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“No, I…of course that would be fine,” Percy said, regretting having to say those words, but what choice did he have? “Whatever’s best for Lila.”
Anthony really did look sorry. “I will die on the hill that classroom education is best, but with those guys—if you’re okay with seeing Wren a bit more—they’re the best sort of language immersion you can find in this town.”
Percy wasn’t going to argue that point. It was obvious every time he set foot in the café and saw them all interacting with each other. It just meant swallowing down more pride and praying that Wren wouldn’t mind that Percy was in his space more and more.
“If Luke turns me down—and I won’t be surprised if he does—I’ll find something else. I promise.”
Anthony shook his head. “He’ll say yes. Trust me.”
Percy had no reason to trust him, but he wasn’t rich in choices, and he knew he had to be an adult about this whole thing. Even if it killed him.
Percy knew he should have used his lunch hour to go and speak with Luke since he had very little work at the moment and far too much time for thinking. But he couldn’t bring himself to do it. He’d been avoiding all of Wren’s invitations to hang out because he was still dealing with his emotional meltdown, and it was getting harder and harder to deny that he wanted him.
That if Wren so much as gave a hint that he’d be interested in it, Percy would consider dating him.
Which was a problem.
He was being as polite as he could, but it was obvious Wren was starting to realize something was wrong, and eventually, he was going to ask. That meant Percy would have to choose between truth and lies, and he hated lying. It was his biggest pet peeve.
With a sigh, he gathered up his little bento box that Penny had packed up for him and took it to the garden area behind the building. It was shaded with several thick trees, and there were benches that weren’t too horrible, if he ignored the strong scent of old cigarettes and the occasional dried smudge of bird shit.
His building shared the courtyard with several others—a dentist, a physical therapist’s office, and he was pretty sure the last one was accountants. He hadn’t actually met anyone nearby, but he wasn’t in a hurry to be social with his current track record of fucking everything up. The last thing he needed was everyone in the vicinity hating him for being an awkward twat.
He decided on the sunniest bench, and he squinted his eyes against the bright light as he popped the top on his lunchbox. It was put together just like Penny did for Lila, and it made him smile. There were three small tuna sandwiches cut into heart shapes, some hard-boiled eggs that were carved to look like cats, and a handful of star-shaped cucumbers mixed with shredded carrots.
His heart was warm. Penny was such an amazing mum—and it hurt him to know that she had to learn it on her own. Their parents weren’t necessarily bad. They were just the product of their generation, which cared very little about their children. Percy appreciated that they’d been fed and clothed, but he knew a lot of his issues with romance and relationships had come from what he’d seen growing up.
His parents were together out of obligation. His dad was angry about never being able to escape a life of hard labor, and he took it out on his wife and kids. Percy’s mum had just waved him off whenever Percy complained and told him to be grateful that they were fed and clothed.
Which…he was. Of course he was. But as he got older and started meeting new people, he realized just how much he and Pen had grown up lacking. He saw it now in the way his sister took care of the people in her life. But after her divorce, she seemed just as determined to avoid love as he was.
Which he was. Really. Wren absolutely did not and would not count.
“Hey. You’re new.”
Percy jumped half a foot in the air and turned his head, glancing over his shoulder to see a tall, broad man with light brown hair, wearing scrubs and a white coat, which gave him away almost immediately as one of the dentists.
“Er. I suppose so,” he said.
The guy’s eyes went wide, and he grinned. “Mind if I sit?”
Percy did mind. He’d gone outside to avoid company, but his inability to be impolite to a total stranger forced his head to nod and a grin to spread over his face. “Not at all.”
The guy raised a brow at him like he didn’t quite believe Percy, but instead of excusing himself, he plopped down a foot away and stared directly into Percy’s lunch. “Wife into that whole bento TikTok trend thing?”
Percy stared at him, entirely confused. “Er. I don’t have a wife? And I’m not sure what any of those other words mean.”
The guy laughed. “Shit. Sorry. I just kind of assumed. All these, like, crunchy moms are into making cute lunches for their kids.”
Percy didn’t have a clue what a “crunchy mom” was either, but he didn’t feel like asking. “My sister did this for me. I’m a bit of a disaster, and she knows I’d end up going for a burrito somewhere.”
The stranger snorted. “Same. Only I don’t have a nice sister looking out for me, so it’s either fast food or this”—he dug into his pocket—“amazing, chalky protein bar.”
At that, Percy laughed. He couldn’t help it. “I’d be happy to share my tuna if you’d like.”
“Uh…not a fan,” the guy said with a grimace. He tore the wrapping with his teeth, took a bite, then sighed. “Though it’s probably better than this. I’m Derek, by the way.”
“Percy,” he replied and offered his hand. Derek’s palm was dry and powdery, likely from the gloves he wore during appointments. “You’re at the dentist office?”
