In the end, Rick’s fears turned out to be unnecessary—at least on the surface. When he found himself in the same room as Teo again, the dark-haired man ignored him completely. In fact, he ignored everyone in the kitchen.

“Teo, come have a cookie,” Alicia called out to her son before he could slip away. He turned, and for a split second, his gaze locked with Rick’s before moving to his mother. It lasted only a moment, but it was enough to make the older man’s heart race. He wasn't sure if it was from the fear of being caught or simply the fact that it was Mateo.

“No, thanks,” Teo said, turning back around and exiting the room faster than anyone else could speak to him.

When Rick shifted his gaze from the door back to the table, he noticed two things immediately. The first was that Alicia looked far more dejected than one would expect over her son refusing a snack, even though she tried to hide it. The second was that Orion was not hiding anything at all. He was openly frowning, staring down at the table as if he could set it on fire with his eyes.

Rick had no idea what was going on, and when he looked at Amelia, he realized he wasn’t the only one.

Great. The next few days were going to be a front-row seat to a family drama.

“Is everything okay?” The redhead was obviously the braver of the two and decided to address the tension at the table.

Surprisingly, it was Alicia who offered an answer, though it sounded like a polished version of the truth. “Nothing serious.” The smile on her lips didn't reach her eyes, and she couldn't maintain it for long, quickly bringing her cup to her mouth to mask her unease. “I was just hoping Teo would spend more time at home during the holidays,” she added.

“How old is he again?” Amelia asked with interest, even though she knew the answer perfectly well. Rick had talked about Mateo so much over the past three years that she had to know. Not that they discussed him regularly, but whenever the topic of relationships and sex came up, Rick tended to mention that experience. He compared everyone he’d been with since to Mateo, and no one ever measured up.

“He’s twenty-two.”

And there was the perfect reminder of why they couldn't be together. Not only was he Orion’s brother, but he was still a student. He had a completely different life, different priorities, and Rick felt he had nothing to offer him.

“So he’s still in school?” Amelia continued, as if deliberately tormenting him. Even so, Rick caught himself listening closely, trying to remember everything that was being said.

Alicia nodded. “He’s a sophomore at Eastwood Community College. He’ll be finishing in May.” This time, her smile changed, becoming more genuine. She seemed proud of her son, even if they didn't seem to get along at first glance. Not that Rick could judge that after barely an hour.

“That’s great. What does he study?”

Amelia kept the conversation going, and while there was nothing suspicious about it, Rick worried that this line of questioning might draw attention where he didn’t want it.

“Nursing. He wants to work in a hospital.”

Neither Amelia nor Rick had been prepared for that, and both of them raised their eyebrows in surprise.

Teo’s appearance didn't suggest "nurse" at all. Rick was fairly certain that most healthcare workers didn’t paint their nails black, wear eyeliner, or sport an overgrown mullet.

“If he passes his exams,” Orion muttered, and judging by his tone, it wasn’t something he’d meant to say out loud.

From the look Alicia gave him, it was clear she didn’t want him to continue this conversation—certainly not in front of guests.

“Orion is just worried because Teo spends a lot of time with his friends,” Alicia stepped in to explain before her son could. “But there’s no reason for it; Teo has always done well in school. I’m sure he’ll have no problem.”

Despite her smile, the uncomfortable atmosphere lingered. Especially with Orion falling silent, making it hard to tell who this conversation—or rather its conclusion—was most uncomfortable for. Fortunately, Atlas, Orion’s father, soon arrived to introduce himself, effectively saving the moment.

Rick didn’t know much about the dynamics of this family—only that Alicia had Orion with Atlas, and shortly after his second birthday, they separated. She had been alone for a long time until she met Mateo’s father and had Teo with him. However, they also split up after a few years, and four years ago she got back together with Atlas, who had obviously had time to mature during those years, since neither of them were teenagers anymore.

The biggest mystery in this family for him, however, remained Teo.

When the older man finally saw him again, it was almost evening. He didn't want to claim that the dark-haired man was avoiding his own family, but seeing him in the same room as his parents was nearly impossible. With Orion, it was even rarer.

On one hand, Rick took this as a positive, as he couldn't give himself away by his reaction to Teo’s presence; on the other hand, he was disappointed. Even though he had sworn not to get involved with him, the fact that Teo had chosen to remind him of himself was certainly no coincidence. And the fact that he hadn’t forgotten him, despite their only having spent one night together…

Rick had to pull himself together before he did something he would regret.

It was difficult, though, because the moment he and Teo finally found themselves alone in the room, it was clear that Teo didn’t have the same plan.

The sunroom was located at the back of the house, connected to the house by a door in a short hallway—not the living room or kitchen, as one might automatically expect. Rick hadn’t known about it until Alicia mentioned it, telling him it was a quiet place to relax if he needed a break from the noise and bustle of the holidays.

Rick decided to take her up on the offer that evening, while Alicia and Amelia watched a romantic movie on TV and Orion and his father went to help a neighbor. He had initially offered to help as well, but they assured him it was fine and that, as a guest, he should enjoy his time off.

So the brown-haired man made himself some hot tea and headed to the sunroom. He certainly hadn’t expected to find the younger man already there, sitting on a sofa tucked into a corner that wasn’t immediately visible from the door, with a blanket draped over his shoulders and a notebook in his hand. A mug sat on the table beside him, not steaming, suggesting he had been there for a while.

“Sorry, I didn’t know anyone was here,” Rick apologized and immediately turned to leave.

“You don’t have to go.” Teo’s voice stopped him before he could touch the handle. “There’s plenty of space.”

The older man turned, and their eyes met. “I won’t bother you?”

He hoped Teo would change his mind and send him away, since if he was openly inviting him like this, Rick didn’t believe he’d have the strength to refuse. Unfortunately, the younger man shook his head in refusal and then nodded toward the space next to him.

Rick didn't want to show just how much influence Mateo still had on him after all these years, so without showing any hesitation, he walked over to the spot indicated and sat down, placing his mug of tea on the same table where Teo had his.

“What are you doing?” he asked, to break the silence that had fallen between them.

“Writing.”

The dark-haired man was sitting in a way that prevented Rick from seeing the notebook. Teo had his knees bent, resting them on the table bar, with the notebook balanced on his thighs. He was positioned so that his back wasn’t directly against the backrest or the wall; one side was the armrest, the other a cold wall.

“Is it a secret?”

Teo laughed at the question, and Rick froze. Clearly, his eyes weren’t the only thing he remembered even after all these years.

“It’s not a secret,” the younger man assured him. “More like embarrassing.” Despite his words, he didn't look ashamed—on the contrary. A mischievous, confident smile played on his lips. The kind of smile he definitely didn't wear around his family.

“Embarrassing?”

“Uh-huh.” Teo nodded. “I’m trying to write a song.”

That wasn’t the answer Rick expected, though he had no idea what he had been expecting when he asked. Mateo seemed like one big surprise, and every time Rick learned one thing about him, another would emerge to shock him anew.

“You write songs?”

In his defense, his brain was still recovering from the fact that he was sitting next to the man he hadn't been able to forget for three years.

Teo laughed again, seemingly amused, and despite Rick’s blunt questions, he appeared to be enjoying his company.

“I’m trying,” he corrected him.

“What’s this one about?”

To Rick’s surprise, Teo turned the notebook to show a blank page.

“Nothing yet. Can’t seem to get it going today.” He didn’t seem bothered by it, though Rick had no idea how long the younger man had been sitting there, trying to kickstart his creativity.

“Do you at least have an idea of what it should be about?”

Rick had so many questions for him—many concerning their current, complicated situation—yet he stuck to this topic instead of panicking and devising a battle plan.

“Christmas.”

Another response that caught Rick off guard.

“My band’s performing at the square, and we wanted to include an original Christmas song in the set, but I guess we’ll have to stick with some classics,” Teo revealed, his gaze fixed on  the man in front of him. If his blue eyes weren’t so striking, his look might not have been so intense, but as it was, Rick felt as if Teo could read him perfectly, knowing exactly what was going through his mind.

Now, however, Rick was captivated by something entirely different than the faint light highlighting how attractive the younger man looked.

“I’m the singer,” he revealed. “We perform the day after Christmas, if you want to come watch.”

That was the exact opposite of Rick’s plan. He wanted to avoid him, not spend extra time with him, but since he was supposed to spend eleven days here and certainly had nothing better to do that day, he didn't have much of a choice when it came to his response. Besides, even just hearing him talk made Rick think Mateo had a lovely voice; he was intensely curious about how he sounded when he sang.

“Maybe I’ll come.” Outwardly, he decided to stay nonchalant.

Teo laughed again. “Mr. Playing-it-cool. If you plan to—”

Rick didn’t get to hear the rest of his sentence, as the door to the sunroom suddenly opened and Orion peeked in. The blond man frowned when he realized in whose company he had found Rick and made no effort to hide his confusion.

“Here you are.”

“I was just talking to Teo.” Rick tried to keep his tone normal. After all, he wasn't doing anything wrong, but he had a feeling Orion would ask questions later anyway.

The blonde’s eyes moved to his brother, and Rick dared to steal a fleeting glance at him too. The dark-haired man was no longer paying attention to either of them, however. Instead, he was staring into his notebook, moving his pencil in strokes that revealed he wasn't writing words as he’d planned, just doodling, trying to look busy.

There was no trace of his earlier smile.

“Dad and I wanted to play cards. Want to join?”

Perhaps Orion had wanted to say something to his brother and changed his mind, or perhaps he planned to ignore him just as Teo was ignoring him. Rick didn't know which it was, but in either case, it raised questions he couldn't ask out loud. Instead, he chose to answer: 

“Sure.”