“Thanks for letting me join you tonight. I think I’m going to head out.”
“Oh, great, I’ll go with you.” Aaron stands up and grabs his jacket from the back of the chair. “We can split a ride share.”
“Um… okay.” We live in opposite directions from here, at least I’m pretty sure. Technically, I’ve never been to his place. We always meet at mine. The downside of that arrangement is that I have to clean once a week. The upside being that, with rare exception, my place has never been tidier. I’m not about to argue with him. At least not here.
“Thanks,” Aaron says as soon as we’re outside. “I needed an excuse to get away. I know those guys can be a lot, but they’re not bad. Plus, I have to work with them, so it helps to be on friendly terms.”
“I get it.” Sort of. One of the great benefits of working for myself is that I don’t have to put up with coworkers I don’tlike. In the rare case that a client and I don’t get along in the long-term, we part ways. Life is too short for either of us to be unhappy with the arrangement. “I’m just going to call a car.” I motion toward my phone.
“Oh, I can drive you. If you want.” He motions toward the parking lot. “I drove my car from work. Don’t worry, I only had the one beer when we first got there.”
I think back through the night and find that he’s telling the truth. I’d only seen him sipping on water since I got to the table. “I guess, if it’s not too much trouble.”
AARON
The last thing I expected tonight was to run into Oliver.
I make a point to go out with my coworkers once a month. They really aren’t that bad, honestly, but they can get a little boisterous. Most of them are at least five years younger than me, so they’re a bit wild at times. It’s good to make sure I stay on their good side, though. They’re the ones who can bail me out when I need to switch a shift or something.
I’m usually counting down the minutes until I can make some escape. Tonight wasn’t much different, though time passed more quickly with Oliver by my side. I couldn’t wait until we could take off. I hated having to share him with the rest of the guys. It’s selfish, but I wanted to keep him all to myself. Not share him with anyone. For once, I have something that’s all mine.
When I saw him sitting alone at the bar, I knew he was there on a date. I have absolutely no right to tell him not to see other people. We’re friends. At my insistence, no less. So why did mystomach twist into a pretzel thinking about him out with some other guy?
“Maybe we could do a little crocheting?” I ask when I pull into the parking lot for his apartment building.
“I don’t think I have the focus for something like that.”
“Oh, no problem.” As hard as I try, my disappointment comes through in my voice. “We’re still meeting tomorrow night, right? For our run?”
“Yeah, of course. Unless…”
“Unless what?” Fuck, he’s trying to get out of it. I knew this time would come. It’s not like he needs me. He can run and crochet all on his own.
“You could come up and hang out? We could watch TV… or something.”
“Yes.” I don’t even need to think about it for a minute—anything to get a few more minutes with Oliver.
“You want something to drink?” he asks as soon as we’re inside. I’ve grown comfortable in his space, used to seeing whatever he’s currently working on strewn around the living room. He always apologizes and rushes to clean up what’s out, but I like it. It helps me keep track of his life. Plus, I swear I can tell his current mood and stress level just by looking around.
“Sure, whatever you’re having.” I take my usual spot on his couch.My spot.
Oliver comes in carrying a beer bottle in each hand. “I hope this is okay. It’s all I’ve got in the fridge. There are a few other things, but they’re not cold.”
“This is fine.” Unlike my friend Tyler, I’m not a beer snob. I’ll drink almost anything. It’s not my favorite, but as long as it’s not too hoppy, I’ll take it. “Did you have a show in mind?”
“I’ve been wanting to watch that new crime show, if you’re interested. The one with Sonny Ambrose?”
Honestly, I have no idea what he’s talking about. My TV watching is incredibly limited and usually happens only when I’m stuck on a treadmill for a long run. “Sounds good.” It doesn’t really matter what we put on TV, as long as I get to be with Oliver a little bit longer.
Which is a weird sensation. One that I’m not sure I like. What am I supposed to do with that information?
I enjoy spending time with the guy. Look forward to it even, which is saying a lot for me and my usual anti-social tendencies. Would I go out of my way to spend time like this with Matthias? That’s harder to say.
“You sure this is okay?”
I look up, realizing I’ve been so absorbed in my own thoughts that I have no idea what’s happening on screen. “Perfect.”
CHAPTER 12
