Page 40 of Chasing You

“So, um…I was thinking. There’s the ferry, and I know how much you love being on a boat,” he said, twisting his hands in front of him.

Kash tried not to laugh. Adele was goddamn adorable, and all he wanted to do was kiss him. “Idolove boats.”

Adele’s mouth lifted into a grin. “We could ride out to Cape Andrew. We haven’t been since before you moved. There’s a new snack shop on the beach, and there’s still lots of shells. We could go walk on the sand if your legs are up for it, and maybe pack a picnic. I don’t…I don’t know.” He rubbed roughly at his eyes. “Maybe this is a bad idea. If you?—”

“Adele.”

He looked up, his whole body poised like he was waiting for Kash to shoot him down. “Yeah?”

“I really want to go to the beach with you,” Kash said, his voice a little thick.

Adele’s shoulders sank with his relief. “You sure?”

Kash held out both hands. “One thousand percent. Help me up. What time do we need to leave?”

Checking his watch, Adele grimaced. “Now-ish? Fuck. I can’t pack a picnic.”

“You said snack shop, right?”

Adele bit his lip and nodded.

Giving in to his urges, just for a moment, Kash swayed into Adele’s arms and rested against his chest. “I’ll eat a stale soft pretzel and fake cheese if it means we get to put our feet in the water and forget that things have been crappy lately.”

Adele dipped his head down and buried his nose in the top of Kash’s hair. He heard him take in a deep breath, then felt him let it out. “Let’s go. I don’t want to miss it.”

Kash had enough time to get his shoes on and grab his cane before he was hustled into the car. His legs weren’t feeling too bad, though he knew that could change at the drop of a hat, but his orthotics were helping to keep his feet from turning in, and he was steady with his walking aid.

“You sure about this?” Adele asked twenty minutes into the drive.

Kash blinked at him. “What do you mean?”

“You’re really quiet.”

That seemed to be his new normal these days. He stared down at his feet and wondered if they’d be pointed straight if he wasn’t in his orthotics. “I got a call from the doctor right before you came in.” He could sense Adele stiffen. The temperature in the car seemed to drop ten degrees. “The dystoniaisfrom my injury. It’s permanent, but the nurse said there’s a chance I could go into bouts of remission.”

“Bouts of remission? What does that mean?”

Kash shrugged and leaned back, staring at the window.He could see a small line of cars lined up at the ferry entrance. The gates would open half an hour before boarding. “It means that there will be times in my life where I don’t get all stiff or spastic. I won’t be in pain. It won’t last forever, but sometimes is better than never, right?”

Adele’s hands gripped the wheel tightly, and he turned to get in the car line. Before Kash could say anything else, Adele threw the car into park and turned his whole body, cradling Kash’s face with both hands. “The only thing I detest is the fact that I can’t take your pain away when it happens. I’m happy for you. I’m fucking thrilled because the last thing I could handle is losing you. This is something to celebrate, right?”

Kash swallowed, then nodded. “Yeah. It…yeah, it feels like it.”

“Good. We’re going to find the coolest goddamn shells today,” Adele said, more fiercely than any man should ever speak about seashells. “We’re going to find something on the snack menu that doesn’t suck, and we’re going to sit by the water and thank Poseidon for the waves.”

Kash laughed. Adele used to say shit like that when they were young. He used to jump in the water and tell Poseidon to come for him. The god never did. But while Adele was young and angry, he’d wanted to fight him.

Now, he wanted to thank him.

It felt oddly full circle.

Moments later, the cars began to move, and Adele handed over his phone so the woman could scan his ticket. They were directed to the parking lot, and then Adele waited for Kash at the curb. His legs were moving slowly but steadily, and they kept in pace—elbow to elbow—as they made their way into the terminal.

There was a little café, but it was shut down since it wasa weekday afternoon and it was off-season, but he wasn’t really hungry yet. At least, not for food. He had an appetite for freedom from the heavy weight that had been keeping him pinned to his bed. And he was starving for more than a friendship with his best friend.

He had one of those things now, and he could only hope he’d stay satisfied without the other.

Adele led the way to the elevator, and they made their way to the second floor, where the walkway led to the boarding ramp. The line was fairly small, and they were fourth in line. Kash pressed his forehead to the glass and looked out along the water. The ferry was docked, and he could see seagulls hovering over the water, waiting for what they could scavenge as the boats passed by the jetty.

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