Page 32 of Perfect Storm
“Making me feel old,” Aidan retorted, but he leaned over the couch and considered tapping Levi on the shoulder. He had one of the controls. Had yet to lose, in fact. But instead, Aidan tapped Wes, whohadbeen losing, regularly.
“My turn,” Aidan said and Wes glanced back at him, nodding.
“Sure,” Wes said, because he was not stupid. He knew his place here, on the team, and also in Aidan’s condo. He moved off the couch, handing Aidan the controller as he went.
It was probably a mistake to take Wes’ seat, because he’d been pressed right up next to Levi—practicing that good team bonding, Aidan told himself firmly,nothing else—but it would look weirder if he didn’t. He was going to have to get used to touching Levi, anyway, and existing in the same close bubble with him.
It should’ve been easy, like he’d adjusted to everyone else he’d ever played with, but he kept thinking of that kiss.
And how much he’d like to do it again.
Aidan dropped down on the couch, ignoring the thrill up his spine as their legs pressed together. The shorts today weren’t eye-searing but theywereshort, and Aidan specifically did not think about how toned and muscled his exposed thighs were.
“You ready to go, Flynn?” Levi turned to him, wild grin on his face.
Aidan had never thought he was handsome or even cute. To him, Levi had always been the youngest Banks. Landry was objectively the most attractive of the three, but Levi had grown into his face and his looks the last few years. He was wearing his hair a little longer than he had been, and it curled in dark brown tufts over his head, his much lighter eyes speckled with hazel flecks warm and affectionate as they gazed at Aidan.
“Born ready,” Aidan retorted.
He’d wanted Levi to go back to the way they were before, but he experienced a flash of annoyance that Levi could look at him just the way he always had. Especially when Aidan wasn’t sure he could perform the same radical recalibration.
Levi started the game.
And Aidanwasout of practice. He felt every one of those ten years since he’d picked up a controller, and the fact that he’d never played this particular game before and everyone else clearly had.
“Geez, bro, you suck at this,” Levi teased as he half fell into Aidan on the couch, their race finally finished. Levi had won again. Cam made a noise of annoyance as he came in second again, and Aidan pulled in at the very end, way behind everyone else.
Aidan let out a frustrated huff. “It’s been a few years,” he admitted.
“You’re as bad as Logan,” Levi complained. “I spent two weeks last summer teaching him to playCall of Duty, and I’d have claimed it was the toughest thing I’d ever done, but you might be even more of a project.” Levi knocked their shoulders together, still grinning. “But I’m willing to tackle it, if you are, bro.”
“Sure,bro,” Aidan retorted. He didn’tlikelosing. He didn’t like the fact that Levi might have to fucking tutor himmore.
He lost two more rounds, relinquished his controller back to Wes, and retreated to the bathroom.
He peed, then stared at himself in the mirror as he fixed his hair, shoved his cap back on. His cheeks were flushed no matter how much cold water he splashed on them.
And he wasn’t thinking of Morris, hadn’t thought of him once, not since this morning, when he’d woken up and realized, with a pressing finality, that Levi would be arriving today, and when he did, Aidan couldn’t deal if it was just the two of them.
That was good though. Aidan told himself ithadto be.
Better that the thoughts of his new teammates and camp, starting tomorrow, pushed the painful, pointless thoughts of Mo and the frustrating unfairness of the whole situation out of his mind.
Except that Aidan couldn’t quite believe that it wasjustthe teammates and football that had superseded Morris. It was undeniable that a good chunk of those thoughts were owned by Levi, and as much as Aidan wished they were, they hadn’t been very platonic thoughts. Maybe if Levi had worn longer shorts, he’d have had a chance in hell of keeping his mind above the belt.
Aidan pushed open the bathroom door, kind of wishing that everyone else would leave, and hoping they would stay forever.
Of course, Levi was right there, leaning against the wall opposite the bathroom, like he was waiting on Aidan. Not to vacate the bathroom so he could use it, because he had his own bathroom, attached to his bedroom.
So he was just waiting for Aidan,period.
Aidan pretended his breath wasn’t coming a little faster and that flush wasn’t right back on his cheeks like he hadn’t just tried to cool himself off.
“Hey, bro,” Levi said.
God, Aidan was going to throttle him if he didn’t stop saying that stupid-ass nickname. He wasn’t Levi’sbro. It didn’t even matter that Levi called pretty much everyone bro. Because when he called Aidanbro,it always sounded different. Flirty and pointed. Like he was trying—and succeeding—to get a rise out of Aidan.
“When are you going to stop calling me that,” Aidan complained. He should head back into the living room, where he could hear the raucous yelling of another round ofMario Karthappening. But instead, he stayed, lingering in this quiet dark hallway, alone with Levi.
