Page 56 of Fated Mates and How to Seduce Them
He knew it without a shadow of a doubt.
Sheer, raw panic slammed into him. White noise filled his brain as panic set in, and he couldn’t even string the words together to explain anything. André shook his head immediately, hands up. “No. Sorry, no, I-I can’t.”
Mom canted her head in question, expression puzzled. “What do you mean you can’t go? André, this is your charity. You’re the organizer. You have to be there.”
“I’ll do the work remotely this year, but I can’t go.”
“Honey, remote isn’t an option. I know you like being in America, but it’s only for a month. You’d be back in time for spring semester—”
He shook his head again, firmer, standing now because he couldn’t make himself sit still. “No. I…I can’t. I can’t leave Ian alone for that long.”
“Honey, Ian of all people will understand. I know you’ll miss him, but you need to go. And it’s only four weeks.”
This sounded like an eternity. André didn’t know how to explain the all-consuming emotion. His mind was wiped clean with panic, nothing more than static and white noise. He shook his head again, over and over. “No. I’ll figure it out, but I’m not leaving.”
“André—André?!” His mother looked alarmed now. Go. He had to go.
He turned on his heel and raced up the stairs two at a time, not able to keep arguing about this. Once he was in his roomwith the door closed behind him, only then did he manage a full breath. It was fine. He could figure this out. He had very capable people who helped him run this charity. They didn’t need him riding their shoulders to get things done. It was fine.
The one thing he couldn’t risk was Ian.
André slapped his cheeks lightly. The problem could wait a few days more. He had to pack and go get Ian from work. That was the priority tonight.
The rest, he’d figure out later.
It was hard to slam the panic down far enough to focus, but André managed it. He got a bag packed and succeeded in getting out of the house without running into his mother again. He did feel bad about refusing to go with her, as he knew she hated to travel alone, but…he just couldn’t.
André firmly put it out of his mind as he drove to the bar. After coming here frequently, everyone on staff knew him, so he said hello to the valet and slipped him a tip as he went in. The manager gave him a wave and smiled as he stepped in, and he returned both, even though the smile felt stiff.
There was Ian behind the bar, pouring drinks and doling them out with his usual efficiency in a delicious all-black outfit. Just the sight of him downgraded the overwhelming panic. André swallowed it back and focused on the here and now.
He found an open stool at the bar and slung himself up onto it, greeting his lover with a smile. “Hey, sexy. Imagine seeing you here.”
Ian glanced up from the beer he was pouring. “Yes, funny how you found me at work. What do you want?”
“Just give me a soda.”
“Making my life easy.” Ian shot him a quick smile.
“I do try to stay in your good graces.”
André liked watching Ian work, especially in the black jeans and black button-down shirt that looked so enticing on him.Then again, he liked watching Ian breathe. What could he say? Ian was just a pleasure to watch. For the bartenders’ sake—there were two more on duty tonight, what with it being close to a holiday and all—he pulled out a wad of bills and stuck them into the tip jar.
Harry shifted places with Ian, hands busy as he washed up glasses. “André, you don’t have to tip us every time.”
He’d gotten on friendly terms with Harry more than anyone else on staff because he sat at the bar so often now. André felt like he could be honest with him.
“You guys are nice enough to let me hang out here while waiting on Ian. It’s only right I pay you for your time.”
Harry’s black eyes were sharp on his face. “Ian said you two are now official.”
“We are. I hear a question in there somewhere.”
“You understand, if you’re not good to my friend, every person in this bar will kick your ass.”
André let his eyes roll off into the sunset. “You think I chased that man so hard for two months only to lose interest the second he said yes? Harry, please, credit me with some intelligence.”
“Just sayin’.”
