Connor swallowed. That was a lot more faith than he’d had inhimself.
The thought of what this meant for Max, how much his life wouldchange, was overwhelming. He deserved this. He’d worked so hard, and never oncecomplained, and now it was all over.
“All they need is your bank details. I’ll forward you the email soyou can send them on.”
“Are you sure? Because you really deserve half,” Max said, finallyeasing his grip on Connor and giving him a chance to breathe.
“I’m sure,” Connor looked up at him. “I’ve already got a big newclient.”
Max’s eyes widened. “Wow, already?”
“Already.” Connor grinned. “I’m actually… about to get in the carand head for LA. I can’t tell you whose wedding yet, but… it’s not impossiblethat one of them won an Oscar.”
“No shit?” Max asked, excitement written all over his face.
“No shit,” Connor said. “So, yeah. Leaving tonight, not sure whenI’ll be back.”
“Oh,” Max said, his face falling a little before he recovered andgrinned again. “Uh, that’s awesome. I guess you got what you wanted too, huh?”
Connor licked his lips. He desperately wanted Max to ask him tostay.
The client in LA was real, and it was the career revival he’d beenhoping for when he started all this, but…
Then he’d gotten to know Max.
Fallen in love with him.
And now their lives were splitting along different paths, and hehad no excuse to stay. All he would have needed was the flimsiest reason, thesoftestplease don’t go.
But Max was happy for him.
Of course he was. Max was a sweetheart.
He just wasn’t in love with Connor, and that was okay. It wasn’this fault, and Connor wasn’t about to hold it against him.
“I guess I did,” Connor said, forcing himself to smile.
His heart was breaking. He’d been imagining a big moment here,where they confessed their real feelings and he told Max how his client didn’tmatter, his career didn’t matter as long as he had him, but…
That was stupid. Max had just had his life handed back to him. Hedidn’t want someone else tying him down.
He would never have come to resent Zoe, but if Connor guilted himinto a relationship now, Max would eventually hate him.
It was better to leave what they had as fond memories.
Even if Connor felt as though walking away would rip his heart outof his chest.
“I’m happy for you,” Max said. “We can hold off on celebratinguntil you get back.”
Connor wasn’t entirely sure he was coming back, but he noddedanyway. “We can. Give my love to Zoe, yeah?”
“I will,” Max said, the change in his tone making it clear that hewas just realizing that Connor didn’t plan on coming back.
Connor waited a beat, hoping that now that he knew this was theend, he might say something.
He didn’t, though. All he did was look at Connor with those softblue puppy eyes, smiling a tiny, sad smile.
Whatever Max felt, it wasn’t enough to make him ask Connor tostay, and that was that.
