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“I’m afraid to hear this.”
“I’m going to seduce his dad.”
“Oh no.”
“It’s a total win-win,” he said. “I get to go to the social event of the century and stuff myself full of champagne and wedding cake, his dad, who I happen to know is single and bisexual, gets some cute, twenty-eight-year-old ass, and dear old Bradley gets to writhe in agony when he sees me walk into that wedding, looking devastatingly handsome on his father’s arm.”
“Daniel, no. You can’t.”
“Oh, but I can,” he told me, with a devious grin.
“Why would his dad go for this, knowing you’re his son’s ex-boyfriend?”
“He’ll have no idea who I am. Do you know how many Daniel Larsons there are in the US? About a bazillion, so good luck Googling me. And remember what I said about Brad keeping his life compartmentalized? He never introduced me to his family, so everything I know I learned by stalking them online. That’s how I know his father is a smoking hot silver fox, by the way, so getting with him will be no hardship. Plus, Brad and his father had a bit of a falling out over a year ago, so there’s no way he would have told him about me. See? This plan is totally foolproof.”
“I don’t know what to say.”
“You don’t have to say anything. I have every confidence that this is going to be a complete success. In fact, I plan to begin implementing it next week, when we’re back in San Francisco.”
There was no point in trying to talk him out of it. Daniel was one of the most stubborn and determined people I’d ever met, so I just left it at, “Please be careful and try not to get hurt.”
My phone buzzed just then, and I took it out of my pocket and read the text from Aleksei: Just checking in to make sure you’re okay.
I replied: All good here, just finishing up dinner with Daniel.
He wrote: Enjoy dinner. I’ll check in with you tomorrow.
I sent back: Okay, have a good night.
When I put down my phone, Daniel plucked it from the tabletop and read the texts. Then he asked, “What the hell are you doing, T?”
“What do you mean?”
“This is a conversation I’d have with my granny. Aleksei’s the love of your life, so why are you two acting so…meh?”
“We’re both just giving each other some time, and enough space to work through this stuff.”
“What’s there to work through? So, you boned his son. So what? That was a year ago. You were both consenting adults, you didn’t know Aleksei existed, and when it didn’t work out, you moved on.”
“It’s not just that. I broke Lee’s heart.”
“But you only dated for a few months. He got really attached, really fast, and he probably shouldn’t have done that. This is what you get for breaking your rule about never dating younger guys, by the way. The one time you tried, it, boom! Total disaster.”
“Okay, but he still got hurt. And since I’m not exactly Lee’s favorite person, he might never forgive his dad if he chooses to stay with me. Things were already shaky between them, and this could cost them their relationship.”
“But if you really want Aleksei, and I know you do, are you really going to let that stand in your way?”
“Think about it from Aleksei’s perspective,” I said. “That’s his one and only son, and his only family. It’s such an important relationship. And I love Aleksei way too much to make him choose between me and his family. It wouldn’t be fair to him.”
“Wait, you just said you love him.”
I’d caught both of us off guard with that revelation. I paused to think about it before saying, “I guess I’ve known that for a while. I just wasn’t ready to admit it.”
“You’re in love with this man, T! So, are you really just going to act all noble and be like, oh, but I can’t get between a father and his son, so I’d better just give up?”
“I’m not giving up, I’m giving them time. Lee’s really angry right now, but there’s still a chance he’ll get over it. Plus, Aleksei needs time to think things through. Maybe he’ll decide he doesn’t want to risk his relationship with Lee…” A tear tumbled down my cheek, and I met Daniel’s gaze and said, “I want Aleksei so much. More than anything. But what can I do besides wait and see what he decides?”
My friend grabbed me in a hug and muttered, “I really wish I knew how to fix this for you.”
“Yeah. Me, too.”
The next morning, I found a key and a note from Daniel on the kitchen counter. It said: I’m off to LA, decided to let you sleep in. My appointment with the tailor is bright and early, and I’m having dinner with some friends tonight, so I’ll be gone all day. P.S. I bought donuts, because fuck the juice cleanse. Help yourself.
