“Thanks for that.”
“I’m serious. When you look at it like that, what have you got to lose?”
Nothing. Everything.
One thing was for sure, though. If they were serious about getting a place together—and Alex seemed pretty keen on the idea—then Riley needed to tell him before they started looking. It wouldn’t fair on either of them to go into it and not say anything. But he couldn’t handle going through the Christmas holidays with things being weird between them. “I’ll tell him after New Year.”
“What? Why wait until then? Why not tomorrow?”
“Because if it goes tits up, it’ll ruin the holidays.”
Charlie rolled his eyes. “And if he feels the same, it could be the best Christmas you’ve ever had.” He sat up a little straighter. “Honestly, if you could watch the two of you together, you’d see that you have nothing to worry about.”
Riley so desperately wanted to believe him… but Alex had forgotten they’d kissed. If he felt anything for Riley, wouldn’t he have remembered something about that night? Abruptly he felt stupid and melodramatic for even thinking that. As if he had any say over what he remembered and what he forgot. But the doubt refused to go away. “January the first. It’ll be my New Year’s resolution.”
“I think you’re a fool to wait.”
Riley sighed. “Noted.”
Shaking his head, Charlie pressed Play on the TV remote, and that was that.
The rest of the week flew by at an alarming rate, and by the time Saturday night rolled round, Riley was in desperate need of a drink with his mates. Everyone was going out, Charlie included, and they opted to meet in town for a few drinks before deciding whether to go to a club or not.
Everywhere was full of decorations—lights and tinsel littered shop windows and inside the bars. And it was as busy as you’d expect this close to Christmas.
At the pub, he and Charlie made their way to the bar and ordered drinks. Five minutes later, Riley almost swallowed his tongue when Alex came in, brushing rain out of his short dark hair. He spotted Riley and Charlie over at the bar, smiled—dimples in full effect—and made his way over.
“Fuck me.” Riley couldn’t help himself, and he ignored Charlie’s muffled laughter next to him.
Alex wore a fitted dark purple shirt that clung to his swimmer’s frame, probably a little damp from the shitty weather, and his jeans hugged every line of his toned thighs.So not fair.
Charlie nudged him with his elbow. “If you think he’s not gonna get propositioned at least ten times tonight, then you’re crazy. I say again, what the hell are you waiting for?”
A quick glance round the room confirmed that Alex’s entry hadn’t gone unnoticed.
Alex strode up to them, seemingly unaware of the looks thrown his way, and leaned on the bar next to Riley. God, he was gorgeous. Charlie was absolutely right. What the fuck was he waiting for? Catching Charlie’s attention was easy, and then a subtle nod in Alex’s direction got him to give them some semblance of privacy.
“So… Alex?”
“Yeah? Oh.” Alex grinned at him, and before Riley could say anything else, he leaned over to look at the beer fridge behind the bar. “Bottle of Heineken, please.”
Arse.Riley turned to order his drink, and out of the corner of his eye, caught Charlie smiling into his pint, his shoulders shaking. Well, he could fuck right off. Riley ignored him, paid, and handed Alex his beer.
Here goes nothing….“So, I wanted to talk to you—”
“Yes! What perfect timing.”
Dylan’s loud, booming voice carried over the din of the bar and Riley groaned in frustration. Perfect fucking timing indeed. Jake, Nick, and Abi followed close behind Dylan, and Riley could do nothing other than smile at his friends and get the round in. So much for seizing the moment.
As the night wore on, Riley got caught up in conversation after conversation with his friends. Not that he’d forgotten about wanting to talk to Alex, but the opportunity never quite presented itself again, and since they were all in a group—a very loud group—he didn’t have to worry about Alex getting chatted up. At least not at the moment, anyway.
Every time Alex went to the toilet or the bar, Charlie would smirk knowingly at Riley, and he was a nervous wreck by the time Alex got back—always alone, thank God.
“Will you stop?” he hissed in Charlie’s ear, sorely tempted to elbow him too.
“Stop what?”
“Oh, fuck off. You know what.” Riley glared at him over the top of his pint. “Please. It’s bad enough not being able to get him on his own for five minutes, without you adding to it.”
