AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Raphael couldn’t deny that he was surprised—though he wasn’t sure if it was good or bad. “I don’t know if I’m worth the patience this might take.”
“I think you are. Even if it doesn’t work out,” Rian told him. He stroked his thumb along the outside of Raphael’s, and he stared down at their joined hands. “If anything, we can be friends. Right?”
Raphael couldn’t promise that. He wanted to make room in his heart for more, but the people of Savannah had filled up so many spaces he didn’t know he had. He didn’t want to hurt this man, but he wasn’t sure he could get away with saying yes now, when the inevitable no was just on the horizon.
“Did you want to ask me about my exes?” he said instead.
Rian smiled and leaned back, not letting him go. “Maybe we can save that for awkward date number two?”
Raphael could at least give him that. He was willing to try, for a little while longer. He owed it to himself, to his heart, and to the people who cared about him. “I think that can be arranged.”
Rian let out a soft, sweet sound, settled back, and turned his gaze out toward the lake.
13
“Why doyou need me for this? Can’t you plan Noah’s birthday party on your own,” Dmitri asked, following Luca to his car. He hadn’t expected to be unceremoniously dragged from his apartment by anyone, let alone Luca, who had a determined smile plastered on his face.
“A little birdie told someone who told someone who told Wilder who toldmethat you needed to be dragged away from your books.”
“That sounds like the world’s worst game of telephone,” Dmitri grumbled, but he never quite minded riding around in Luca’s car. The seats were leather and plush, and Dmitri was fairly sure he’d never own anything that nice ever in his life.
“Were they wrong though?” Luca challenged. His car started with a heavy rumble, then he pulled out onto the street and headed away from downtown.
Dmitri let his arm sit on the open window, the October air a little too muggy for having the top down, but he liked having the wind in his face. Luca was right, of course. Or whatever little birdie was busy spreading his business amongst his friends.
He had a feeling it was either Raphael or Jayden—both of them keeping an eye on him since he was heading into his first midterm season, and the pressure was getting to him a little. He’d taken the week off from both the station and Whipped, and he was going a little cross-eyed from all the reading and highlighting and all the practice essays he was composing.
Jayden had sat him down earlier that week and given him the stern lecture that Bs and Cs were totally acceptable, passing grades, and he didn’t have to kill himself to prove anything, but Dmitri wanted this. He’d never given half a shit about his education, even when he came back to Savannah. He’d passed, but never with a second thought to anything except scraping by, and he wanted to leave that version of himself behind.
He was feeling it, the cost of dedication though, and he hated that both Wilder and Roman were right. At some point, something had to give. He had enough in savings to cover a week or two off, but finals were just a handful of weeks after, and he wasn’t sure he’d be able to cover his bills and give up one of his jobs.
And he was doing this for Roman, so the choice was obvious.
Raphael’s offer weighed heavily on him, but the idea of accepting it felt even worse now that he and Rian were dating. Raphael didn’t talk to him about it, and the few times Dmitri had to visit Rian in his office, they kept it professional, but he still knew. He’d seen Raphael in his date clothes—he’d seen him with his hair just so, freshly shaved, and a look of nervous trepidation on his face that was heart-wrenchingly adorable, even if it wasn’t for him.
And it killed him a little, but Raphael was smiling more, and laughing more, and his weekends were occupied. Dmitri didn’t have to ask if he was busy, or worry about him being lonely, and that was the whole point.
Wasn’t it?
“It’s that face,” Luca said as they pulled into the parking lot of a resort he didn’t recognize. “That’s the reason you’re with me.”
Dmitri glanced into the side mirror, and he couldn’t deny that his frown lines were deeper, and his eyes were heavier. “It’s not really anything.” The words tasted like the lie they were, but Luca didn’t know him well enough to call him on it. “I knew it would be stressful—school, work, all that shit. And it’ll get easier.”
“It will,” Luca said. “I was the biggest fucking waste in school, and I still managed to graduate on time.”
“Yeah, I’m kind of hoping to achieve more than just graduating on time,” Dmitri said, then flushed. “No offense.”
Luca chuckled as he pulled into a parking spot and turned the car off. “I’m not going to get pissed at someone for calling it like it is.” He palmed his keys, then got out and waited for Dmitri to follow, and they headed toward the lobby. “Everyone’s just worried. You shouldn’t kill yourself for grades.”
He couldn’t help his tiny scoff as the lobby doors opened, and he shook his head. “Trust me, I’ve survived worse. Test stress is not going to drag me down.”
Luca didn’t get the chance to answer as a man came around the corner and fixed them with a huge smile, and Dmitri recognized him as a guy who hung out at Oscar’s shop a lot. Santiago, he was pretty sure.
He wasn’t a historic district fixture the way Oscar was, but Dmitri had met him a handful of times and always kind of liked the guy.
He also had a Spanish accent though it wasn’t as thick as Raphael’s German one was, but it was still pleasant. And something about him was soothing, which Dmitri knew he could use right then. “The catering manager said he’d be with you in a few minutes, but the lead server’s there in the conference room if you want to go wait.”
Luca took Dmitri’s hand and pulled him along the floors, down a short corridor, and into a large ballroom. It was a nice space—wide and open, and the floors were a soft brown, polished wood that didn’t make noise as he walked across.
