Page 19 of Burned By Love

“What the fuck are you two doing?”Jonathan asked as he strode into the waiting room.He was still limping slightly, but he seemed fine.West still wanted to reach for him and pull him into his arms.

“Sorry,” Daniela said with a grimace.“We were just curious.”

“Well, go be curious somewhere else.”

Jonathan looked at West.“We only have ten minutes.My customer’s still in the room, but we’re taking a break.”

Dammit.West hadn’t realized he’d have limited time, but he should have.After all, he was bothering Jonathan at work.“I just wanted to check in on you and make sure you were okay.”

“I am, thank you.I wouldn’t be if it weren’t for you.”

“Is this how things will be between us from now on?You thank me for what I did every time we talk, and I tell you that it was nothing?”

Jonathan snickered.“Maybe.Unless you have a better idea?”

West sucked in a breath.Hereallywanted Jonathan to say yes.“Actually, I was wondering if you wanted to go on a date with me.”

Jonathan’s expression shuttered.West knew he was going to say no.What had he done wrong?Maybe nothing.Maybe Jonathan just didn’t want to go on a date with him.Maybe he wasn’t Jonathan’s type, or maybe Jonathan hated him as much as he was grateful to him.

And maybe he was being overly dramatic, and he needed to stop freaking out and wait for Jonathan to answer.

* * * *

JONATHAN WANTED TOsay yes.He wanted to believe that West wouldn’t hurt him.He wanted to go on a date with him, to get to know him, and to see where things could go between them.He wanted to have a chance at a relationship and happiness.

Sal had ruined all of that for him.

He looked away from West.He knew his friends were probably listening in, but there was nothing he could do about it.He’d yell at them later, after they asked him why he was doing this.

“I can’t,” he told West.

West stared at him for a moment.Jonathan wanted to ask him to stop, but he deserved this.He deserved to be stared at, for West to get angry, maybe to tell him he was a tease or an asshole.Sal would never have taken no for an answer, and he would’ve been harsher than that, but that was how he’d started.

“That’s fine,” West said.

“It is?”Jonathan said, surprised.

“Yeah, of course.I understand that you may not be into me, and it’s fine.”West gestured at the door.“I’m going to go.”

“West.”Jonathan didn’t know what else he could say.He wanted to explain, but it was a lot to dump on someone’s shoulders, especially someone he barely knew.Now that he’d said no to a date with West, West probably wouldn’t want anything to do with him.Why would he?

“See you around,” West said with a smile that was glaringly forced.“I don’t want you to worry about me.It’s not the first time someone’s said no to going on date with me.”

Jonathan stepped forward, but West was already out the door.It shut behind him, and Jonathan was left there, staring.

“What the fuck?”Christy asked.

Jonathan grimaced and turned to face her, Daniela, and Ethan.“That was a private conversation.”

“That was amistake,” Christy told him.“A nice, hot guy asked you on a date.A man whosaved your lifeasked you on a date.Why would you say no?”

Jonathan didn’t want to have this conversation.His friends knew why he’d said no.He didn’t need to explain or go into details.“Because it wouldn’t have worked.I have to get back to work.”

“Jonathan,” Christy started.

Jonathan ignored her.He couldn’t take whatever she wanted to tell him.

“You should give him a chance.He’s not like Sal,” she continued.

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