Total pages in book: 64
Estimated words: 60851 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 304(@200wpm)___ 243(@250wpm)___ 203(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 60851 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 304(@200wpm)___ 243(@250wpm)___ 203(@300wpm)
“Relationships rarely are.”
“This isn’t a relationship… well, not in the sense you mean, okay? We’re just sort of… friends with benefits, or something like that.” His cheeks heated. He didn’t want to explain the exact nature of his arrangement with Ewan.
“But you like him.”
Dev nodded.
“And you want more?”
Dev took a long breath, his brain ticking over as he considered Rupert’s question. Did he want more? He and Ewan had an agreement, and Dev had a plan. A relationship with Ewan hadn’t been the goal. Ewan was supposed to be a stepping stone on the journey, not the destination.
Dev examined his feelings for Ewan—new, unfamiliar feelings he wasn’t sure how to categorise. The physical attraction was undeniable, and he liked Ewan. He was happy when he was with him, and he missed Ewan when they were apart. The pull was strong and getting more powerful by the day.
Is this what falling in love feels like?
“Dev. Do you want it to be more than just a casual thing with Ewan?” Rupert’s voice was gentle, but it dragged Dev back from his mental tangent.
“Yes,” Dev said. The answer was obvious. “Yes, I think I do.”
“Well, then. You should tell him how you feel. The way he watches you when you don’t know he’s looking… I think there’s a chance he might feel the same way.”
“Do you really think so?” Dev’s heart gave a hopeful little flip and he tried to squash it down. “I’m not sure.”
“Yeah. I do.”
Dev sighed, remembering the no-strings deal he’d made with Ewan. “But it’s complicated. You don’t understand.”
Rupert snorted. “I understand ‘complicated’ all too well.” His expression was hard to read. There was amusement there, but with a wry edge. “Believe me, Dev. Josh and I wrote the book on complicated. Maybe one day we’ll tell you how we met and ended up together, but it’s a long story, and it’s not all mine to tell. Suffice to say I know all about complicated, and I remember how scary it is to be honest about your feelings. But what’s the alternative? You let Ewan carry on thinking this doesn’t mean anything and eventually you drift apart? Take it from someone who’s been there, if you have feelings for Ewan, tell him. Give it a chance. I know you don’t believe he wants more, but he might surprise you.”
Dev was silent, absorbing Rupert’s words as he stared out at the night sky over the sea. A few stars were visible between the clouds, bright points of light in the darkness. He took a long breath and let it out slowly. “I’ll think about it.” A cold gust of wind blew and he shivered, hunching into his seat and wishing he had another layer to put on.
“You look freezing. Let’s go inside now.”
Back in the flat, Ewan was finishing washing up the pans that hadn’t fit in the dishwasher. Josh had wiped the surfaces, so the kitchen was spotless and gleaming.
“What do you want to do now?” Rupert asked. “We could play a board game… or maybe cards?”
“What about poker?” Josh suggested. “We don’t play for money, just for fun. We’ve got a set of chips.”
Dev looked at Ewan, trying to gauge his interest. It wasn’t late, so there was no rush for them to get back. A thrill of nerves and anticipation rippled through him at the thought of being alone with Ewan. He wondered if he’d be able to find the courage to talk to him, as Rupert had advised.
Ewan avoided Dev’s gaze. “Yeah, that sounds good.”
Dev shrugged. “Okay.” He’d played poker before and quite enjoyed it. He was excellent at working out the probabilities of different hands, but he wasn’t so good at bluffing or telling when other people were.
They sat around the table in the living area, and Rupert opened a second bottle of wine. Ewan accepted some, but Dev declined. He hadn’t finished his wine earlier, and someone had cleared his glass away, so he had lemonade instead, like Josh.
Dev sat opposite Ewan. The game gave him lots of opportunity to study him. But unlike earlier in the evening, Ewan rarely caught Dev’s eye, but kept his gaze fixed on his cards most of the time. On the rare occasions their eyes met, Ewan looked away quickly and didn’t return Dev’s tentative smiles. There was a strange tension about him that Dev didn’t understand. Maybe Ewan felt embarrassed about being caught kissing earlier?
Josh turned out to be really good at poker and an expert bluffer. Eventually he had almost all the chips. Rupert and Dev were both out of the game completely, with just Ewan and Josh left in.
Ewan pushed his last few chips to the centre of the table. “I would give you my house keys, but it’s only rented.” He grinned as Josh pushed in enough chips to match his bet.