Page 6 of Handle with Care
“It’s going to be a very busy few weeks, and I’m very grateful Will is open about trying different opportunities during his internship. Thank you, Will. Your flexibility is much appreciated.”
He gives her a disarming smile. “No, thank you.” Mr. McLaren turns to me. “If you want to try out Development for a couple of days, I wholeheartedly recommend it. They’re lovely upstairs.”
I wish I were back in my room so I could scream into my pillow. I’m not going anywhere, thank you very much. What’s he even doing here?
Then, embarrassingly, my phone chimes loudly in front of everyone, and a Grindr notification pops up.
Hey gorgeous
It’s Raj. For tonight’s date. At least it wasn’t a dick pic. Unfortunately, Mr. McLaren sees the message too.
Shit.
Hurriedly, I stuff my phone away. Mr. McLaren flicks an eyebrow at me in obvious contempt. Like he never needs to get laid.
“Nice,” he whispers so only I can hear him.
I frown back. Raj and tonight’s date is the least of my problems. The last thing I want right now is to be called out for being unprofessional by Mr. McLaren, of all people, who is probably genetically predisposed to professionalism, and I’m, like, well, usually a hot mess. Even if—and especially a mess when—I’ve really worked hard for something, like this internship. And now, here he is, waltzing over something he doesn’t need or probably even want. I fidget my angst into my glitter pen, twisting its cap.
“Let’s settle into work, then,” says Lily. “Dee, could you please hand out the agenda? We have much to cover today.”
How am I supposed to avoid Mr. McLaren if we’re expected to work together?
What a nightmare.
It’s something for tomorrow-me to deal with. Because tonight-me has a hot date on my personal mission to get to know the men of London in a fresh queer scene. In the meantime, I focus on Lily and the rest of the meeting with my phone safely hidden away. I make a beeline for home as soon as we’re finished, well away from Mr. McLaren.
At least till tomorrow, when, unfortunately, I’ll have no choice but to work with him.
Cue disaster.
Chapter Four
Everything already isn’t going to plan for my date night.
I race home for a shower and a fresh shave, putting on a pale striped shirt with black jeans and shiny black boots that make me two inches taller. Getting caught in a downpour again isn’t part of tonight’s plan, just a bonus feature. Thankfully, my coat has a hood, which saves my hair from total ruin as I hurry to the tube in the rain. Even though I left early and took the right tube to make sure everything went smoothly, I’m now lost somewhere beneath street level in Chalk Farm.
My map app on my phone’s frozen, and restarting my phone didn’t seem to help. Instead of London, England, my phone somehow thinks I’m in London, Ontario. Some default Canadian setting. Like my new UK phone provider thinks this is hilarious.
Not helpful.
Letting myself get shuffled along with the crush of commuters who clearly know the way out is my best immediate bet. I fumble my Oyster card at the gates, earning me a couple of scowls and curses for my sluggish efforts.
“Haven’t got all day,” grumbles the man behind me.
“Sorry, sorry.” At last, a minor miracle—the gate opens. I’m finally through and, in short order, standing outside in thedrizzle beneath the nearby shelter of an awning before I’m trampled by commuters. Traffic sloshes along in the street.
The good news is that the phone restarted and picked up local signal. The bad news is that the map app still thinks I’m in Canada.
When I’m in these situations, I do what I would back in Vancouver: call my best friend, Stephen, for help. This situation is beyond texting. Besides, I know he’s always up early, and it’s already nearly 10:00 a.m. back home.
“Hi, Dylan?—”
“Level 9 dating emergency.” My despair’s plain in my voice.
The street continues to bustle. The occasional look from the commuters tells me my out-of-the-way spot isn’t as out of the way as I thought. I duck beneath the next overhang. “I’m going to be late for my date. Haven’t got a clue where I am.”
Stephen laughs. “And how can I help with that? I’m on the other side of the planet. Besides, what happened to the old ‘Dylan Alexander doesn’t need a boyfriend, it’ll only slow him down’ thing?”
