TOO EASY TO NOTICE
905 Words
CHAPTER FIVE
Nolan made a decision the next morning.
He was going to stop thinking about Adrian.
It was sensible. Necessary, even.
The sixteen-year age difference was already enough reason to keep his feelings under control. Adrian was forty, established, experienced, and raising a teenage son. Nolan was twenty-four and still figuring out his own life.
Whatever this strange attraction was, it needed to remain harmless.
Temporary.
Something he could smile about later.
Then Nolan stepped outside his café and saw Adrian across the street.
The decision lasted less than a minute.
Adrian stood beside his car in a white shirt, the sleeves rolled neatly to his elbows. The morning sunlight caught the silver strands at his temples, emphasizing the maturity Nolan had been trying so hard not to notice.
It didn't help.
If anything, it made Adrian more attractive.
Nolan looked away.
Then, against his better judgment, he looked again.
Adrian was already watching him.
Their eyes met.
Nolan immediately turned toward the café and pretended to be interested in unlocking the door.
He heard Adrian cross the street.
“Good morning.”
That calm voice sent an unwanted warmth through Nolan.
“Morning.”
Nolan stepped inside, and Adrian followed.
Without asking, Nolan prepared his coffee.
Black.
No sugar.
No milk.
He placed it on the counter.
Adrian looked at the cup, then at him.
“You remembered.”
Nolan shrugged.
“You're becoming predictable.”
A small smile appeared on Adrian's face.
Nolan quickly looked away.
That smile was becoming dangerous.
So was everything else about him.
The quiet confidence.
The deep voice.
The way he listened when people spoke.
The patience he showed Liam.
The tenderness hidden beneath his serious exterior.
Nolan had initially noticed Adrian because he was attractive.
Now he was noticing the man behind the appearance.
And that was far more dangerous.
Because Nolan was beginning to like him.
Not just his face.
Not just his body.
Him.
---
Later that afternoon, Nolan was carrying a heavy box of supplies into the café when it slipped from his grip.
Another hand caught it before it fell.
Adrian.
Their fingers touched.
Barely a second.
Yet Nolan felt the warmth of his skin as though the contact had lasted much longer.
Both men went still.
Adrian released the box first.
“Thanks,” Nolan murmured.
Adrian simply nodded.
The moment ended.
But the feeling didn't.
Nolan carried the box inside, suddenly far too aware of his own heartbeat.
He hated that such a small touch could affect him.
He hated even more that some part of him wished it had lasted longer.
---
That evening, Adrian sat alone in his living room.
The house was quiet.
Liam was upstairs, and the television played softly in the background.
Adrian had opened his laptop, but he hadn't read a single word on the screen.
His thoughts were elsewhere.
Nolan.
The brief touch earlier.
The way Nolan had looked at him afterward.
Adrian closed the laptop.
He knew exactly what was happening.
That was what frightened him.
He was attracted to Nolan.
There was no point denying it anymore.
But attraction wasn't the only problem.
He was beginning to care.
Adrian had spent years building walls around himself.
After losing his wife, he'd convinced himself that love was something he had already experienced and didn't need again.
Then Nolan had appeared next door with his warm smile and easy laughter.
He had brought life into places Adrian hadn't realized had gone quiet.
The age difference remained in Adrian's mind.
Sixteen years.
Nolan was twenty-four.
Adrian was forty.
Their lives were different.
Their experiences were different.
And yet, whenever Adrian imagined keeping his distance, he couldn't ignore the strange emptiness that followed.
He wanted to see Nolan.
He wanted to hear him laugh.
He wanted those ordinary moments to continue.
That realization unsettled him more than the attraction itself.
---
The following morning, Nolan found a small paper bag outside the café.
He picked it up.
Inside was a warm pastry.
Beneath it was a handwritten note.
For the café owner who forgets breakfast.
Nolan smiled.
He didn't need to ask who had left it.
Across the street, Adrian stood outside his house.
Their eyes met.
Nolan lifted the bag slightly.
Adrian smiled.
Nothing more happened.
Yet that small exchange stayed with Nolan throughout the morning.
He found himself looking toward Adrian's house more often than he should.
By afternoon, he finally admitted the truth.
This wasn't just attraction anymore.
He was becoming emotionally attached.
And that was much harder to control.
---
That evening, Adrian returned home.
Liam was sitting on the living-room floor, surrounded by schoolbooks.
Adrian placed his keys on the table and loosened his collar.
His mind was still across the street.
With Nolan.
The way he smiled.
The way his eyes lingered.
The way Adrian had started finding excuses to see him.
Coffee.
Pastries.
Helping Liam.
Anything.
Adrian had been telling himself each reason was innocent.
But he knew better now.
He was looking for Nolan because he wanted to.
He walked toward the stairs.
“Dad?”
Adrian stopped.
Liam was watching him.
“What?”
The teenager studied his father's face for a moment.
Then, with complete innocence, he asked,
“Do you like Uncle Nolan?”
Adrian froze.
The question hung between them.
And for the first time, Adrian had nowhere to hide from the answer.
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