Beats of the Heart [MxM]

11. Ex-Stab

Initially, Shawn refused to attend the meeting at The Apple, but his VP, Scott, was too busy, and Nick was relentless.  He had planned just to toss funding to Nick's charity, but Nick explained that a show of his support would aid him further. 

The meeting was supposed to be at The Lunar, but Nick was renovating, so he suggested The Apple. Nick also showed excitement because he recently ran into one of the owners and felt confident about future partnerships.

Shawn was familiar with The Apple because he had snuck in several times to see Requiem perform, but this was the first time he came for business reasons. He knew they ran a tight ship, so he wasn't perturbed by the gaggle of girls causing a commotion at the entrance. 

As he was entering, he saw someone dressed sleekly in black approach the group. It seemed like it was under control, so he ignored it. The sooner they started the meeting, the sooner it would be over.

However, the man's voice stopped him dead in his tracks.  It was a deep and sonorous timbre that stole his breath. That voice took up residence in his mind.

He had never dared to hope to hear him again. 

Miles.

The Miles who enthralled him years ago. The man who seemed so beautifully haunted, sitting alone at a bar. A man who kissed him as if his next breath depended on it. The man who left him, making him wait for a call that would never come.

He forced himself to remain still while watching Miles handle the confrontation outside. The sorrow once etched into the young man had healed and was replaced with unfailable confidence. He was obviously not the same man from 12 years ago.

Unfortunately, Shawn was ushered inside before he could approach Miles, but the night was still young. 

To Shawn's dismay, the meeting was nearly torture. Miles was so close, but Shawn committed to supporting Nick during this meeting. He forced himself to ignore Miles and turned on the charm to help push Nick's proposal.

An hour in, Nick had received approval from everyone present. Shawn finally relaxed and turned to watch Miles glide across the floor below. He could now fully appreciate the view, trying to find the differences between the Miles from his memory to now. His hair was shorter than their first encounter, and he had a layer of stubble decorating his jaw, but it suited him. He was older, and the years had been more than kind to him.