'Til There Was You - Jerry Cole Page 0,84

and his move and the fact that his heart still ached every time he thought about Finn, he knew he wasn’t ready. But he also knew that wallowing in self-pity wouldn’t help either, and that maybe, just maybe, a date with another man would kick him back into gear. At the very least it was better than sitting at home and crying.

“Well I’m bored,” Cassidy declared suddenly and dropped the box he was carrying. It was a cardboard box full of clothes, but Austin still grimaced.

“And what a help you’ve been,” Austin said dryly.

“Screw you.” Cassidy waved him down. “Hire a service if you want the job done right. As for me, I’m going to go and get drunk.” He skipped toward the door, paused and turned. “Are you coming?”

Austin didn’t even bother pretending that he wouldn’t. Not only did he not want to spend the remainder of the afternoon alone in his new apartment, being reminded of the fact that he was alone. But he also wanted to get a little buzz happening before his date. That was the only way he’d be getting through it.

“Fiiiiinnnnnnnne.” Austin forced a smile and stopped what he was doing. “Twist my arm.”

“If you’re lucky, Eduardo will be twisting more than that later on,” Cassidy grinned wickedly.

“What does that even mean?”

Cassidy shrugged. “I don’t know. Something to do with hand-jobs I think – you know what I mean!” He skipped toward the front door and threw it open. “Now, where to?”

“Ahhhh, El Loco is just down the road. Frozen margarita, anyone?” Austin used to be all about gin and tonics. But they reminded him too much of Finn, so he was currently avoiding them.

“You had me at ‘hell yes!’” Cassidy traipsed through the door and spun on his heel. He then gave Austin a look that said, ‘Are you coming?’

Austin slowly made his away across his new apartment. As he did, he dared a glance back over the balcony and toward the view of the city. A city of four million people, but only one was on Austin’s mind. He had been so certain that Finn would call. He had known it. But now...

“First one’s on you,” Austin said as he walked on by Cassidy.

“After I helped you unpack?” Cassidy cried as he slammed the door closed behind them.

“Excuse me?” Austin raised a condescending eyebrow.

Cassidy grimaced. “Fair call. But only if you agree to tell me everything about this Eduardo. Leave no stone unfucked, so to speak.”

Austin forced a laugh and nodded his head. The last thing he wanted to do was talk about Eduardo. Actually, the last thing he wanted to do was go on a date with Eduardo, or anyone for that matter. But he also had to be realistic. Finn had his chance to call and he didn’t take it. This could only mean the two were over. Finn certainly seemed to think so. Maybe, finally, it was time that Austin realized this too.

Chapter Twenty-Four

Finn never thought he’d be here. Oh sure, he’d spoken about it enough, and he’d told anyone that would listen about it, and a few times he’d even had himself convinced. But even still... he never would have guessed it.

And it was all the stranger when taking into account how great the last five months or so had been.... with the exception of a few weeks. Never, ever would he have guessed it. Yet here he was. It was funny how quickly things changed sometimes. Funny and depressing as hell.

“We also book hotels, touring packages, restaurants, taxis... literally anything you like! We make it so easy that all you have to do is roll out of bed in the morning... and if that’s too hard, I have a number you can call for that also.” The bubbly attendant tittered at her joke as she typed away on her computer without so much as glancing at the screen. It was second nature for her by this point.

“I’m good,” Finn said as he forced a chuckle, to which she smiled pleasantly. “Just the flight is fine.”

“And are you sure I can’t interest you in a connection? India is great and everything, but me personally, I wouldn’t want to spend too long. From Mumbai it’s a hop skip and jump just across to—”

“Just the flight,” Finn cut her off. He was doing his best to keep it friendly, but his mood was sour and he could feel it bubbling to the surface.

“All righty,” the attendant said pleasantly. She wore