Page 80 of Twice Shy

Luca stalked along the back of the house and around the corner. A frigid wind blew straight off the sea and Ollie cursed himself for not grabbing his coat before he left. From inside the house he could hear the muffled sounds of music and chatter, but outside all was silent. A handful of icy stars scattered the sky, hazy clouds racing over a new moon. The grass gleamed frostily, the air around him misty with his own breath.

Not that Ollie was really looking; his eyes were fixed on the man who’d come to a halt at the edge of the driveway at the front of the house. Luca had his back to him, but he turned when Ollie’s footsteps crunched in the gravel and their eyes met glancingly. He wasn’t wearing his coat either and he wasn’t smiling.

Ollie hugged himself against the cold as he walked closer on shaky legs. “Thanks for this. I’m sorry I kinda ambushed you. Again.”

Luca looked strained and grim. “Listen,” he said, “I’m just gonna come out and say this.” He cleared his throat. Ollie’s stomach cramped hard. He wished he hadn’t eaten so much at the buffet. “I know what my dad was, and he caused me and my mom nothing but pain. I haven’t seen him since I was a kid, and I’ve no desire to. When he walked out, he left us behind like trash.” His shoulders hunched in a shrug. “I don’t want anything to do with him. And, I’m sorry, but that includes you. It’s just—part of my life I’ve got no interest in revisiting.”

Breath froze in Ollie’s throat, a hard lump of air lodged there. “I see,” he managed to scrape out. His fingers were clenched so hard they hurt. “I’m sorry if I…” His voice cracked, and he couldn’t carry on. “I didn’t mean to upset you.”

Luca stared down at his shoes. “Look, it’s not personal. It’s nothing against you. I just— I can’t see this being part of my life. I don’t want to have to—” He cut himself off. “I grieved my dad when I was a kid. I don’t want to get to know the family he abandoned mine to create.”

“He didn’t stay,” Ollie rasped. “He’s married to another woman now. I never even knew him.”

A flash of pain crossed Luca’s face. “I’m sorry,” he said. “But I just can’t do this.” And with that he walked away, crossing the driveway in front of the house.

Ollie didn’t follow, couldn’t drag air past the ache in his throat. Turning away, he retreated the way they’d come. When he blinked, he felt hot tears on his face, his vision blurring so badly that he didn’t see the man standing at the corner of the house until he almost bumped into him.

“Joel…?” The relief was so overwhelming Ollie couldn’t say anything more. He just stood there immobile as he gazed at him. It felt like rescue. Maybe that’s why he didn’t register the expression on Joel’s face.

“The hell was that about?”

“What?” Ollie scrubbed his eyes. “Nothing. It’s—”

“Nothing?” Joel growled. “Don’t lie to me, Ollie. I know what I saw. You—” He was pale, the only color in his face two bright spots of anger in his cheeks. “Are you sleeping with him?”

“Am Iwhat?”

“Did he dump you, is that what this is? Christ, Ollie. Moretti’s engaged, he’s—”

“That’swhat you think?” Ollie lurched back a step, his crushing grief and humiliation of moments earlier roaring out as rage. He wiped at his wet face. “You think I’mfuckinghim?”

Joel retreated a step but didn’t backdown. “Look at you. You’re crying, for God’s sake. You expect me to believe there’s nothing going on here? That you don’t know this guy—”

“I don’t give a fuck what youbelieve. You obviously don’t trust me. That’s all I need to know.”

“But you lied!”

“Screw you,” Ollie snarled. “The only liar here is you.”

Unable to listen to more, he pushed past him and stalked blindly back to the house.

Fuck.

Fuck it all to hell.

∞∞∞

Joel felt the ground falling away beneath his feet.

Ollie had lied.

He’d seen him talking to Moretti, seen them arguing. Nobody could have mistaken the emotions radiating from them: hurt, anger, heartbreak. He felt them too, sinking their claws into his damaged, stumbling heart.

Chest aching, lungs laboring, he headed around to the front of the house. He’d call a cab from there. No way could he go back inside now, not like this. He needed the cold night air on his flushed face, needed to hide in the ice-bright darkness. Slowing as he reached the driveway, he sucked in a shivery breath and tried to calm himself enough to call a cab.

He’d known this would happen.Knownit. So why the hell had he let Amy convince him otherwise? Why the hell had he let himself hope—?

“Um, excuse me. Joel?”

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