TIFFIN 2

41

Just as a small TW: There is going to be sexual suggestions towards the end of the chapter so I warn you ❤😭
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I didn't bother looking back as I left Diedre standing in my office. I was glad to see Brendan standing idly by his desk as if waiting for me.

"On your way out of here?" I asked. 

"As a matter of fact I am," Brendan began, "Cole just stopped by my desk. Said he needed to talk to me. You didn't say something to him did you?" 

I racked my brain trying to come up with a viable excuse. 

"I might have. I'm sorry. I just saw how upset you were. What did he say?"

Brendan eyed me curiously.

"He mentioned that you had talked to him about a few things and just, like, wanted to talk. You're not jealous, are you?" 

I couldn't help but remember the kiss. It wasn't forceful or planned. Deep inside I knew it was best to keep it a secret. 

"What? No- of course not." 

"Really?" Brendan challenged. "You hesitated for a minute. I saw him go into your office." 

"I'm not jealous." I stated adamantly. "I'm with Hero and I've told Cole how I feel about his advances. It's inappropriate for the workplace if you think about it." 

Brendan nodded.

"That is a good point. Well, he said he'd wait outside. We should go- do you need a ride?" 

I smiled. "Yes- oh- wait! What about Jo?" 

Brendan raised his brows. "She'll be working late. The treasurer has to have all the stocks and tills in order."

I guess that made sense. 

As we both silently made our way out the double doors and though the empty reception, I thought about what Cole wanted to speak to Brendan about. 

Hopefully I wasn't in trouble. 

Better yet, how was I going to fix things with Hero?

 Something in the back of my mind told me that there was a good chance he wasn't home.

It seemed no matter how hard I tried to fix things, my past decisions creeped behind me and ruined what progress we'd made.

How could I stop this from happening again? 

Was there some secret formula or was this destined to be the normal routine for us? 

"Brendan!" 

Cole shouted before we made it out the front doors. Catching his eyes, I immediately swerved to the side, not wanting to get into the middle of whatever was occurring. 

Like I was invisible, Cole cleared his throat, facing Brendan who was shaking nervously. 

"I'm glad you came to talk to me. I thought I may as well clear the air. I've come to understand that I've hurt you and that was never my intention. You're a good friend to me. The honest truth of this is that I'm not gay. I never will be, but I know you wanted your first kiss to be with someone special. Coming from someone who can't be there for you that way, I don't want to kiss you on a whim when it won't mean the same as it does for you."

Without warning, Cole pressed a quick kiss to Brendan's cheek, pulling away. 

"Coming from a friend, I hope that meant something." 

With a brief nod, Cole made his way down the block. 

For a moment, Brendan stood still as if he'd been frozen. I tapped on his shoulder, unsure of what to do.