Page 62 of The Arrangement

I shook my head at Fletcher's quick thinking, trying to think of a good follow-up question when he interjected, "And it just so happens that we both know Georgia, both went to high school with her." Sarah's eyes lit up when she looked between the three of us.

"Oh my god, you didn't tell me that, Georgia!"

Clark swallowed hard as she shook her head, clearing her throat. "You knew Quinn was my neighbor. It took me a bit to remember everyone; high school was a long time ago."

Fletcher grinned conspiratorially as he lowered his lips to Sarah's ear, yet speaking loud enough for the whole table to hear, "Sebastianand Georgia were neck and neck for valedictorian during senior year." He glanced at me, a glint in his eye. "Never had I seen that man in the library as many times as I did during that year."

Andrew raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Can't there be two valedictorians?" Fletcher shook his head, explaining, "Not at Perrington. We were a notoriously competitive prep school. Their thought was competition and rigorous study made students excel."

I stayed quiet, my jaw moving in anger as Fletcher grinned over his drink. That jackass knew exactly what he was doing, but I had no idea what his end goal was except pissing me off.

"And gave them anxiety attacks and crippling self-doubt," Clark piqued up to a chorus of laughs around the table before turning toward me with a questioning look in her eyes. Sure we had spoken about this, but with Fletcher breathing new life into the whole situation, it seemed to spurn something in Clark.

“All in good academic rivalry,” I said.

Fletcher blew a breath through his lips in a laugh, "Yeah, and he re-readWuthering Heightsuntil the paperback was falling apart because he was so passionate about 18th-century literature."

That had Clark lowering her chip to stare at me before she realized what she was doing and just placed a smile on her face and shook her head. "It’s a great book."

The conversation was finally steered away from us when Sarah asked Andrew and Tyler about their upcoming trip, giving them places to try for the best pizza experience. The tension between Clark and me was palpable; the appetizers were expensive, but they turned to ash in my mouth as I went through the motions of the conversations.

"I'm going to run to the bathroom, babe, be right back," Fletcher whispered to Sarah, but I caught it and tossed my napkin onto the table and stood with him. "Yeah, me too. Be right back, guys."

Fletcher had a knowing look in his eyes as we made our way to the bathroom, a grin never leaving his stupid face. The door had barely closed behind him when I turned on him. "What the fuck are you playing at, Fletcher?" I exclaimed, my hands closing in fists even whileknowing I would never swing at this guy, no matter how much he pissed me off.

Fletcher raised his hands. "I'm not playing at anything, man, just making conversation." Slapping the counter I stepped closer, finger in his face.

"I know damn well what you're doing!" I countered, feeling my heart thudding in my chest with anger and something else. Embarrassment? Hope?

"Oh, really, what am I doing, Seb? C'mon, spell it out, buddy," he urged, trying his hardest to look innocent and failing miserably.

Throwing my hands up, I spun, my hand threading through my hair. "You're trying to make it look like I have a thing for her! Even in high school! That was almost ten years ago!"

Fletcher threw up his hands in response. "Exactly, Seb! You had the hots for her then, and you definitely have ‘em for her now!"

"You don't know that!"

The man ran his hands down the side of his face in frustration as he groaned, "I do, because I have fucking eyes! You think you're so slick and mysterious, but you have always worn your heart on your sleeve, even if you never fucking act on it because deep down, you feel like you don't deserve it." I swore I stopped breathing as he continued. "You haven't been in a relationship, a real relationship, in years because you're so wrapped up in the weight of the world that you demand to carry on your shoulders."

I shook my head, steeling my jaw, and opened my mouth to argue, but he just raised his hand. "No, listen to me for once in your fucking life. You're a good person, Seb. You're doing everything right, but you are so used to being beaten down by life that you can't see the good things you have around you because you have been convinced that all you have put yourself through is somehow some kind of fucked up penance for the sins of your father."

The silence was deafening as my arms dropped to my side. Fletcher shook his head before looking at me with the most serious expression that I had no idea he was capable of making.

"You do what you do for your own reasons and it's admirable. Butyou were replicating intimacy with someone you knew would never go further for obvious reasons, and that felt safe to you. Because you would never have to put yourself out there. But here you are, with the real thing right in fucking front of you, and you are going to let it slip through your fingers because you can't admit that you are vulnerable. That you want someone to give as many shits about you as you do for everyone else around you. And that terrifies you."

I couldn’t reply; his words washed over me like a cold burst of air, cooling the anger that he had ignited within me. As I opened my mouth, the door to the bathroom opened to allow a couple of men in business suits to stumble through to the urinals.

Fletcher rolled his shoulders. "So unless you're going to hold my dick while I piss, I'll see you back at the table."

And fuck if I didn't turn around and leave the bathroom, my stomach lurching with the expensive food and sugary cocktail.

Part of me wanted to slide out of the hotel, run up the stairs, and drive home before I could ruin anything. But a bigger, more irrational part of me urged me to go back to that table, to sit down next to Clark and not do anything stupid.

I sat down, sliding back into the leather chair next to my next-door neighbor and current partner I was fucking for money. Fletcher's words repeated in my head as I kept up with the conversation and dodged Clark's curious glances in my direction.

I was okay. I was fine. Everything was fine.

Chapter 30

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