“You—uh, are you the one in charge of all this?”
Luke nodded, picking up a few papers and flipping through them without looking at William. “Yeah. Big client, big deal. They want details, and I’m the one who’s supposed to give them the details.” He met William’s eyes for a moment. “Looks like you’re here to help with that.”
William wasn’t sure what was worse. The fact that he was standing here, face-to-face with Luke, or the fact that he was trying to act normal when everything inside of him felt anything but normal. His thoughts were racing. Why did this feel like they were just picking up where they left off as if no time had passed? Why did it feel like there was something bigger happening that neither of them wanted to acknowledge?
“Yeah, I’m here,” William said, forcing a smile. “Don’t know how helpful I’ll be, but I’m here.”
Luke smiled, a little more honest this time. “Well, that’s a start. We don’t have much time anyway. We’ve gotta be ready for the guest to arrive, and I’m not about to screw this up. So, let’s get to it.”
William nodded, though his mind was still spinning. He wasn’t sure what was worse. The work they were about to do or the fact that Luke was acting like everything was fine. Like they were just two guys, working on a project. But it wasn’t like that. It wasn’t just about the work. It was about everything that had been left unsaid. Everything is too complicated to bring up right now.
They worked in silence, the pressure hanging between them, unstated but present. William couldn’t help but steal glances at Luke every so often, remembering their past. The good and the bad. And wondering how the hell they’d gotten here. What had changed? Was it just time, or was it something more?
And as they prepped for the meeting, William couldn’t help but feel like this was the moment when everything between them was about to reverse again.
ns 15.158.61.16da2
