Total pages in book: 59
Estimated words: 58487 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 292(@200wpm)___ 234(@250wpm)___ 195(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 58487 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 292(@200wpm)___ 234(@250wpm)___ 195(@300wpm)
James sighed. This was another change for the worse: Ryan was determined to find him a boyfriend who would make James forget all about him. In the weeks since he had told Ryan everything, Ryan had all but forced him to dump Fred, knowing that James didn’t care for him, and pushed him toward three different blokes, all hand-picked by Ryan. Luke was the fourth lucky sod.
James lifted his gaze from his beer to look at Luke across the table. Unlike his predecessors, Luke was actually a guy he knew very well and liked. James considered him a close friend—not as close as Ryan, of course, but still. He and Luke had shared the same circle of acquaintances for as long as he could remember. As the sole heirs of their respective, obscenely rich families, they understood each other well. Luke was the “sweet boy” Barbara had been referring to when she accused Luke’s father of being a criminal. What Barbara didn’t know was that Luke was gay and deep in the closet, just like her son—which was something she was also still oblivious about. Luke was the only person who’d known about him being gay for years.
“Yeah,” James admitted with a grimace. “Just ignore it, all right? I keep telling him to stop pushing men at me, but you know Ryan. If he sets his mind on something, nothing can stop him. He’s determined to find me the perfect boyfriend.”
Luke’s golden eyebrows crawled upward. “I guess I should be flattered he picked me as a candidate, then.”
James smiled at him. “Ryan might be straight, but he isn’t blind.” Luke definitely was a looker. Even his enormous inheritance aside, he was a catch. He had dark golden hair, deep chocolate-brown eyes, perfect bone structure, and flawless skin. The only imperfection was his mouth, which looked too big for his face, the upper lip fuller than the bottom one. Luke was a few inches shorter and slighter in build than James but very fit. He looked good and he knew it.
“Why, thank you,” Luke said, winking at him. “You aren’t half-bad yourself.”
No wonder Ryan mistook their meaningless flirting for something it wasn’t. Being straight, Ryan probably couldn’t see that there was no real chemistry between James and Luke. They had been each other’s first kiss, but they had never been all that attracted to one another, even when they were hormonal teenagers.
“I’m not bad enough for you,” James said with a soft chuckle. Luke’s thing for bad boys was well-documented.
Luke groaned. “I don’t pick them on purpose. It just happens.”
“Yeah, sure. Whatever you say.” James pulled his phone out and shot a quick text to Ryan.
You can’t be taking a leak for an hour. If you think you’re being subtle, you’re not.
Ryan returned to their secluded corner in the pub five minutes later and actually had the nerve to look displeased when he saw how far apart James and Luke were sitting.
Taking one look at his face, Luke started laughing. “You were at the pub across the road, weren’t you?”
Ryan didn’t even crack a smile. James had noticed that his mood was getting worse with the continued failure of his matchmaking efforts. James wasn’t sure what to think of it: he still tried not to be too obvious about his feelings in order to make Ryan more comfortable, but Ryan’s mood seemed to be darkening regardless of that. James had even tried to pretend to be enamored with the previous guy Ryan had pushed at him, but Ryan had seen through his bullshit immediately and they had a big, ugly fight. It looked like they were going to have another one tonight.
Sighing, James decided they had better get somewhere private first. He made their excuses while Ryan remained silent and stony-faced by his side. They left the pub in silence.
James drove while Ryan looked out the side window. God, the silence between them had never felt so uncomfortable and suffocating.
They entered Ryan’s flat still in silence.
James sat down on the couch.
Ryan sat next to him.
Neither of them looked at the other and they didn’t speak for a long time.
At last, Ryan said tonelessly, “It isn’t working, is it?”
James stared down at his hands. “No.”
He wasn’t sure what they were talking about: Ryan’s matchmaking or the fact that their relationship was slowly crumbling despite their best efforts. Maybe both.
His eyes stinging, James bit the inside of his cheek. Was this how it was destined to end? Both of them getting more and more frustrated with each other, because they were unable to let go when they should have? A friendship with one of the friends in unrequited love with the other could never work. Could never last. This was what Tristan had meant. He’d been right.
“This is pointless,” he whispered. “We should just…”