ālahey. lahey.ā ryan repeated as if trying to make the name sound familiar, but it wasnāt clicking with him - but given that ryan met so many damn people at one time he was surprised he hadnāt mistaken xavier for someone else. but then againā¦ how the hell could ryan mistake the love of his actual life for someone that was anyone but him? he couldnāt. there was no way, because xavier was so much better than anyone that heād ever met in his life, the man loved him like no other had, treated him the way no other had, yet ryan still fucking let people talk him into leaving xavier. what a damn fool he was. and now the man was obviously happy with someone that made him feel way better than ryan apparently ever could. ryan could see it in the way that xavier looked at him across the room, the way that he spoke about him it was bittersweet. ryan wanted xavier to be happy, because it was what the man deserved, but he didnāt at the same time because well, he wanted the man to come back to him. or at least be there if ryan decided to come back to this little town. but it didnāt look like things were going to play out that way.Ā āi donāt think iāve had the opportunity to speak with him yet. soon though, iām sure.ā ryan said and offered a polite smile.Ā āwell, hereās to the two biggest idiots in the room, yeah?ā ryan asked and clinked his glass gently against xavierās before taking a sip and then setting the nearly half full glass aside ā it wasnāt as great as he thought itād be. and now knowing that xavier was here, liquor was the last thing ryan needed.Ā āyeah, i completely get that. i almost didnāt show up tonight, but, joe convinced me a bit so here i am.ā he said and shrugged.Ā āi guess itās not so bad, at least i remember the name of one other person in the room.ā ryan said and chuckled softly. and then he noticed xavier tugging at the tie and ryan had to laugh.Ā āwell, thatās probablyĀ ācause itās tied too tight. here.ā ryan said and moved to stand in front of the man, pushing his hands away so that he could take his time loosening up the tie around his neck. how fucking sick was this? ryan was doing this and it was as if all those feelings he had felt before rushed over him like a tsunami. he probably fiddled with the tie a bit too long before he cleared his throat and moved back, forcing a smile on his face.Ā ābetter?ā
āYeah, heās gonna be speaking later, so you canāt miss him,ā he said with a soft smile, and honestly, Xavier was never the petty one out of the two of them, but he had to see Ryan and his husband everywhere, it had been unavoidable. So now Xavier wanted his ex to see he was good and happy with someone new, someone great, not that Mr. Ryan Sinclair would give a shit. Xavier absolutely froze the moment the younger maleās hands were on him, just fixing his tie, casually, as if they hadnāt spent years apart, as if he hadnāt fucking left Xavier out of the blue one day, leaving him with nothing but a broken heart. He figured, though, it was a very Ryan thing to do, to be this inconsiderate, to have the nerve to just put his hands on him like he has a right to. Of course, Xavier spent a lot of time thinking about the negative things about Ryan, even making some up just to get over him after the breakup, so it wasnāt hard for his mind to just wander there, to Ryan and his bad, bad intentions. Xavier took a step back once his ex boyfriend let go, offering an awkward smile. After all these years, after all the harm done, the man was coming to learn that Ryan still made him weak at the knees, and he hated the feeling.Ā āThank you,ā he said, then sipped on his glass of wine, or champagne, or whatever it was. Mark appeared, seemingly to rescue Xavier, all dapper in his well tailored suit and his 6ā²3 glory, and Xavier quickly cleared his throat.Ā āHey, Iāve been looking for you. Thereās someone I want you to meet,ā Mark said. Xavier was already dreading having to meet whoever his boyfriend wanted to introduce him to.Ā āYeah, give me a minute,ā he said, a gentle smile on his faceāit wasnāt Markās fault that he was surrounded by such sucky, boring, lame people.Ā āOh, hey, uh, Mark, this is Ryan. Ryan, Mark,ā the artist said, introducing them to each other.Ā āIf youāre with a friend, Iāll let you two catch up. Iāll meet you at our table after the thing,ā he said, then pecked Xavierās lips.Ā āNice to meet you, Ryan,ā he waved politely, smiled, and walked away.Ā āYou wanna go outside for a smoke?ā Xavier asked. New habit of his. Post-Ryan.
