“Yes, please. I’m so frustrated. Can’t think anymore.”
“When have you ever?”
“What?”
“Nothing.” Dylan stood up and stretched his back.
“Shithead,” Jared muttered, the ghost of a smile gracing his lips.
They grabbed their jackets and made their way out. A soft breeze whirled, making Dylan slightly shiver. Autumn was definitely here. Luckily, the pub was within walking distance.
Side by side, they made their way in silence, each absorbed in their own phone. Dylan wanted to ask, but he knew Jared would start talking whenever he was ready. Even if they hadn’t explicitly said it, going to a pub after work in the middle of the week was a sure sign that a serious conversation was about to happen.
The owner nodded in greeting as they entered the pub. Before they got a chance to take their jackets off, their usual order was already in front of them. They were regulars, almost VIPs, and had been coming here most Fridays after work for happy hour. It wasn’t a flashy place, quite the opposite, with dirty floors and out-of-order bathrooms most of the time, but they had a great selection of craft beers.
“Paul cheated on me,” Jared said as soon as they sat at a table.
Dylan felt the air being knocked out of him. That came out of fucking nowhere. Last he knew, they were happy.
“What?”
“What you heard.” Jared took a long swig of beer as if they were talking about the weather.
“I…” I don’t know what to say. Something clicked in Dylan’s head. “Is that who was blowing up your phone all day?”
“Yeah.” Jared huffed and stared down at his pint, swirling the amber liquid.
“What does he want?” Dylan asked.
He wasn’t one to judge or meddle in anyone’s relationships, not even his closest friends. But he was mad. Despite what they had done, things had stopped before they went too far. While Jared had maintained his self-control, Dylan hated Paul’s lack of it. He hated his traitorous cock and his entire existence for making Jared, the most cheerful person Dylan had ever met, so broken.
“To talk.”
Frowning, Dylan gaped a couple of times before he spoke again. “You haven’t talked yet?”
“On the phone, mostly.”
“Hmm…” His eyebrows knitted together.Kids these days are so damn weird.
“I've been staying at a hotel since I caught him.”
“You what? You can’t be serious.”
“Well, I am.” Jared shrugged, as if that was the most normal thing. “I couldn’t believe what I was hearing when I came home. I barely remember shit, except for the way my heart was thumping. It felt like I was out of my body as I stared at him riding one of our roommates on the sofa.”
Ouch.
Jared and Paul shared a house with a friend of theirs and two doctorate students. But the way Jared’s jaw was clenched gave Dylan the impression he had been double betrayed.
“So I just walked away with the clothes on my back.”
“Just like that?” Dylan was sure he looked like a loon with his eyes wide open and mouth agape. “And you haven’t talked since?”
“Oh, no. We did the next day. But there was not much he could say to fix it. He’s blatantly cheated on me. With someone I thought was a friend.”
“And he’s not taking no for an answer, by the looks of it,” Dylan noted.
Jared simply nodded. “I packed everything I could that day, but I still have so much stuff there…” His hands tightened around his glass. “Haven’t seen him since. Just heard him crying, begging, and then angry shouting through the phone, voice notes, and texts.”
