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“Head to the house? Or grab a drink? The night is still young,” Edison prodded.
Charlie opened his mouth to answer when Little Shit swept past them at a brisk pace, hurrying down the stairs to a black sedan that screeched to a halt in front of the gallery to a bevy of honking horns. As Benicio threw himself into the back seat, Charlie lifted his eyes to look around the busy street. His gaze caught on a lean figure standing across the street.
It couldn’t be.
A truck lurched and rumbled by in a flash of bright headlights. When the truck was gone, so was the figure. Charlie couldn’t shake the image burned into his brain. His heart raced and he suddenly couldn’t breathe.
Will…
Was that really Will?
2
WILL MONROE
Will jumped into the taxi, shoved a wad of pesos at the driver, and demanded he follow the black sedan sliding into traffic. Thankfully, the driver didn’t argue. He just stepped on the gas and raced forward.
Slumping low in the back seat, Will exhaled loudly and scrubbed both shaking hands over his face. Yes, he was nervous about confronting Benicio Perez, but that was nothing compared to seeing Charlie Sands in the flesh.
What the fuck was he doing in Buenos Aires?
He almost laughed out loud at himself and that stupid thought. Charlie could and would travel wherever he wanted to go. It was simply unfortunate that they had to show up at the same place at the same time.
Will dropped his hands to his lap and glared out the window at the blur of lights as they streaked by. It was barely after nine in the evening in the middle of the week, but Buenos Aires was still a mess of traffic and people rushing from one place to another. He’d lived in a lot of places in his lifetime, but this city was one that struck him as restless, as if the people refused to stop for more than a few minutes. He’d been told that it changed during the summer months, when people turned sluggish during the height of the afternoon thanks to the oppressive heat, but as soon as the sun set, the city came alive.
Charlie fucking Sands.
His mind traitorously circled. It had taken him years to stop thinking about him, and now in the span of a minute, his brain was clawing at those old memories.
Will would be the first to admit that his life was full of mistakes and missteps, just like everyone else, but if he made a list, Charlie Sands would go to the top as the biggest damn mistake of his life.
How long had it been since he’d last set eyes on Charlie? Six years? At least. Maybe even longer. He wasn’t even sure anymore. The years had blurred together following that night in Paris.
It was his own fault. Why should he have expected more from the man, even if they had been dating for a year? They weren’t exactly living together at the time, even though Charlie had spent nearly every night in his bed, allowing them to wake together to slow kisses and coffee.
That stupid year had been the longest, most exhausting, best of his life. He’d been finishing up the last year of his residency in Paris. It was pure luck that he’d met Charlie in the first place. He’d been little more than a shuffling zombie as he left the hospital and had literally run right into the sexy man.
Their relationship might have started as purely sex, but it evolved into something sweet and beautiful. Charlie had been there to listen to his bad nights and to hold him when he was so exhausted, he couldn’t hold himself upright. They’d giggled and Charlie had even introduced him to his coworkers and friends.
They’d had something.
It wasn’t his imagination. It wasn’t a fantasy.
Charlie had loved him.
But not enough.
And when the time came for Will to return home to the States, Charlie had said good-bye so easily. As if their year together had been nothing more than a few laughs and a good fuck. There had been no offers to try to stay in contact or pleading for him to remain in France. Nope. Charlie was already heading off on a new job to Austria or Poland. Will didn’t know. He’d gone deaf and numb at that point. He wasn’t entirely sure what Charlie did. Some kind of team leader for a specialized IT department, though he’d even started to have doubts about that toward the end of their relationship.
Fuck it. Fuck it all.
Why was he thinking about Charlie? That man was just another ex, and he didn’t deserve one more second of his brainpower. They meant nothing to each other now.
A bitter laugh escaped Will before he could catch it. It was pretty clear that he’d meant nothing to Charlie even when they were dating.
