Thick as Thieves (Aster Valley 4)

“But—”

“Drop it. I’m going out for a drink, and apparently it won’t be at the hotel bar.”

“With me?” I asked hopefully.

Julian snorted. “Obviously. You’re buying. It’s the least you can do.”

Hell yes.

I grinned at him and led him out of the restaurant. “You and me, Jules. Always. The way it should be.”

We walked across the swanky hotel lobby to the gold-trimmed doors. The liveried doorman nodded and greeted us politely. “Need a car, gentlemen?”

“No, thanks. Where’s a good place for a drink that’s close enough to walk and doesn’t cost an arm and a leg?” Julian asked.

The man’s face creased into a genuine smile. “Bert’s Brews, a block and a half that way. Tell them Jerome sent you.”

I clapped him on the shoulder with a thanks and nudged Julian ahead of me into the freezing cold night air. Julian didn’t need a recommendation since I lived here and he’d visited me plenty enough times to know where to go, but he had a knack for treating people well and engaging locals wherever he went.

The town of Vail sparkled with lights here and there despite the late hour. Even though it wasn’t currently snowing, it was cold as balls.

“Fuck. Why didn’t we stop for our coats?” Julian grumbled.

I put my arm around him. “I’ll keep you warm, Peanut.”

He shrugged me off and shoved me away. “Don’t call me that, Shortbread.”

“Fuck,” I grumbled, forgetting that nicknames went both ways. Julian seemed in a pretty bad mood, so I stopped teasing him long enough for the silence to settle comfortably between us. Silence with Julian had always been comfortable. Being around him was, in some ways, like being alone, only… being alone with the best part of myself.

“Are you mad?” I ventured after a block or so.

Julian shrugged and looked up at the night sky. Despite predictions of an incoming snowstorm in the next couple of days, the sky was inky and clear. The stars were out in bucketloads. It reminded me of the nights we’d spent camping in his parents’ backyard with our sleeping bags and flashlights.

“Not really,” he said with a heavy sigh, as if he’d suddenly lost his never-ending patience with me. “Nolan and I weren’t serious. But fuck… he’s good in bed, and the man has a talented mouth.”

I growled at him. He knew how much I hated hearing about him having sex with his boyfriends and hookups. I just… didn’t like it. I hated thinking of him with someone like Nolan. Someone who didn’t understand or deserve him.

“I still don’t get the attraction. The guy sounds like a surfer. Dude.”

“So?” Julian returned. “He’s charming. He’s fun. He’s got a unique, interesting way of looking at the world.”

Hmph. “What was about all his ‘be free to pursue your passions’ stuff?”

Julian shrugged. “What about it? He was honest about what he wanted from the beginning. And open relationships are very common.”

“But they’re not for you,” I said confidently. “You’re a one-guy guy.”

I knew from previous conversations that Julian wasn’t into open relationships himself. It was something we’d talked through several weeks ago when he’d first hooked up with Nolan. Julian was a serial monogamist. I wasn’t sure the man knew how not to throw himself all in with one person. He was god’s gift to whoever he was dating, too. A giver.

“Yeah,” Julian said after a long, long pause. “Yeah, Parks, I’m a one-guy guy.”

I nodded happily. “That’s why I refrained from kicking his ass for abandoning you.”

“Abandoning me? You told him to leave!”

“Yeah, but he went along with it.” I shook my head, still unable to comprehend it. “Dumbass.”

Julian shook his head with a kind of fond exasperation that made my chest warm. “Down, boy. No black eyes at Erin’s fancy Valentine’s Day wedding, especially on the groom. My sister would kill me since she’s probably in charge of Erin’s makeup.”

His mention of the wedding brought all of my nerves back in full force. Thankfully, I’d been told many times over that having cold feet was very normal. I just had to suck it up. In twenty-four hours, it would all be over, and things could go back to normal.

“Then let’s get you drunk,” I suggested, pulling open the door to Bert’s and gesturing Julian inside. “We can drown your sorrows over losing your, uh… talented friend and help drown my nerves.”

“Erin would kick my ass if I let you start her wedding day hungover,” he said, moving past me into the dim bar. It was exactly the kind of place we needed. Scuffed wood floors, red vinyl booths, and mismatched neon beer signs hung all over the place. It was doing a brisk business tonight, which I was grateful for. I wanted to lose myself in the buzz of the crowd noise and be able to talk to my best friend without worrying about who was listening.