That if he didn’t go now, he’d end up sad and alone.
The question wasn’t whether or not he wanted Scott. Scott was everything he’d ever dreamed of.
The question was whether or not he could afford to take the risk that Scott didn’t feel the same way.
“I want Scott, but what if he doesn’t want me?” Charlie asked.
“He does,” Riley responded immediately. “But you’re not gonna believe me. That’s something you need to talk to him about.”
Charlie made a soft, sad noise, his guts twisting even more.
Scott had seemed so distant after Charlie had told him about the job offer. He was afraid that he’d already lost him, that he didn’t have a choice anymore.
Which meant he needed to talk to him. He couldn’t make any decisions without knowing whether or not he had someone to come backto.
“Thanks, Riley,” Charlie said. He tipped his head back to finish his beer in a few greedy gulps, which didn’t do his stomach any good, but would have calmed his nerves by the time he got to Scott’s house.
“Anytime,” Riley said, as if he’d known in advance exactly how this conversation was going to go.
Maybe he had. Riley’s instincts were uncanny like that.
Either way, Charlie knew what he had to do now.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Scott hadn’t intended to sulk over Charlie leaving, but that was what he was doing. Sitting on the couch, staring down at his phone, covered in dogs.
He didn’twantCharlie to leave, but he couldn’t ask him to give up a huge opportunity just to be with him. Scott knew he wasn’t worth that.
So he knew Charlie would leave. That was the smart thing for him to do, and Scott didn’t want him to have regrets later. He didn’t want Charlie to wake up in six months and resent him over what he’d given up.
That seemed like the worst thing that could happen. This way, they were parting on good terms, wondering what might have been, but not giving themselves time to hate each other.
Not that Scott could imagine himself ever hating Charlie.
Maybe the right thing was to head over to Charlie’s house before he left, give him the key, and promise that he was always welcome, no matter what he decided. It’d be hard, and Charlie would probably get sick of having a boyfriend he couldn’t see all the time after a while, but at least that wasn’t admitting defeat.
The more Scott thought about it, the better a plan it seemed.
Maybe it’d take some of the crushing guilt coiled in the pit of his stomach away.
He wriggled his way out from under the pile of dogs, patting down his pockets to make sure the key was still in there.
Charlie needed to know how he felt. Before he went for his interview.
Well, maybe not thewholeof how he felt. That was terrifying. But Charlie needed to know that he was wanted.
Scott opened the door to see Charlie poised to knock on it on the other side. He blinked for a few seconds, not entirely sure he wasn’t seeing things, but then Charlie frowned at him and Scott knew for sure that he was really there.
“Hi,” Scott said. “I was just… coming to see you.”
“Beat you to it,” Charlie said. “Can I come in? It’s okay if you say no.”
Scott blinked at him again. “Of course you can come in.”
He stepped away from the door, giving Charlie space to get past. He was dressed in the same coat he’d been wearing the first time Scott had kissed him.
Or, well...
