Page 45 of Chasing You

Adele glanced around, and he gave in to his first thought. “I could carry you. If you want me to?—”

“I have a wheelchair on board,” a voice interrupted. It was the captain.

Adele spun without letting Kash go and realized the man was still standing there. “Do you?”

“It’ll take me two minutes to grab it,” the guy promised. “Would that help?”

Kash was shaking in his arms, but he nodded. “Yeah. Everyone’s staring. If you can get me out of here, I’ll owe you.”

The guy’s face softened. “I’ll be right back.”

Adele pulled him close and all but carried him to the nearest table. He’d forgotten all about their food, which was probably sitting in the service window, but behind the screen, he could see the employees staring.

Their drinks were still on the table near the edge of the patio, so Adele darted over and snagged one of the water bottles and the stack of napkins. He plopped down next to Kash and drenched them before taking his chin and having a go at the blood.

“I want to fucking die,” Kash whispered.

Adele met his gaze and lifted a brow. “Remember when we were fourteen? Busch Gardens…”

“Oh God,” Kash whispered.

“You told me not to eat at that buffet in the pavilion, but I swore up and down that the spaghetti looked fine.”

Kash dropped his head, and his shoulders began to shake. For a moment, Adele thought he’d gone too far. That he’d broken his friend. Then Kash looked up with tears in his eyes and a shit-eating grin on his face. “It tasted so wrong.”

“But I ate all of it,” Adele said with a huge grin. “Then I insisted we walk all the way to Germany for that goddamn autobahn ride.”

“How much were those shorts you had to buy?”

Adele’s smile was so huge it made his cheeks ache. He leaned in close. “Sixty goddamn dollars, which was outrageous, especially back then.”

Kash sniffed and wiped at his eyes. “You were so scared everyone at school was going to find out you shit your pants on a roller coaster.”

“You were offended for months that I thought you’d sell me out after you literally helped me wipe my ass,” Adele said. “I think that was our biggest fight, and it was definitely way more embarrassing than this.”

Kash rolled his eyes, then dropped his head forward and rested his temple against Adele’s shoulder. “You haven’talways been the hero, but you have been saving me from myself lately.”

“I will always save you from anyone or anything that wants to make you feel like you’re less than.” Adele pulled back and touched Kash’s chin, urging him to look up. “Even if that someone is you.”

Before Kash could reply, the captain was back. He came around the corner, hesitated, then pushed the chair forward. It was a clunky, old contraption with huge handles and missing footrests, but it would do.

“This alright?” the guy asked, sounding almost nervous. In the light, he looked a lot younger than Adele originally assumed. He couldn’t have been more than a few years older than his own kid.

“That’s great. Thank you,” Kash said, not meeting the guy’s eyes.

Adele walked over and stuck out his hand. “Hey. I’m Adele. We haven’t officially met, even though you saved him from the swill of the men’s bathroom floor.”

The guy hunched his shoulders and laughed. “I didn’t do much besides get him away from the gross part of the floor.” He extended his hand. It was strong and very calloused. “I’m Fenton, and you officially made my first shift on this job the most interesting first shift ever.”

“Oh, wonderful,” Kash said from his spot on the bench. “Hey, man. I’m so sorry?—”

“No,” Fenton said in a rush. “I meant that as a compliment. I wanted to be a ship captain in, like, the Navy or something, but I couldn’t qualify. This was all I could get. I thought I was making the wrong choice until today.”

“Glad I could help,” Kash laughed, then heaved himself to his feet. Leaning on his cane, he managed to take the few stepsbetween the table and wheelchair and sat. “You’re going to be great at this, but I have a feeling it’s not going to be this exciting every time. Adele and I used to ride the boat out here all the time as kids, and it’s mostly retired folks who like birding.”

Fenton smiled softly. “I’m okay with that. There’s a toddler at home, so any adult conversation is welcome.”

Adele perked up. “Oh. And your spouse…?”

---