Page 100 of Wants and Needs
I walk around it and stop at a small sitting area in the corner where I sit facing the entrance. I look out the window and see a small garden two stories down. It looks well maintained with a lot of potted plants.
I then stare up at the sky where the few thin clouds are now a soft pink from the fading sun.
My breath comes out shaky then.
The shower turns off, and I wonder if I should call out so Carter isn’t surprised I’m here? I also wonder if talking about my day will be as awful as I’m imagining it.
Tristan had no investors in mind who’d be okay with being a silent partner or had a deep connection to music.
Despite my best efforts to keep being hopeful, the reality is that the streaming services could tell us to fuck off if we ask them for their best offer with exclusivity. And if we don’t have ESoothe linked to any of them, then that means no users.
It also means no money. That wouldn’t be a huge problem if it were just me, but William and Parker work full time as programmers, and they not only deserve a better income than I can offer on my own, but they also deserve to see their work being celebrated.
I don’t think my celebration is good enough on its own.
I shift when the door to the bathroom opens and have to smile back when Carter beams at me.
“You’re here,” he says cheerfully. Just then the doorbell rings all through the house. “Looks like everyone is.” There’s a lightnessto his words, almost like laughter, and I remember how good the last few days with him have been.
I welcome the distraction that is the beautiful sight of his naked chest. He’s wearing a towel around his waist and scrubbing another towel over his head.
When my eyes travel back up to his face, I see he’s frowning, and I don’t know why. Seems I know very little today.
He walks over and crouches by my feet, then takes my hands, and I can’t bring myself to meet his eyes right now.
“Are you all right, darling?” he asks quietly.
“I’m fine,” I say automatically, and thanks to a lightning-quick peek, I see his frown darken.
“Please don’t lie to appease me or yourself, Liam. What happened?”
I open and close my mouth at least three times, but still no words come out.
“Was it Tristan? Did he have more bad news?!
“No, not really. Kind of, yes,” I amend. “There’s just noonegood option to proceed with ESoothe, but thereareoptions.” That’s what Tristan and William kept saying on the phone, at least.
“That’s good,” he says, sounding encouraging. “And what else?”
I turn fully to look out the window again, the sky is dark now.
“Nothing.”
God, please don’t let him keep asking. I don’t think I’ll be able to resist the embarrassment of telling him the truth much longer.
“Liam,” he says, in a chiding kind of way I’ve never heard from him before, but I’m pretty sure it’s chiding because it makes me feel the way it felt when Mom had to explain over and over why I couldn’t stay till the end of her concert when I was ten years old.
A sigh escapes me as my shoulders slump. What’s the use in resisting? Carter’s shown me time and time again that no matter what embarrassing shit comes out of my mouth he won’t stop liking me, right?
“I’m nervous about having dinner with your friends.” There’s a long moment of silence where I have to find out what his expression is. He’s still frowning, but the center of his forehead is drawn upward instead of downward this time. That means he’s not angry, I think.
“You’ve met them before.” The cadence is slower this time, and I find that I don’t think it’s as soothing as it normally is. I shift in my seat, suddenly uncomfortable.
“I know I have, but not since we...” I trail off, not knowing how to finish that sentence, and shift again, even roll my shoulders to try and get more comfortable.
“Since we becamerealboyfriends,” he finishes for me, with an emphasis on the word real that I suspect has a double meaning, though it escapes me what it could be. I snap my head back toward the window, but not for long since he squeezes my hands and stands. And this time his frown is gone, and not only is he smiling, but his voice has that airy quality from before again.
“I could tell you my friends are going to be thrilled to have dinner with you until I’m blue in the face, but the only way you’re going to believe it is if you see it firsthand. So why don’tyou wait just one minute while I get dressed and we’ll go down together, yeah?”
