With next month’s shift schedule finalized and uploaded, Cassie left the backroom to see how the bar was doing. Most things were normal, like the young woman from down the street sipping solitary drinks in a corner booth or the old man complaining to May, one of the new bartenders, about ‘kids these days.’ What stood out to her was River glued to one spot of the bar. He wasn’t sweeping around, socializing with the locals, or working the crowds. The odd behavior was suddenly explained when she saw his little friend—Hunter?—sitting in front of her boss. 

He looked like a jock, his strong shoulders matched a strong jaw softened only by his bright, attractive smile. For once, he wasn’t wearing that uptight suit and only had on a button up and slacks today. Cassie heard the tail end of an okay joke and watched River laugh way too hard at it, the simp. Three weeks of no appearance and suddenly he was in Adonis again, smiling like nothing was amiss. 

In Cassie’s world, everything had been perfectly fine in his absence. It was nice to have her boss fully focused and not need to give him and his special customer a bubble of privacy. Of course, she was positive that River would disagree. 

She stood unmoving as he left to go to the kitchen and returned with a plate of fries. River smiled warmly as his friend dug in and scanning the scene, Cassie noticed two more plates just like it, stacked on top of each other. So River had been serving Hunter plate after plate but still looked so peppy to bring him more. 

Her boss was always doting when it came to Hunter, everyone who worked in Adonis knew it, but she’d never seen it to this degree. Maybe distance really did make the hoes thirstier, or something along those lines. 

As if on cue, River turned and caught sight of an aimless Cassie. It wasn’t  a crime to not have something to do at every given moment, but Cassie had a feeling that not looking busy tonight had been a mistake.  

“Hey Cassie,” River called, a politician’s smile carrying him over to her side. “If you’re not busy, can you cover the bar? My friend hasn’t been here in a while so I wanted to hang out with him.”

Could Cassie have reminded him of boundaries, professionalism, or company image to get him to keep working? Sure. But the begging look on the older man’s face disturbed her more than pimple-popping compilations ever did so she folded like a lawn chair.

“Fine. But I’m not bringing him food like you were. He’s gonna have to wait for a regular waiter like everybody else.”

River mouthed a long thank you, pulling the towel off of his shoulder and into her hand before returning to Hunter’s side.  

—————

Hunter was finishing his third order of fries and dusting the crumbs off his fingers when a new drink came. Hunter stared at the glass, confused as to who ordered it until River brought it to his lips. Even the way he sipped the drink was effortless, his throat bobbing up and down gently to swallow the liquid.

“You’re drinking on the job?” Hunter asked with an upturned brow.

“Nope, Cassie’s covering the bar. Thought we should celebrate your return after a long absence.”

River raised his glass in a silent cheer before taking another swig, but Hunter was still trying to make sense of his words. Or rather, the intention behind them. It sounded like a good thing, celebrating his return, but River’s mouth was tight as he said the words, eyes carrying a certain anger Hunter was not used to seeing.

“So what did you do during your time away? It must have been pretty important.”

“No, I was just working,” Hunter shrugged, catching a slight tick in his friend’s jaw.

“Ah, working?” 

“Yeah, it’s been pretty busy at the office so there’s not a lot of time for me to visit.”

River leaned heavily onto the bar counter, humming as he slowly looked Hunter up and down, eyes lingering on his face.

“So, you’re busy like last time but instead of having the eye bags to prove it, you were just . . . gone longer?”

Hunter’s cheeks turned a blotchy pink. It was embarrassing being caught in a lie like that but usually, when someone says they’re busy, it’s understood that they don’t need to elaborate. Heck, they didn’t even need to be telling the truth. Yet River is too attentive and it threw Hunter off. He could have been honest and said that he’d gone to New York, but the memory of how much he missed River when he’d gone still made him uneasy. It was just easier to avoid it. Now, he had River watching his every move, looking for yet another mistake. 

“I’m sorry, did I say something wrong? You seem kind of upset.”

Hunter was deflecting hard but he’d gone too far to turn back now. Surprisingly, his words got River to pull back in surprise.

“I’m not upset. Why would I be upset?” 

With great timing for River and terrible timing for Hunter, Cassie arrived, a new drink in hand for her boss. River thanked her for the glass and chugged half of it right then and there.

“Do you want an order of our sliders?” River nodded towards a couple sitting at a table, sharing a plate of mini burgers between them. “Protein would be good for the exhaustion you aren’t showing but are undoubtedly feeling right now. You know, since you were so busy.”

“I-”

River threw his head back and drained the rest of the glass.

“You know what, I actually have to use the bathroom. Would you excuse me for one second?”

With River’s retreating form racing towards the staff door, Hunter let out a long breath. He couldn’t remember River ever being so harsh towards him. Compared to showing up multiple times a week, Hunter’s sudden disappearance was bound seem strange. But wasn’t that a normal amount of time for most friendships? And River was Mr. Independent, a lone wolf in every sense of the word. He should have been fine with some distance. Yet Hunter sat there alone, knowing that for whatever reason, River was hurt. Maybe the older man did care more than Hunter first thought. 

Perhaps he even cared as much as Hunter did.

Hunter had been stuffed with more fries than any one person would normally consume, so he didn’t feel like ordering yet another dish from the kitchen. Still, admiring the gorgeous black acryclic menu gave him something to do. Hunter was tracing his finger along the engraved gold lettering when a phone rang beside him.

Hunter began to reach for his phone but paused when he noticed the ringtone was unfamiliar. Hunter saw the phone in question vibrating on the bar counter. He would have left it there but the noise was starting to bother other people sitting at the bar so, in the end, Hunter picked it up. The ringing stopped almost immediately after he had it in his palm but it was long enough for Hunter to catch the name ‘Melodie.’

Right, Melodie. Here Hunter was, so ready to get caught up in the fantasies again, forgetting that River’s partner Melodie was still in the picture. 

“I’m back,” River waltzed over to his seat, practically singing the words as he looped around the bar. “I hope you didn’t miss me too much.”

—————

As the guy who hadn’t touched a drop of alcohol all night, it was Hunter’s turn to take River home. He kept River’s arm looped through his own, guiding the tipsy man up the walkway to the small house River called home. River was more tipsy than drunk and an uber probably would have sufficed to get him home okay, but Hunter couldn’t end their night at the bar. 

Which led them to this moment. Hunter stood off to the side like an awkward bodyguard, watching River work on the lock. After hearing the deep thump, River turned, a sleepy grin on his face as he pulled open the door.

“Thanks for bringing me home.”

“It’s no problem,” Hunter shrugged, crossing his arms against the bitter Toronto cold. “You did the same for me.”

“Yeah,” River started in, but paused, fingers tightening around the doorknob. “Maybe I should return the favor.”

In two large steps, River stepped in front of Hunter. His breath left his lips in small clouds as he stared determinedly at Hunter’s mouth. Hunter’s body was confused. After battling the oncoming winter chill for so long, it was strange to suddenly have River in front of him, warming his skin from proximity alone. Fingertips tinged pink by the cold reached up, grabbing Hunter’s jacket and using the fabric to pull the taller man down.

Does River have feelings for me? Could we ever have something serious? Is he just bored? Hunter’s mind raced to make sense of it all as the older man’s face moved even closer. Hunter’s eyes fluttered close, his face lowering to meet River’s. But moments passed and there was no kiss. He opened his eyes to see River watching him, a glossy sheen over his dark brown eyes.

“You were gone for so long and never reached out,” River croaked, fists tightening around the fabric of Hunter’s coat. “Never sent me a text or gave me a call.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Are you?” River’s whispered words warmed Hunter’s lips, teasing him with the promise of more. “Then prove it.”

Slowly, Hunter lowered his face and finally felt their mouths connect. Slightly chapped skin met in the gentlest exchange and Hunter shuddered on an exhale when the relief hit him. Hunter had so many ideas of what their first kiss would be like, but the last thing he expected was for the kiss to feel so familiar. River pulled back and Hunter chased after his lips frantically. River's retreat was a blessing, really. Hunter shouldn’t be kissing him in the first place. In the darkness, their eyes met and Hunter's chest tightened.

“River, please-”

Whether he was begging River to stop or keep going, they would never know. River pushed onto his tippy toes, deepening the kiss, and cutting off those hushed words. Hunter’s conscience left him with a deep, guttural groan. The full length of their bodies connected and Hunter held the back of River’s head in his palm, keeping the shorter man close. The howling wind pushing against their bodies was forgotten as they continued to connect. The two of them created enough heat to spend an eternity out there in the dead of night, with nothing but the clothes on their backs and each other. 

But River had other plans. 

His right hand traveled up Hunter’s chest, shaking as it finally skimmed the taller man’s collar. Then, gripping the lapel, he began walking the two of them backwards. Hunter was wrapped up in his partner and allowed himself to be walked into the home. Concrete turned into tiled floors but Hunter didn’t fully register the change until the door swung shut and a large bang sounded through the house. 

Gasping, Hunter tore himself away. River watched the taller man wipe furiously at his lips, making his already irritated mouth burn a brighter red.

“Okay, let’s just put this on pause and talk about it tomorrow,” Hunter huffed, flexing his fists to not reach out and comfort a now dejected River. It was hard to think about how he might have offended River when the word ‘homewrecker’ kept circling in his mind. “Y-you need to go to bed.” 

“I wanted to go to bed with you.”

“Please stop talking,” Hunter grasped his head in his hands, his body throbbing to continue what he’d cut short. River seemed unaware of his struggle, and each combative word that left his mouth was another strike against Hunter’s already waning control.

“Why? Am I too disgusting for you to sleep with? Is that why you stopped showing up?”

Hunter spun back around, eyes ablaze with all the emotions he struggled to hold back for months.

“I’m not the one with a girlfriend, River!”

The ensuing silence was the loudest thing Hunter had ever heard. River faltered, his voice growing soft again for the first time that night.

“Girlfriend?”

“Yeah, Melodie. I saw she called you today, at the bar.”

Hunter waited for River to fold. Finally he would admit to all of the wrong he’d done by leading Hunter on. Instead, after a moment of silence, he reached for Hunter’s hand and pulled him further into his home. This might be a disaster. It would be a lot harder to resist River with a mattress right beside them. But when River reached the bedroom door, he paused, turning to the man behind him.

“Melodie isn’t my girlfriend,” pushing the door open, River revealed a young girl fast asleep. 

“She’s my daughter.”