Chapter Three – The Three Musketeers

Lyn noticed Brad first. It had always been that way – him searching for his best friend whenever entering a room, and Brad, as if guided by an invisible hand, turning to meet his eyes and breaking into a smile.

The last long eight years were gone in a flash when Brad turned on his heel, as he had always done before, his whole face lighting up with a grin as huge as the tropical sun waiting for them outside the rather unwelcoming and austere airport terminal.

Lyn said nothing. He only smiled back, the way El had told him made him look a bit like a dangerous gangster in a perfectly tailored suit – gangsta, El drawled the word, sticking out his tongue and asking for a kiss.

Brad probably thought nothing of mafiosos in designer suits and rushed toward him the same way he had always done over the course of their four years of college, like Lyn was the center of his entire attention, and the rest of the world didn’t matter. He dodged the other passengers skillfully as they rushed out, his eyes never leaving Lyn.

“Fucking hell, man, you look awesome,” Brad began, pulling him into a strong hug and patting his back. “You got LASIK or something? I remember you always worried about breaking your glasses by accident.”

“Yeah, I didn’t want to deal with the hassle of needing them all the time,” Lyn replied, already tickled pink by Brad’s noticing that simple detail about him.

Brad held him at arm’s length, still patting his shoulders. “Is it my imagination or are you taller?”

“I doubt it,” Lyn said. “But I exercise five times a week, so maybe that’s it.”

“You sure do exercise,” Brad said, feeling his biceps through the jacket of his suit. “Wait till the girls see these guns. I’m not supposed to tell you this, but Bella has already told her unmarried girlfriends that I have a couple of buddies coming that are total future husband material.”

“Oh, really?” Lyn showed a little bit of teeth. “And how do you know that?”

Did Brad really not remember their last conversation before becoming strangers for eight freaking years? Or was he just choosing not to?

His tone must have come across as a bit harsh because Brad’s smile dimmed a smidge. “Damn, man, no wonder you’re such a great lawyer. I bet you make people piss their pants when you stare at them like that. Okay, so I suppose you’re a player. Eh, it doesn’t matter. I’m sure not all of Bella’s friends are interested in marriage. You’ll have fun, I promise you that.”

Brad hooked one arm over Lyn’s shoulders and began dragging him away toward the exit. As much as he wanted to correct his old friend’s assumption, he didn’t feel like now was the right time to do it.

Brad’s body warmth seeped into his torso, reminding him of all the good times they’d spent together. Unimportant details faded from his mind.

***