“It’s a Darren thing,” Riley explains. “To help me sort out my head.”
“Ah. So, he’s more organized with your head than with his own.”
“Maybe so. But what about you? Do you need a list?”
We’re both watching Darren now, in the spa with Beau, Adrian, Noah, and Banjo. And he’s staring at me until Beau gives him a wet willy, and Darren climbs into Beau’s lap to fight back. Icatch Riley looking at me again, and I wonder how tapas turned into this. It’s absurd how badly I want to march over there just to kiss him in front of our little world, but I scrub a hand over my face instead.
“No,” I sigh. “I already know the answer.”
I leave Riley then, offering anything and everything I can before I go. I’m inside before I think much about where I’m headed, and a voice stops me just as I reach the bottom of the staircase.
“Running away from your own party?”
I turn and bite my tongue at least once before I answer Adrian. “It’s only half my party, and everyone seems plenty entertained. A brief escape doesn’t feel unreasonable.”
“Does it bother you?” he asks. “The way they are with each other?”
It takes me a moment to remember the spa scene from just seconds ago. “Darren and Beau? Not in the slightest. Does it botheryou?”
“I don’t think it should.”
I nod and leave the unsaid things—unsaid. “Do you have an aversion to weed?”
“No, I—it’s—what?” Adrian sputters.
“Come with me.”
He’s barefoot and wearing a towel around his waist, but he’s got me beat, my swim trunks still damp from when I was in the pool a while ago. I can grab a towel from my bathroom if I want one, but as I lead him upstairs, I don’t actually care that much. I won't be sitting on anything that can’t get wet.
We step into my bedroom, and Adrian laughs awkwardly. “Is this your way of getting back at them?”
“I already told you I’m not bothered by anything they’re up to. I just want to relax away from the crowd.”
“Like Riley?”
“They’re correct about things more often than not,” I say, picking up the joint I’d left on my dresser earlier. There’s a lighter outside already. “Come on.”
Adrian follows me onto the balcony, and I nod to one of the chairs and let myself feel the quick catch of my breath that gets me every time I remember I have two of them out here now. Again. The feeling passes, and he’s comfortable and watching me closely by the time I slowly exhale.
“Huh.”
I take another hit, then hand it over. “What?”
“I would’ve thought a weed habit would help knock someone off their high horse. Remove the stick from their ass. Keep them from holding ridiculous grudges.”
“I’ve never been high at Trailhead.”
“That explains everything,” Adrian says, undeniably pretty when smoke flows past his lips. “And gives me hope for the next several minutes.”
We smoke and enjoy a perfect view of the spa, the noise from the party a comforting constant. I know Darren has already noticed us, but I don’t think anyone else has, and I prefer it that way. We each take another hit or two, but this conversation has been a long time coming.
“You can’t possibly believe Beau would cheat on you.”
“And you’re not high enough if you’re still set on judging me.”
“I’m not—”
“It’s your entirething,” Adrian interrupts, choking on his next inhale and waving me off until he can argue more. “I did grief wrong. I fell in love with Beau wrong. And to be fair, you don’t only pull that shit with me. Beau forgave me wrong. Darren forgave Drew wrong. Drew did parenthood wrong—”