Had it been anyone else, Adam would’ve bulldozed right through them. But he couldn’t do that to Kurt. Not when it was his own fault that he’d messed things up with Preslee. So instead, he slammed his hands onto the counter and lowered his head in frustration as a sharp breath ripped from his lungs. “I can’t.”

“Why? She doesn’t want anything to do with you.”

He lifted his gaze. “I can’t leave it this way. She needs to know that I’m…”

“You’re what?” A broad grin spread on Kurt’s face. “In love with her?”

Adam closed his eyes. “Yeah.”

Kurt chuckled. “I thought so.”

Adam turned incredulous eyes on his best friend. “If you knew before I did, you could’ve clued me in.”

“If I had, would you have believed me?”

Adam rubbed at the back of his neck. “No.”

“That’s why I kept my mouth shut,” Kurt said with a shrug. “But it didn’t take a genius to figure out that you were getting in pretty deep. You’ve been practically drowning yourself in her for the past month. Maybe it’s time you throw yourself a life preserver and take a breather on dry land.”

Heat simmered just below the surface, but Adam managed to keep his demeanor calm. “You seriously think I want to be saved from her? God, no. I can’t lose her, Kurt.” Adam shook his head. “I won’t lose her. She’s the only thing that matters right now. She’s…everything to me.”

“I get it, buddy. I do. But she’s upset. Right now you’re up shit creek without a paddle, and there’s some pretty rough waters ahead. If I were you, I’d let the tides calm down before you end up diving headfirst into a whirlpool.”

Adam glared at him. “If you use another damn water analogy, I’m going to punch you in the face.”

Kurt grinned. “Sorry, they fit.”

Adam blew out a breath. “Yeah, maybe. But I need to talk to her, to make her understand. She needs to know that I—”

“No. I meant what I said. She’s hurting right now. Just let her be until things settle down.”

“And let her think I didn’t give a crap about her? That the only thing I cared about was my business? No way. I’d rather die than do that.”

“Adam, she’s not going to listen to you while her emotions are running hot. Just let her breathe.” Kurt gazed at the front door. “Actually, how about I run and catch up to her? I don’t know if she’ll talk to me, but if I can get her to listen, I’d be happy to explain that I was the one who initiated the bet.”