Accidentally in Love by Jane Davitt, Alexa Snow Read Free Book Online Page B

definite. Cal’s unstudied response was telling Tom he had overreacted, though, something that had happened in the past.

    “You know, there’re times I feel like an alien,” Tom said bitterly. “You’re being nice now, but you’re thinking…what…that I’m just too innocent to live or prudish as hell, right?”

    “Not at all,” Cal said. “I’m thinking that I was a jerk and that I owe you more than an apology to make up for it. Let me take you out to dinner tonight, anywhere you want.”

    “I can’t… I just don’t know.” Tom felt so pressured and conflicted that he was close to shoving past Cal and heading out the door. He wanted to run, not to keep fit or for the pleasure it gave him to drive his body to its limit, just simply to escape from the whole shitty situation.

    “Okay,” Cal said. “That’s fair. Just do me a favor, all right? Even though I totally don’t deserve it? Don’t make a decision about making me move out today; at least give me a chance to change your mind. Please.”

    In the face of such earnest begging, it was hard for Tom to say no. He couldn’t say yes either. Instead he gave a shrug and a slight nod, and Cal responded by sighing in what was probably relief.

    “Thank you. I know you don’t owe me anything, and I really appreciate you thinking about it. I’m gonna clear out and give you some space, okay? I won’t come home until tonight, and it will be alone. I promise.”

    He turned and walked quickly up the stairs before Tom had a chance to answer him, the soft click of his bedroom door a moment later releasing Tom from his stasis.
     
    He was beginning to see why Cal was so successful at getting dates.

Chapter Five
    Cal sighed and lifted his chin when the bartender looked his way, indicating his need for a fresh drink. He had no intention of getting drunk and had been nursing the first drink for more than an hour, sending away any guy who had the temerity to approach him despite what he suspected was a dark cloud hanging over his head. That was right; he’d had one argument with his roommate, and it had turned him into Eeyore .
     
    “You’re in a mood,” the bartender told him, coming over with another beer.

    “Waiting to see if my roommate’s gonna kick me out,” Cal said moodily. “Thanks.”

    “It’s not like you.” The bartender was someone Cal had talked to dozens of times, and yet, try as he might, Cal couldn’t remember his name. God, he was so bad with names.

    He wasn’t just Eeyore . He was shallow Eeyore .

    He’d spent most of the day wandering around, thinking about where he’d gone wrong. It wasn’t that he hadn’t had a good time the night before with that guy, the one with the same name as Neil Patrick Harris’s character on that show he still couldn’t remember the name of. He had had a good time. In the morning, he’d woken up feeling like something wasn’t quite right, though. When he’d realized that Tom was really, really mad at him, he’d felt like his feet had been knocked out from under him.

    Cal blinked at the bartender. “Look, I suck, I know, but what’s your name again?”

    “Darnell.”

    “Right. Thanks. I won’t forget again.”

    The man— Darnell —shrugged. “Occupational hazard,” he said lightly. “People come to bars to forget as much as they do to party.”

    “Yeah, well, I want to forget, but I don’t want to either, because if I do, I might do it again. The thing I did that I want to forget, I mean.”

    Darnell quirked his eyebrows. “Profound. Or maybe I should ask for your keys.”

    Cal grimaced. “I’m fine. Just reevaluating, you know.” He nodded at the end of the bar. “There’s a woman down there looking thirsty.”

    Darnell took the hint and moved away, leaving Cal to his thoughts—not that they were taking him anywhere.
     
    His approach to life was designed not to leave hurt feelings. He went into every encounter making sure his partner knew the score, and he