He filled me in on his life since the last time we talked—which I was ashamed to say was much too long ago—and he stayed until our stomachs started growling and we ordered takeout teriyaki for dinner.
I’d missed it here. I’d missed Anson and Nate and my other friends. I’d missed being in a city with my choice of gay bars. I’d missed being able to get takeout at all hours and the bustle of the city and the sounds of the light rail as it transported people across town and the frequent misting rain that made the trees and grass shine like emeralds and the streets and buildings like diamonds.
But Anson was right; I missed Miles so much more than all of that combined.
I just didn’t know what to do about it.
Anson stayed late, and after the emotional rollercoaster of this week—not to mention today’s gut-wrenching phone call with Miles—I fell into bed when he left, falling asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow.
***
Chase called me into his office the next day, which hadn’t happened all week. What was going on?
He had me close the door behind me, and despite knowing it was too early to get fired from a job I’d just started, my stomachwas churning. I reminded myself of all the money he’d spent to get me on board. Surely he wouldn’t fire me after a week, right?
“I have some news I thought you’d like to hear.”
I settled into the chair opposite him, all but assured I wasn’t getting fired. “Yes?”
He leaned back in his leather desk chair, folding his hands and resting them on his flat, dress shirt-clad stomach between the open sides of his suit jacket. The chair looked a little ostentatious with its high back and tufted surface, but I knew from experience it was supremely comfortable—I had the same one in my office. “As you know, I’ve been stealing as many of Jon Hosier’s clients from him as I could. I’ve been largely successful.”
My eyebrow quirked up. “That’s great news.”
“That’s not the news.”
“Oh?”
Chase nodded. “This isn’t public yet, but it will be in the next day or so. I’ve been working with the authorities on bringing him down.” I gasped. “Turns out, he’s not only a shitty human—he’s also a criminal. Since I gave a lot of his clients a safe place to land after he tried to swindle them, I heard all their stories and helped gather proof. They arrested him earlier today. Sounds like he’s going away for a long time.”
My hand flew to my mouth as tears welled in my eyes, making it a little hard to breathe. “Really?”
Chase’s smile was kind and apologetic. “I can’t give you your company back, Atlas, but I hope this job is a nice consolation prize. You deserve it and more.” He took a breath, leaning in as his expression grew serious. “You earned this position—you were absolutely my first and only choice for CMO—but it was a bonus to do what I could to give you back just a bit of what that horrible man stole from you.”
Tears were flowing freely now, and I loved that Chase wasn’t the type of guy to shame me for it. Toxic masculinity had noplace here; he’d made that clear on my first day. “Thank you, Chase. I appreciate that more than you know.”
He nodded, smiling widely now. “You’re learning fast, Atlas. I know it’s barely been a week, but you’ll have everything mastered in no time. I’m so happy you’re here.”
I cleared my throat, my voice coming out stronger. “I’m happy to be here, too, Chase. And thank you for the news about Jon. I hope he rots in prison for a very long time.”
“Me, too, Atlas. Me, too.”
***
Days turned into weeks, everything a blur of the excitement of my new job—which I fucking adored—and the sorrow at the gaping hole Miles left in my life. On the surface, I was the bubbly, sunshiny, gendersparkly human I always was, but on the inside, my heart ached every minute of every day.
Miles had asked for time, for space, and I respected that. Of course I did. I would’ve given that man everything I had if he’d asked, so there was no question.
But it was killing me.
Those first few days had been agonizing. I’d reached for my phone a dozen times before I realized I couldn’t text him. I started working longer hours at the office just to stay busy. Admittedly, I had a ton to learn, so there was always something to do. But even in my grief, I recognized that wasn’t sustainable.
In the second week, Anson invited me to a biweekly meetup he and Nate attended for Daddies and their boys, called the Daddies and Subs Club. I agreed if only to get myself out of my head for a minute.
And it worked. Mostly.
We’d gone to Mix It Up—a gay bar Anson, Nate, and his friends frequented but that I’d never been to because I’d been too busy and then too broke when I lived here—and the excuseto take a break from work was just what I’d needed. Honestly, the weight of having an entire company resting on my shoulders had been a lot, and I was thankful I could now leave it all at the office. Maybe in the future, I’d feel differently, want to run my own company again, but for now, I was exactly where I needed to be.
Anson pulled me into a large circular booth by the hand, and I slid onto the bench seat beside him, setting my drink on the table. He sipped his before starting introductions. “Everyone, this is Atlas. Atlas just moved here from back East. Atlas, this is Sam, Cameron, and Tristan, and you already know Nate.”
