Chapter 292: Because One Man Wasn’t Enough

Connor laughed softly. "That’s not a no."

"No," I quickly replied. "I mean, it’s not a no."

"Good."

He looked genuinely happy, which somehow made the whole situation more complicated.

"I thought we had a nice time talking at the wedding," he continued. "And I know things were a little... complicated that night, so I didn’t want to assume anything. But I’d really like to get to know you better, if you’re interested."

There was nothing pushy about him. Nothing complicated, he was just asking me out.

A regular guy asking another regular guy to dinner.

Should’ve been easy.

But then, my brain apparently decided to throw me a curveball, and Damien’s face popped into my mind.

Those damned blue eyes, that measured expression breaking when he noticed the necklace.

The tear he tried to hide.

You’ve waited for me all this time, haven’t you?

I swallowed and Connor was still waiting.

I forced a smile. "Sure."

His eyebrows lifted slightly. "Sure?"

"Yeah. Dinner sounds good."

"Tonight?"

I nearly laughed.

Of course, he meant tonight. Somehow, I had turned accepting a dinner invitation into a monumental decision. "Tonight is fine."

"Great." He smiled again. "I’ll pick you up around seven?"

I nodded. "Seven."

"It’s a date, then. Text me your address."

The word hit me harder than it should have, a date.

I watched Connor walk away.

Someone who hadn’t disappeared from my life for four years, then reappeared in my classroom, looking at me as if I were still the most important person in the world.

I opened my car door.

"Moving on," I muttered reminding myself why I even agreed to this date. "I fucking need to move on."

When I got home, Dad was sitting in the living room with the TV on, his wheelchair positioned beside the coffee table.

One hand resting on the armrest, while the other held a cup of tea, he looked up as I walked in. "Ollie, you’re home early."

"Am I?"

"You usually come in looking like your students just personally attacked you."

Well someone did attack me today, not my students though.

"That’s because they have."

Dad smiled. "Long day?"

"You’ve no idea."

I dropped my bag beside the sofa and headed toward my room.

"Where are you going?"

"To change."

Dad stared at me for a second. "Why?"

"Why?"

"You’re changing clothes."

"Yes."

"You never change clothes immediately after work."

I turned around slowly.

Dad was looking at me with a mix of suspicion and amusement, which made me realize I’d made a tactical error.

"I have... dinner plans with someone."

His eyebrows shot up.."With who?"

"Someone."

Dad’s smile widened. "Someone?"

"Please don’t make that face, Dad."

"What face?"

"That face."

"I don’t know what you’re talking about."

"You look like you’re about to start planning my damn wedding!"

Dad chuckled. "I just want to know the lucky girl or guy you’re having dinner with."

"His name is Connor."

Dad paused. "Connor."

"Yes."

"Is he the young man from the wedding you mentioned?"

I blinked at him. "How do you even remember that?"

Dad laughed, making me smile. "So you’re going on a date."

I opened my mouth, then closed it again. "It is technically dinner."

"That sounds like a date."

I rolled my eyes. "I’m going to my room."

"Wear something nice!"

"I was planning to."

"And comb your hair!"

"Dad, come on!"

"I’m just trying to help!" His tone softened after that, and when I looked back, the teasing had faded into something warmer. "I’m glad, Ollie."

I knew exactly what he meant. He was glad I was going out. Glad I was finally meeting someone. Glad I might be finally letting another person into my life.

And because Dad loved me, he probably thought this could be the start of something good.

I smiled back. "It’s just dinner...or a date of you will. It doesn’t guarantee a relationship."

"I know."

But he was still smiling and I went into my bedroom and shut the door behind me.

For several minutes, I stood in front of my wardrobe, debating what counted as appropriately casual for a first date without looking like I’d tried too hard.

Eventually, I settled on a dark shirt and well-fitted jeans, then changed the shirt twice because apparently I had lost the ability to make simple choices.

When I finally felt decent enough, I stood in front of the mirror and fixed my hair.

Then my hand reached instinctively toward my collar.

I stopped, the necklace and I stared at myself.

For a moment, I almost took it off. I even slipped my fingers under my shirt and gripped the chain. If I removed it, nobody would know.

Connor wouldn’t know and Dad wouldn’t know. Damien certainly wouldn’t know

Or maybe he would...Fucking Know-it-all.

I could go to dinner without the weight of four years of history hanging around my neck.

That felt reasonable.

So I pulled the necklace over my head, holding it in my palm, the pendant caught the light in the room.

I stared at it for a long time.

Then, with an annoyed sigh, I put it back on. "I’m such an idiot."

I tucked it back under my shirt.

My phone buzzed on the bed.

I picked it up.

Connor had sent the restaurant address and the time.

Seven o’clock.

I smiled slightly. Then I noticed Damien’s earlier message underneath it and I locked the screen and placed the phone face down.

From the living room, Dad called, "Oliver! Your date will be here soon!"

"I know!"

"You don’t want to keep him waiting!"

"I know, Dad!"

There was a pause, then Dad called again.

"I’m proud of you, kid!"

I closed my eyes. "Thanks!"

His voice came through the door, warm and pleased, and for a few seconds, I just stood there, listening to him move around the living room.

There was something comforting about it, something painfully ordinary. Dad was happy for me. He believed I was finally opening a door I’d kept shut for too long.

I looked at myself in the mirror again.

The guy staring back looked older than the twenty-one-year-old who once shared a room with Damien.

I adjusted my collar, making sure the necklace was thoroughly hidden beneath the fabric.

Then I looked toward the bedroom door when Dad called my name again, checking whether I had remembered my wallet.

I laughed despite myself. "I’m coming!"

For a brief moment, I smiled.

Dad was happy I was going on a date. I should’ve been happy too.

But all I could think about was the man who had unbuttoned my shirt in an empty classroom that morning, who had looked at the necklace I had worn for four years, as if to say those four years hadn’t happened at all.