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asphaltcowgrrlTitle: In a Week or Two Chapter 7
Fandom: Romani Detective Original Fiction
Pairing: Gen
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 3,068
Summary: Zayne has a moment. Andrej has a mini crisis.
Author’s Note: Nearly done with chapter 10 and am hoping that this means I’m almost done with this fic. Hahaha. Also, sharpiesgal, this is not what we were discussing yesterday. He gets to do this twice, fun!
“Okay, buster,” Hilary said, hands on her hips, “explain why you’re disrupting our girl’s night?”
Zayne flashed her his most charming smile and sat in the first empty chair he saw. “You sound like you don’t want me here.”
“We don’t,” Trish snorted. “You have any idea how hard it was to get Hansen’s ass out of here? And then you show up? We’re doomed to be drenched in testosterone tonight.”
“You’re not letting Jake into your girl’s nights either,” Zayne teased.
He’d always done his best to let Hil have her time away from him, even when he didn’t want to be without her, because she deserved her downtime as much as anyone. Especially since she had been dating him. Of course, he’d also harassed her about it, too, that was a boyfriend’s job, right?
“Not yet,” Trish said, winking at Zayne. “We’re not sure how he’d react to some of the shit we discuss.”
“That’s probably best for the relationship,” Zayne agreed.
“Yeah, you’re rather hard to shock,” Hilary laughed. “But Jake? Jury’s still out on him. So, why are you here again?”
“I have a problem,” Zayne admitted.
Hilary frowned. “Don’t you usually go to Andy with your problems? Why us, why now?”
“If I’m completely honest with you two, no matter how embarrassing it might be,” he began, forearms resting on his knees, head hanging low, “do you promise to keep it to yourselves?” He looked up and met each of their gazes. “No telling Hansen and definitely no telling Zek?”
The girls looked at one another, confused, but they both nodded.
“Of course,” Hilary said. “What’s going on, Zayne? You’ve suddenly got me worried.”
“Sorry,” he said, sliding down lower in the chair. “I’m okay but – but not? I don’t even know what’s wrong with me, honestly.”
“This will sound stupid,” Trish said, looking at her partner before continuing. When Hilary gave her a slight nod, Trish took a deep breath and forged forward. “But does this have anything to do with Andy going on a date last night?”
Zayne’s brows knitted together. “I want to say no,” he said, looking up at them both, pleading with his eyes for them to understand. “I mean, he was happy with the narco until suddenly the narco decides they’re done. And now, I think he might be moving towards being happy again but…” He shrugged. “That’s’ where shit gets sketchy.”
“It’s where your co-dependency starts to show,” Hilary corrected. “Don’t look at me like that,” she added when Zayne shot her a nasty scowl. “You know it’s true. You can’t function if Andy’s not available to take care of you. It gets worse when you’re not in a romantic relationship.”
“Really,” Trish asked, glancing at Hilary. “Are you sure that it’s co-dependency and not…”
“Not what,” Zayne asked, drawing each word out slowly. He knew this was a bad idea.
“Well, honestly, seeing the two of you together, how you act around him and towards him, I sometimes wonder if you’re not half in love with him.”
“What?” Hilary covered her mouth when she realized she’d shouted the word. “Shit, I know we’ve joked about it, hell, I even kind of thought it myself at times but you’re serious here, Rollins.”
“Yeah, I am,” she said with a shrug. “But only because I’ve been down this road before.”
“Do I even want to know,” Zayne asked, rubbing his hands across his face.
“It’s not that bad, Reyes,” she said. Trish got up and sat on the arm of Zayne’s chair, rubbing a hand across the wide stretch of his back. “It’s how I figured out why none of my boyfriends ever made me happy.”
“What do you mean,” Hilary asked. “I thought you’d always known you weren’t into guys.”
“I’m pretty sure I did always know, but let my parents, my friends, society convince me otherwise.” Zayne finally leaned back into her touch, allowing her to give him a little comfort, and Trish smiled at his effort. “My defining moment was sitting there, listening to my best friend explain to me all the reasons why I deserved better than the idiot a mutual friend had set me up with. All the things she loved about me were the things I’d loved about her in turn. It was a real eye-opener for me because it made me realize I was in love with her, not Derrick.”
“So, when I was thinking mancrush, you’re thinking what? Actual crush?”
Zayne was shocked to see a thoughtful look on his ex-girlfriend’s face and that helped settle the butterflies battling it out in his stomach. He wasn’t sure if he was in love with Zeklos or not but knowing that Hilary wasn’t going to flip out if he was helped for some reason.
“Well, I mean, how can you not love Andy,” Trish said. “He’s seriously adorable and an all-around great guy. Plus, Zayne spends like twenty-eight hours a day up his butt so…”
Zayne snorted. “It’s more like twenty-two, but whatever. God, you can’t really believe that, can you?”
“I do,” Trish said. “And it doesn’t invalidate anything that’s ever gone between you and Maxwell or any other woman, Reyes, so don’t start going down that road. Okay? You love her and even when you were being a right shit, it was obvious that she was your world.”
“Then how the hell can I be in love with Zek?” He let out a groan and fell back into the chair. Fuck.
“Easy,” Hilary said. “You’ve bonded with him. He treats you well and was always there to pick up the pieces when things fell apart on you. Now that Trish has put it so simply, I can see it. Or at least see why.”
“I can’t say I’ve ever been attracted to a guy before though, Trish,” Zayne said after a long pause.
“That doesn’t matter,” Trish said, getting up and stretching. “Maybe you’re bi and are only just figuring it out, but maybe it’s just Andy, too, you know? Sometimes, you connect with someone in a way you never thought you would.”
“Okay, I can get behind that,” Zayne said, running his fingers through his hair. “But why now? We’ve been partners for years and it never bothered me when he dated Rosewood.”
Hilary choked on a throatful of laughter. “Oh, you think it didn’t bother you, but you were up that narco’s ass from the second he showed the slightest bit of interest in Andy.” She shook her head and turned to Trish. “You’re right, I really should have seen this.”
“You two are starting to piss me off,” Zayne muttered as he stood and strode off towards the kitchen. “I’m getting a beer, do either of you want something?”
“There’s a pitcher of margaritas on the counter,” Hilary called. “Bring that back with you and top us off, honey.”
“Might just stick a straw in this bitch and drink it myself,” he shouted back. But like the good boyfriend – ex or otherwise – he was, Zayne picked up the pitcher and carried it out to the girls. Reclaiming his chair, he took a swig off his beer.
“So,” Trish said. “Rosewood.”
“I don’t know what you want me to say, but he pissed me off from the get-go,” Zayne said. “He’d only come around when I wasn’t at my desk or had gone home for the day. I trust Zeklos more than anyone else I know, but that rubbed me the wrong way.”
“He was also a bit of an ass in the beginning,” Hilary agreed. “But you had one hell of a kneejerk reaction to him encroaching on your territory.”
Zayne glowered at her and took another drink of beer.
“To answer your earlier question,” Trish said, stirring her drink before taking a sip. “I think that the answer to ‘why now’ is because Andy’s breakup with the narco left him emotionally raw. He’s doing his best to not let anyone know how much he’s hurting, even us. But because you’re with him so much, you see it better, pick up on the unintentional clues he’s dropping.”
“Yeah, no, that can’t be it,” Zayne said. “Ask Hil, I’m awful at picking up on those kinds of things.”
“Not always,” Hilary said. “Sometimes the most obvious shit blows right by your pretty face. But you always surprised me at the subtle things you picked up. Little changes in my mood or eating habits. Things like that.”
“Things that you don’t have to think about,” Trish clarified. “I think that those small shifts in Andy’s personality and attitude altered the roles in your relationship. Made you want to care for him in the way that he’s always cared for you.” Trish gave a little chuckle. “But you know, I could be way the hell off base here too, Reyes. On the bright side, there are worse things than being in love with such a likable and caring person.”
“That’s the thing though,” Zayne said with a sigh. He lifted the bottle to his lips and finished it off. “I don’t think you’re all that off base at all. I’ve been half wondering if I was falling for the little weirdo myself. But I thought it couldn’t be possible. Because I’ve always loved women.” He smiled at Hilary. “Still do, honestly.”
“You can’t put your love in a box, Zayne,” Trish said. “No matter how much some people might want you to do exactly that.”
“So, what do I do?” He looked at the girls who were watching him closely. “He’s got a possible new boyfriend and I don’t want to fuck that up. I’m not that selfish, am I?” He knew that he had the potential to absolutely be that selfish, but he didn’t want to be that guy either.
“I say talk to him,” Hilary said. “We all know how he feels about you and really, that probably has a lot to do with all of this coming out now.”
“Hil’s right,” Trish said. “Between his admitting his feelings for you not all that long ago and being fucked over by Rosewood, you’re both a mess of emotions. Can’t hurt anything, honestly, as long as you’re prepared for him to continue to date this new guy.”
“Yeah, okay,” Zayne said, feeling ten pounds lighter than he had when he arrived. “But maybe not today.”
“Why not,” Hilary asked. “No time like the present.”
“Yeah, but you’re not the one who woke up tangled up with the man this morning either,” Zayne deadpanned. “Fucking tequila.”
The girls burst into laughter, causing Zayne to laugh at his own mess of a life. If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em, he figured.
“Oh Zayne,” Hilary said, wiping a laughter-induced tear off her cheek. “If I had a dollar for every time the two of you woke up in bed together, I’d be a rich woman.”
“I really need to stop telling you shit,” he muttered. “But I love you,” he said. Getting up, he pulled Hilary into a tight hug and kissed her on the top of her head.
“I love you, too, you hot mess of a cowboy,” she replied.
Zayne released his hold on Hilary and wrapped his arms around Trish, squeezing hard. “I love you, too, you crazy thing. But I appreciate all of this tonight.”
“Right back atcha, Reyes,” she said. “And whatever you decide, it’s okay. All of it. Andy won’t judge you or treat you any differently and neither will we. Just do what feels right, okay?”
“Okay,” he said. He gave her a last squeeze before letting Trish go.
“Where are you going now,” Hilary asked.
“Home, I think,” Zayne said. “Not sure if I’m ready to face Zek or have any kind of serious conversation with him tonight.”
“Get your head together first,” Trish suggested. “And don’t rush it. Even if it takes you a month to say something, it’s better to do it when you’re ready.”
“Got it,” he said. “Have a good night you two, but not too good.” Winking, he went out the front door and headed for his old truck.
Flipping the page in his book, Andrej frowned. He didn’t know why he insisted on reading these things. When the romantic suspense novels he read were more accurate than the self-proclaimed police procedurals, you knew something was wrong. However, he did like the lead detective because she was smart and sassy, like someone – rather, two someones – he knew. Sighing, he retrieved his bookmark from the coffee table. Andrej had given himself until the end of the chapter and now that it was over, he had to get back to work.
He tucked his bookmark into the paperback and set it aside. Reaching for his laptop, he was stopped by a knock on the door.
“Who can that be,” he wondered. “Everyone I know has already been here today. Including Jake and – oh, no.”
Andrej hurriedly ran his fingers through his hair, smoothing it back in a nervous motion. If James was standing on the other side of the door, he wasn’t sure what he was going to do. Because honestly, Jay was the only person he could imagine. The girls had their plans made for the night and Zayne would have just let himself in. He approached the door, glanced through the peephole, and felt his heart sink.
“Jay,” he said, pulling the door open, “what can I do for you?”
The redhead frowned. “You can let me in, Andy.”
He really didn’t want to, but he stepped back and let James inside. Closing the door behind him, he asked, “Why are you here?”
“I told you that we needed to talk and that it was important,” James said.
Andrej thought about reminding James that he’d said he was busy, but let it go. It wouldn’t do anything but prolong whatever conversation his ex-boyfriend wanted to have. “I remember,” he said. “Please, have a seat. Can I get you some coffee or something?”
James shook his head. “I just want to get this over with, Andy.”
“Fine.” Andrej sat back on the couch where he’d been before the interruption and motioned towards the rest of his furniture. “Sit. Tell me what’s on your mind.”
He crossed his arms over his chest and glared at Andrej for a moment. “You need to be more careful about who you date.”
His first thought was something along the lines of, ‘like you’, but he didn’t let the snarky response past his lips. “There is nothing wrong with Carter,” he said instead. “I did a full background check on him before I ever called him, Jay.” Heaven only knew he couldn’t afford to get involved with someone anything but completely above board.
“You didn’t dig deep enough then. He’s involved in dirty business dealings, Andy,” James insisted, stalking over and sitting beside him on the couch. He reached out to touch Andrej’s leg, then stopped, pulling his hand back and resting it in his own lap.
Andrej heaved a huge, frustrated sigh. “No, he is not,” he said, angry that James would try and pull something like this now when he was finally starting to be happy again. “He and his business are both clean.” He was positive of this because he’d even called in a favor with an old friend from the FBI. Collin had laughed and teased him for being excessively careful, but he’d done the research anyway.
“You don’t care, do you,” James asked, shooting to his feet. “You just want to show me up and make sure I know you’re fine without me, huh?”
Mouth open, Andrej stared at James. What the hell did he say to that? He closed his mouth, swallowed hard, and tried again. “You are the one who walked away, James. Not me. I did my best to make you happy, to make you want to stay with me. In the end, I was not enough.” He shook his head and looked away. “You made sure to make that last part clear.”
“That’s not what I said,” James growled.
“It is close enough to the truth,” Andrej said quietly. He’d never forget that last fight they had, how James had told him he’d found someone who appreciated him, who was able to empathize with all the things he’d been through, someone who understood him. And that was only the tip of the iceberg, James had railed against so many things that night. “Is this the important conversation we needed to have? Because if it is, I am done talking to you. You can go home now.”
James stood up and stared at Andrej. “I do still care about you, Andy. You know that right?” He held his hands out in a pleading gesture. “I’m just asking you to be careful. I know how much your job means to you and I’d hate to see you lose it because of a poor choice.”
“That sounds like a threat, James,” Andrej said, narrowing his eyes at the redhead. “It had better not be.”
“Of course not,” James said, sounding offended by the thought. “Just – just watch yourself, okay?”
Standing, Andrej hooked his thumbs in his pockets, steeling his nerves. “It is time for you to go. Now.”
“Fine,” James said, angrily. “Whatever. Don’t say I didn’t try to warn you.”
Turning on his heel, James stomped towards the front door and let himself out, slamming the door behind him. For the second time that day, Andrej was left wondering what the hell was going on. How on earth had he lost control of his life so quickly? Groaning, Andrej slumped into the recliner. Apparently, Jake wasn’t so far off in thinking that James was obsessing over his budding relationship with Carter. The question was, however, what did he do about it and how did he do it without hurting James?
He glanced over at his laptop and decided there wasn’t any way he was going to get any more work done. Not now that James had riled him up. Getting up, he went back to the couch and grabbed his phone, sending a dinner invite to Zayne. If he couldn’t work, he might as well have some company. Plus, Zayne would definitely have an idea of how to deal with James’ sudden reinsertion into their lives.
Fandom: Romani Detective Original Fiction
Pairing: Gen
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 3,068
Summary: Zayne has a moment. Andrej has a mini crisis.
Author’s Note: Nearly done with chapter 10 and am hoping that this means I’m almost done with this fic. Hahaha. Also, sharpiesgal, this is not what we were discussing yesterday. He gets to do this twice, fun!
“Okay, buster,” Hilary said, hands on her hips, “explain why you’re disrupting our girl’s night?”
Zayne flashed her his most charming smile and sat in the first empty chair he saw. “You sound like you don’t want me here.”
“We don’t,” Trish snorted. “You have any idea how hard it was to get Hansen’s ass out of here? And then you show up? We’re doomed to be drenched in testosterone tonight.”
“You’re not letting Jake into your girl’s nights either,” Zayne teased.
He’d always done his best to let Hil have her time away from him, even when he didn’t want to be without her, because she deserved her downtime as much as anyone. Especially since she had been dating him. Of course, he’d also harassed her about it, too, that was a boyfriend’s job, right?
“Not yet,” Trish said, winking at Zayne. “We’re not sure how he’d react to some of the shit we discuss.”
“That’s probably best for the relationship,” Zayne agreed.
“Yeah, you’re rather hard to shock,” Hilary laughed. “But Jake? Jury’s still out on him. So, why are you here again?”
“I have a problem,” Zayne admitted.
Hilary frowned. “Don’t you usually go to Andy with your problems? Why us, why now?”
“If I’m completely honest with you two, no matter how embarrassing it might be,” he began, forearms resting on his knees, head hanging low, “do you promise to keep it to yourselves?” He looked up and met each of their gazes. “No telling Hansen and definitely no telling Zek?”
The girls looked at one another, confused, but they both nodded.
“Of course,” Hilary said. “What’s going on, Zayne? You’ve suddenly got me worried.”
“Sorry,” he said, sliding down lower in the chair. “I’m okay but – but not? I don’t even know what’s wrong with me, honestly.”
“This will sound stupid,” Trish said, looking at her partner before continuing. When Hilary gave her a slight nod, Trish took a deep breath and forged forward. “But does this have anything to do with Andy going on a date last night?”
Zayne’s brows knitted together. “I want to say no,” he said, looking up at them both, pleading with his eyes for them to understand. “I mean, he was happy with the narco until suddenly the narco decides they’re done. And now, I think he might be moving towards being happy again but…” He shrugged. “That’s’ where shit gets sketchy.”
“It’s where your co-dependency starts to show,” Hilary corrected. “Don’t look at me like that,” she added when Zayne shot her a nasty scowl. “You know it’s true. You can’t function if Andy’s not available to take care of you. It gets worse when you’re not in a romantic relationship.”
“Really,” Trish asked, glancing at Hilary. “Are you sure that it’s co-dependency and not…”
“Not what,” Zayne asked, drawing each word out slowly. He knew this was a bad idea.
“Well, honestly, seeing the two of you together, how you act around him and towards him, I sometimes wonder if you’re not half in love with him.”
“What?” Hilary covered her mouth when she realized she’d shouted the word. “Shit, I know we’ve joked about it, hell, I even kind of thought it myself at times but you’re serious here, Rollins.”
“Yeah, I am,” she said with a shrug. “But only because I’ve been down this road before.”
“Do I even want to know,” Zayne asked, rubbing his hands across his face.
“It’s not that bad, Reyes,” she said. Trish got up and sat on the arm of Zayne’s chair, rubbing a hand across the wide stretch of his back. “It’s how I figured out why none of my boyfriends ever made me happy.”
“What do you mean,” Hilary asked. “I thought you’d always known you weren’t into guys.”
“I’m pretty sure I did always know, but let my parents, my friends, society convince me otherwise.” Zayne finally leaned back into her touch, allowing her to give him a little comfort, and Trish smiled at his effort. “My defining moment was sitting there, listening to my best friend explain to me all the reasons why I deserved better than the idiot a mutual friend had set me up with. All the things she loved about me were the things I’d loved about her in turn. It was a real eye-opener for me because it made me realize I was in love with her, not Derrick.”
“So, when I was thinking mancrush, you’re thinking what? Actual crush?”
Zayne was shocked to see a thoughtful look on his ex-girlfriend’s face and that helped settle the butterflies battling it out in his stomach. He wasn’t sure if he was in love with Zeklos or not but knowing that Hilary wasn’t going to flip out if he was helped for some reason.
“Well, I mean, how can you not love Andy,” Trish said. “He’s seriously adorable and an all-around great guy. Plus, Zayne spends like twenty-eight hours a day up his butt so…”
Zayne snorted. “It’s more like twenty-two, but whatever. God, you can’t really believe that, can you?”
“I do,” Trish said. “And it doesn’t invalidate anything that’s ever gone between you and Maxwell or any other woman, Reyes, so don’t start going down that road. Okay? You love her and even when you were being a right shit, it was obvious that she was your world.”
“Then how the hell can I be in love with Zek?” He let out a groan and fell back into the chair. Fuck.
“Easy,” Hilary said. “You’ve bonded with him. He treats you well and was always there to pick up the pieces when things fell apart on you. Now that Trish has put it so simply, I can see it. Or at least see why.”
“I can’t say I’ve ever been attracted to a guy before though, Trish,” Zayne said after a long pause.
“That doesn’t matter,” Trish said, getting up and stretching. “Maybe you’re bi and are only just figuring it out, but maybe it’s just Andy, too, you know? Sometimes, you connect with someone in a way you never thought you would.”
“Okay, I can get behind that,” Zayne said, running his fingers through his hair. “But why now? We’ve been partners for years and it never bothered me when he dated Rosewood.”
Hilary choked on a throatful of laughter. “Oh, you think it didn’t bother you, but you were up that narco’s ass from the second he showed the slightest bit of interest in Andy.” She shook her head and turned to Trish. “You’re right, I really should have seen this.”
“You two are starting to piss me off,” Zayne muttered as he stood and strode off towards the kitchen. “I’m getting a beer, do either of you want something?”
“There’s a pitcher of margaritas on the counter,” Hilary called. “Bring that back with you and top us off, honey.”
“Might just stick a straw in this bitch and drink it myself,” he shouted back. But like the good boyfriend – ex or otherwise – he was, Zayne picked up the pitcher and carried it out to the girls. Reclaiming his chair, he took a swig off his beer.
“So,” Trish said. “Rosewood.”
“I don’t know what you want me to say, but he pissed me off from the get-go,” Zayne said. “He’d only come around when I wasn’t at my desk or had gone home for the day. I trust Zeklos more than anyone else I know, but that rubbed me the wrong way.”
“He was also a bit of an ass in the beginning,” Hilary agreed. “But you had one hell of a kneejerk reaction to him encroaching on your territory.”
Zayne glowered at her and took another drink of beer.
“To answer your earlier question,” Trish said, stirring her drink before taking a sip. “I think that the answer to ‘why now’ is because Andy’s breakup with the narco left him emotionally raw. He’s doing his best to not let anyone know how much he’s hurting, even us. But because you’re with him so much, you see it better, pick up on the unintentional clues he’s dropping.”
“Yeah, no, that can’t be it,” Zayne said. “Ask Hil, I’m awful at picking up on those kinds of things.”
“Not always,” Hilary said. “Sometimes the most obvious shit blows right by your pretty face. But you always surprised me at the subtle things you picked up. Little changes in my mood or eating habits. Things like that.”
“Things that you don’t have to think about,” Trish clarified. “I think that those small shifts in Andy’s personality and attitude altered the roles in your relationship. Made you want to care for him in the way that he’s always cared for you.” Trish gave a little chuckle. “But you know, I could be way the hell off base here too, Reyes. On the bright side, there are worse things than being in love with such a likable and caring person.”
“That’s the thing though,” Zayne said with a sigh. He lifted the bottle to his lips and finished it off. “I don’t think you’re all that off base at all. I’ve been half wondering if I was falling for the little weirdo myself. But I thought it couldn’t be possible. Because I’ve always loved women.” He smiled at Hilary. “Still do, honestly.”
“You can’t put your love in a box, Zayne,” Trish said. “No matter how much some people might want you to do exactly that.”
“So, what do I do?” He looked at the girls who were watching him closely. “He’s got a possible new boyfriend and I don’t want to fuck that up. I’m not that selfish, am I?” He knew that he had the potential to absolutely be that selfish, but he didn’t want to be that guy either.
“I say talk to him,” Hilary said. “We all know how he feels about you and really, that probably has a lot to do with all of this coming out now.”
“Hil’s right,” Trish said. “Between his admitting his feelings for you not all that long ago and being fucked over by Rosewood, you’re both a mess of emotions. Can’t hurt anything, honestly, as long as you’re prepared for him to continue to date this new guy.”
“Yeah, okay,” Zayne said, feeling ten pounds lighter than he had when he arrived. “But maybe not today.”
“Why not,” Hilary asked. “No time like the present.”
“Yeah, but you’re not the one who woke up tangled up with the man this morning either,” Zayne deadpanned. “Fucking tequila.”
The girls burst into laughter, causing Zayne to laugh at his own mess of a life. If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em, he figured.
“Oh Zayne,” Hilary said, wiping a laughter-induced tear off her cheek. “If I had a dollar for every time the two of you woke up in bed together, I’d be a rich woman.”
“I really need to stop telling you shit,” he muttered. “But I love you,” he said. Getting up, he pulled Hilary into a tight hug and kissed her on the top of her head.
“I love you, too, you hot mess of a cowboy,” she replied.
Zayne released his hold on Hilary and wrapped his arms around Trish, squeezing hard. “I love you, too, you crazy thing. But I appreciate all of this tonight.”
“Right back atcha, Reyes,” she said. “And whatever you decide, it’s okay. All of it. Andy won’t judge you or treat you any differently and neither will we. Just do what feels right, okay?”
“Okay,” he said. He gave her a last squeeze before letting Trish go.
“Where are you going now,” Hilary asked.
“Home, I think,” Zayne said. “Not sure if I’m ready to face Zek or have any kind of serious conversation with him tonight.”
“Get your head together first,” Trish suggested. “And don’t rush it. Even if it takes you a month to say something, it’s better to do it when you’re ready.”
“Got it,” he said. “Have a good night you two, but not too good.” Winking, he went out the front door and headed for his old truck.
Flipping the page in his book, Andrej frowned. He didn’t know why he insisted on reading these things. When the romantic suspense novels he read were more accurate than the self-proclaimed police procedurals, you knew something was wrong. However, he did like the lead detective because she was smart and sassy, like someone – rather, two someones – he knew. Sighing, he retrieved his bookmark from the coffee table. Andrej had given himself until the end of the chapter and now that it was over, he had to get back to work.
He tucked his bookmark into the paperback and set it aside. Reaching for his laptop, he was stopped by a knock on the door.
“Who can that be,” he wondered. “Everyone I know has already been here today. Including Jake and – oh, no.”
Andrej hurriedly ran his fingers through his hair, smoothing it back in a nervous motion. If James was standing on the other side of the door, he wasn’t sure what he was going to do. Because honestly, Jay was the only person he could imagine. The girls had their plans made for the night and Zayne would have just let himself in. He approached the door, glanced through the peephole, and felt his heart sink.
“Jay,” he said, pulling the door open, “what can I do for you?”
The redhead frowned. “You can let me in, Andy.”
He really didn’t want to, but he stepped back and let James inside. Closing the door behind him, he asked, “Why are you here?”
“I told you that we needed to talk and that it was important,” James said.
Andrej thought about reminding James that he’d said he was busy, but let it go. It wouldn’t do anything but prolong whatever conversation his ex-boyfriend wanted to have. “I remember,” he said. “Please, have a seat. Can I get you some coffee or something?”
James shook his head. “I just want to get this over with, Andy.”
“Fine.” Andrej sat back on the couch where he’d been before the interruption and motioned towards the rest of his furniture. “Sit. Tell me what’s on your mind.”
He crossed his arms over his chest and glared at Andrej for a moment. “You need to be more careful about who you date.”
His first thought was something along the lines of, ‘like you’, but he didn’t let the snarky response past his lips. “There is nothing wrong with Carter,” he said instead. “I did a full background check on him before I ever called him, Jay.” Heaven only knew he couldn’t afford to get involved with someone anything but completely above board.
“You didn’t dig deep enough then. He’s involved in dirty business dealings, Andy,” James insisted, stalking over and sitting beside him on the couch. He reached out to touch Andrej’s leg, then stopped, pulling his hand back and resting it in his own lap.
Andrej heaved a huge, frustrated sigh. “No, he is not,” he said, angry that James would try and pull something like this now when he was finally starting to be happy again. “He and his business are both clean.” He was positive of this because he’d even called in a favor with an old friend from the FBI. Collin had laughed and teased him for being excessively careful, but he’d done the research anyway.
“You don’t care, do you,” James asked, shooting to his feet. “You just want to show me up and make sure I know you’re fine without me, huh?”
Mouth open, Andrej stared at James. What the hell did he say to that? He closed his mouth, swallowed hard, and tried again. “You are the one who walked away, James. Not me. I did my best to make you happy, to make you want to stay with me. In the end, I was not enough.” He shook his head and looked away. “You made sure to make that last part clear.”
“That’s not what I said,” James growled.
“It is close enough to the truth,” Andrej said quietly. He’d never forget that last fight they had, how James had told him he’d found someone who appreciated him, who was able to empathize with all the things he’d been through, someone who understood him. And that was only the tip of the iceberg, James had railed against so many things that night. “Is this the important conversation we needed to have? Because if it is, I am done talking to you. You can go home now.”
James stood up and stared at Andrej. “I do still care about you, Andy. You know that right?” He held his hands out in a pleading gesture. “I’m just asking you to be careful. I know how much your job means to you and I’d hate to see you lose it because of a poor choice.”
“That sounds like a threat, James,” Andrej said, narrowing his eyes at the redhead. “It had better not be.”
“Of course not,” James said, sounding offended by the thought. “Just – just watch yourself, okay?”
Standing, Andrej hooked his thumbs in his pockets, steeling his nerves. “It is time for you to go. Now.”
“Fine,” James said, angrily. “Whatever. Don’t say I didn’t try to warn you.”
Turning on his heel, James stomped towards the front door and let himself out, slamming the door behind him. For the second time that day, Andrej was left wondering what the hell was going on. How on earth had he lost control of his life so quickly? Groaning, Andrej slumped into the recliner. Apparently, Jake wasn’t so far off in thinking that James was obsessing over his budding relationship with Carter. The question was, however, what did he do about it and how did he do it without hurting James?
He glanced over at his laptop and decided there wasn’t any way he was going to get any more work done. Not now that James had riled him up. Getting up, he went back to the couch and grabbed his phone, sending a dinner invite to Zayne. If he couldn’t work, he might as well have some company. Plus, Zayne would definitely have an idea of how to deal with James’ sudden reinsertion into their lives.
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Date: 2020-10-03 01:34 am (UTC)Jay needs to check himself before he wrecks himself, because I have a feeling that Andy might come unglued on him and kick his ass back to Utah.
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Date: 2020-10-03 01:54 pm (UTC)Man, I'm telling you. Boy has issues. He gets better, sort of. :) I think Andy's on the verge of an absolute breakdown to be quite honest. LOL
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Date: 2020-10-03 02:45 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2020-10-03 06:55 pm (UTC)