The Boss in the Bedroom (MxM)

21. He Really Isn't That Old

"I really don't want to do this," I grumbled.

"Come on, Lukas," Damien said, using the tone one might reserve for coaxing a reluctant child. He grabbed my hand and led me into the apartment building. "Which one is it?" he asked.

"That one," I said, pointing to a door. "Look, Damien, there's still time to bail."

"No, there isn't," he replied, ringing the doorbell.

"Oh, Lukas," a voice said when the door opened.

"Ethan," I responded curtly. It had been about two weeks since I'd kicked him out of my office that day, and I hadn't seen or heard a word from him since. I observed him quietly from head to toe. He didn't look entirely unkempt, and to an outsider, he would seem completely fine, but I knew him. His stubble was growing out. His neat hair, which was always perfectly styled, wasn't matted or dirty, but it looked like he'd run his hands through it a million times, something he'd never do. He was dressed in pajamas, which was definitely odd for him since it was already almost 2 in the afternoon.

"What brings you here, Lukas?" Ethan asked.

"Can we come in?" Damien interjected.

"Sure," Ethan said, moving to the side to let us in.

I looked past him and noticed a single hamburger wrapper on the table. It might not seem like much, but there were so many things wrong with that one wrapper being there. First off, Ethan was a massive neat freak, and on a normal day, that one wrapper would be driving him crazy. Secondly, Ethan would never eat a burger of his own free will, given his dedication to maintaining his body and good health. Next to it was a glass cup on the table, without a coaster. Normal Ethan would've lost his mind over stuff like that.

"Soooo...how have you been?" I asked in an attempt to break the awkward silence.

"Oh, you know, I've been good. I've had a lot more time for myself since I don't have a job anymore," Ethan said with a slight bitterness in his tone.

"Haha," I laughed awkwardly as I scratched behind my neck. "So about that..."

Ethan's expression shifted, a mixture of curiosity and wariness evident in his eyes as he looked at me.

"About what?" he asked, his tone guarded.

"Well, Ethan," I began, choosing my words carefully. "We did some digging and found out that the leak didn't come from you or your stupid boyfriend." Okay, so maybe not so carefully.

"Lukas," Damien glared at me

"Excuse me?" Ethan's tone grew sharp.

"I'm sorry," I sighed.

"You should be. You didn't even want to listen to me or give me a chance to explain."

"Well, you have to understand how I felt, too. You'd already lied to me once; how was I supposed to believe anything else you were going to say?"

"This and that are two different things, Lukas. Who I date is my business and has nothing to do with work, and I would never betray Noble Couture like that," Ethan said firmly.

"Look, I said I was sorry, okay?" I sighed. I didn't come here to fight with Ethan.

"Fine, me too. I should've told you I was seeing Chris rather than going behind your back," Ethan apologized as well. We probably looked like a pair of 8-year-olds to Damien, who was sitting quietly and watching us.

"Why did you, though? You know how much I hate that guy."

"That's exactly why. You hate him so much, I didn't want to be forced into a situation where I'd have to choose between my best friend and my boyfriend."