’ for those in Tier One. We had taken advantage of those passes as much as possible but otherwise stuck to each other’s hips when I visited for a day once a week.

“He looks like he wants to kill you,” Reed chuckled.

“I think that’s just his face,” Riley noted, frowning thoughtfully. “Does his sexy face look that angry?”

“Riley,” Max whined.

“Eh, it’s hard to tell unless you know how to read the minute differences,” I told Riley with a shrug.

“Alright, what are the minute differences telling you this time?”

“Riley!”

“Well,” I said, cocking my head as Leon began to wrap up, handing over the plaque they always gave. “That look tells me he’s annoyed with me, but after he gives me shit, he’s going to give it to me good.”

“I hate this conversation.”

“Huh,” Riley said, peering up at Max who was staring at the ceiling in pain. “Neat.”

“No.”

Reed chuckled. “You four have the most interesting relationships.”

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