“Idon’t understand why you insisted on bringing me with you,” I say to Mila as we climb the stairs to my apartment. “Could you not have just gone shopping on your own like always?”
“I needed your advice.”
I stick my key into the lock.
“This is the good thing about having a gay brother,” Mila teases, making me smile.
I push open the door and step into my house; when I turn around, Mila is still standing in the hallway.
“What?”
“Just remember that I love you and that all I want is to finally see you happy.”
“What are you talking about…?”
“I’ll call you later. Or not. You call me, okay?” Mila says, blowing me a kiss and running off down the stairs.
I stick my head out onto the landing, but I can already hear the street door slamming shut.
“What the hell…?” I mutter, confused, stepping back into my apartment and closing the door. I walk into the living room in the dark. Just as I’m about to turn on the light, someone beats me to it, lighting a candle on the kitchen counter I use as a breakfast bar.
“What…?” I look around.
There are flowers on the coffee table, more flowers on the counter, beside a set of candles and two places neatly decorated with Christmas-red napkins.
“Now I know why my sister dragged me out of the house.”
“I asked her to give me a hand.”
“What are you trying to do? Make me forgive you?”
“Actually, no.”
“Oh…”
“I’m trying to… Start over. And I want to start over with you.”
“I don’t think I know what you’re getting at.”
“I don’t want to pretend anymore, Sean. I don’t want any more deals, any compromises. I don’t want to be someone I’m not, and I definitely don’t want to force you to do the same.”
“Eric…”
“Please, just give me a chance.”
“I think you’ve had enough chances.”
He shakes his head and approaches me. “I had a fake boyfriend for twenty-one days. Now I want a real one, without a damn expiry date.”
“I thought that… I thought you just wanted to sleep with me and…”
“I did want to. I wanted to sleep with you. I was drying to sleep with you.”
“Seriously?”
“Since the moment we met.”
“Oh… Well…”
