Julian

 

 

"There was a surprise guest at the party last night," I say before I draw a pull from the bottle of beer I ordered when I arrived. I beat Sebastian to this pub by a solid twenty minutes, and I was running late. His work is unpredictable. His devotion to it isn't.

We were friends long before he did his time at the police academy. I offered him a job as the head of security for the hotels, but his sights have always been set on being a detective. He's living his dream now, even if it's taking its toll on every other aspect of his life.

"Obviously it wasn't me," he jokes.

I didn't offer up an invitation to him this time around. He would have turned me down. He always does. Sebastian's never worn a tuxedo. I doubt he ever will. The dark blue suit he's wearing tonight is one of only a few he owns.

"Was it a welcome surprise?" he asks as he stares at my face. "A man or a woman?"

"A woman."

His brows shoot up. "Tell me Maya crashed your party."

"She was there." I confirm with a nod.

Sebastian blinks. "Did you man up and talk to her this time?"

I look across the bar to where two women are glancing in our direction. It's not uncommon for Sebastian and me to be approached when we're out together.  Neither of us has a wedding ring on.

"We spoke," I admit with a grin. "I can't tell you what it is about that woman, but my body reacted when I got within two feet of her."

He throws his head back and laughs. "Are we talking a Ms. Gordon worthy reaction or better than that?"

"Fuck you," I toss back with a chuckle.

Ms. Gordon was our eleventh-grade Algebra teacher. She was mid-twenties, beautiful and engaged to the principal of our high school. I didn't give a shit. My cock didn't either. I was hard through every second of every class I had with the woman.

Sebastian sat next to me. I gave up trying to hide the obvious erection in my jeans halfway through first semester.

"Was she alone?" He looks over at the two women I spotted earlier. Sebastian can take one, or both home if he chooses to, but he won't. He would have at one point, but he grew up around the time he was promoted to detective.

If he's interested in a woman, he'll ask her out to dinner. He'll get to know her intellectually before he beds her. 

I glance at his profile. His face has obviously changed remarkably since we were kids, but the color of his hair and his eyes still closely resemble my own. He used to call me his brother, even though he already has two.

We're as close as blood relatives. He's one of the few people in this world I'll confide in. That's the only reason I told him about Maya a few months ago after I saw her having dinner with another man. She didn't notice me but I couldn't take my eyes off of her.

My reaction to her was visceral and unexpected. I felt an overwhelming need to talk about it the next day. There are only two people on this earth who will never judge me and will hold a secret to the grave. One is Sebastian. The other is our mutual friend Griffin Kent. Both know about my illogical attraction to Maya Baker.

"She was on a date." I take another sip of the beer. "A guy named Charlie."

"Charlie?" He repeats the name back. "Did you meet Charlie?"

I wait for a beat. "Charlie couldn't tear his eyes away from Isadora."

"That, my friend, is irony at its best." He skims his fingertip over the rim of the glass of soda water in front of him. "Charlie wants Izzy. You want Maya. Sounds like the four of you should be playing a game of musical beds." 

"Isadora and I are done." I drop my gaze to the top of the wooden bar. "Brynn got engaged last night and Isadora pushed for the same this morning."

"You two broke up? You're shitting me."

"I'm not." I look at him. "It's over."

A wide smile takes over his mouth. "It's about fucking time, Julian. Jesus, I thought this day would never come."

I shoot him a wry glance. He's told me on more than one occasion that I was wasting my time with Isadora. He saw us together and the non-existent spark between us. I finally told him to shut the hell up about it months ago. It wasn't because I thought he was wrong but the constant reminder that I needed to stop putting the business before everything else was the last thing I wanted to hear.

"How did she take it?"

I shrug. "The same way she takes everything. She was stoic, unreadable."

"You're expecting a fight, aren't you? Do you think she'll fight to hold onto you?"

I take a deep swallow of the beer before answering. "She can fight all she wants. I'm done. It's over."

"Good." He shoots me a smile. "You're free to chase after Maya now. Come to think of it, why the fuck are you here with me? Shouldn't you be buying her a drink tonight instead of watching me nurse a glass of water?"

"Did you miss the part where I said she came to the party with another man? I have no idea how serious that is." I wave a hand as I stand. "We're about to be propositioned, so unless you're interested in the women walking this way, I suggest we head next door for dinner."

He slides off the bar stool as he steals a glance at the approaching brunettes. "Italian food on your dime beats either of them. Think about what I said, Julian. You don't want to wake up one day ten years from now and look up Maya online to see that she's Mrs. Charlie Whatever-The-Fuck-His-Surname-Is."

Warton. I knew that before I spotted him with Maya last night.

I scanned the guest list after the invitations were sent out. Charles Warton Jr. has been on my radar for some time. Now, that he's a part of Maya's life, my interest has piqued to a new level.

"I'll take your advice under consideration."

"You're such a stuck up prick sometimes." He pats my chest before he brushes past me. "I'm starving. Let's eat."