Page 38 of Obsessed

“I’m still riding the high,” Tristan chuckled. “I was on the mountain this morning so it doesn’t feel like my hike is over yet.”

“I’m super proud of you.” Rain shifted on the couch in the storage room. Tristan’s text and photo had come in just as Rain had gotten to The Pointe, so he’d beelined to his old hideaway, stunned by the sight of Tristan on top of the Mount Katahdin sign at the northern end of the Appalachian Trail. He definitely looked like he’d walked over twenty-two hundred miles; his beard had its own zip code and he’d gotten almost too lean, but the life in his eyes couldn’t be denied. Whatever he’d been looking for on the trail? He’d found it.

“It’s a big achievement. I’m proud of myself.” Tristan’s voice was soaked in joy.

“Are you going to come back here or are you hiker trash for life now?” Rain ventured.

“Well…” The word hung in the air, laced with hesitancy, making Rain glad that he’d chosen to rely on himself and not be a burden to Tristan. “You know the people I met on the trail? My tramily? One of them has a place in Maine and we’re going to stay there, take a bunch of zero-mile days and eat, maybe check out the rest of Baxter State Park. I won’t be back for a few weeks.”

“Good, I want you to enjoy yourself. You deserve it.”

“Thanks, kid. Now tell me the truth, how have thingsreallybeen?” He’d lived with Rain and Eve for close to a decade, so of course he knew that Rain’s reassuring texts were bold-faced lies.

“It was rough for a while.” Rain tried to keep his voice loose. “But I’m doing okay now.”

“Where’s Eve?” Tristan asked with polite curiosity.

“She’s living with some asshole.” Rain felt that he was being kind.

“And you’re not.”

“Nope. I got a second job and a place to stay.” He’d elaborate more when Tristan came back.

“That’s good. You’re safe, right?” Tristan always cared more than Rain’s mother and it made Rain’s chest twinge. That’s why he never wanted to know who his real father was because, as far as he was concerned, Tristanwashis dad and he’d been lucky to have him.

“I am.” Rain checked the time. “And I should probably get to work. Stay in touch during the next adventure?”

“Always, kid.”

Hanging up, Rain smiled, excited for his shift because tonight he’d see Mason. Since the bride and groom were tying the knot at a separate location he wouldn’t arrive at the hall until later, and Rain bit his lip as he headed upstairs, eager to watch Mason in action again.

He knew something was up the minute he stepped into the kitchen. Conversations stopped, a few servers eyeballed him, and Kate’s eyes were as wide as saucers.

“Rain!” Gaze glittering with gossip, she grabbed his hand, dragging him into the corner. “You’ve been living withMason?”

He blinked, shocked into silence as he tried to figure out who’d spilled the beans. Glancing over at Emma, she gave him a slight shake of her head, but Rain knew she’d never break her word. The only other people who knew were Tommy, Finn, Ollie, and probably Liam by extension, but none of them would talk to Kate about his private life.

“How-” he barely got a word out before she cut him off.

“Bryce saw you two being domestic at the grocery store, said you were groping his ass in the cat food aisle.”

Rain sighed. When presented with a choice, Bryce would always make the wrong one, and now Rain and Mason’s situationship was front page news.

“I bet he told everyone.” Even if he hadn’t, it was only a matter of time, and Rain needed to do damage control before Mason showed up.

“Yeah.” Kate gave him a solemn look. “For what it’s worth? I wouldn’t have spread that around because you’re my friend and I’m happy for you. I knew you had a guy when you stopped flirting with the new servers but Ineverwould’ve guessed it was Mason.”

“It’s really not what it looks like.” Rain held up his hands. “I’m his model for an exhibition and he gave me a place to stay as a trade-off.”

Eyebrows pinched together, she stared at him. “Is that place in his bed?”

Rain fiddled with the end of his braid. In the beginning, it had been a joke. He’d planned on staying in Mason’s room until he got tired enough to go back upstairs, but that had never happened.

“Maybe. But we’re not a couple or anything!” He didn’t sound convincing.

“Riiiight.” She gave him a nod full of sarcasm and he pursed his lips at her.

“Listen, Mason is gonna be here later and I need to keep everyone from harassing him.” The lines between them had begun to blur, resulting in Mason slowly coming out of his shell. He still didn’t talk much but when he did the genius was clear in his gaze, right alongside the worship for Rain. While that kind of admiration usually bothered Rain, Mason was creating with it, bringing them together into something that Rain still couldn’t define but wanted to protect because it was fragile. If the wrong person teased Mason about this, then they might go back to square one.

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