“That’s called manipulation,” Dylan said, blankly staring at the TV through the mirror as he tried to give Jared some space. “You better block him and ignore his pettiness.”
“Yeah. Just did. And I hope he doesn’t go psycho and get a new number to start it all over again.”
“You think he’d do that?”
Jared twisted his mouth. “Nah... I don’t think Paul would reach that level of crazy. Though I never thought he’d cheat either.”
Dylan felt useless. He didn’t know what to say to ease the pain. Although happily ever afters didn’t exist in his world, he knew how much Jared loved Paul and that shit always sucked, no matter the circumstances.
However, there was one thing he could definitely do to lighten the pressure, and probably the loneliness too.
“You should move in with me.”
“What?”
“I have a spare room you could take.”
Jared didn’t answer at first. Then he closed his eyes and sucked in a deep breath. “Dylan, you know—”
“Shut it.”
The idea hadn't occurred to Dylan before offering his spare room, that Jared may think he had ulterior motives since they had some unresolved issues. Living together would have themstuck, alone, in a confined space with little privacy. But nothing could be further from the truth.
Dylan could be many things—reckless, grumpy, intense—but he would never leave a friend hanging. That was not his style. Besides, Jared was like a stray puppy. The man was from a city five hours away, and clearly didn’t feel comfortable asking the few colleagues he’d gotten to know if he could stay with them. Dylan couldn’t just look the other way and ignore him.
“Even if it’s a cheap hotel, judging by the way you’ve been surviving lately, you’re wasting your money.” Dylan smugly grinned. “I have a free room, and you need somewhere to put yourself back together while you search for a place of your own.”
Jared bit the inside of his cheek, a timid smile curling his lips. “You sure?”
“Absolutely.”
“I may take you up on your offer then. It’d be nice to eat homemade meals again and not have to question the cleanliness of the linens I sleep in. Problem is, I already paid for the whole month. And it’s non-refundable.”
“Why?”
“It was the only way I could get a discount and still have money to live until the end of the month.”
“Okay…” Dylan let out a tired huff. “We’ll do it then. Yeah?”
“Sounds good to me.” A brighter smile illuminated Jared’s face. “Thank you.”
“Shush.” He waved dismissively. “Buy me another beer and we’re even.”
“Done.”
It was supposedly morning, but was so dark outside you would never know.
However, despite how little of a dawn-breaker he was, Dylan woke up earlier than usual.
Half-asleep, he zombied into his kitchen, frowning when the brightness of the light burned his retinas. If it was up to him, he’d probably still be in bed. His usual MO was opening his eyes ten minutes before leaving for work, brushing his teeth, and throwing some chickpeas and tuna in a lunch box.
Apparently, he loved living on the edge. But after the talk he and Jared had shared the day before, he wanted to make something nice for him. And here he was now, cursing himself while cooking chicken Alfredo at five fucking forty in the morning. Because he was nice like that, no matter how broody his mother said he was, or his exes. They knew nothing.
He better like it, or I’m killing him to death.
Dylan knew Jared could take care of himself just fine. He was stronger than he looked, independent, and smart. Didn’t need anyone to save him. Yet it was obvious that the breakup and surviving on meal deal sandwiches, was taking a toll on him. He wanted to do something to ease his distress.
The scent of garlic and onions filled the air as he tossed them into a pan. Dylan grilled and seasoned the chicken breasts, swamping the room with the aroma of simmering spices.
