Page 130 of Due Dilligence (Takeover)
The bartender chuckled. “That kind of a day?”
“Been that kind of a month.” He flipped the menu card over. “Started out great, then nosedived into hell.”
“Been there, man. If it’s not too cliché to say, it does get better.” He slid down the bar and pulled a glass of beer. A very dark beer.
It wouldn’t get better, though. Not without Z. “Can I get a bacon chicken sandwich, too?”
The bartender deposited the beer. “Sure. Fries?”
He nodded and the guy headed for the server’s station. The bar wasn’t crowded and he recognized the other patrons from around the neighborhood, but didn’t know any of them personally.
He took a sip of the beer, swallowed, and scowled at the thing.
“Too dark?” There was a friendly but amused edge to the bartender’s voice.
“No.” He’d gotten exactly what he’d asked for. “I didn’t know they could bottle my mood.” He took another sip and leaned on the counter.
For a moment, the pain in his chest was overwhelming. More than anything, he wanted to share this with Fazil. Describe the place and make plans to come here. Fazil wasn’t moving to Seattle. He wasgone, like before.
“God-fucking-damn it.” He set the beer down and tried to keep the tears from forming in his eyes. He really wanted to punch Stephen, too.
This is what you get when you fuck the help, Todd. You’re not supposed to stick your dick into the competition.
He hadn’t tacked the wordsyou fagonto that, but Todd had tasted it in the air, seen it in the curl of Stephen’s lips. He pushed the beer away.
“Hey,” the bartender said. “You all right?”
“No,” Todd said. “But it’s a long story.”
“It’s a quiet night,” he said. “And it looks like you could use an ear.”
Spilling your guts to a bartender was one of those Hollywood clichés, wasn’t it? Todd felt the knot in his chest loosen. He looked up. “I dated this guy in high school...”
He had no idea how long it took to tell the whole thing, but by the time he’d finished he’d downed two of those bitter dark beers and eaten his sandwich.
“So that’s the story, more or less.”
The bartender cleared away the dishes. “He chose his job over moving out here to be with you? What an ass.”
Todd flinched. “Yeah.” He looked down at the remnants of his dark beer. “But I kind of understand why.” Especially after today at work.
“Why he dumped you rather than moving?”
“He would’ve moved if he could’ve had the job he has there out here. It was his dream job. Giving that up...” Something shifted in Todd and the room seemed too hot.
If Todd had a job with someone as open and accepting as Sam Anderson, with a coworker like Eli, and doing the variety of projects Fazil talked about—he’d struggle to let go of it, too. Especially when all Seattle could offer Fazil was the shit Todd dealt with every day. That wouldkillFazil. Hell, what Nathan put Z through had wrung him out completely.
The night of the videochat rushed through his head.It’s my goddamned life, Todd!Fazil had tried to get Todd to understand, but he’d been so insistent that Fazil move here.
You’re not listening to me, are you?Fazil’s words rang in his skull.
No, Todd hadn’t been. The film in his head of them happy in Seattle had played over and over until he couldn’t consider any other option. He’d rammed that vision down Fazil’s throat, planned out his life, just like he had in high school with his harebrained idea of Fazil becoming ateacher.
Todd rubbed his chin and neck. “Fuck.” No wonder Fazil wouldn’t talk to him.
The bartender lifted both eyebrows.
“He said no because he’d be miserable. I’d be miserable. We’d...” They’d be at each other’s throats. Once the glow of being together wore off, hell would set in. “He was protecting himself. And protecting me.” God, that was such a Z thing to do.
