Chapter 21
Two weeks later.
We finally did it. The JLC deal was completed, and to celebrate, I took Ellis out to dinner. Things were moving along nicely between us too. I spent time at his house and he spent time at mine. Every time I was with him, the surer I was that this was the man I wanted to end up with forever.
Dinner was my choice this time. I wanted it to be somewhere fancy, and show him off a little, even though something inside told me that might have been a very silly idea.
I wined him and dined him and planned to take him back to my place again.
It had been lovely, and I couldn’t wait to see where else the evening would lead.
We were just leaving the restaurant and an old client of Munroe Holdings walked in the door.
“My, my, my! Little Aiden Munroe!” he exclaimed. “How the hell are you, boy?”
I shook his hand energetically and smiled. “I’m good thanks, Mr Laverty. How is your wife and daughter?”
He laughed. “The wife is still a pain in my ass. I don’t think I’ll be retiring any time yet. And the daughter, well, she’s made me a grandpa. How's your mum and dad?”
I laughed. "You know Mum, keeping Dad on his toes now he has all this time on his hands."
"I heard you’re the big shot boss now. Good on you, lad.
" He patted my shoulder. I smiled politely.
He kept looking from me to Ellis and back again, and I knew he was waiting for an introduction.
“Mr Laverty, this is my...” I tried to think about what I should be calling Ellis.
I wanted to say 'this is my boyfriend', but the words stuck in my throat. I didn’t know what to call him.
We hadn't really discussed what sort of label to put on things.
I struggled to find the right word for him, one that my father would be able to stand behind too, and my mouth blurted something out before I had time to think it through, “.
..friend," I introduced, "Ellis Baxter. Ellis, meet Dave Laverty, an old client of Munroe Holdings.”
Ellis smiled insincerely, his mouth distorted slightly with the sourness of the word ‘friend’.
I regretted my choice of word instantly.
I had just panicked and didn’t know what else to say.
I thought about my Dad and felt the need to play it down.
The second the word was out of my mouth, I knew I was a coward and an idiot, but it was too late, and the judging by the look on Ellis' face, the damage had been done.
Dave Laverty clearly sensed something had just happened and the tension that was building and moved away from us. "Tell your Dad I was asking after him." He smiled and shook my hand and Ellis' and walked away.
In complete silence, Ellis walked out of the restaurant in front of me. Not a single word was spoken until we got to my car.
"Do you want to come back to mine?" I asked, having a pretty good idea of what the answer was going to be.
"Take me home." Ellis wouldn't even look at me. I couldn't bear it.
The further we got out of London and towards Sutton, the more pissed off I got.
I knew I shouldn't have. I knew I was completely in the wrong, but I started to feel more and more like I was between and rock and a hard place, and when in that situation, I did the only thing I could do.
I reverted back to being a complete prick about it.