“Fine, I’d imagine.” I shrug. “We’re meeting after this so I can tell him.”
Travis eyes me warily. Probably thinking that meeting with Henry can only lead to drama, but I’d like to believe that Henry and I are both capable of being mature adults about this. We’ve always managed to keep our personal lives outside of business, and there’s no reason that should change now.
When I texted him asking to meet to discuss the investment, he agreed quickly and without a fight. That has to be a good sign.
“Please, just be careful,” Travis finally says to me.
“It’s going to be fine,” I assure him.
“You say that, but I know how he can be.”
“He’s not Nathaniel.” I hate bringing up Travis’s narcissistic, cheating ex, but I know that’s where his concern comes from. When they broke up, Nathaniel went through annoying efforts to try to lure Travis back under his spell, and while Henry is no saint, our split was also pretty amicable. “I think some time apart has shown him how the breakup was for the best.”
We finish up our meal, and when our server comes and drops the bill off, Charlotte hurries and pays. Travis and I both give her shit, but she grins like the cat that got the canary. “You got big investors to pay off and another store to open,” is all she says.
“Yeah, but I can pay for my food, Char.”
“I know you can, but I wanted to.” Her blue eyes soften around the corners. “I’m proud of you, Xander. You seemgenuinely happy, and you’ve come so far from the broke college kid I once met. If this move is something that you truly want, I think you should do it. We’ll miss you, but you shouldn’t ignore your intuition.”
“She’s right,” Travis chimes in. “I’m proud of you too, man.”
Clearing my throat in an attempt to stave away the lump threatening to choke me, I smile. “Thank you, guys. That means a lot to me.”
Travis arches a brow before adding, “But you better fucking come back and visit.”
We all laugh together at that. “Obviously,” I mutter, rolling my eyes dramatically.
My palms areslick with nerves and sweat as I walk through the lobby of a mid-rise building that’s owned by the company Henry works for. After checking in at the front desk, and subsequently sending a text letting him know I’m here, I sit in one of the navy-blue cushy chairs, a plastic cup filled with water in hand as I suck down the liquid, trying to bring moisture back into my mouth.
Up until five minutes ago, when I was parking out front, I was cool as a cucumber. Wasn’t nervous about seeing him or about this meeting, but now it’s like everything’s hitting me in full force. Glancing around, I take in the bleak, minimalist surroundings. This isn’t the first time I’ve been in this building, but it is the first time I’m taking the time to really look. If I’m being honest, it’s kind of boring and almost…clinical. Whoever designed this place should be fired.
A subtle vibration goes off in my pocket where my phone’s at. Reaching in, I pull it out, the screen lighting up with a new text. A smile tugs on my lips as I read it.
Cope: Good luck with your meeting. Call me when you’re finished if you want, I’ll be home the rest of the evening.
After brunch with Travis and Charlotte, I went home and FaceTimed Cope. He walked over to my aunt’s place and let me say hi to Aggie, and he didn’t even look at me like I was crazy for asking him to do it. I’ve only been gone a few days, but I already miss everything. Him, Aggie, all the other animals. Hell, I even miss my stubborn old aunt. It’s crazy to me how somewhere can feel like home after such a short amount of time, when somewhere I’ve lived my entire life doesn’t feel like that.
Charlotte’s words come back to me…“trust your intuition.”
“Sir.” I glance up, my gaze connecting with the receptionist. “Mr. Darby will see you now.”
I nod, raising from the chair and heading back toward where I know Henry’s office is. My heart pounds painfully, pulse deafening in my ears the closer I get. A very large part of me truly believes this conversation will go fine, but now that I’m here, about to face the music, a small little voice in the back of my mind can’t help but worry something will go wrong. Not with the business, because Henry is smarter than that, but with us, personally. The last thing I want to do is end up in some screaming match with him, here, of all places.
My hand reaches for the cool brass knob on the door, and with a slight twist, it clicks open. Henry’s office is bright and airy, the wall behind him all window. It overlooks the view of the river, and with the sun out today, his office is bathed in warmth. He’s typing on his keyboard when I walk in, but his eyes lift to meet mine once I close the door.
“Hey, Xander,” he offers, a forced smile tugging at his lips.
“Hey, hope I’m not pulling you from anything pressing.” I take a seat in front of his desk, my hands fumbling with each other in my lap.
“No, you’re fine. I’m finishing sending this email and then I’m all yours.”
Sitting in front of Henry now, I can’t help but notice—not for the first time—how different in every single way he is from Cope. Henry is all clean, tailored suits and soft hands, whereas Cope is dirt-covered Wranglers and rough, weathered skin. Henry is dark hair, bright green eyes, whereas Cope is blonde hair and eyes so dark, they almost seem bottomless. They’re both hardworking, but in two very different ways—both admirable in their own ways. But where Cope can put his work away and be silly, embrace his inner child, Henry is married to his job and rarely allows himself to let loose.
Until I met Cope, I never realized just how much I needed that carefree silliness in my life. How much I craved it in a partner. In the intimacy. As I sit here now, I realize that while I was happy enough with Henry, while he made me smile, I now know with full certainty that we never could’ve been end game. I never would’ve felt fulfilled with him for the rest of my life. I think maybe Henry needed me in his life because he needed something carefree too, since he lives such a buttoned-up, stuffy day-to-day, but over time, he started to disregard me, just like he did with his own playful side. Maybe even resented me for it. What I have with Cope is still new, and we may not even end up together, but in the brief time we have known each other, he's shown me what I want and what I need. And somehow, despite how new it is, Cope feels like a much more significant part of my life than Henry ever did.
I need someone I can be fully myself with. Someone I can go on a drive with in the middle of the night when we can’t sleep, talk about any and everything under the moon. Someone whoisn’t afraid to show me off, or who isn’t afraid to admit to how they feel. And that someone never would’ve been Henry…and I’m okay with that now.
Henry finishes up his email, and we dive into the reason I’m here. He listens intently when I tell him how we’re going to be paying him, and the other investors, off, and our plans to open the second store. He seems genuinely happy for me, and it’s a thousand-pound weight off my shoulders.
