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Because how was he going to survive Charlie walking away from him a second time?
13
CHARLIE SANDS
Charlie watched Will closely when they walked out of the hospice an hour later. Carlos had redirected their conversation to happier thoughts, but Will continued to seem distracted and worried.
“Has his condition worsened faster than you anticipated? Charlie inquired as they stepped outside into the cool air. The sun was high in the bright-blue sky, chasing away the early morning bitter cold and replacing it with something that felt closer to spring.
“What?” Will’s head jerked up as if Charlie had startled him from thought. “Oh. No. Based on the information I was given and the assessment from his oncologist, he’s doing better than any of us would have expected. Carlos is a fighter, and he’s stubborn.”
Charlie stood by the driver’s side door and stared at Will across the roof of the black sedan. “Then what’s bothering you?”
Will’s lips parted as he looked at Charlie but closed again without a sound coming out, as if he were trying to decide which version of the truth to tell him. He wanted to shake the man and demand he spit out the full and actual truth. Yet, he also didn’t want to force Will. He wanted his lover to want to tell him the truth. He wanted Will to see him as someone he could lean on.
That kind of trust took time to develop, and Charlie had seriously damaged the trust between them years ago.
“I’m worried about you and the others being involved in this matter,” Will finally admitted, shocking Charlie. That sounded like the truth. “After recent events, I feel like Benicio and maybe even his father are going to use more violent means to stop the potential truth from coming out.”
“All the more reason for us to step in and lend a hand,” Charlie countered with a smile. “We have experience in these matters where you don’t. We know how to be sneaky, and we know how to deal with violence when it happens. Two things that should not be part of your repertoire, Dr. Monroe.”
Will frowned at him, his expression turning from worried to annoyed. That was better. Not that he wanted Will annoyed with him, but it at least put the fire and fight back into him.
“Come on. We’re going to lunch. You’re picking the place since you’ve been here longer. I want something spicy.” Charlie opened the car door and dropped inside before Will could argue with him, though he might have caught a glimpse of an annoyed look.
But when Will slipped into the passenger seat, he didn’t say anything other than to give directions to a hole-in-the-wall spot about ten minutes from the hospice. Charlie stood outside the place and cocked his head to the side. “Thai?”
“You said you wanted spicy. They have spicy. Plus, I’m in the mood for pho. Deal with it,” Will grumbled as he stepped past Charlie and pushed open the door.
They were greeted by a bell chime and a small Asian woman with a surprised smile. Charlie glanced around to find only a few other guests scattered about the place that had just ten tables. There were several potted palms near the walls, which were covered in colorful pictures of the Bangkok skyline and ornate temples lit at night.
He was about to ask Will if he came here often when a tumble of Thai fell from Will’s lips as he greeted the woman with palms pressed together. She replied warmly and showed them to a table near the front window.
Charlie accepted the menu but didn’t look at it. His eyes were stuck on his companion. “You speak Thai,” he stated the second they were alone.
Will’s wonderful lips twisted into something like an embarrassed smile. “Not really. I know enough to get by in a restaurant and through a basic physical. I can’t read it worth a damn.”
“You were there?”
He grunted and lifted his eyes from his menu. “For a year. I was working up north in a clinic not far from Chiang Mai.”
“Did you enjoy it?”
One of Will’s shoulders lifted in a small shrug as he turned his attention to the menu. It was a struggle to not sigh in frustration.
“Will, I’m sorry—”
“Don’t,” Will cut him off. His voice had hardened, but there was something under it. Almost a tremor. His fingers tightened on the menu until the plastic holder crinkled softly. “Just don’t. I don’t want to talk about our past or anything like that.”
“Then can we at least be civil toward each other?” Charlie pressed in a low, calm tone. “I understand that friends might not be on the table, but acquaintances would be nice. It would make working together over the next several days much easier for everyone.”
Will’s hold on his menu relaxed slightly as he continued to glare at it. His jaw moved as if he were chewing on the inside of his cheek. “You’re right. We can be…civil.”
