Chapter Seven
“William.” His shoulder was shaken. He opened his eyes to see Justin.
“What’s up, man?” he asked.
“We’re stopping for the night.” He handed William a key card. “See you in the morning. I want to leave by seven.” And with that, he walked away.
William got out then grabbed his bag, looking at the card for the number of his room. It took him a few minutes, but finally he walked into his room. He’d slept on the car ride, so he wasn’t tired. He sat his suitcase on the bed before going into the bathroom to turn the hot water to full blast. He shed his clothes to step into the shower. The water felt good on his tense muscles. As he stood there, he thought about the dream he’d been woken from.
William had been in high school, but his and Justin’s positions were reversed. Instead, he was the one being bullied daily. William had had the same dream since high school, and he always woke up feeling incredibly horrible. He couldn’t imagine the pain of having one of your best friends completely turn on you. And even though he knew that he was still being horrible to the man, it sounded like Justin already had enough on his plate. He really didn’t need him adding childish and unnecessary worries to that. He needed to apologize, just like he promised his parents he would. There was no way he could make it right, he knew that, but he hoped somehow, they could find a way to go forward.
The only way this was ever going to even partially resolve itself was for him to be completely honest with Justin, and all but beg him for a chance to show him that he wasn’t that guy anymore. With a sigh, he got out of the shower. Tomorrow’s car ride should be interesting, to say the least. Knowing that he really needed to be alert for what he was about to do, he decided that it probably would be better to be well rested. From his bag, he pulled out a pair of boxer briefs and a bottle of gummy melatonin. He ate two before stuffing them back where they had been. He put on the boxers then pulled back the bed covers and got in. After a few minutes of fighting with pillows and blankets, he found the sweet spot. William closed his eyes, waiting for the supplement to take effect while trying not to think about Justin or the future.
William woke early, but he lay there staring at the ceiling. His heart was already pounding in his chest at the thought of what he was going to do. Damn, he was nervous. But he wasn’t sure why. The worst that could happen was that Justin wouldn’t be receptive to his apology, and their relationship would stay the way it was. He knew that was the outcome with the highest probability, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t hoping against hope for a better one.
He finally forced his limbs to move and got up. After a quick trip to the bathroom, he went over to his bag and took out jeans and a tee shirt. It was like he was in a daze as he dressed. Thoughts of Justin, good and bad, bombarded then took over his brain. But even after he’d shouldered his bag and walked out the door, he had no idea how to start the conversation they needed to have.
Justin was already in the passenger’s seat with the car started by the time he made it there. I can do this. William tried to psych himself up as he got in as well. For ten full minutes, neither of them said anything. Well, I guess there’s no time like the present. “Hey, Justin, do you think we could start over?”
Justin glanced over at him. “What do you mean?”
“I know that we have a lot of issues between us, but as you said, we are going to be working together for who knows how long. Do you think we could rewind to the day I started, and pretend like I haven’t been acting like a complete asshole?”
“You’ve always acted that way where I was concerned,” Justin ground out.
“I know,” William said softly.
“You know ,” Justin scoffed. “You have no idea what you put me through. You ruined high school for me. And now you’re back and acting the same way, like I’m beneath you. I want to know why one day you decided that you hated me.”
“Because I wanted to be popular. I have no idea how I became what I was. And there’s no excuse for the way I treated you. It probably doesn’t make a difference, but I am sorry.”
“If you didn’t want to be friends anymore, I would have understood. Why couldn’t you just leave me alone?”
“Because I didn’t want to,” William admitted.
“So, it was all your idea?” William could hear the disgust in Justin’s voice.
“No, not like that.” He was quick to defend himself. “In the beginning, I wanted you to be a part of the group, but they didn’t think it would be appropriate because your family wasn’t wealthy. I thought it was stupid, but I went along with it anyway. Every time I hung out with you, they would give me a hard time, so I stopped doing it.” William glanced over at Justin. The sun had yet to come up, so he couldn’t see his face in the dark car. He could, however, feel the tension rolling off him.
“That still doesn’t explain why you made me a target.” Justin sounded angry, and he had every right to be.
“My friends wanted you completely out of my life, so they went out of their way to make you seem inferior and not worthy of my friendship. And I went along with it. I wasn’t man enough to stand up to them. I hated myself for hurting you, but after a while I realized that hating you was easier than beating myself up.”
“Glad I could help ease your guilt,” Justin said sarcastically.
“I was a complete jerk. And I haven’t been showing you that I’m not that guy anymore.”
“No, you haven’t,” Justin agreed.
“I’m sorry, Justin. You don’t know how badly I wish I could take it back, but I can’t. I can’t begin to imagine what we put you through.” William felt tears sting the corners of his eyes, and shame radiating from his head to his toes.
“If you’re so broken up about it, then why did you come home acting like an asshole?” Justin demanded.
“It’s been a rough couple of months for me, but that’s no excuse either. I’m not such a bad guy. I want to prove that to you, but I don’t know how.”
“You could start by not being pissy that I’m in charge now.” Justin’s voice was hard, and William wished there was some way to change that. “Jealousy is not a good look on you.”
“I know,” William whispered. “All I’m asking for is a chance to show you who I am. And trust me, I know I don’t deserve that.”
Justin let out a heavy sigh. “I’m probably going to regret this, but okay.”
“Okay?” William felt a weight lift off his chest.
“I suppose I could give you a shot. But I swear, if you keep acting the way you have been, I will have a long talk with Maddox about why I can’t work with you.”
“That sounds fair. But I promise it won’t come to that.” William was so grateful for this opportunity, and he couldn’t wait to show Justin how he had changed. “So, what do you want me to do at this convention?”
“Yeah, about that. I guess I should apologize. I should never have said those things to you.”
William said nothing for a minute. “I appreciate the apology, but you were right.” He shrugged. “I never would have gotten this job if my father didn’t own half the company.”
Justin shook his head. “Anyway, I’m going to a few seminars and checking out some new products. You can tag along with me or explore by yourself. You might come across something I miss.”
“That I can do.”
Finally, they arrived at the large hotel where the convention was being held. Justin pulled into the parking garage, got out, then grabbed his bags. He waited while William did the same before walking across the street and through the glass double doors. They found themselves behind five others waiting to check in. Justin looked around as they waited. Off to the left there was an elegant bar. On the right, just past the reception area, a rather fancy-looking restaurant. “We should get dinner after we get settled in,” he said to William, gesturing to it.
“Yeah. I’m starving.” William nodded.
They made it to the front of the line after about ten minutes. “Good evening, sir,” the woman behind the desk greeted him. “Are you gentlemen here for the convention?”
“Yes, we’re with S&H Contracting,” Justin told her.
“Perfect. That’s room six-seventeen and six-eighteen.” She handed him two key cards after checking the reservation. “Have a great stay.”
“Thank you.” Justin took the cards, handing one to William before walking over to the elevator. They rode up to their floor in the company of eight other people. The elevator stopped on every single floor until they reached theirs. Two other people got off with them. “Let’s meet downstairs in twenty minutes or so,” Justin said once they found their rooms. William nodded, opening his door and disappearing inside.
Justin went into his own room, which was really nice. He had never stayed anywhere this classy before. He walked over to the dark-wood queen-size sleigh bed, laying his luggage atop the deep-red comforter to unpack. After hanging his shirts and jeans, he took a lightning-fast shower before changing into something clean for dinner. He then locked his room and headed down to the first floor. William was already leaning against the wall to the right of the restaurant, waiting for him. His damp hair and different shirt told Justin that he’d had the same idea about showering.
“Have you been waiting long?” Justin asked as he stopped next to him. A quick check of the time told him he was almost fifteen minutes later than he told William he would meet him.
“Nah.” William shrugged. “Only about ten minutes or so. Come on, let’s get some food.” He walked over to the hostess, and Justin followed.
“What can I do for you, sir?” she asked with a smile.
“I just wanted to let you know that we’re ready to be seated whenever you have an available table.”
“It was Harper, right?” William nodded. “Perfect. Right this way.” She led them to a small table near the back of the establishment. “Your waiter will be right with you.” She handed them menus then went back to her station.
Not two minutes later, a sharply dressed waiter arrived at their table. “Good evening, gentlemen. My name is Georgio, and I’ll be taking care of you tonight.” His smile was bright and seemed very genuine. “What kind of beverage can I start you out with?”
“I’ll have a glass of Moscato d’Asti,” William ordered. “How about you, Justin?”
“I’ll take the house craft beer.”
“Very good. I’ll be right back with those, then we can get your order in.” Then he was gone.
“Guess we better decide quickly.” William chuckled, picking up the menu. Justin did the same.
Georgio returned as quickly as he promised, setting their drinks in front of them. “Are we ready to order?” Both men nodded.
“We’ll start with the garlic and herb cream cheese-stuffed mushroom caps. Then I’ll have the filet mignon topped with the sauteed shrimp and garlic butter sauce, loaded mashed potatoes, sauteed squash, and a side of grilled asparagus,” William told Georgio.
“No way.” Justin was a little taken aback. “That’s, to a tee, the exact same thing I was going to get.”
Georgio grinned. “And how would you gentlemen like those steaks prepared?”
“Medium rare,” Justin and William answered at the same time, causing them both to chuckle.
“I’ll go get this put in with our chef, and we’ll have the mushrooms out shortly.” Georgio took their menus before heading back to the kitchen area.
“Hey, do you know how to make a steak blush?” Justin asked when the waiter had gone.
“No, how?”
“You just have to whisper some sizzling words in its ear.”
William grinned and shook his head. And damn if the man’s smile didn’t make Justin’s heart skip a beat. What the hell was that?
Movement from the table across from them caught Justin’s attention. It was a man in his early twenties with an older couple who were more than likely his parents. It was the son that was the problem though. He had been staring at them, or more specifically William, since they had sat down. For some reason, the lust in the man’s eyes as he ogled William kind of pissed him off. When the man, who he supposed felt him glaring, glanced his way, he had the nerve to smile and wink. Justin shook his head before refocusing on William.
Moments later, Georgio appeared with their appetizer and some small plates. “Here we are, gentlemen. The rest will be out soon. Enjoy.”
William picked up the large accompanying fork, serving them each two caps. Justin unrolled his silverware, making sure to drape the napkin across his lap. He then cut the mushroom into smaller pieces and took a bite. “Wow. These are incredible.”
“Most definitely,” William agreed after his first bite. “Since you like Dad jokes, do you know what you call a steak you overcook?” Justin shook his head. “A misteak .”
“Oh, you think you’re funny, do you?” Justin fought to keep his composure, but William’s laugh was causing that fluttery feeling in his chest again.
“Me?” William smirked. “I’m hilarious.”
It was Justin’s turn to chuckle as he rolled his eyes before looking over at his companion again. William seemed to be scrutinizing him, as if trying to see into his soul, but there was a warmth and softness in his eyes that stole Justin’s breath for a second. What the hell is happening to me? He was internally freaking out. How can he possibly be affecting me like this? “Be right back,” he told the man. “I’m going to hit the restroom really quick.”
Justin got up and followed the signs to the bathroom. Inside, he walked over to the sink to turn the cold water on and splash some on his face. “This can’t be happening,” he said to his reflection. He used a little more of the cool water on his heated cheeks before drying off with some nearby paper towels. William is definitely not my type. So why is this miniscule effort from him making me all but swoon?
Justin braced himself against the sink, with one hand on either side, as he peered into the mirror. He shook his head, closing his eyes for a second in an effort to calm himself. This inconvenient attraction to William was the last thing he ever thought he’d have to deal with. This is probably just a sign that I really need to get laid. It had been, by his own choice, quite a few months since he’d been with anyone. But the thought of some random one-night stand held little appeal.
He forced himself to stand straight, rolling his neck before walking over to the door and pushing it open. He had only taken a few steps when the scene at his table stopped him in his tracks. The man who had been across from them had the audacity to take his chair, and it looked like he was flirting with William. Justin tensed, one hand balling into a fist as a mix of what felt like annoyance and jealousy swept over him. He knew he had no reason to feel that way, but that failed to ease the emotions overtaking him. It wasn’t like William was his boyfriend or anything. He was a grown-ass man and perfectly capable of making his own decisions about who he wanted to spend time with. Even if it was the dark-haired jackass with the hipster glasses from the next table. That didn’t mean he had to like it though. And that was the root of his problem. He hated that he even cared who William was with or what he was doing. Jealousy was not an emotion he had a lot of experience with.
Without permission from his brain, he strode over to his table. “You’re in my seat,” he told the interloper.
“Sorry.” He stood and offered Justin his hand. “Colton Rotoast.”
“Justin.” He took the chair the man had vacated, glaring up at him.
Colton didn’t seem to notice. His eyes were already on William again. “William said you guys were here for a conference.”
Justin felt the irritation amp up to aggravation. “Yeah. You?”
“No.” Colton shook his head. “We’re here for my cousin Serina’s wedding. We’re actually at the end of our trip and heading home.” Colton winked at William. “But not until tomorrow afternoon.”
Justin glanced over at William. Instead of the flirty grin he expected to see, William looked the same way he felt. He knew what Colton was implying, and he was all but fuming. William, however, seemed completely uninterested. Even still, Colton’s next words made him want to smash the prick’s face in.
“What if I settle my parents into their room, then you and I meet in the bar? Maybe we can have some real fun, and I can leave on a high note.”
William rolled his eyes while he was looking at Justin then turned to Colton. “As great as I’m sure that would be, I’m afraid tonight’s not good for me.”
“Why not?” Colton’s voice had a whiney quality to it.
“To be honest, we just made a two-day trek to get here. We spent eight hours driving today alone. I’m exhausted, and the conference starts at the crack of dawn,” William tried to explain. “The only thing I’m doing when I hit that mattress is sleeping.”
Colton let out a petulant sigh. His whole body deflated dramatically because he didn’t get his way. Justin wouldn’t be surprised if he balled up his fists, stamped his feet, and demanded that William do what he wanted. “Whatever,” he said instead, nastily spitting the word at William before he stomped back to his table. “We are leaving, now .” It seemed he expected the couple to abandon their half-eaten desserts because he was in tantrum mode.
To Justin’s surprise, his parents obeyed. Colton’s mother summoned their waiter, demanding the check be brought over at once. The reproachful way she stared at them until the waiter returned was unsettling.
Colton’s father all but ripped the deep-green bill holder out of the man’s hands. He scoffed as he looked at it. “You people have some nerve to charge these kinds of prices for such a terrible dining experience.”
“I do sincerely apologize, sir. It was definitely not my intention to provide anything less than stellar service,” the man apologized, but sounded slightly confused. Justin could understand that. They had seemed quite pleased with his service up until about ten minutes ago. “Would you be able to tell me what it was that wasn’t up to your standards, or would you prefer that I bring over a manager?”
“The insult to my family is completely unacceptable,” he sneered. “No one humiliates my son.”
“My goodness, sir.” The waiter sounded shocked. “I’m so sorry you feel that I disrespected you all. Would you be able to tell me what I did wrong?”
The man snorted. “Perhaps your restaurant should up its clientele standards.” He took out his wallet and threw some bills down. Without another word, the entire family stood, and dismissively left the table. As they got closer to William and Justin’s table, Justin couldn’t help but notice that each one of them looked like they had been sucking on a bag of super-sour lemons.
Colton’s mother shot them a look of disgust as they passed. “He is completely unworthy of your time, sweetheart. I mean, honestly, he’s here for a construction convention, right? You deserve much better than that.”
“Agreed,” the father said loudly as they were walking out the door.
“There goes the walking definition of entitled brat .” Justin shook his head, and he heard William chuckle.
“Yeah,” the man agreed. “Who knew he’d get so worked up over me turning him down.” He shrugged then looked over at the table the Rotoast family had occupied. Justin followed his gaze. The poor waiter was trying to collect the scattered money. Some had fallen to the floor, while others were most likely sticky from landing in various sauces on the table. “Be right back.” He watched William get up and go over to the young man. He picked up a bill that was hiding under one of the chairs and handed it to the waiter. “What’s your name, man?” he asked.
“Dean, sir,” he answered before quickly counting what had been left. He picked up the bill holder, looking exasperated as he wiped chocolate frosting off the back.
“Well, Dean, I’m sorry you had to deal with those guys.”
“Are they friends of yours?” Dean asked.
“I met him ten minutes ago when he sat down, uninvited, at my table.” William shook his head. “But I’m afraid I’m the one that pissed them off.”
Dean shrugged. “They were kind of jerks before that anyway.”
“Some people suck,” William sympathized.
“You’re telling me.” The man nodded in agreement.
“So, Dean, and you can totally tell me it’s none of my business, but did they tip you?”
Dean again opened the bill holder, recounting the cash. “They’re actually twenty bucks short.” He sighed heavily, looking up to the ceiling for a second then shaking his head. “There goes my tip from my last table.”
“That’s incredibly disrespectful.” William blew out a harsh breath. “I saw you provide nothing but excellent service all night, and they decided to stiff you because I wouldn’t go out with their son.”
“Like you said, some people suck.” Dean again shrugged. “This kind of thing happens every now and then.”
“May I see their bill?” William held out his hand for it. With a shrug, Dean gave it to him. Justin watched William take out his wallet to hand Dean what he assumed was enough to cover the remainder of the bill. And quite a nice tip, judging by Dean’s smile.
“Thank you so much, sir. You don’t know how much I appreciate this.”
“It’s no problem, man. You worked your ass off, and you don’t deserve to be treated like that.” William patted the kid’s shoulder. “Would you also go ahead and send your manager over? I want to clear this up before those assholes have a chance to complain.”
“Again, thank you so much, sir. It’s such a relief that it won’t be my word against theirs if they do call.” Dean’s relief was visible.
“I hope you enjoy the rest of your night,” he told him before returning to their table.
“You too, sir,” Dean told him before walking over to a man who was dressed even more sophisticatedly than the waitstaff and pointing their way.
Just moments later, the other man walked over. “Good evening, gentlemen. My name is Jordan, and I’m the supervisor on duty tonight. Dean told me that you requested to speak with me.”
“Yes, sir. The party that was at that table were horrible to him.” William pointed to the one they had sat at. “Everything seemed to be going well, but then I informed them that I wasn’t interested in a one-night stand with their son. They threw money everywhere, which didn’t even cover the charges, by the way. Dean was nothing but friendly, helpful, and professional the entire time. I do not want him getting in trouble for their lies if they do decide to file a complaint.”
“Thank you for letting me know.” Jordan took a small pad of paper and a pen from his shirt pocket. “Would I be able to get your contact information so that we can give you a call if we do receive a negative review?”
“Of course.” William gave him all the details.
“If you’d like, I saw the exact same thing and could give you my information as well. That way, there is double the chance that the corporate office will take our report seriously,” Justin offered.
“Most definitely.” Jordan wrote Justin’s information under William’s. “Thank you, gentlemen. I’m so glad you came forward. This will save Dean’s job if they do file a formal complaint.” The manager smiled. “Which is something I really appreciate. Dean is one of my most dedicated employees, and I’d hate to lose him.”
“Glad we could help,” William told him.
“Are you staying at the hotel?” Jordan asked, and they nodded. “Please allow me to comp your dinner tonight.”
“You don’t have to do that, but I never turn down free food.” William and Justin both laughed.
Jordan smiled. “I’ll have Georgio bring over a dessert menu. I hope you enjoy your stay, sirs.” He slightly bowed his head then walked away to the back of the restaurant.
Wow. This is a totally different William. He must have stared at him for a little longer than he realized because suddenly William was giving him a strange look.
“Is something wrong?” the man asked.
“Nope,” Justin assured him. “That was just a really nice thing for you to do.”
“It was nothing special.” William shrugged one shoulder. “I was just being a decent human being.”
“It suits you.” Justin grinned at the other man.
“Here we are.” Georgio appeared holding two smaller menus which he handed to them. “Pick your poison.” The two of them opened the little leather-bound books. While they perused the offerings, Georgio spoke again. “May I say that what you did for Dean was incredibly generous. That poor kid has had it kind of rough lately. For you to take the time to encourage and stand up for him means a lot. To all of us.”
“Everyone deserves respect, kindness, compassion, and justice. I’m glad I could brighten his day, even if it was just a little.” William shrugged like what he’d done was no big deal, but he smiled brightly. “I just did what any decent person would do.”
“Sadly, sometimes it would seem that the world is seriously lacking in decent people.” Georgio let out a sigh. “Anyway.” His smile returned. “May I suggest Death by Chocolate for our heroes?”
“I am a huge fan of chocolate,” Justin said. “What do you think?” he asked William.
“Sounds like I’m going to be hitting the gym when we get home.” William shrugged nonchalantly, and laughter ensued. As they chatted, a second waiter arrived with their entrees and set the plates before them.
“I’ll get that out for you as soon as you’ve finished.”
***
They walked out of the restaurant after finishing their incredible dinner and over to the elevators. Justin punched the button for the sixth floor when they stepped inside. They were the only ones riding, so they made it to their floor in no time.
“Good night, Justin,” William said as he walked over to his room and unlocked the door.
“Night,” Justin returned as he did the same then went inside. The first thing he did was kick off his shoes at the door. Next came his shirt, which he folded neatly and placed on top of the dresser. He did the same with his pants. He was just sliding into bed when his phone rang. It was Maddox. “Hey, man,” he said when he picked up. “How are you feeling?”
“Horrible.” Maddox let out a heavy sigh. “I feel like complete shit.”
“Damn, that’s not good.” Justin hated that his friend was sick. Food poisoning was no joke. “Make sure you get plenty of rest. And fluids, fluids are very important.”
“Not like that,” Maddox cut into his advice. “Physically, I’m fine.” But the gagging sound said otherwise. The man cleared his throat and continued. “I’m talking about the convention.” He let out what sounded like an angry breath, and his next words were hissed through clenched teeth. “I just found out that Isaac sent William.”
“Trust me, I was not happy when I saw him get out of that car.”
“You don’t know how sorry I am about this, Justin. You know I would never do anything like this to you on purpose.”
“Calm down, Madd,” Justin told his pissed-off friend. “I’m good.”
It took a few seconds for Maddox to respond. “Are you sure? I can grab the next flight out, and I can be there by morning.” Suddenly he heard Maddox groan, and then he was talking to Emmanuel.
“I’m sorry, Justin. He’s—”
“Way sicker than he’s letting on, and trying to push himself way more than necessary,” Justin finished for him. “He needs time to get better. So, what you need to do is offer to be his sexy nurse, then I’m sure he’d be more cooperative.” That caused Emmanuel to chuckle softly. “Tell him not to worry. I’ve got the convention covered.”
“I will, Justin. Thanks.”
“Keep me updated, okay?”
“Of course. Have a good night,” Emmanuel told him.
“You too, man.” They disconnected, then Justin scrolled through his phone for his favorite ASMR creator’s latest video. Sleep overcame him in minutes.