Page 17 of Perfect Night
“I’m not giving him Charlie’s number.”
“No, and I get that, but can you give Sebastian’s number to Charlie and then it’s up to him?”
Jason nodded. Sebastian shared his number quickly before he changed his mind. He now had to trust Jason would pass it on, and that Charlie would use it.
CHAPTER 7
CHARLIE
Sunday brunch was a tradition which had stayed with them since university. They had discoveredSex and the City, and the notion of brunch became their entire personality. Unlike most fickle gays, they hadn’t lost interest. Attendance was mandatory if you were in London.
It was the last thing Charlie wanted to do. He’d spent the whole of Saturday trying to convince himself he’d done the right thing in walking away from Sebastian, but he couldn’t shake the feeling he’d thrown something wonderful away. But how could they work? Forget the distance. Their worlds were so different. He just needed to forget him, which was a challenge given that every time he moved, he experienced a delicious ache as a reminder. He’d had the best sex of his life and had to accept that anyone new who followed Sebastian would only ever be in contention for the silver medal.
He walked into KC’s Café. It was in the heart of Soho, so a short walk from their flat. KC had owned the place for a decade and the décor gave off a cute, yet slightly dated vibe. Immaculately clean and cosy, it attracted random tourists but was mostly a community hub. KC was in her fifties and referred to Charlie and his friends as ‘her boys.’ She’d seen it all andexperienced more hate than all of them when she transitioned in the nineties, and Charlie’s friends all had troubled histories. Charlie’s life hadn’t been perfect, but his mum had always accepted him. KC was the definition of role model, ally, and inspiration, all wrapped up in five foot eight of stylish fabulousness. She waved at Charlie when he walked in.
Gregory, Paolo, and Langdon were at their table. No sign of Jason, which wasn’t a surprise. He was always late.
“He lives,” said Paolo.
Charlie knew Paolo was just teasing him. He was too kind to be bitchy, but Charlie still have him the finger.
Paolo was a Latin beefcake who punished himself daily in the gym. He was leaner than Sebastian, but more defined. He was a complex man and still had Sunday dinner with his parents every week, when in Charlie’s view, they should be in prison. The others felt the same, but didn’t vocalise it. They all had complex relationships with their families, which is why they’d found comfort with each other in their dysfunctional and supportive group.
Paolo worked at a spa as a masseuse. He was a master with his hands and always insisted on giving massages when one of them was feeling stressed. He would never take money for it, but they repaid him with food. That boy could eat, and Charlie envied his metabolism. He was great at helping other people, making them feel relaxed, getting out of their own head. He wasn’t so good at helping himself.
He was objectively the hottest of them all, but he wasn’t arrogant about it. In fact, he was the most self-deprecating person Charlie knew. Paolo didn’t do hookups, and he got a lot of offers. He was the most prudish of them all. Even Gregory had a kinky side, although he wasn’t aware they all knew about it. Soundproofing had limitations.
“Jason said you pulled some suited daddy bear on Friday night, then you spent the whole of yesterday in your room. Do we need to get out the sharing stick?” asked Langdon.
Charlie laughed. The sharing stick had been something Charlie had introduced when they were at university, and he was going through a hippy phase and wanted to encourage his friends to talk about their feelings. There hadn’t been a month since then when one of them hadn’t brought it up.
“I had a great night. Just needed to recover from getting a good seeing-to.”
Gregory, who was the nerd of the group, pushed his glasses up his face, which he did when he was about to say something his friends would not like.
“Sit down. I’m worried about you.”
Charlie sighed. Even though Gregory was an introvert and was happiest when absorbed in computer code, he was protective of his own. He didn’t express his feelings well, and his response to problems was to throw money at them to make them go away. Charlie hoped this would not be one of those times. He didn’t want to have a fight.
“Nothing is wrong. I had a great night with a hot guy. One who is completely out of my league, so I’m just going to enjoy the night for what it was.”
“Who says he’s out of your league?” asked Langdon, his biceps flexing.
Langdon might have the intimidating look, but he was a pussycat, except for when it came to his brothers. As the oldest, he felt like he had to be the physical protector. Langdon could look after himself if it came down to it, unlike Gregory, who bruised like a peach.
“He’s a CEO, rich, in his forties, confident, gorgeous, kind, and could have any man he wanted.”
“But he wanted you,” said Gregory.
“For a night. He lives in New York.”
“You’re just putting up barriers now.”
“I don’t even have his phone number.”
“So, how did you leave it in the morning?”
Charlie said nothing, although he felt his face heating, giving him away. They all groaned, knowing him too well.
