“I got a job offer.” Charlie sighed, playing with his unopened beer.
“Awesome!” Riley responded, grinning. He paused, looking at Charlie. Then, his face fell. “Not awesome.”
“Not awesome,” Charlie agreed. He twisted the cap off his own beer bottle and tossed it onto the coffee table beside Riley’s, making a mental note to pick it up later so his mom wouldn’t be mad.
Or to blame Riley if he forgot.
“Why not awesome? I assume you applied for the job.”
“I did, but that was… that was before I met Scott.”
“Oh. Gotcha. There’s only one library in Hope Springs, so a new job is…”
“Not in Hope Springs.” Charlie nodded. “It’s in Denver. And it’s a great opportunity and it could take me on to bigger and better things, but then there’s Scott. He’s so wonderful. I don’t want to lose him, and I don’t want to put either of us through a long-distance relationship.”
“Denver’s not that far,” Riley said.
Charlie snorted. “Not when you live in an RV, no. But it’s too far to commute. I’d have to live there. I could come back on weekends, but it wouldn’t be the same. And then it’d be every other weekend, because it’s too far to travel. And then it’d be once a month. And then things would get busy, and six months would go by without us seeing each other, and Scott would gently break up with me for my own good.”
“You’re overthinking this,” Riley said.
Charlie turned to him, raising an eyebrow. “You think?”
“No, I mean… yeah, you’ve spent way too much time coming up with scenarios in your head, like you always do, but you’re overthinking the really basic part: if it’s a choice between Scott or this job, which do you want more?”
Charlie sighed again. If he was sure of the answer to that, he wouldn’t have been nearly as miserable.
“Scott told me he didn’t want me to have any regrets.”
“And you took that to mean he wanted you to go.”
Charlie looked down at his lap. That was exactly what he’d taken it to mean.
“Regrets go both ways,” Riley said, his voice gentle. “You can regret not taking the job, or you can regret not hanging onto Scott. Here’s the thing: picture yourself in five years. What do youwant? Do you want to work at this other library? Or do you want to come home to Scott and his million dogs?”
Charlie laughed at the thought of Scott having a million dogs, but closed his eyes to picture the future like Riley had instructed. Riley was smart. He was good at cutting through the bullshit and getting to the truth.
It seemed like a good time to trust him.
In five years, Charlie wanted…
He wanted Scott. He wanted to wake up next to Scott, and kiss him a sleepy good morning, and then nap for another five minutes because he lived there now and didn’t have to run home to change.
He wanted to be hiding an engagement ring in his wallet, waiting for the right moment.
No, he already wanted to be married. He didn’t want to wait.
He wanted a million dogs and to be mentally preparing to ask Scott if they could talk about a baby.
Anything he thought of, he wanted Scott with him. He wanted Scott by his side when he accomplished things at the library.
Hope Springs library. His home. The place he’d loved most in the world since he was a toddler.
It was all so clear.
Charlie swallowed.
The idea of giving up the job opportunity was scary. Fear made his stomach hurt. Fear that he’d regret it later, that Scott might not be around in five years.
