harder you fight it, the faster you’re going to fall,” I remind him softly.
Duke drops his face into his hands and makes a pained noise. “She’s like the perfect woman. She’s everything I’ve ever wanted,” he says, sounding so torn, so tortured. It breaks my heart.
“Maybe you’ve finally found the right one then,” I offer.
Duke shakes his head. “I don’t have another heartbreak in me, Tuck. I know I look all tough and shit, but I’m just a big pile of goo inside.”
I chuckle. Leave it to Duke to lighten the mood. “I know you are. I also know you aren’t the type to play it safe, either. You take chances, sometimes stupid ones…”
“Hey!”
“…But a lot of the time, you come out on top because you took a chance. You can’t live in fear of falling in love again, Duke, because you could miss out on something really special.”
Pot meet kettle. If I hadn’t let fear take over a few weeks ago, Dennis and I wouldn’t be where we are right now. We would be happy and secure in our relationship.
“I’m still hurting from Aimee and that was over a year ago.” Duke sighs.
“So maybe you need Arianna to help you heal, to show you that love still exists.”
“I don’t know, man. What if she’s not feeling the same?”
“What if she is?”
Duke shakes his head. “I can’t. I can’t do it again,” he insists.
There’s that damn pang again.
“Don’t let fear keep you from finding your forever person,” I tell him seriously. “I bet you and Arianna are really great together. And I don’t think she would ever hurt you the way your exes did because she’s not heartless like that. She’s been hurt, too, in the same way that you have. I don’t think she would ever do that to you. You deserve to be happy, Duke. And if Arianna makes you happy, then you need to take a chance with her.”
Duke takes a deep breath and blows it out. “Maybe.”
I reach over and give the back of his neck a squeeze. “She’s a good girl. She would be good for you. And I would know,” I say, giving him a teasing wink.
“Shut up, fucker. I don’t want to hear about how you slept with her, too,” he grunts.
I laugh.
“Hey, did you know Keith is gay?” Duke asks, abruptly changing the subject.
I smirk. Oh, god, where is this going? “Yeah.”
Duke gives me a dirty look. Uh oh. “You could have given me a heads-up, asshole. Dude tried to put the moves on me.”
I bark out a surprised laugh. “How was I supposed to know that he’d find you attractive?”
“He assumed that since I hung out with you, I was gay, or at least bi,” he mutters and rolls his eyes.
Stupid me thought that I could take a sip of beer. I almost spit it out and start choking. Duke snickers as he claps me on the back.
“Oh god, that’s so funny!” I cough.
“He kissed me…on the lips.” Duke shudders.
I laugh so hard that I have tears rolling down my cheeks. I can picture it in my head and it’s fucking hilarious!
“I obviously don’t see what you see,” Duke scoffs.
My laughter dies with a sigh. Shit, I needed that. There really hasn’t been too much laughter in my life lately. “Yeah, well, maybe Keith isn’t the right guy for you,” I tease.
“No guy is the right guy for me.” He laughs.
We continue to drink and tease each other. It feels good to get out with just Duke. We haven’t done it in so long. Both of us have been so busy lately. After a moment of comfortable silence, Duke drops the one question I knew was coming at some point.
“So, how are things with you and Dennis?”
I haven’t talked to Duke too much about what’s been going on between us. I feel like it’s something that’s private and should only be between Dennis and me. I’m guessing that Dennis hasn’t said anything to him either, otherwise he wouldn’t have asked.
I sure as hell don’t want to tell Duke about what Rhys did today. He would have an aneurysm and then try to shove Rhys’ dick up his own ass.
Duke drops his face into his hands and makes a pained noise. “She’s like the perfect woman. She’s everything I’ve ever wanted,” he says, sounding so torn, so tortured. It breaks my heart.
“Maybe you’ve finally found the right one then,” I offer.
Duke shakes his head. “I don’t have another heartbreak in me, Tuck. I know I look all tough and shit, but I’m just a big pile of goo inside.”
I chuckle. Leave it to Duke to lighten the mood. “I know you are. I also know you aren’t the type to play it safe, either. You take chances, sometimes stupid ones…”
“Hey!”
“…But a lot of the time, you come out on top because you took a chance. You can’t live in fear of falling in love again, Duke, because you could miss out on something really special.”
Pot meet kettle. If I hadn’t let fear take over a few weeks ago, Dennis and I wouldn’t be where we are right now. We would be happy and secure in our relationship.
“I’m still hurting from Aimee and that was over a year ago.” Duke sighs.
“So maybe you need Arianna to help you heal, to show you that love still exists.”
“I don’t know, man. What if she’s not feeling the same?”
“What if she is?”
Duke shakes his head. “I can’t. I can’t do it again,” he insists.
There’s that damn pang again.
“Don’t let fear keep you from finding your forever person,” I tell him seriously. “I bet you and Arianna are really great together. And I don’t think she would ever hurt you the way your exes did because she’s not heartless like that. She’s been hurt, too, in the same way that you have. I don’t think she would ever do that to you. You deserve to be happy, Duke. And if Arianna makes you happy, then you need to take a chance with her.”
Duke takes a deep breath and blows it out. “Maybe.”
I reach over and give the back of his neck a squeeze. “She’s a good girl. She would be good for you. And I would know,” I say, giving him a teasing wink.
“Shut up, fucker. I don’t want to hear about how you slept with her, too,” he grunts.
I laugh.
“Hey, did you know Keith is gay?” Duke asks, abruptly changing the subject.
I smirk. Oh, god, where is this going? “Yeah.”
Duke gives me a dirty look. Uh oh. “You could have given me a heads-up, asshole. Dude tried to put the moves on me.”
I bark out a surprised laugh. “How was I supposed to know that he’d find you attractive?”
“He assumed that since I hung out with you, I was gay, or at least bi,” he mutters and rolls his eyes.
Stupid me thought that I could take a sip of beer. I almost spit it out and start choking. Duke snickers as he claps me on the back.
“Oh god, that’s so funny!” I cough.
“He kissed me…on the lips.” Duke shudders.
I laugh so hard that I have tears rolling down my cheeks. I can picture it in my head and it’s fucking hilarious!
“I obviously don’t see what you see,” Duke scoffs.
My laughter dies with a sigh. Shit, I needed that. There really hasn’t been too much laughter in my life lately. “Yeah, well, maybe Keith isn’t the right guy for you,” I tease.
“No guy is the right guy for me.” He laughs.
We continue to drink and tease each other. It feels good to get out with just Duke. We haven’t done it in so long. Both of us have been so busy lately. After a moment of comfortable silence, Duke drops the one question I knew was coming at some point.
“So, how are things with you and Dennis?”
I haven’t talked to Duke too much about what’s been going on between us. I feel like it’s something that’s private and should only be between Dennis and me. I’m guessing that Dennis hasn’t said anything to him either, otherwise he wouldn’t have asked.
I sure as hell don’t want to tell Duke about what Rhys did today. He would have an aneurysm and then try to shove Rhys’ dick up his own ass.
Similar Books
