Amid Our Lines (A Witty MM Small-Town Romance) by Zarah Detand

Author:Zarah Detand [Detand, Zarah]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Zarah Detand
Published: 2024-01-12T00:00:00+00:00

Matteo had clever eyes and boy-next-door good looks, his relaxed air a contrast to Martin’s bright energy. They’d arrived by train half an hour ago, back from visiting Matteo’s family in Northern Italy, and met up with Eric, Kojo, and Adrian at a nearby lakeside town.

Eric couldn’t help but observe the dynamic between Adrian, Martin, and Matteo. It wasn’t that he doubted Adrian’s claim that there was nothing but friendship between him and Martin, but… But surely Eric’s past mistakes justified a closer look?

It wasn’t jealousy. It honestly wasn’t. Just, now that he and Adrian were ... something, well, Eric could be forgiven for wondering. What with those clips he’d seen of Adrian and Martin laughing into each other’s mouths, hands all over. Right? Yeah, made total sense.

Unfortunately, Kojo disagreed.

“Mate.” He sidled up to Eric at a booth that sold wheels of local cheese, the lake’s expanse just beyond. “If you expect me to believe it’s casual, you may want to dial the focused murder stare down to, say, a seven in intensity.”

Eric tore his gaze away from where the other three were catching up at a second stall that sold glass jars filled with preserves, chutneys, and pickled vegetables. Kojo had already examined the offerings, his conversation with the vendor one of sweeping hand gestures to bridge the language gap.

“It’s not like that.” Eric tugged his coat sleeves down to prevent cold air from sneaking in between his jumper and gloves. “I just want to make sure I’m not getting into the middle of something. Wouldn’t be the first time I’m told things aren’t what they, in fact, are.”

Kojo sighed. “Not everyone’s like Lucas, you know?”

“In love with someone else and lying about it, you mean?” Eric examined the faded photographs that showcased the farm from where the cheese originated.

“Yeah,” Kojo said. “That.”

“I guess.” When Eric glanced over again, he caught Matteo watching him with a strange tilt to his head. Matteo looked away almost immediately, an arm slung around Martin’s shoulders in an easy show of affection, one of Martin’s hands tucked into a pocket of Matteo’s winter jacket. They seemed sweet together, and nothing suggested that Adrian felt even a hint of awkwardness around them. Just then, he leaned forward to grasp both their shoulders, eyes crinkling with a laugh that came out in a visible cloud.

Eric turned away and let his gaze drift over the waterfront promenade. Traditional wooden houses made up the core of the town, tourist infrastructure mixed in with eighteenth-century remnants. Patches of blue showed between the clouds, a weak winter sun glistening on the lake.

He let Kojo pull him into choosing cheese for tonight’s dinner, the last meal before guests would flock back to the hotel for the days leading up to Christmas. Adrian insisted on picking up the tab because “this is the closest thing to a team-building event I can offer you lot, plus Matteo promised to take a look at the wiring on the top floor”.

“I’d have done that for free,” Matteo said.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.