Nick had been this close to putting Jett in a headlock to stop him from swooning over him and George. Unfortunately, by the time he finally lifted his head to look around, George was nowhere to be seen.

“Aw, man, you scared him off!” he scolded Jett as he shoved him.

“He's a total romantic!” Jett countered, easily recovering from the shove as though nothing had happened. “It's you that scared him off. Why don't you want to go to dinner with the guy?”

“I didn't say that I didn't want to,” Nick pointed out, his cheeks growing warm.

“Wow, you're just terrible when it comes to dating, aren't you,” Jett teased with a knowing grin.

“I don't bother with it much, no. Why did you have to blurt out the hookup thing?” For some reason, that had irked Nick more than he'd let on, although he wasn't entirely sure. Perhaps it was because of the hurt he'd seen in George's eyes the moment the words escaped Jett's mouth. While Jett himself was great with writing dialogue, he was terrible at thinking before he actually spoke.

“Okay, I will apologize for that since I shouldn't have said it quite like that.”

Nick shook his head, his jaw tense as he gazed across the sea of people surrounding them. He tried to catch a glimpse of George, but he was nowhere to be seen.

He then turned his attention back to Jett and reached into his pocket. He pulled out a stack of business cards bound together and thrust it at Jett. “Here you go,” he said curtly. “I'll see you around.”

“Nick...” Jett started, but Nick had already walking away.

Nick was so confused by all these old feelings resurfacing. When they had been younger, Nick often had to stick up for George since he'd been a geek. It was always so natural. Although he'd never made a big deal about it, Nick had always been pleased to keep George safe and happy.

So why the hell was he hurting him over and over again now?

He winced, his chest tightening. He needed to find George again and try to make it up to him somehow. Unfortunately, the convention was so big that it proved to be much easier said than done. Eventually, as the hours and numerous events went by, Nick was about ready to give up. He wasn't at the booth that he'd first bump into George or at the refreshments stand. He wasn't even at Jett's booth when he was giving out signed copies of his books. Maybe George fled the scene entirely.

By the time the convention drew to an end and the crowds started filing out, Nick's heart was heavy. At the very least, now that he knew Davin knew George, he could try and contact him that way. But was it worth the effort? Or was George trying to avoid him like the plague now?

It was finally time to call it a day as he made his way toward the front exit.

“Oof!” Nick sounded, the wind nearly getting knocked out of him as he collided with someone while rounding a booth.

George stumbled back with surprise, adjusting the glasses that had bounced down his nose. “O-Oh. Hey.”

Nick's heart leapt up his throat at the sight of George. Despite the uncertain look on his face, he otherwise seemed to be glowing. The tote bag over his shoulder seemed to be loaded with items. “Listen, about earlier...”

“You don't need to explain yourself,” George said as he awkwardly shifted from foot to foot. “You already made it clear where we stand.”

The words were like a slap across the face. Without even thinking about it, Nick snapped his hand out and gripped George's arm. “I'm really sorry. About what I said at the bleachers and how I acted with Jett. I want to make it up to you.”

It was clear from the surprise on George's face that Nick’s offer was the last thing he'd been expecting to hear. “What do you mean?”

“I'll admit that I'm not the most social guy,” Nick started. “Work gets in the way a lot and has made me a bit of a hermit. It's no excuse for how I've acted with you, though, and I was hoping you'd grab a beer with me. I want to still be friends.”

For a moment, Nick couldn't read George's expression.

“Yeah, sure, we can grab a beer sometime,” George answered after a moment of silence. He smiled, but that smile didn't reach all the way to his eyes.

“Can I get your number? I'll text you later and we can set something up. I can pretty much make time whenever you're available.”

“I'm available most evenings since the bookstore I work at closes at nine but I usually work the day shift,” George responded, followed by an exchange of numbers. “Anyway, I better find Davin and get going. He's my ride.”

“Okay. Catch you later,” Nick said, watching after George as he strode off. As soon as George was out of sight, Nick cursed under his breath. He'd screwed that up, but it wasn't a complete loss. At the very least, George gave him his number, which had to be a good sign.

It wasn't until hours later, when he was back in his own apartment, that he texted George:

RE: drinks. Does Wednesday work for you?

As soon as he hit send, Nick held his breath, staring expectantly at the phone. But there was no answer as the minutes trickled by.