Page 64 of Fall of Us
“I tried. Mom sent me home after a lecture.”
Nathan stared at me for a full two minutes before he guided me to the couch and forced me to sit. He grabbed my hand and his features were so laced with worry that I felt terrible for making my friends so concerned about me.
“What are you going to do? You can’t keep waiting around for him. Have you heard anything?”
It was so dumb. That I could still cry at the drop of a hat was ridiculous. “Nothing. Not a word. I think he’s really done with me.”
Nathan squeezed my hands and chewed at his bottom lip.
“I don’t think he’s done, but I do think you need to make the first move here. Have you thought about how to apologize?”
I sagged into the couch, letting go of my friend. My palms pressed into my eyes as I kept trying to fight the inevitable tears. “Nothing I come up with seems adequate. How do you say sorry for fucking over the one person who means the most to you?”
When the room stayed silent, I dropped my hands. If anyone understood the situation, it was Nathan. He’d left Chase behind for years in favor of exploring his sexuality. It was a poor excuse, but love won out in the end and Chase had forgiven him.
“Maybe you’re just overthinking it. Maybe he just needs you to say that you’re sorry.”
Nathan wasn’t wrong, but an easy apology didn’t feel significant enough.
Then the thought hit me. I could do something big and meaningful. It would require the help of all my friends, so maybe it was a good thing that Nathan was here after all.
“What’s that look for?” Nathan’s lips tipped up at the side as a maniacal grin spread across my face.
“Do you think Chase could help me with something?”
My palms were a sweaty mess as I swiped them against my slacks. The restaurant was technically closed, but a few of the wait staff hung around. And by a few, I meant the ones that mattered the most. That meant Chase, Daniel, and Shawn were on standby, waiting for Andrew to show up.
My biggest fear was that he saw the text and ignored it.
When Joe showed up ten minutes ago, I knew he hadn’t. I hadn’t texted Joe to show up, but had told Andrew that I needed all our friends in attendance.
Shawn came from behind the bar with a bottle of the fancy tequila that Andrew had bought for me and set on the middle of the table. I nodded a thank you and then went back to watching the door. My heart hammered in my chest, waiting for him to show. What if he sent Joe ahead and then changed his mind?
My breath caught as I saw him walking down the sidewalk through the windows that lined the front of the restaurant. He was stunning. I knew he had few clothes with him, but Andrew, dressed in a nice pair of jeans and a button-down shirt, was enough for me. Instead of his usual messy sweep, he styled his hair nicely. More than anything, my fingers itched to run through the strands as his lips slanted against mine.
Chase took his place by the front door as Andrew approached and held it open for him. Andrew gave him a tight smile before he met my eyes from across the empty space. After so many years, he could still take my breath away and it was stupid to think I could ever hide what we had. I had only hoped that this was enough to prove that I was serious this time around.
“Please have a seat, and someone will be with you in a moment.”
I was numb as Chase held out Andrew’s chair. Sitting across from one another, it seemed as though a spell had been cast. The rest of the room faded away. It didn’t matter that everyone was hereto witness me begging Andrew to give me a chance. He was here and in my presence for the first time in a week and a half. The time we spent apart was the worst of my life.
“Hi.” The one word sent everything into motion.
A smile lit Andrew’s face and the tension that had been living in my chest since he’d walked out the door lifted a tiny bit.
“Hi.”
“Good evening, gentlemen. Let me start you off by pouring you a drink. Mr. Davis here has requested a special meal, if that’s all right with you, Mr. Hernandez.”
I wanted to laugh. I’d never heard Daniel be so formal, but he was playing a part tonight and I appreciated him for it.
“That sounds wonderful, thank you.” Andrew motioned to the bottle in the middle of the table and Daniel served us each a shot of the fancy booze.
The glass nearly slipped from my fingers as I brought it to my lips. I tipped it back and took a long swig, swallowing it and savoring the burn of the tangy liquor.
“You remembered?”
I laughed at Andrew’s question. “It’s not like I can forget the label of something that still sits in my kitchen cabinet.” I took a deep breath. “Our kitchen cabinet.”
