Seven gave him an unimpressed look. “You get that I have my own life, right? I have friends. I have law school. I have my own…extra-curricular familial obligations. I have my internship. I’m an adult. You could have just explained things, given me the option of opting out. The irony is I wasn’t even looking to date you. I just wanted to forget my life for a few hours.”
Enzo really was an asshole. “I’m sorry. Turns out, I’m really good at self-sabotage.”
Seven patted his hand. “It’s never too late to turn it all around.”
“With you?” Enzo asked, hating how his heart clenched at the thought.
“No, not with me.”
His words were a kick to the chest, but it was no more than Enzo deserved. “Is there really no chance you’ll forgive me?”
“There’s nothing to forgive,” Seven said, giving him a sad smile. “I’m just not willing to settle for scraps.”
Enzo licked over his bottom lip. “And if I offered more than scraps?”
Seven studied him for a moment. “After you kissed me a few weeks ago, I kept having these stupid little daydreams about us as a couple. Living together, working together.” He paused to eye him meaningfully. “Playing together. Calling you Daddy. An actual relationship.”
Enzo tried to swallow past the invisible hand around his throat. “Oh?” he managed.
“Mm,” Seven said. “I’ve been coming here a lot, talking to doms. The more I learn, the more I think I’d like this typeof relationship…the more I think about having this type of relationship with you.” A sad look came over his face. It made Enzo’s stomach dip. “But then reality sets in.”
“Reality being…?” Enzo heard himself ask.
“The one thing I hear over and over again is that submission requires trust.”
Enzo nodded. “Yeah.”
Seven caught and held his gaze for the first time all night. “And I can’t trust you.”
Enzo blinked rapidly, his face flushing as he tried to fight the wave of emotion threatening to overwhelm him. “Oh.”
“Yeah, oh,” Seven said, sounding desolate.
They sat in silence for a few minutes before Enzo got up the nerve to ask, “Where does that leave us?”
“Friends?” Seven offered.
Enzo gave a stilted nod. “Sure. We can be friends.”
“Good,” Seven said, not sounding any happier about it than Enzo.
Enzo reluctantly released his hand. “Can I still leave presents on your desk?”
“Do you leave presents for your other friends?” Seven countered with a smile.
Something shriveled within him. “I don’t have any friends,” Enzo admitted. “Not anymore.”
Seven gave him a pitying look. “Sure. You can leave me all the presents you want. Just don’t think it means I’m going to jump back into your arms.”
“Of course not. I just…like seeing you smile.”
Seven shook his head. “For someone who sucks at relationships, you sure are a sweet talker when you want to be.”
Enzo struggled to come up with any kind of retort that didn’t involve falling to his knees and begging Seven to give him a chance to prove himself. But deep down, he wasn’t sure if hecouldprove himself. Enzo didn’t want to be the one to hurt him again.
“Call your brother and tell him we’ve worked it out.”
Had they? “Yeah, okay.”
