Page 73 of Someone Like You

Abigail beamed. “There’s nothing I can do about grapefruit, but I can let him have you.”

“What?”

“Never mind. So are you in? Think we could be a family?”

Theycould. It was crazy, but they could actually make this work. He could see it, could easily imagine it. He couldn’t wait toliveit.

He chuckled to himself.

“Can’t wait to explain this one to my da.”

* * *

He parked the pick-up in the first free spot he found along the street, walking the last bit under a light rain that grew heavier alongthe way. It was dark already, too late to bother Phil. It’d have to wait until tomorrow.

‘Tell him yourself,’Abigail had said, and Ian had been burning with impatience since. Maybe Phil wouldn’t even be on board with Abigail’s solution, but they had a possibility now and that was more than Ian could’ve hoped for.

He turned the corner, fishing the keys out of his pocket. Looking up, he found a hooded figure sitting on his steps.

“Handsome?”

The figure’s head darted up and turned in his direction. Under the hood, Phil’s eyes were more tired than usual.

“You alright?”

Phil’s expression changed to fussy vexation. “No, I’m cold as fuck! Where the hell have you been?” He pushed to his feet to stare Ian down.

Ian put on his best poker face. “You’re the one obstructing my doorway, I should be the one asking questions.”

“Can we talk?”

“That’s another question.”

The jab drew a groan of exasperation out of Phil, who deliberately chose to bypass it.

“I told Abby.”

“Of course you did.” As if there had ever been another option. Phil’s honesty was one of the reasons Ian liked him so much, after all.

“She’s the one who said you and I needed to talk this out, so, unless you wanna be a jerk and deny a broken man some closure, we’re gonna talk.” He released a big breath, like someone who’d just discarded a boulder off his chest, and scrutinised Ian expectantly with that puppy-dog look that had the power to annihilate all of Ian’s defences.

“Abby’s okay with my feelings for you. She understands it wasn’t a choice. But I still don’t know howyoufeel aboutme.”

“You do,” Ian argued. How could he not know?

“No. I don’t.” A prickly frown darkened Phil’s face. “I told you I loved you and you hit me back with a bunch of righteous rambling about not wanting to do anything behind Abby’s back and stuff like that. Well, now the cat’s out of the bag, so, if you don’t feel the same, you either spell it out for me and let me move the fuck on, or we—”

“Jesus Christ, you’re such a drama queen.”

Phil gave Ian an irked shove, his frown deepening. “I’m not leaving until I hear it.” A flash of terror glimmered in his eyes, immediately swept away by brittle but stubborn pride. “Say it:‘Phil, I don’t love you’. Say it and I won’t bother you again. I’ll walk out of your life and you’ll never have to—”

Ian clasped a hand over his mouth. “Fuckin’ hell, Phil,” he puffed out in a soft laugh. “I love you. Stop whinin’.”

Time stilled. The display in Phil’s expression whispered‘You do?’, incredulous and emotional.

“Why—” His Adam’s apple bobbed. “Why couldn’t you just say it back when I told you?”

There were too many answers to that question.

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