Page 37 of Perfect Night

Charlie wished he’d listened to Jason. His client was a Sebastian doppelgänger, but that’s where the similarity ended. He was an absolute arsehole and kept referring to Charlie as his ‘property’ for the night. There was no let-up in his demands, and when he kicked Charlie out at four o’clock in the morning with no tip, he’d had no sleep.

He just wanted to crawl into bed, but of course, the universe hated him right now. Langdon was up, having just come home from a late shift. He was making a sandwich which looked far too healthy for this time of the day.

“Where have you been?” he asked.

“Out.” He didn’t want to get into this now.

“With Sebastian?”

“Yeah. He had to get an early flight.”

“And he wouldn’t let you stay in the hotel?”

“I wanted to sleep in my own bed.”

Langdon nodded. Charlie breathed a sigh of relief and walked towards his bedroom.

“I thought your date was tonight?”

Charlie stopped and thought quickly before turning. “He had to go back to New York early, so we brought it forward.”

Langdon seemed happy with that, so Charlie didn’t wait for any further afterthoughts and headed to his room, closing the door behind him. He needed a shower after that creepy guy. His demands weren’t anything out of the ordinary. In fact, he was quite vanilla. It was just the way he spoke to Charlie, as if he was nothing. It wasn’t the first time it had happened, but tonight it had gotten under his skin.

He scrubbed himself thoroughly in the shower. His body ached from exertion and the fact he’d been awake for almost twenty-four hours. It was a good job he wasn’t seeing Sebastian the next day. He wouldn’t have been the best company.

Was Charlie making the right decision to walk away from him? He believed so. He’d just lost his job and had to work on the side to pay for his mum’s care. Charlie was a complete mess. Sebastian was successful. They couldn’t be more different. Chemistry in the bedroom wasn’t enough to make something work. He had little experience with relationships, but even he knew that.

He dried himself off and pulled on a pair of pyjama shorts before slipping between the cool covers. He picked up his phone. It was now or never. He sent Sebastian a message, keeping it short and to the point, but making it clear this was the end. To cement that, he blocked his number. It would best for them both if they left their memories as that one perfect night.

CHAPTER 12

SEBASTIAN

This isn’t going to work. Don’t call me again. Sorry x.

Sebastian had woken up happy. He’d stretched out and imagined tomorrow morning with Charlie next to him. He’d spent the rest of Friday replaying what Bex had told him. The self-doubt she’d put in his head had been debilitating. After Brandon and Henry, he couldn’t be burnt again. In the end he’d called Patrick, who was his usual logical self. He hadn’t dismissed what Bex was suggesting, as she’d raised some good points, but ultimately he’d asked Sebastian what his gut was telling him.

Sebastian knew Charlie had his reasons for doing what he did. He wanted to look after his mum, which was admirable. Sebastian could just offer to pay for things, but Charlie would never accept it. He had to help him help himself. That was the way he’d approach this, and the first thing was getting him a better-paid job. He’d spoken with Candice and asked if she had any contacts who would want Charlie. She was adamant about trying to get him to change his mind about her job offer, but she’d relented and agreed to help. He’d bring it up tonight, or so he thought.

The text from Charlie had caused Sebastian to panic, which he never did. He’d immediately called but couldn’t get through. It was only when he replied to the text that he realised Charlie had blocked him. That should have been a sign for him to give up, but he wasn’t letting go of him so easily. Something had to have got in his head, or someone. Bex better not have overstepped. He called her.

“Where are you?”

“Good morning to you too, brother.”

“What did you say to Charlie?”

“I’ve never met the guy.”

“So, why has he sent me a message ending things and then blocked me?”

“Interesting.”

“What does that mean?”

“Well, I think this proves my point.”

“Stop being vague and spit it out.”

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