The touch of Evan's lips on his rooted Caradoc to the spot where he stood. His eyes slid closed, his face crumpling, but no, he wouldn't weep. Not yet anyway. He wasn't ready for tears or for what that kiss meant to him. What it meant to Evan. What he wanted was to pretend none of it ever happened, to go back to the beginning, when they were only best friends, and start all over again. Thinking of that long-ago time brought fresh anguish welling up inside him.
"I lost it, Evan. The ring. Somewhere between there and here, wherever the hell here is," he said. He followed it with a slightly sarcastic laugh. "Not that it matters, I suppose. You took the necklace off that night. I can't believe I remember that." Pressing a hand gently to his middle, he winced. "Definitely a little...preoccupied."
Having fallen silent again and realizing that he wasn't ready to lose Evan's company just yet, Caradoc walked down to the water. He toed out of his shoes and stood just within reach of the surf, letting the water soak the hems of his pants.