Page 12 of Only Ever You

“Yeah.” He recanted the brief conversation about his empty life. “And she said, ‘if worst comes to worst, I’ll marry you’. Just like that. Out of nowhere.” Bash’s tone had inched higher and higher until he found himself squeaking.

The thought of being with Faye, let alonemarryingher, had been an impossible dream. And she’d given him a way in, written in stone and presented upon the shiniest silver platter all of London’s elite could afford. He’d been jilted so out of his mind that he’d fallen right into the road and ruined a shoe.

“What did you say back?” Shuffling of paper on the other end meant Matt had put his phone on speaker.

“Nothing … ” Bash tugged on his unoccupied ear and pulled his beanie further down into place, clearing his throat. “I fell off the curb and into the drain. My white Converse are in the wash as wespeak.”

“That was smooth of you.” Another arid laugh.

“Shut up,” Bash grumbled. Matt was going to mock him for life for the way he’d reacted. He should never have said anything.

But excitement swirled with disorientation from Faye’s offer and bounded inside of him like a bat out of hell, and he didn’t know what to do.

Even if shehadonly meant their potential marriage to be a platonic agreement, there was no pre-designed model for dealing with a proposal from the one woman you wanted but who didn’t want you in return. She’d said so herself. Friends saving friends from a life of misery. Emphasis on theFword.

Something heavy clunked down upon Matt’s desk. “If you wanted sympathy, you shouldn’t have calledme,Seb.”

‘Not for this’ went unspoken. Like typical brothers, lighter topics were a ball tossed in the air and they were the two over-eager spaniels mucking around with it.

“I didn’t have anyone else to call. If I tell the guys about this, then they’ll rib me for days, if not the rest of my life.”

“Well if you really want my advice—” Bash started to regret it. “Then I’d say you can either wait it out and hope Faye never finds the love of her life so you can enact this marriage pact.” Which Bash knew was entirely selfish and unfair on Faye, but he half considered it. Matt added, “Or you could actually tell her how you feel and save yourself some time.”

Something cold above Bash’s gut swirled and descended down like he’d swallowed ice.Actually tell her how you feel.He could have laughed. If he had the balls to do that, then he wouldn’t be in this scenario at all.

He stood between the Georgian columns of the doorway, bundled in his padded winter jacket, and stared blankly at at least twenty faces who passed him by before he shook himself. This conversation was getting ridiculous.

“You’re right,” he snipped, “you’re no help at all.”

“I’m only telling you what you already know.”

Bashhmpfed.

Keys jangled from the inside of the door behind him and a withered grey man in a pristine suit glared up at him through the glass.

It was time to go.

Swiftly, Bash inserted himself within the flow of pedestrians heading in the general direction towards Covent Garden.

“You still there?” The general sounds of foot traffic and vehicles almost overpowered Matt’s voice.

“Yeah, I’m here.” He tucked his arm further into himself and held the phone closer to his ear as he dodged chewing gum on the ground.

“Change of topic, if you’re done pining,” Matt said.

Bash withheld an irritated growl.

“I confirmed withMaman?* that the four of us will be going home for Christmas. You’re coming, right?”

“I think my arse will be handed to me if I didn’t,” he replied, and the woman walking beside him gave him an unamused side-eye.

“True. Maybe you should bring Faye?”

Bash’s spine prickled. “Why would I do that?”

“Because you’re in love with her and you need to tell her.”

Bash rolled his eyes. It would be nice, if just for one minute, Matt could refrain from telling him the same thing over and over. The outcome wasn’t going to change.

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