diff --git a/servicetalk-concurrent-api/src/main/java/io/servicetalk/concurrent/api/CompletableConcatWithCompletable.java b/servicetalk-concurrent-api/src/main/java/io/servicetalk/concurrent/api/CompletableConcatWithCompletable.java
index f4192ee5f6..c26e60b250 100644
--- a/servicetalk-concurrent-api/src/main/java/io/servicetalk/concurrent/api/CompletableConcatWithCompletable.java
+++ b/servicetalk-concurrent-api/src/main/java/io/servicetalk/concurrent/api/CompletableConcatWithCompletable.java
@@ -19,7 +19,6 @@
 import io.servicetalk.concurrent.internal.SequentialCancellable;
 import io.servicetalk.concurrent.internal.SignalOffloader;
 
-import java.util.concurrent.atomic.AtomicIntegerFieldUpdater;
 import javax.annotation.Nullable;
 
 import static java.util.Objects.requireNonNull;
@@ -63,14 +62,11 @@ protected void handleSubscribe(Subscriber subscriber, SignalOffloader offloader,
     }
 
     private static final class ConcatWithSubscriber implements Subscriber {
-        private static final AtomicIntegerFieldUpdater<ConcatWithSubscriber> subscribedToNextUpdater =
-                AtomicIntegerFieldUpdater.newUpdater(ConcatWithSubscriber.class, "subscribedToNext");
         private final Subscriber target;
         private final Completable next;
         @Nullable
         private SequentialCancellable sequentialCancellable;
-        @SuppressWarnings("unused")
-        private volatile int subscribedToNext;
+        private boolean nextSubscribed;
 
         ConcatWithSubscriber(Subscriber target, Completable next) {
             this.target = target;
@@ -89,7 +85,10 @@ public void onSubscribe(Cancellable cancellable) {
 
         @Override
         public void onComplete() {
-            if (subscribedToNextUpdater.compareAndSet(this, 0, 1)) {
+            if (nextSubscribed) {
+                target.onComplete();
+            } else {
+                nextSubscribed = true;
                 // Do not use the same SignalOffloader as used for original as that may cause deadlock.
                 // Using a regular subscribe helps us to inherit the threading model for this next source. However,
                 // since we always offload the original Subscriber (in handleSubscribe above) we are assured that this
@@ -98,8 +97,6 @@ public void onComplete() {
                 // This is an asynchronous boundary, and so we should recapture the AsyncContext instead of propagating
                 // it.
                 next.subscribeInternal(this);
-            } else {
-                target.onComplete();
             }
         }