“If you punch me, I won’t call the cops,” Enzo promised.
Before Seven could respond, the partition scraped open. Carli frowned when she saw the two standing. “What are you guys doing? Are you ready to order?”
Seven pulled his arm free. “I’m not staying, but it was nice meeting you.”
“Seven,” Enzo called as he stormed out of the room, but Seven kept walking, tears stinging his eyes. He looked at the crowded dining room, then made for the kitchen door, determined to sneak out the back.
When he swept past Mama’s office, she called his name. He contemplated pretending he didn’t hear her, but she hadn’t done anything wrong, and he didn’t want Thomas or Jericho to hear he’d been rude to their friend. He stopped and turned, startling when he found her standing directly behind him.
“Oh,” she said when she saw his watery eyes. “Come here,bellino.”
Seven let her pull him into her office, just as Enzo came barreling through the kitchen doors, heading towards him.
“Sit down,” Mama told Seven, putting herself between him and her own son. “He clearly doesn’t want to talk to you. Go back to work. That’s all you care about, anyway.”
“Mama,” Enzo said, tone pleading.
The desperation in his tone made Seven feel a little better, which was just pathetic, really. Mama closed the door in Enzo’s face, then shut the blinds so Seven didn’t have to look at his stupidly handsome but comically put-out expression.
“Sit,bellino,” she said, gesturing towards the chairs on the opposite side of her desk. She didn’t take her seat but the one beside Seven, sliding a tissue box towards him.
“I’m sorry,” he said, flushing when he sniffled and an actual tear slid down his cheek. “This is so stupid.”
“I take it this wasn’t about a mentorship at his law firm?” Seven shook his head. “What did he do to make you cry like this? Huh? Did he proposition you?”
Seven nodded, the words stuck in his throat. “I—He was nice about it, I guess. I just didn’t see it coming. I should have after what you said when I got here. But he was so…different that night. He just didn’t act like this when we met a couple of weeks ago. I’m the idiot.”
“Oh,bellino, this isn’t your fault. For someone so smart, he’s so stupid. My son doesn’t know what he needs. He runs away from every good thing that crosses his path.” She patted his back, a faraway look in her eyes. After a few minutes, she gave him a calculating look that made her look just like her son. “You’re in law school, yes?”
Seven frowned. “I’m just a first year student, but yeah.”
“How about you let me make up for my son’s terrible manners. You need an internship, right?” she asked.
Technically, he wouldn’t need an internship until next summer. If he wanted any shot at a judicial clerkship, an internship would help.
“Let me make a phone call,” she said.
“What? No. You don’t have to do that,” Seven said, waving his hands. “It’s not that serious. Like I said, I was just caught off guard. I-I started it last night when I propositioned him for…for another hook-up after I had a shitty conversation with my—” He cut himself off abruptly. “You know what? It doesn’t matter. This was all a huge mistake.”
“You’re a grown man,” she said, patting his leg. “You can sleep with anyone you like. He still had no right to treat you like that. I want to make it up to you. An internship—a paid internship—at a big name law firm goes a long way after graduation. I can get you into my son’s firm.”
Seven’s eyes went wide. “Why would you… Y-You really think that’s a good idea?”
She shrugged. “The only reason my son got his foot in the door over there was because of me. Let me do the same for you.”
Did he want to see Enzo every day after what had just happened?Yes.He wanted to see Enzo right now. He wanted him to apologize and tell him he was sorry and then spend the night making it up to him. But that was just a fucking fairy tale. This, however…this offer…it could set him up for life. Would he be a bad person for taking it? Was it any better than accepting Enzo’s shitty proposition?
“Won’t Enzo be mad?” Seven asked, staring at the closed blinds, hoping he’d already left as much as he also hoped he hadn’t.
“Oh, I hope so,bellino. I definitely hope so.”
“I—He wouldn’t be my boss or anything, right?” he asked.
“Absolutely not. But he will have to see you every day. And work with you every day. And my son needs to learn a lesson.”
“What lesson is that?”
“He can’t always get what he wants, how he wants it,” she said.
