Page 61 of How Not to Date a Griffin

Reid was comfortable with his head on Nolan’s chest, and he sank deeper into the soft mattress and softer man as sleep neared.

“I’m honestly surprised you came back,” Nolan said into the darkness. “Yesterday.”

Suddenly, he was wide awake. God, was it only yesterday?

“What? Why?”

“Well. With the new information brought to light, I would have understood if you hadn’t wanted to see me again.”

Reid sighed, pressing heavily against Nolan’s chest, heart lurching. Guilt festering. “Listen, I mean... maybe that’s how I felt at first–” god, that sounded familiar, didn’t it? “–but I kept seeing you at the conference and it’s… you’re not your father. You’re not responsible for his actions. You’re a separate person.”

Nolan was quiet for so long, Reid wondered if he’d heard him at all. “Wow,” he finally said, voice quiet, filled with awe. “No one’s ever said that to me before.”

Reid hummed. “It’s true. You’re only responsible for you.”

“I’m glad you asked that question today, during my presentation. I’m glad it went the way it did.”

Reid remembered watching Nolan’s father palm his shoulder, the barely-there wince marring Nolan’s features. “Even if it pissed off your dad?”

Nolan let loose a heavy breath. “Especially because of that. Sometimes I feel like I could burst with the unfairness of it all. I wish…”

Glancing up at him, Reid noted the furrow in his brow, the pinch of his lips. He patted Nolan’s chest. “What do you wish?”

“I wish this whole thing would fall apart. I don’t want to do this anymore. I wish there was a way to ruin it,” he admitted softly.

Reid’s heart thumped.

Maybe this was it. Maybe Reid should say something. Right now.

Just admit the whole thing. Tell him about his friend John, the article.

Nolan would help, he just knew it.

Reid didn’t even necessarily have to mention his own involvement in it.

But that felt… wrong. It was wrong, to lie to someone as wonderful as Nolan.

And maybe he should have taken that moment to confess, but he was frozen with the fear of Nolan’s rejection, especially after their night together. He didn’t want to hurt Nolan. And he also didn’t want to be hurt. And even though it was all his own doing, it would hurt if Nolan turned him away.

When it came down to it, he was a coward who kept his mouth shut.

“You never know,” he said instead, voice rough with forced lightness. “Maybe something will.”

“The night is still young?” Nolan asked with a chuckle.

“Something like that.”

Nolan

Wednesday.

Midweek.

He spent most of the day unfortunately glued to his father’s side. A business lunch, meetings, schmoozing. All under the watchful eye of his father, and Chance, his assistant. It was clear they’d rather him not be there almost as much as Nolan would rather escape.

Each moment was spent wishing it was already over, that the clock would strike five-fifteen, the moment of the last presentation.

Because he had a date.