I’m not sure how he feels about airport PDA, but I can’t possibly stop myself after seeing that. I cup his jaw with my hand, tilting his face up for a kiss. I mean for it to be a tame kiss goodbye, but it’s like the moment our mouths meet, I lose all control, pushing my tongue into his mouth and pulling him closer.
He responds with equal passion, trying to take control of the kiss. By the time someone coughs loudly near us, and we break apart, we’re both panting, and my dick is straining against my zipper.
We both burst out laughing, and eventually I take my bag. “I’ll see you soon then?” I ask hopefully, not wanting to say goodbye.
“See you soon,” he agrees with a smile.
I really hope it feels soon.
The flight back is good but uneventful, the people around me are all super nice and help to distract me from how sad I am to be leaving Beck. I try to focus on the positives—that he agreed to come for the summer, and I go into my meeting with Viktor excited to make that happen.
It takes some convincing on my part to get him to approve Beck’s extended stay. Viktor’s a very private person and is always nervous about having people who don’t work for Kyla come to the headquarters. I think he’s worried about someone stealing his ideas or poaching his employees or something.
But Beck wouldn’t do that.
I think it helps that Viktor met Beck in Florida, so he already knows him and the interest he’s taken in Kyla’s programs. He knows Beck isn’t trying to compete with him or anything. Viktor loves it when influential people show interest in Kyla and typically jumps at the chance to use photos of them taking the courses or even just hanging out with him for promotional purposes, so I’m surprised he hesitates to grant the approval.
He asks me some questions about Beck’s intentions, including whether I thought Beck was trying to convince me to leave Kyla to work for him. I explain that Beck and I don’t talk about the details of our jobs, and that I don’t think he’d want me to work for him, and Viktor seems relieved. He also asks how I think Beck might react to the town, the people, and our routines here. I assure him that Beck would love it—because who wouldn’t?They seem like silly questions to me.
Eventually, Viktor agrees that Beck’s influence could benefit the company and approves him as a temporary visitor.
The following day, I’m back in the coffee shop waiting for Nick, excited to update him on how my trip went. He slides into the booth across from me with a giant grin on his face. “Well, how’s your man?”
“Ha ha, sadly he’s still notmyanything,” I admit. “He’s never wanted a relationship before.”
“But you want a relationship with him, right?” Nick clarifies, and I bury my face in my hands.
“Obviously,” I say while my face remains hidden.
“Fuck, how would that even work?” he asks, voicing my fears. “It’s not like you could leave Montana, and he sounds pretty established in Chicago from what you’ve told me with his job and family.”
“I have no idea.” I sigh, feeling absolutely defeated, and sit up to take a sip of my coffee. “It was incredible seeing him again, though. I got to meet his whole family and all of his friends at the hockey game we went to. Everyone welcomed me like they’d known me for years. They were all so kind—wanting to get to know me, saying they were so happy that Beck met me. I’ve never felt such a sense of family and belonging outside of joining Kyla,” I admit.
Nick nods along like he knows what I’m talking about. “That sounds really cool, Cody. I hope you guys can work something out, and you can see them again.”
“Thanks. Hey, after meeting his family, I was thinking that you’ve never really talked about yours. Do you get to see them much?” I ask, shocked that I don’t know more about my best friend.
His shoulders sag and he gives me a small smile before shrugging. “You know how it goes. We were never that close, and they didn’t like how much money the Kyla stuff costs. They couldn’t understand the investment,” he explains. “They were really against me moving here, said that I was throwing away my degree, coming to work for the company that ‘I was giving all of my money to’. I haven’t talked to them much since coming here.” He sounds sad talking about them, and I’m even more surprised that it hasn’t come up before. “But if they can’t support what makes me happy, then why should I even want to talk to them?” He adds that last part sounding determined, like it’s what he wants to believe, even if he is still bummed about it.
“I’m sorry, Nick, you don’t deserve that.”
“It is what it is. I’ve heard a lot of similar situations around here,” he says casually, but I had no idea. “It sucks that some people can’t understand what makes their kids happy if it doesn’t align with what they had planned for them.”
I’m so grateful that my parents have always supported me. I might have wished to be more present in their lives, but I know so many people have it a lot worse.
Nick shifts the conversation to something lighter, and I realize how common that is around here—people avoiding heavy topics like we’re afraid to admit when we’re unhappy. Kyla’s programs emphasize finding happiness, but that doesn’t mean we should ignore other emotions.
People have always commented on how positive I am and how happy I always seem. That’s just who I am naturally, and I guess I assumed Kyla attracted more people like me who are naturally optimistic.
But if it took me almost thirty years and someone else pointing out to me that I’m attracted to men, what else have I missed?
That thought leaves me unsettled. Are people here genuinely happy, or are they afraid to express when they’re not? Is there an underlying pressure to always appear content? And does Viktor know about it?
I make a mental note to talk to him during our next one-on-one. For now, I try to focus on the fitness classes Nick is planning for the upcoming week instead of worrying about what else I might have missed.
CHAPTERNINETEEN
Beck
