Page 126 of After Hours

“No. I’m going to run errands, and I have stuff to figure out before graduation. I’m going to the student loan bureau and then checking on the real estate.” I should have been having lunch with Ronan, drinks with Abigail, and then applying for a loan. Those debts were creeping up on me, and I needed to be approved for the graduation ceremony.

“Loan bureau? Why?”

“I have to get a loan to pay off college debt before I graduate this month.”

“Okay, precious. Text me when you leave, when you get to the places, when you’re leaving the places, and don’t put your phone on silent. I have to know if you’re safe.”

A smile crept up on my face. He cared about me so much, and I just got consumed by it every time. “I will. Bye. I love you, okay, handsome?”

“I love you.”

To get my day started, I walked around his penthouse to stretch my legs a bit and walking pebbles.

I texted Ronan to let him know that I was on my way to the meetup spot.

Half the day was already gone, so I might as well make the most of the other half. I texted Abigail to tell her we’d meet for drinks at the same place, but directly after Ronan and I met up. They aren’t too fond of each other, and not because they hate each other but because Ronan’s like Dillon and Abigail can get a little intrusive at times.

12:30pm struck the clock, and I was out the door. The outfit for the day was black cargo pants, a tucked white t-shirt, and Dillon’s sneakers. We didn’t wear the same size, but I had his thick socks on, so it filled the space perfectly.

I got in my car and drove smoothly to the cafe. To my surprise, I saw Dillon and Ronan sitting at a table together waiting for me. I was excited to see him, don’t get me wrong, but the things I’m compelled to do when I see him are inappropriate for the public, as well as the fact that we’re trying to keep things under the radar. I don’t think it’s working but I haven’t seen my name and/or my face on the internet yet, so I’d say it’s all good.

“What are you doing here?” I asked when I got to the table and took my seat.

“One would think you’d be excited to see your boyfriend, but I guess not.” He shot me a very confused look and rolled his eyes.

“I’m excited to see you, but we’re in public and aren’t we keeping our relationship private?”

“Fuck the public,” he said aggressively, “come kiss me.” He had a smirk present on his face, and I walked over toward him.

Fake gagging, Ronan said, “I’m right here.” Oops. I forgot he was there for a second. I just tend to forget everyone else is in the room when I see Dillon.

“I have a meeting, so I’m leaving but goodbye, precious,” he said and shot me a smirk. “Bye, Ro.”

“Goodbye.”

When Dillon left, the waitress came to take our order. I ordered a full house salad, and Ronan just ordered drinks and fries. That was unlike him, as he normally bought things like steak or something more filling.

“What’s up?” I asked, concern in my voice.

He sighed and took a sip of his drink. A water look-alike, but I was sure it was nowhere near water. “I want to ask Nina to be my girlfriend, but I don’t think she will say yes.”

I could understand from her point of view. He really fucked it up.

“I could see why you think that, but what makes you so sure she won’t say yes?”

“I don’t know, but what if she doesn’t trust me to be a good boyfriend? I barely trust myself as it is.”

“You’re not worried about how confident she is; you’re worrying about if you’ll be able to be confident in the relationship.”

He pushed up his lips and rolled his eyes. When a man knew a woman was right, it was somehow offensive. “You’re maybe right,” he hummed, “but I want her to say yes. We’re not getting any younger.”

“Why do you want to be with her? You’ve had your chances so many times and fucked it up, why now?”

His expressions hardened, and he took more and more sips of his drink until he finished the rather large glass. The issue with Ronan was he always wanted to have things but didn’t know why he did.

“It just feels right,” he blurted.

“Pathetic answer, Romano. Getting an orgasm feels right; dig a little deeper,” I urged him.

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