Ben smirked but carried on. “He had some of Darren’s shit at his new house, just a couple of boxes, and I suggested he meet up with Darren and give it back, get everything done and dusted for good.” He reached forward and put his hand on Patrick’s knee. “I didn’t think for one minute he’d choose to do it where you worked.”
Patrick cursed the faint flare of hope prickling inside him. So Will and Darren weren’t getting back together. Probably. It didn’t mean Will wanted Patrick. But he couldn’t help but feel lighter. “Yeah, he looked sort of shocked to see me.”
“I don’t claim to know what’s going on inside either of your stupid heads, but I think you two need to talk.” Ben stood then and clapped Patrick on the shoulder. “I’m going to bed, and you should too. You’re going to feel like crap in the morning as it is.”
“Yeah, okay.”
PATRICK DIDfeel like crap the next morning. His head throbbed, and his mouth was like sandpaper. Thank God he wasn’t due in at work until twelve. Ben had obviously been in his room before he’d left for work, because there was a bottle of water and two painkillers next to his bed. Along with a Post-it note that said “talk to him” in Ben’s scrawl. Patrick ignored the note, but took the tablets and drank the water.
He felt marginally better after some breakfast and collapsed on the sofa with Cleo for company, running his fingers through her soft fur as he thought about what Ben had said the night before.
Patrick had pointedly avoided asking Ben anything about Will since he’d moved out. Maybe that had been a mistake though. If what Ben said was true, then maybe Will had missed him as much as he missed Will.
He found that hard to believe. Will had been so adamant about ending their arrangement when he’d moved out. And even if he wasn’t getting back with Darren, Will had made it perfectly clear that he wasn’t interested in dating Patrick.
But for his brother’s sake, they needed to clear the air. It might suck, but Patrick would swallow his pride and try and put this behind them. He had about another month down in Bristol, and he didn’t want to spend it avoiding Will and making Ben’s life awkward.
He’d give Will a call after work and do it over the phone. He wasn’t sure he could do it face-to-face without embarrassing himself.
WILL GLANCEDat the clock, and shrugged his coat on. Patrick’s shift finished in fifteen minutes, and Will wanted to catch him before he went home. He didn’t think he’d be welcome at Ben’s for a while, especially after the text he’d got last night.
Yesterday had gone to shit so fast it was almost funny. In hindsight he should never have arranged to meet there, regardless of whether Patrick would be working. But he didn’t want Darren at his new house, and the coffee shop was the nearest place. Will had wanted to get the meeting with Darren over and done with as quickly as possible.
The last two weeks had been bad, and Will was kidding himself if he thought for one second it wasn’t all because he missed Patrick. The look on Patrick’s face when he saw Darren…. Will had felt like utter shit to put that there.
“Bugger.” He pulled the front door open to see it was absolutely pissing it down, and his brolly was at work. He paused, debating whether or not to drive, before grabbing his keys and dashing to the car.
He had to park a fair distance away from the coffee shop, but he could see the entrance from his spot. So he waited, keeping one eye on the clock and one eye on the door.
Ten minutes after six, a familiar lone figure appeared outside the shop, and Will was out of the car and jogging toward him before Patrick even had chance to lock up.
Rain slid down the back of Will’s neck and into his eyes as he hurried to reach Patrick before he left. “Hey,” he called softly as soon as he was close enough.
Patrick jumped and dropped his keys. “Shit.” He quickly reached down to retrieve them, before turning slowly to face Will. “Hey.”
Will had expected him to be angry, but Patrick looked more resigned than anything. “Can we talk?” He pushed his hair back out of his eyes, noting the way Patrick followed his movements before sighing and opening the door back up.
“Yeah, okay. Come in.”
