About two miles from the hospital, they met traffic. Seb barely stifled a groan. Excellent, an extended journey time—just what they needed. They inched along at a snail’s pace.
Eventually, Seb spotted the flashing blue lights of a police car. “Must’ve been an accident.”
“Hmm.”
Out of the corner of his eye, Seb saw Tim biting at his bottom lip. He had the look of a man warring with whether to speak or not, and Seb waited to see which he decided.
The car crept ever closer to the accident, which appeared to be a rear-end shunt blocking the inside lane, and just as Seb relaxed as it looked as though no one was injured, Tim spoke.
“We could just be friends.”
Seb snapped his head back round to stare at him. “Friends?”
“Yeah.”
He couldn’t help it; he laughed. “I don’t think that would work.”Friends?Jesus.
“Why not?”
Where to start?“Because I don’t think I could spend time with you and not want more.”
Tim’s brow crinkled in confusion. “Then I don’t understand what the problem—”
“Liking you isn’t the problem, I already told you that. If we spend time together, I’m going to want more. We’re both going to want more. It’s hard enough saying no to you now, so it’ll be twice as hard to say it further down the line, and I can’t risk being in that position. Even with you.”
The hurt in Tim’s eyes made it difficult to meet his gaze, but Seb forced himself not to look away. “You can trust me,” Tim said. “I promise.”
His mind spun with all the things Jared had told him. How out of control he’d felt at times, the pull between himself and Nathan too strong to fight. Seb shook his head. He didn’t want that. “I’m sorry. I just can’t.”
Tim parked outside of Nathan’s building but didn’t turn off the engine. He slipped his phone out of his pocket and made a call. “We’re back.” Then he listened for a few seconds. “Yeah, please. See you in a sec.” Turning to Seb, he smiled, but it was nothing like the smiles from that morning. “They’re on their way down.”
“Both of them?” Seb rolled his eyes. He didn’t need a welcoming committee, just a hand up the stairs.
“Yep.”
Tim sat stiffly in his seat, and Seb had the urge to reach out and rub the tension out of his shoulders, but he refrained. “You not coming up, then?”
“No. I’ve got a few things to do before I head home.”
I bet he’d have given a different answer if I’d agreed to be just friends.“Okay. Well, thanks for taking me today. I really appreciate it.”
The smile he got this time was a lot more genuine. Warmer. “You’re welcome.” He nodded to the cast. “And if you need anything, you can call me anytime.” He looked up, dark blue eyes fixed on him in a way that made Seb’s heart thud. “I mean it.”
“Thank you.”
Tim glanced up, and when Seb followed his gaze, he saw Nathan opening the front door, with Jared hot on his heels. Nathan paused, a hand on Jared’s chest to keep him back before continuing down the steps.Ever vigilant.Seb wondered if they were always on such high alert or if this was all for his benefit. They’d be at the car soon, and then Tim would leave. He’d probably not return for a while if his hurt expression was anything to go by.
Seb slumped in his seat.Why does doing the right thing seem to suck so much lately?
Being bonded to someone wasn’t something he wanted. The thought alone terrified him, so why didn’t he feel better about telling Tim no? He’d stuck by his principles, been strong. That should feel good, right? “I still don’t have your number.” The words fell out without his permission.
Tim frowned, so Seb added, “In case I need anything. Hey, you offered. You can’t throw that out there and then leave me with no way to contact you.”
What the hell am I doing?
“Jared’s got it. Nathan too. I told you that.” Tim narrowed his eyes a little, as if trying to decide what Seb’s angle was.
Maybe when he found out, he could let Seb know, because all Seb could think of was not wanting to leave without having a way to get in touch with Tim. It felt wrong. “But what if they’re not around? It could be an emergency, and—”
