Page 63 of Chasing You

Things wouldn’t feel so strange once Adele got used to it. And if he was lucky, he’d have Kash with him to soothe the painful parts when they became too much.

Gathering blankets in his arms, he snagged Gage’s favorite pillow with his teeth and shuffled his way into the living room. Gage was staring at the blank TV with hazy eyes, and Adele dropped everything and urged him to sit up.

“You were listening,” Gage rasped.

Adele shrugged. “I eavesdrop in my own house sometimes. Sue me.”

Gage didn’t look too put out about it. He let Adele situate his pillow and the blankets until he was wrapped up like a little burrito. His cheeks were still flushed, and his eyes were bright with fever, but he’d looked worse.

It wasn’t time to panic.

“You know that even when I’m in my nineties, I will still do this for you, right?” Adele murmured as he slid to the floor beside Gage’s torso and leaned his head back.

Gage hummed softly as he curled up on his side. “Yeah. I know. And my kids too?”

“I’m gonna be the best pop pop in the world.”

The word felt odd on his tongue but not as alien as it had even a year ago when Gage announced he wanted a big family. Maybe he was getting to the age he was ready for it. Not now, of course. He wanted his son to enjoy his youth—to avoid having to grow up too quickly. But he also knew he’d be prepared for whenever it happened.

“Can I tell you something?”

“You can tell me anything.”

Gage was quiet for a long beat before speaking. “I don’t think I want to go to school in Savannah anymore.”

Adele inwardly cheered. Savannah wasn’t the furthest school Gage had chosen, but he was relieved anyway because it was one of the most expensive. But he wasn’t going to celebrate. He knew this was probably breaking Gage’s heart a little bit.

“What do you want to do, then?” Adele asked.

Gage sniffed. “I don’t know. Is that bad? I mean, I have all these acceptance letters, and with Braedon, going to SCAD seemed like the right choice. But now that he and I are off the table, I’m not even sure I want to do art stuff.”

Adele turned and began to brush fingers through Gage’s hair again. His eyes fluttered shut, and his breathingevened out, even as it hitched on the edge of a wheeze. “Why don’t you nap now and worry about all that later.”

“Mmyeah. ’Kay.”

“Love you,” Adele whispered. He waited until he was sure Gage had dozed off, then stood up and quietly tiptoed his way to the kitchen. He attempted to startle him but failed when Kash looked over.

“You’re not cute.”

Adele slid up behind him and wrapped his arms around Kash’s waist, kissing his neck. “Liar.”

Kash let out a soft humph, but he didn’t disagree. Instead, he tipped his head to the side to give Adele better access to his skin. “We’re gonna catch this plague, aren’t we?”

Adele laughed as he licked and nibbled at Kash’s pulse point. “Mm. Probably. But luckily, I’ve never had the man flu in my life, and I can take care of you both if you need me.”

“I do need you,” Kash said very softly. “But not for that. I need you just because.”

Adele held on to him a little tighter and closed his eyes, basking in the feeling of Kash in his arms. He was in love. He was happy. In the moment, he was content with his life. He finally had faith that all of this would work out. That they were working toward something.

And that was all that mattered right then.

seventeen

KASH

It tooktwo weeks for the plague to run through everyone’s house and half the guys at Adele’s station. It was a fairly mild virus, but everyone caught it. Frey was pretty sure Rex was patient zero and sent everyone homemade muffin baskets with a surprisingly tasty array. Kash and Adele made half a dent in theirs before Adele took the rest to the station to share, and Kash went back to eating soup and taking baths until his throat felt better and his muscles stopped feeling like he’d been run over by a truck.

He felt like a human a few days before his first appointment with the local physical therapist. His former department was covering twelve sessions—and that was it. Adele wanted to fight it, but Kash didn’t. He was exhausted. He wanted to get through this so he could get back to…well, he wasn’t sure what.

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