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around his desk. "Why should we stand idly by while you continue to sabotage your happiness?"
    "When did you come back from Spain, anyway?" Roman snapped.
    "Last night."
    "Didn't you say you wanted to spend a few days sunbathing in Mallorca? We weren't expecting you for another week."
    "I changed my mind and got on a plane immediately after settling the case," Sergio said. "I sent you an email."
    "It is past time you talked to the guy, Roman." Alan's expression was determined when he brought back the topic at hand. "If you tell him abo—"
    Roman's stopped his friend's unsolicited advice with a gesture of his hand. "You have no say in this, Alan."
    "Opera guy is the fifth guy you've rejected in the past—"
    "And neither do you, Sergio," he barked. "I would really appreciate it if you guys stayed out of my romantic life."
    "You have no romantic life to speak of, man." Alan rolled his eyes. "That's why we're trying to give you one."
    "Do you really think we're going to watch you find faults in one man after the other until you turn sixty and your life is over?" Sergio sat on the corner of his desk and folded his arms over his chest. "Obviously you're still stuck on Derrick after months of avoiding him. Why not talk to him?"
    "And tell him what's going on," Alan added.
    "Forget what he said to you before," Sergio continued. "And allow him to clarify his position on the matter of sharing his life with a not entirely-healthy partner."
    "I know his position on the matter," Roman grunted. He'd never forget how he felt when Derrick all but said that was something he'd never consider. "And saying I'm not entirely-healthy is just your way of being generous."
    "People say shit they don't really mean all the time," Sergio noted.
    Roman glared at the men that, more than his business partners, were like his brothers. He loved them to death, but sometimes he wanted to knock some sense into them. "You two need to mind your own business," he repeated tiredly. "How many times do I have to tell you that nothing Derrick may say will change the situation?"
    He swallowed hard. Saying Derrick's name was as difficult as seeing him without having time to prepare for it. It twisted his insides and left him breathless.
    "It will change if you only give him a chance," Sergio argued. "This doesn't have to be the end of the road for the two of you. You're a smart man, Roman. You should know that."
    "He doesn't feel the same way," Roman said through clenched teeth. "He spent his childhood watching his mother die. He's afraid of going through a similar situation again. I— Fuck!" He rubbed his face and took a deep breath. "Do you really think I would've given up the opportunity to be with him if I thought we had a chance? I waited years to approach him."
    "And now you've spent months hiding from him," Sergio's retort came immediately. "You're too scared to take a chance."
    Yes, he was scared of getting rejected by Derrick, but there was more to his refusal to approach him. It wouldn't be fair to put Derrick in a position he'd already stated he wouldn't want to be in. But more importantly, it wouldn't be fair to put him at risk.  
    Roman closed his eyes and took deep, calming breaths. "I can't let myself hope," he croaked, looking at Sergio. "I can't do this to him."
    "Then by all means, give up on being with the man you were fucking ready to ask to move in with you after only three days of talking to him in Central Park." Sergio's almost black eyes were so damn unnerving when he answered they almost made Roman squirm.  
    "You need to talk to him," Alan insisted, ignoring Roman's plea for them to drop the subject. Out of the three of them, Alan had always been the reckless one.
    "And tell him what?" Roman mumbled. "I don't even know what's going to happen to me."
    Sergio squeezed Roman's shoulder. "I can't pretend to know how deeply this has affected you, but not everything is black or white. Your life isn't over, Roman, and there's a chance Derrick won't