Dylan had already decided not to dwell on that particular memory.
Tyler’s dress pants, necktie, and button-down shirt looked crisply professional. And, for the first time, Dylan studied Tyler’s athletic build. The dude clearly took his training seriously. Dylan could appreciate why Alec had hooked up with his colleague. But, try as he might, Dylan couldn’t fathom why Tyler had moved out. And while Dylan preferred living alone, sharing a house with Alec must have been awesome.
“I assumed you and Alec had called things off,” Tyler went on.
Dylan shifted in his seat, hating the perceptive nature of Alec’s ex. “What made you think that?”
“His usual good mood has taken a leave of absence.”
And while Dylan felt bad about Alec being unhappy, on the other hand…
Thank God Dylan wasn’t the only one suffering here.
“We had a—” Dylan frowned. How to explain the BFF breakup? That wouldn’t be girly. Not at all. He cleared his throat before going on. “We had a bit of a disagreement. But I’m here to fix that.”
And if Dylan was absolutely honest with himself—something he’d avoided more aggressively than usual of late—part of him wondered if Tyler was the reason Alec didn’t want to be Dylan’s friend anymore. Because reconciling with his ex would be tough with the backup boyfriend turned one-night-stand hanging around.
Dylan’s frown grew deeper.
“Are you sure fixing the relationship is wise?” Tyler asked.
No, he wasn’t fucking sure of anything, except that none of this was any of Tyler’s business. “Yeah,” Dylan said. “I’m thinking it’s a brilliant plan.”
“I think you have the potential to really hurt him,” Tyler said.
Dylan let out a snort of…something. Annoyance, maybe, at Alec’s ex. Or maybe the sound reflected general confusion directed at himself. “That’s a surprising claim coming from the man whose leaving made Alec so miserable.”
Tyler didn’t flinch, and Dylan met his gaze out of sheer stubbornness.
“You can’t possibly understand why I really left. In fact”—a chill entered Tyler’s tone, matching that infernal, unflappable gaze—“neither would Alec.”
What the heck did that mean?
And after a sharp nod of goodbye, Tyler headed out the front door, clearly done with this uncomfortable conversation. Another ten minutes passed as Dylan waited. Should he leave? Where was Alec? Maybe he didn’t want to see Dylan, and this was a passive-aggressive way of telling him to get lost.
Growing antsy, he picked up a People magazine and flipped aimlessly through the pages. Voices drifted from up the hallway. In kakis and a pullover, Alec rounded the corner, holding a little girl’s hand, a tired-looking, middle-aged woman at his side. The sight sent Dylan’s eyebrows climbing.
Alec’s gaze met Dylan’s, and Alec sent him a slight nod. But his full attention remained on the small family. The kid bounced on her feet, occasionally swinging on Alec’s arm. But he calmly kept talking to the mother, completely unconcerned he was being used as a swing set.
Finally, Alec shook the woman’s hand goodbye and ruffled the kid’s head. The little girl giggled in response, and Dylan noticed the pleased crinkles around Alec’s eyes. The same crinkles he’d gotten every time he’d fired up the Harley.
Dylan’s chest gave a ridiculous twitch at the memory.
After showing his patients out, Alec approached Dylan. “Martha said my boyfriend was here to see me.”
For the life of him, Dylan couldn’t remember why he’d thought seeing the Dragon Lady’s reaction took priority over fearing the clingy girlfriend label with Alec.
“Uh, yeah.” Dylan dropped the magazine to the table, trying to decide if the moment was awkward or not. “About that…”
“She didn’t seem to believe your claim.”
The amused crinkles around Alec’s eyes reappeared, and Dylan relaxed a bit.
“Man, everyone sees right through me.” Dylan smiled. “Guess I make a lousy backup boyfriend.”
A light laugh escaped Alec. “You had your moments.”
This time the pause was definitely uncomfortable. The memories of those moments crowded into the empty spaces between them, soaking up all the oxygen from the empty waiting room. Memories of Alec kneeling at Dylan’s feet, Dylan on all fours in front of Alec…
Jesus, this wasn’t helping with the awkward vibe.
Alec tucked his hair behind his ears. “What brings you here?”
Tell him the truth. Tell him you want to fix where they went wrong.
Dylan opened his mouth, but at the last moment, he lost his nerve and took the coward’s way out. “Noah’s driving me friggin’ nuts.”
A single eyebrow on Alec’s face rose higher.
Dylan stood, pacing a few steps away in hopes of easing the tension. “He’s changing the poker run all around.”