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She led me away without giving me a chance to argue. I had come to the office to wait for Oliver - he had a lunch appointment that I would drive him to, and, lately, I had been finding a reason to come up to his office so I could walk down with him.
Once we were outside the waiting room doors, she threaded her arm through mine and pulled me close. “How are things going between you two?”
“The same,” I sighed. I had caved and texted her over the weekend after Oliver and I had sex again. It was the same routine as last time. He didn’t bring it up, and neither did I. It was like it never happened.
I wanted to believe that he had some increased awareness of me, at least. He had only slept in my bed Friday night and had returned to his since then. There was a decrease in the distance between us though; that I was sure of.
Everything else had been fine. We spent the weekend almost like friends. We watched T.V., ordered takeout, and talked about simple things. It was easy being together, but I guess that wasn’t surprising. Though our friendship had waxed and waned, all in all, we had been in each other’s lives since we were children.
Marina echoed my sigh as we wandered through the halls. “I’m going to tell you something, and I don’t want you to freak out.”
“Okay.”
“Mr. Calloway wants Oliver to start dating. Like seriously dating. He’s wanting him to settle down - Daphne too.”
“I know.”
She stopped walking to gape at me. “You know?”
I nodded. “William told me a few weeks ago. I think he’s missing his wife. Now that they’re older, he wants his kids to have the same kind of love that he and Violet had.”
Her arm shot out to swat at me. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I don’t think he’s serious. Besides, it’s not like he’ll arrange a marriage for them or anything. I doubt he’ll even go so far as to arrange a date.”
“He already has.”
It was my turn to stop. “What?”
She pinched the bridge of her nose. “You know that family friend they had dinner with the other day? That was Russell Polk, and it wasn’t just him. He brought his daughter, Lauren, too. Daphne said it was obvious Mr. Calloway wants them to get together.”
The Polks had been friends with the Calloways forever; I had even met them a few times before. I only had a vague memory of Lauren as a quiet girl who stuck close to her father.
“He didn’t mention it.”
Marina rested her head against my shoulder. “If it makes you feel any better, Mr. Calloway seems to really approve of Donovan. And you know how highly Daphne holds his opinion.”
I pressed my cheek against the top of her head. “We can’t compete with their circle can we?” It was supposed to come out lighthearted, but I could hear the bitterness that laced my voice.
“No, I guess we can’t.” She sighed as she pulled away. “They’re so cruel, and they don’t even realize it.”
I only nodded and let her lead me back toward the Calloway sibling’s offices. I wasn’t sure she was right, though. If anything, weren’t we the cruel ones to hold on so tightly to these one-sided loves? That’s what it was, after all. Love.
I had been able to pretend it was just an infatuation, that it was nothing more than lust. But it was more than that. I had known it for a while now, I just hadn’t found the courage to admit it to myself. I loved Oliver, but I could never tell him. I knew this love would never be returned, but I had accepted that long ago. If this was the only way I could stay beside him, so be it. I would take what I could get.
***
Oliver’s lunch meeting turned out to be less business and more pleasure. I had eaten in the car and spent the rest of the time reading until he called me to come pick him up. I had assumed we would just be going straight back to the office until I found Oliver waiting with someone else.
“Ben,” Logan grinned as he slid into his seat. “Good to see you.”
“Logan,” I answered in what I hoped was a neutral voice. If I was being honest with myself, the core of my dislike for Logan was probably his closeness with Oliver. He was charming - and handsy. Ultimately, he was a good friend to Oliver, so I tried to look normal.
It was almost strange to see Oliver sitting in the back seat. I tried to meet his eye, but he was looking away from me again. Something sharp cut into my chest. I had gotten used to him looking straight at me and seeing him avoid me hurt.
I cleared my throat. “Where am I taking you?”
Logan tossed his arm over the back seat, that constantly amused expression on his face. “Back to work, pretty please. You know the way.”
