Seth hummed, apparently satisfied with that response.
“I’m glad I met you,” he said. “You’re not like other men.”
“Neither are you,” Oz pointed out. He’d liked Seth in the first place because he was a little weird, and that was entirely because Oz was weird, too. They both had strange lives to contend with.
“Can we stay friends?” Seth asked. “I could use a friend like you.”
“Of course.” Oz reached out, tucking a lock of Seth’s hair behind his ear. “I could use a friend like you, too.”
Friends was good enough. Oz wasn’t ready to give Seth up entirely, and he’d take friendship over nothing. He’d take friendship any day.
Chapter Twenty
After a good morning with Oz, Seth had an uncomfortable knot in the pit of his stomach as he climbed out of the car.
“Are you sure you don’t want me to come in with you? Carry your bags or something?” Oz asked. “I can pull around and park.”
Seth shook his head. He didn’t need to prolong this goodbye. He knew that for both of their sakes, this needed to be the end of whatever it was they were doing.
Oz could do a lot better than the messed-up, insecure rich kid he was screwing out of boredom, and Seth…
He could never do as well as Oz. Not long-term. Not after the excitement of a slightly indecent fling wore off.
Besides, this weekend had been a reminder that Seth’s heart wasn’t wholly his to give. His father owned him, and that didn’t seem likely to change any time soon. He wasn’t like Oz. He wasn’t strong enough to walk away, and he wasn’t brave enough to do something that would get him cut off.
Seth would live the life his father wanted for him and never complain, because he was too afraid to try and make it on his own. Once Oz realized that, he’d only be able to see Seth for the frightened, lonely, pathetic man he really was.
It was better to part with Oz thinking they’d had a good time together than hating Seth for all his flaws.
“Because I really have nothing better to do,” Oz said.
“I’m okay.” Seth slung his overnight bag over his shoulder, and picked up his laptop bag with the other hand. He hadn’t needed to use his laptop once, but he liked to pretend that he actually had responsibilities he might be called to at a moment’s notice. It made him feel less like he was wasting his entire life.
“I guess I’ll see you around, then?”
“I guess you will.” Seth forced himself to smile. They’d run into each other again eventually. When Emma and Mason had their first kid, probably.
But Oz would have moved on by then. Found someone better. Seth didn’t want to get in the way of that.
“Hey, I’m gonna miss you, too,” Oz said. “Keep in touch, okay? You never know when I’m in New York or you’re in Austin.”
Seth did know. Under normal circumstances, they both stuck to their own ends of the country.
“I’ll keep in touch,” Seth promised.
It wouldn’t be the first time he broke a promise to someone he cared about. That was just one more flaw on a whole laundry list of them.
He turned to go, taking a step away from the car, and then looked back again, a genuine smile on his face this time. “You’ve been great,” he said. “Seriously.”
“You too,” Oz agreed. He looked as though he was finally getting the idea that Seth was going, end of story, and he wouldn’t be back anytime soon.
It was a long way from being the happiest moment of Seth’s life, but he knew it was for the best. They’d only break each other’s hearts later.
Seth turned away again and walked with purpose this time, heading toward the elevators and refusing to look back again, the knot in his stomach seeming bigger and heavier than ever.
He couldn’t help feeling as though he was leaving something great behind, but there was nothing he could do to keep it.
