Kane leaned against the picnic table, arms crossed, chewing on a toothpick with forced ease. His eyes narrowed just slightly when he spotted Aaron. The guy looked... normal. Friendly. The kind of guy who smiled without effort.
And Lily looked happy.
He didn't like how much that stung.
"Yo, Kane!" Aaron greeted with a smile, offering a hand. "Heard a lot about you."
Kane shook it. Firmly. Maybe a second longer than needed. "Only good things, I hope."
Aaron chuckled. "Depends who you ask."
Lily shot Kane a warning glance, but he just smirked.
"Anyone up for some friendly competition?" someone called from the back. Uncle Ben was holding up bean bags, gesturing toward the cornhole boards set up under the old oak tree.
Aaron's eyes lit up. "You in?"
Kane's mouth twitched. He hadn't planned to play anything today. But now…
"Sure," Kane said. "Why not."
20 Minutes Later
The cornhole match had turned into something of a spectacle. Kane was good—he always had that perfect wrist flick. But Aaron was surprisingly accurate. Steady. Casual. Calm under pressure.
When Aaron landed the final shot, the crowd cheered. Kane managed a polite clap, but his jaw was tight.
Lily hugged Aaron, laughing. "Okay, okay—you win. I admit it."
Kane turned away before he had to watch more. His hands itched to do something, so he headed to the grill.
The sizzling of bacon filled the space around him as he flipped the strips with precision. At least meat didn't smile and flirt.
"Mind if I help?"
Kane turned and blinked. Sammy stood beside him, a bowl of marinated veggies in her hands. Her long brown hair was tied up, cheeks a little pink from the sun.
"Uh... sure," he said, stepping aside. "Just don't mess up my bacon."
She rolled her eyes playfully. "What kind of a monster messes up bacon?"
He cracked a grin despite himself. "You'd be surprised."
She placed the veggies on the grill and grabbed a pair of tongs. "So... that Aaron guy. He's pretty good at bean bag tossing."
Kane grunted. "Yeah. Beginner's luck."
Sammy chuckled. "Sure. And I'm secretly a ninja."
They worked in comfortable silence for a few minutes, the sound of sizzling meat blending with distant laughter.
"So…" Sammy began, eyes focused on the grill, "is it weird for you? Seeing Lily with someone?"
Kane hesitated. "A little."
She nodded, not pushing. "You two ever…?"
He shook his head. "No. Not really. Just… history, I guess. Things we never said out loud."
"Those are the hardest kind," Sammy said softly.
He glanced sideways. "You ever have one of those?"
She smiled, still looking down. "Not exactly. More like… I've been the quiet observer in everyone else's stories."
Kane was quiet for a moment. "That's... a strange place to be."
"Yeah," Sammy said, finally meeting his eyes. "But not always bad. Sometimes it gives you time to figure out what you actually want."
Something about her honesty hit him harder than he expected. For the first time that day, Kane didn't feel like he had to prove anything.
He handed her a fresh plate. "You're better company than I expected."
Sammy raised an eyebrow. "Thanks? I think."
He laughed. "No offense. I just didn't think anyone would make this day suck less."
"Well," she said, bumping his shoulder lightly, "you're welcome."
Across the yard, Lily watched them with a small smile. She leaned into Aaron, who slipped an arm around her waist.
"Looks like Kane found someone to talk to," Aaron murmured.
Lily nodded. "Yeah. Maybe that's a good thing."
As the sun was going to sleep slowly, Kane found himself laughing with Sammy over nothing at all. He stole another glance across the yard at Lily and Aaron—but this time, something in him had settled.
He looked back at Sammy.
Maybe today didn't go how he expected.
Maybe that was the point.