2. Connor Hughs

2

Connor Hughs

I was just finishing my first cup of coffee for the day when my phone alerted me to an incoming call. Checking the caller ID, I saw who it was and answered the call on the third ring. “Hello.”

“Connor, this is Evelyn. You know, your very understanding agent.”

The thought of this woman being described as understanding made me chuckle. She’d been a part of my life way too long for me to ever associate understanding with her. At least not when it was work-related. Two months from the deadline, calling every day to ensure I was working on my next release was suffocating.

“Yes, Evelyn.” I pulled my calendar closer on my desk and made a quick note of her calling again. “And what can I do for you today?”

“I was calling to check your progress with the manuscript. Will you have it for the editor by the twenty-fifth?”

“Of next month?” I double-checked my planner and the desk calendar to be sure and saw I was definitely in the correct month. “Of course I will. Is there a reason why you doubt me? I have never been late before, not even when I got sick from exhaustion that one year. I was two weeks early then, if memory serves.”

“Oh no, hun.” I could hear Evelyn typing on the other side of the phone line. “I was just trying to make sure the publishers wouldn’t have a reason to complain.”

“Evelyn, you have known me for over sixteen years now. We’ve gone through school and started our careers together. We have worked hand in hand to get my work to the right press for my audience and been through good times and bad. Not once have I ever changed a deadline or even come close to not meeting the original dates set. Why are you so nervous this time?”

Evelyn sighed loudly, and my gut tightened. “The publishers have had some drama going on lately with other authors. They recently announced their decision not to proceed with quite a few works for my other clients in the last few weeks—”

“Is my book being threatened?”

“Oh no. I’m sorry for making you worry that you were next. It’s just that with them doing that, I’m nervous. What if the one time you need to request more time is the one time you won’t be able to get it?”

I looked at my notes and outlines, the nearly finished draft in my files. “I’m not worried at all about meeting that deadline. I promise you that nothing could cause me to be late on the project. Okay?”

“I believe you, Connor. I’m sorry for being so annoying lately.”

“Evelyn, don’t even sweat it. You’re my agent, but above that, you’re my friend. I’ve seen you in worse states and still love you.”

“Funny.” Evelyn giggled, and it was nice to hear her relaxing. “I’m stressed out. Especially with Bryce returning this weekend for the gala.”

Wait, what? I didn’t hear her right, did I? Is she saying Bryce is returning to town and will be at the same gala I am obligated to attend? Fuck.

My wolf whimpered, and I closed my eyes to ground myself.

“Evelyn,” I whispered into the phone once I’d calmed. “What do you mean about Bryce returning to town?”

“Didn’t you know?” The edge in her voice returned, and if I had been freaking out internally, I may have felt guilty for causing that. “He told his parents that he’d arrive tonight and attend the gala. I thought you’d see his name listed on the website. Since you’re attending, aren’t you paying attention to the announced celebrities?”

“No.” I leaned back in my chair and gripped my aching chest. “I never expected him to return so I never really thought to look. Why would I care who else would be there? It’s only him that I—”

“I’m so sorry, Connor. Do you need me to leave the office early and visit your house? I could bring some ice cream and chocolate. Or margaritas and tamales. You tell me which one would help you more in this instance.”

“Can you find me a good excuse for why I can’t attend the gala?” I put my head on the desk and closed my eyes, breathing deeply. “What am I going to do?”

“You are going to let me help you relax tonight. You are going to vent to me and drown your past in liquor and carbs. Then, tomorrow, you will remember that you are no longer that heartbroken teen who watched the only boy he had ever loved ride off into the sunset without him. You will go to that gala and show Bryce exactly who you have grown up to be.”

Oh, great. I will show Bryce that I’ve gone from a heartbroken boy who let him go so he could live his dreams to a brokenhearted man still in love with my childhood best friend.

***

“What am I going to do?” I sat on my bed with my calico cat Ren on my lap. “I can’t see him. I need to figure out a way out of the gala. Or a way to avoid him while there.”

Meow.

“I’m being silly.” I petted his furry tail, finding the sensation of the soft hairs the perfect sensory input I needed in times like this. Stressed out and spiraling in my thoughts, I relied on my furry companion for comfort. Ren had grown used to the little chats. “It’s been ten years, and I should be over him. I’m sure he is over me. He probably has a line of puck bunnies lined up after every game. Or a secret boyfriend he protects from the vicious paparazzi. He isn’t still hung up on the stupid boy he loved in high school. So why am I still hung up on him?”

Meow.

“You think I should go talk to him? Take a leap and confront my fears, huh?” I scratched Ren behind his ears, and he stretched his back and purred. “But what if he breaks me even more? I barely put myself back together last time.”

Meow.

“Are you actually lying here, pretending to have a conversation with your cat?” Evelyn strode into my bedroom and sat on the edge of the king-sized bed.

“Um. No?” I scooted lower and covered my face with the blanket. “Maybe.”

“I won’t tell anyone this time.” Evelyn uncovered my face. “But can you speak with me instead? I am your best friend after all, not just your agent. And I guarantee I can give more feedback than just ‘meow.’”

Meow.

Ren jumped off my bed and walked out of my room, tail high, taking one last look at Evelyn before leaving. I swore I could feel the attitude of my cat radiating off him, and I shivered from the scorn he showed my best friend.

“I think you made Ren mad.” I sat up and smacked Evelyn’s arm. “You’re going to clean any mess he leaves now. Last time, I found regurgitated tuna in my favorite pair of sneakers. I think he blames me for letting you hang around.”

“Fine. I’ll do any cleaning that comes from Ren’s meltdown. And I’ll bring him kitty treats next time I come over, okay?” Evelyn rubbed her arm and grimaced. “Did you have to pick the arm I got my vaccination on? Geez, Con. That hurt.”

“Oh shit. Sorry, Ev.” I leaned in and hugged my friend. “But, seriously, try not to piss off the cat. He already doesn’t like you after you brought that dog over here last year, and it peed on his toys.”

“I bought him new ones.”

“He holds a grudge.”

“He takes after you, I guess.”

“What?”

“Well, you’re holding a grudge against a boy you told to leave town and follow his dreams. You’re blaming him for not understanding you were completely in love with him and actually wanted him to stay with you.”

“But I didn’t. He had a dream, and he had to follow it. If he stayed, he would have hated me.”

“Then why have you avoided his calls the last ten years, and why are you thinking of how you can get out of the gala, so you don’t have to see him?”

“Shut up.” I almost smacked Evelyn again but remembered her vaccination spot at the last minute and stopped myself.

“You can’t avoid him forever.” Evelyn grabbed my hand. “You need to be an adult now and face your past. Maybe he can become your future.”

“I don’t know about that, Evelyn. How can I stop hurting long enough to speak with him?” How can I let my guard down and let him in again without certainty on how it will all end?

“You just do, Connor. You tell yourself that you must heal that wound to see what can come next.”