Page 34 of Tangling Hearts

“I’m allergic to it. Not to where I’d die, just to where it makes me fall in love with toilets.”

He smiles, throwing me a glance, his voice distant. “Yeah. I was in the shitter alright.”

We part to head left and right, each to our own office door. I stop and turn. “Hey, Tommy.”

His eyebrows raise, his head warily cocked to the side. “Yeah?”

Glancing around to make sure we don’t have an audience, I take a couple steps forward for privacy. “Look. I’m sorry I’ve been such a dick to you.”

He blinks, stuffing his hands in his pockets. “What do you mean? You haven’t been a…”

I stop him with a look. “Come on.”

He nods, looking to the floor for a second. He meets my eyes, his narrowed and wary. “Go ahead.”

“I don’t know. I wasn’t expecting to initiate a heart-to-heart. It just occurred to me that the strain was probably my fault. And I’m sorry about that. Canceling that date with Rebecca, I’ll never forget it. Seriously.”

He smiles, holding out his hand for a shake. “Well, you don’t break the guy-code, right? You said leave her alone.” We shake. “I left her alone.”

“Great. You want to catch lunch later?”

He nods, watching me turn to leave. “Okay.”

I tap the wall and head into my office. God, it’s good to be back.

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