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The sun was shining, the air was warm, and I was sitting in one of my favorite cafes. Everything was set for a perfect Saturday afternoon if only Marina hadn’t been moaning about Daphne for the last half hour.
At some point her head had found its way to the table, and there it stayed, ignoring the glances from the other patrons.
The problem was Donovan. Again. Apparently, he and Daphne had gone on a date the night before - though Daphne had brushed it off as a work thing. The two of them had been working late, even after Marina had left. She had texted Daphne asking if she wanted dinner, but Daphne answered that she and Donovan were going out to eat. It seemed reasonably harmless to me, but it was salt in Marina’s wounds.
“I don’t know what to do.” She adjusted so her chin was resting on her arms as she looked up at me from the table. “What do I do?”
“I wish I knew. It’s not like I’m exactly successful in the romance department.”
“I know it sounds ridiculous, but I really feel like there’s something between us. I mean, physically, there’s definitely something there.”
I cocked my brow. “Physically? I thought that was a one-time thing.”
Marina pursed her lips. “More like…a five or six-time thing?”
It had happened a few months ago. Marina had shown up at my apartment in a daze and confessed that she and Daphne had hooked up - at least, sort of. She didn’t get into details, but she spun it like she was trying to help Daphne destress, and one thing led to another. I didn’t pry since she had been upset about it, but it had gotten to her.
Up until that point Marina had managed to keep a tight hold on her feelings, but everything shifted after that night. She had sworn up and down that she was never going to do that again unless they were in a real relationship. Evidently, that had worked exactly as well as I thought it would.
“Argh.” She sat up and crossed her arms, pouting in her seat. “This is ridiculous. Why am I even jealous? I’m young and hot and I make a ton of money. Well. I make a fine amount of money. I could find someone crazy about me in a heartbeat.”
“Absolutely,” I said, and I meant it. She was right, plus she was a good person to be around in general - though I might have been biased. “If you need a wingman just give me a call.”
She laughed, but there was a touch of lightness to it that made me hopeful. “I’ll keep that in mind. What about you? You need a wingwoman?”
That was a question I was far from having an answer to. Whatever relationship had formed between Oliver and I had become…strained of late. And it was my fault.
It wasn’t news to me that William wanted Oliver to settle down, but once Marina gave me a name I couldn’t seem to shake it. Lauren Polk was exactly the kind of partner Oliver was supposed to have. She was pretty, successful, smart, and was apparently a very dedicated humanitarian. Her family was wealthy and powerful and already had ties to the Calloways. Who was I? His driver. The son of his father’s driver. William liked me and had always been kind to me, but it wasn’t like I had anything to offer him.
It had been a few days since Marina had told me about the Polks, and I had kept my distance since then.
“I don’t know. I keep wanting to believe that he has some kind of feelings for me, but I think it’s all in my head. We’ve had sex twice now, but each time he just acts like nothing happened. Like we’re just friends.” I laughed, but there was no humor in it. “I guess that’s a step up, at least. From employee to friend.”
Marina looked at me with sad eyes, but there was no pity. She and I understood each other in this. Somehow we had both ended up on the bad end of unrequited love, and neither of us saw that changing.
“Those damn siblings,” she shook her head. “Who do they think they are?”
“I wish I knew.”
She picked up her mug and swirled the dregs around. “Should we make one of those pacts where if we’re still single by the time we turn 40 we get married?”
That time my laugh was real. “A gay guy and a lesbian? Sounds like a plan.”
She stuck out her hand and I took it, shaking on it. “I look forward to filing jointly.” That seemed to improve her mood, I just hoped it would last. “When are you moving out, anyway? Isn’t your apartment fixed?”
That was the other thing.
I had gotten the call two days ago that I was good to move in again, but I hadn’t managed to tell Oliver. I knew I needed to tell him, and that I needed to leave, but it was proving more difficult than I had expected. “Soon,” was all I said.
We weren’t there much longer before my phone buzzed.
“That him?” Marina asked.
I nodded. “Yeah, I better head out.”
She clicked her tongue. “To think he’s got you working on a Saturday. You really are whipped.”
I just rolled my eyes as I stood. Oliver had another lunch meeting, and since I had already planned on meeting Marina for coffee, I offered to drive him. He had refused at first since the deal had always been that he took care of his own transportation over the weekend - barring emergencies or serious travel - but I genuinely hadn’t minded. He ended up taking a cab there and agreeing to text me when he was done. He did insist that if I wasn’t ready when he texted me to just let him know, but it was good timing.
