AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Ben scoffed. “You don’t feel even a little bit bad about tormenting someone when you were a kid?”
“Newton’s law,” Charlie said. “Kill or be killed. Survival of the fittest. Dog eat dog. You know what I’m talking about.”
Holy. Shit. Ben would have laughed if he wasn’t so disgusted. “So, I take it that’s your philosophy even today.”
“I wouldn’t be the top regional sales VP at Make You Fit if I turned into a fuckin’ pussy after college,” Charlie said with a hearty laugh. “Oh, fuck me, he’s coming over. Just ignore him. Play it cool.”
Ben shouldn’t have been surprised when Nova appeared, but his heart still leapt into his throat. Nova stared at Charlie for a long moment, then looked over at Ben. “So. You’re here.”
Ben wasn’t sure if Nova was actually pissed or not. “I’m here. I was actually just leaving.”
“Good, because the kids have been wondering where the hell you are,” Nova snapped.
Ben’s face darkened, and he felt Charlie’s eyes boring into him. “Oh. I mean, I said I’d be out…”
“Wait. You got kids?” Charlie asked.
Nova spared him a single glance before crossing his arms. “I think it’s time to say good night to your friend.”
Ben started to get up, but Charlie grabbed his wrist again, pinning him to the table. “We have plans. Your kids can wait.”
Unable to stop himself, Ben laughed as he wrenched his hand away and nearly tumbled over his chair. Nova caught him, but his hands weren’t as kind as they’d been the night before. “I’m going to leave. Feel free to block me.”
Charlie roared a few colorful phrases as Ben made his way down the hall, but he ignored it until he came to a stop in front of Nova’s office. There was a pause, and Ben felt humiliation rush through him when he realized Nova was still several feet behind him. He obviously had no plans to let Ben in.
“The emergency exit has an alarm, so you can hide out in the bathroom if you want,” Nova said coldly. “I’ll send someone to get you when he’s gone.”
He turned on his heel, and Ben panicked. “Wait! I…I don’t understand what I did.”
Nova bowed his head, then slowly turned. “You actually showed up for this date. After I told you what he did to me.”
Ben blinked in surprise. He hadn’t realized Nova was serious about the guy. He thought they were trading stories, and…God. He really had fucked up. “I didn’t realize it was actually him.”
Nova’s jaw ticked with tension. “Does that actually matter? You really want to go on a date with some guy who makes other people’s lives miserable?”
Ben felt a small surge of righteous indignation course through him. “Of course not. But I didn’t know he was actually the guy who hurt you. And some people make mistakes when they’re kids, and they deserve a chance to be better people. They might not have the right to forgiveness from the people they hurt, but…”
“But he didn’t hurtyou, so why does it matter, right?” Nova’s smile was brittle, and it was clear he was in genuine pain. Ben’s indignation drained out of him, and he felt lower than dirt. “I get it.”
“No,” Ben said. “No, I…you’re right. I shouldn’t have come.”
Nova scoffed, but he looked unsure all of a sudden. “I know I have no right to ask that of you or be angry with you for it. We don’t even know each other.”
Ben winced in spite of the fact that it was true. Mostly. They weren’t officially strangers anymore, but they weren’t officially anything else either. Ben opened his mouth, but he couldn’t find words, so he shut it again.
“What?” Nova said, more sharply than he’d ever spoken to Ben. “Say what you want to say.”
Ben took a trembling breath, then bowed his head. “I want you to have the right to ask me not to date your high school bully. And I want you to be angry that I brought him here and forced you to see him again. I’m so, so sorry.”
There was a long pause, and then Nova’s finger touched the underside of Ben’s chin and lifted his gaze. “Listen, I’m being a huge dick right now, and I know that. I just thought after…after last night, we…” He licked his lips, then shook his head and glanced away as his hands fell to his sides. “Sometimes I can get a little too intense. It’s probably one of the main reasons I’ve been tragically single for so long.”
“And mine is because I’m an obtuse asshole who would rather go along with some ridiculous routine my brother set up for me than show my friends I care about them,” Ben tried.
Nova’s face softened. “Start over?”
“I’d love to,” Ben said with a bitter laugh. “I had a terrible day and an even worse night. I’m having a crisis of personal relationships, I haven’t eaten since breakfast, and I hurt someone I care about. I’d like to erase the last twelve hours.”
Nova reached behind Ben, and for a brief, wild second, Ben thought he was going in for a hug. Instead, he turned the handle on the office door and pushed it open. “Give me ten minutes.”
