Drying his hands, Allen turned back to the TV and watched until the segment ended. When the news moved on to something else, Allen realized he hadn’t moved. He tried to forget about the hotel, tried to move on, but it was there inside his mind and refused to disappear.
The café was busy by the time Allen arrived, and when he stepped inside, Jamie waved from a table near the window. “There he is.”
Allen slid into the seat opposite him, shrugging out of his jacket. “It's loud today.”
“Yeah, well, it’s got food, and it’s not my apartment,” Jamie said. “Win.”
They ordered at the counter, then came back to the table. Allen tried to relax and enjoy the normality of being here, talking about nothing serious.
“So,” Jamie said, as he leaned back. “Rick.”
Allen rolled his eyes. “Of course.”
“Come on. How’s it going?”
“It’s… good.” Allen stared at the menu board even though they’d already ordered. “It’s fine.”
“That’s not an answer.”
Allen glanced at him. “It’s going well.”
Jamie smiled. “Yeah?”
Allen hesitated, then nodded once. “Yeah.”
The coffees arrived. Allen wrapped his hands around the cup as Jamie started talking about his girlfriend for a while, telling Allen about her work drama and her sister moving in. Allen listened and asked questions and tried to keep his mind off Rick and the card.
“You look different,” Jamie said, and he wasn’t teasing now. “Happier.”
Allen felt his cheeks heat up, and he ducked his head as he shrugged. “Shut up.”
“I’m serious. It’s good. I’m glad you’re happy. You were only saying the other day that you wanted someone who wanted something more serious than a hookup.”
Allen nodded, still not looking up. “I am happy”
“Just don’t ignore any red flags because he’s paying attention to you. You know?” Jamie shrugged and glanced away.
Allen’s head snapped up. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
Jamie looked back at him, blinking rapidly. “It’s not—”
“No, tell me,” Allen said, sharper than he meant to. “Are you saying he’s with me because he thinks I’m easy? Because he feels sorry for me? Is that what you’re implying?”
“I’m not implying anything,” Jamie muttered. “Jesus, Allen. Why would you think that?”
Allen’s hand clenched. “You said red flags,” Allen told him. “Like there’s something wrong with him. Like there’s something wrong with me for being with him.”
“That’s not what I said at all.” Jamie leaned forward. “I just want you to be careful.”
“It’s what it sounded like, and did you tell Mark or Connor not to ignore red flags or only me?”
Jamie narrowed his eyes. “I’m saying you deserve someone who’s good to you and stays good to you. That’s it. I’m happy you’re happy. I just don’t want you getting hurt because you’re so relieved someone wants you that you stop asking questions.”
Allen stared at him. The worst part was that Jamie wasn’t being mean. It was… accurate in a way that made Allen look away. “I’m not doing that.”
Jamie’s voice softened. “Okay. I’m sorry if I upset—”
Allen swallowed, jaw tight. “Rick’s not a red flag and I’m not a charity case.”
