Page 83 of Love Spell

It had been years since Timo drank to get drunk.For that matter, it had been years since he’d been really drunk.Not snickering about finding himself on the wrong floor of a hotel searching for his room drunk, but so drunk he couldn’t remember having ended up in a hotel at all.

He thought he’d done well with Noah.He’d not said anything insensitive, as far as he was aware.He’d been a good listener.He’d apologised for the morning.All good, right?Start over fresh.No press interviews, no more public announcements, whatever pace Noah was comfortable with was golden.

Yet it hadn’t been enough.Turned out, Noah wasn’t sharing his story so they could start over and try again with better understanding.He told his story as an explanation for why he was done with Timo, why he’d already rung the attorney to tell her to forget about the paperwork, why he was flying back to the States this week even though he had two weeks left.

Timo wasn’t used to people breaking up with him.Mutual split, or Timo leaving for better things, restless, always striving, always seeking, always straining for the next mile marker and finish line.But had anyone ever simply broken up with him and left?

No one would do that.Yet someone had.

Someone who had every reason to leave.

Timo could see the reasons reflected at the bottom of the bottle, one after another presenting themselves with each swallow.

He’d started at a pub.He didn’t drink alone.But the noise and faceless company was irritating when Timo wasn’t a part of it.Timo loved noise as long as he was involved, preferably at the centre.Other people having a good time while he sat at the bar was simply galling.

He’d thought about calling Ranveer since Ranveer was the smartest person he knew and might offer advice.He’d thought about calling Rhys since Rhys probably wouldn’t hang up on him and would at least pretend to care.

He’d thought most about calling his mother, but he would need a medium for that.Which made him think about Noah and Noah’s interest in astrology and belief in that whole magic spell nonsense — but everything made him think of Noah.Noah probably believed in mediums.Noah was probably the kind of person who would go to a psychic and change careers or move based on what they said.Well, he was changing careers and moving now.Perhaps Timo was magical.

It had all started with that bloody spell.

No, of course not.But what if it had?

Timo went home, even though he knew better, even though he’d quit a long time ago and he knew his limits.He still went home and drank alone.Exactly like the opposite of a winner.

Why had he gone in there in the first place?He hated pub culture, which focused on sedentary behaviour revolving around beer and watching other people play sports.

Get out and do something, goddammit.

If you really had nothing better to do than scream at a TV and slosh beer down a stranger’s back, then go home and slosh your own sofa.

Those guys wouldn’t know what hit them if they tried this shit.They’d probably never tasted neat vodka in their lives.If it didn’t have foam on the top they didn’t know it was drinkable.

Every problem, every bump, every argument, it was all on Timo, wasn’t it?

He could see it in the scenes skittering between liquid and glass at the bottom.

Noah had nearly broken his nose one night in response to Timo’s actions.If that wasn’t a warning that Timo needed to stop and take a long hard look at his own actions, what was?

Yet, had he?

Hell no.

Considering what Noah had been through, Timo was shocked by his level of restraint.Perhaps if he had broken Timo’s nose Timo would have taken being rejected a bit more seriously rather than considering the whole thing a game to win from the start.

If it was all a game, Noah was another token to push around the board.

Noah was right to escape Timo.So bloody right.

Just what that asshole had said, wasn’t it?Noah was the most unsuitable person possible for Timo.Noah had figured this out a long time ago.

There didn’t seem to be anything left in the bottle.But there were lots of city lights that skipped around and blurred and danced so he looked at them from his vantage on the couch.Did Noah like to dance?Timo had never asked.Timo had never danced in his life but he would learn if Noah wanted him to.And he would be the best.He wouldn’t mind learning the tango.

No, he was getting distracted by the lights.

Then Chandler had called.Back before the pub.Shit, he’d forgot about that.They’d been waiting for him to come back to work.Couple of calls and messages from Spencer, then others.What was going on?He’d just vanished and people wanted him at work.Finally Chandler had called a few hours ago — could be several hours ago now.Said he’d been waiting for Timo to get back to work.

“I’m not coming back today,” Timo snapped.Could no one take a hint in this country?

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