Page 59 of Meet You Half Way
“Too right,” Rob shuddered. “A pretty face like his would not survive a day in incarceration.”
“Neither would his ass,” Nick added.
I laughed then, laughed as I pushed them away from me with tears pricking the backs of my eyes.
“I love you both but nobody needs to risk a prison sentence for me,” I told them. “No revenge will be necessary.”
“Really? Not even teeny, tiny little acts of revenge?” Rob pouted.
“Not even egging their house?” Nick added, adding his own dramatic pout.
“Weeell, maybe that would be okay,” I laughed, grinning as they pulled me back into another group hug. “Thanks, guys. I really appreciate you.”
“We got your back, M,” Rob said, squeezing my shoulders.
“And we’re really proud of you,” Nick added, a seriousness to his words that had us sharing a glance. He of all people knew how hard this had been for me. He’d lived through it with me for the past ten years. Had encouraged me and guided me when I’d needed him. Had given me the acceptance from not only himself but his whole family and given me a place to be myself. I would always value him for that.
But it had also been one of the major reasons why he and I had not lasted and I wasn’t sure how I was feeling about that right now.
“We need a boys night,” Rob announced, breaking away from us until we stood in a slightly too-close circle. “What do you think, Mateo? A drink at Paddy’s or a night on the sofa?”
“I think I’d rather just stay in tonight if that’s okay with you,” I said, feeling that little well of happiness fill up inside me with their offer of friendship.
“Beer, pizza and Netflix it is,” Nick grinned. “We’ll even let you choose the movie.”
“What’s this?” I gasped. “Never in our entire years of friendship have I ever been granted this kind of power over the remote control.”
“Yeah, well don’t let it go to your head,” Rob returned. “The offer expires at midnight tonight.”
“Figures,” I grumped, leading the way to the sofa which we all climbed onto. “I don’t know why I ever thought I’d be treated as an equal in this friendship circle.”
“It’s not that you’re not equal,” Rob returned. “It’s just that your taste in movies and television shows is literally shit.”
“Hey, it’s not my fault I’m actually cultured,” I returned, shoving him lightly with my elbow.
“You say cultured, others might say boring,” Nick teased from my other side. “Not me of course,” he added after I sent him a glare. “Just sharing opinions I might have heard others express.”
“You both suck,” I said. But that didn’t stop me from reaching for the remote control and scrolling through the options while my two best friends on the entire planet remained silent and encouraging when I finally found what I was looking for. Which I knew would be something they would both like too. I was just that kind of guy.
“We love you, M,” Rob replied, kissing my cheek and grinning at me. Nick didn’t offer the same words or the same kiss on my cheek but we shared a smile and I took it for what it was, hisstatement that our friendship would always come first no matter how difficult our recent history had been.
And that right there spoke volumes to me, the fact I had these two at my back, my ride or die, the true brothers I had never had, right when I needed them most.
CHAPTER 24
jamie
Iwas in serious, serious trouble. I’d just sent Mateo off back home after spending the entire weekend with him and I was in trouble. Serious, serious trouble.
I’d been half a second away from begging him to stay the night again, to fall asleep beside each other and wake up with his beautiful face the first thing I would see.
But I didn’t and I’d instead stood on the pavement and watched him drive his sweet Alfa Romeo back home to Esperance, feeling like I was watching my heart drive away. Yes, I was being dramatic and probably ridiculous too. Because despite everything, despite all that we had shared, our epic weekend together, the best and probably the most sex I had ever had in my life, despite all of that, I still had no idea where I stood with him.
All I knew was that I was in deep and in some kind of danger of sinking even deeper. And Mateo, sweet, funny and kind once you dug deep enough through the aloof façade and the layers and layers of walls and fortified barriers, still had no idea what he had done to me.
I was going to have to talk to him, like Kelly had suggested. I was just going to have to find some way to bring it up with himeven though it seemed like the hardest conversation I could ever imagine. Because I was falling hard and fast and I was afraid of what I would find at the bottom.
And I was going to start with now by sending him a text message and not one that was just to organise logistics or our next meet up like we usually sent. I wanted him to know I was thinking about him and missing him already. I knew it was not our usual way of communicating but maybe I would have to be the one to change things up. I couldn’t leave these things to Mateo because I just wasn’t sure his mind was wired to think like mine, to obsess over another person and wonder what they were doing, what they were thinking about, hoping they were thinking of you.
