“You know, Blake, despite how much you’ve hurt my brother, he still loves you. Very much. And I believe you love him and did what you did out of fear of losing him because of your own insecurity and past experiences.”
“I’ve never been in a relationship before. I wasn’t sure if I could be that guy he needs.” Why didn’t he think to talk to Noah earlier? No one knew Jeremy better, and if Noah thought there was a chance…he gripped the phone tighter.
“Why don’t you let Jeremy tell you who and what he needs, instead of deciding for him? And you do the same. Trust him and your relationship to guide you in the right direction. I think you might surprise yourself.”
“Thanks, Noah.”
“If you ever need to talk, I’m here.”
They hung up, and Blake lay in the dark, listening to the silence around him until he fell asleep.
The next morning Blake found himself up early and on the 5:37 train, intently reading through Cassie’s comments and notes on his latest additions to their business plan. His phone pinged, and Blake saw her text.
Did you get my email? What do you think of my suggestions?
A smile broke across his face as he typed his response.
So excited. Love them. Wish you were here to give a hug.
She sent back a heart and kiss emoji and aTTYL.
Blake got off the train at the Great Neck stop, hefting his bag and carrying the remnants of his large, now cold coffee. He dumped it into the trash and glanced at his watch. Right before seven a.m. The air finally smelled a bit like spring, and Blake inhaled, fortifying himself. After he crossed the street, he glanced over at the gym and saw they’d tacked up a “Grand Reopening of Our Juice Bar” sign across the front window. It made him think of Jeremy. Everything did. Watching old movies wasn’t the same without snuggling next to him and having him interrupt to ask who the actors were. Sunday mornings that used to be spent in a tangle of bedsheets until hunger drove them to get dressed to go for bagels, only to find them back in bed, seeds and cream cheese be damned, now found him sitting at his little table alone with a cup of coffee and no appetite.
Noah’s words weighed heavily on him, but when he opened the door to the office, Blake knew he’d have to put their conversation aside. Kyle was in residence later that morning, which meant everyone was under scrutiny to move the customers as quickly as possible. It would be harder for him to give the people the tidbits of extra attention he tried to provide them, but he’d learned how to help them—almost without them realizing it.
“Good morning.” He passed by Oscar, who was settling in with his coffee and donut. “Does Brenda know you’re eating that?” His wife, Oscar told him with a twinkle in his eye, was forever trying to put him on a diet, feeding him all kinds of healthy stuff like kale and rice noodles. She couldn’t understand why he wasn’t losing weight.
“No, and you’re not gonna say anything either if you speak to her, right?” With deliberation, he took a big bite of the crème-covered donut, and Blake grinned.
“Depends on if I get one of those later on.”
Oscar chuckled and handed him a bag. “It was buy one, get one today. I’ll sacrifice this in the name of brotherhood.”
“You mean in the name of blackmail, don’t you?” Blake made himself a coffee, then sat at his desk.
“Whatever gets you to keep quiet works for me.”
They both laughed and with a jolt of surprise, Blake realized he rarely thought of Shipman and York these days. He didn’t miss being in the city, surrounded by the noise and traffic, and he certainly didn’t miss the people, although he would like to talk to Harvey. Before he could forget, he took out his phone and made a note to call him.
“I heard Kyle was going to be in the office soon, probably because Lucy has to come in late for some reason.” Oscar stuffed the empty paper bag into his garbage pail. “I’m hoping that it’ll be slow this morning.”
As if on cue, the bells jingled, and Blake gulped down his coffee and shoved the donut away for later. That would be lunch. Now that the end of severance was looming, saving money was paramount. No more seven-dollar smoothies or juices for him.
“Jinxed us. I’ll be right there after I get my computer set up.”
He logged on to his computer and heard Oscar and George greet the customers. Many times these were the people who had to get up extra early because they couldn’t take time off from their jobs to get their taxes done.
“Blake? This gentleman says he’s here to see you. Said you have something of his?”
“Just let me click this one last thing.” He placed a smile on his face and swung his chair around to greet the customer. “How may I—”
Jeremy stood before him: messy hair stuck up in all directions and dark stubble covered his cheeks like Blake always loved. To Blake, he’d never looked more desirable. Sexier. More than perfect. He tried to speak but discovered he couldn’t make a sound.
“Hi.”
Blake tried again. “H-hi.” He blinked to clear his eyes, thinking it must be a dream. How did Jeremy find him all the way out here?
“Can we please talk? I know you’re at work, but I was hoping you could spare me a few minutes.”
