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any regrets for leaving Abe behind, that he realized sometimes things just were . It wasn’t Abe’s fault that Ty wasn’t in love with him, and it wasn’t Tyler’s fault that he wanted something different. It just was . Nobody’s fault, just fact.
    Abe let out a relieved breath. This was just another example. Yes, the two of them had burned up the sheets, but Geoff already had someone else in mind, if not yet in reality. The fact was that Geoff was preoccupied by his former love before he and Abe met. And it wasn’t surprising that hearing from this Jesse guy would make Geoff wonder “what if?” and “maybe now?”
    Abe just needed to remember to keep it casual, taking his lead from Geoff and just having fun with it. No more imagining some emotional connection just because they were smoking hot in bed together. Just because every conversation they had seemed completely natural didn’t mean that they would get along permanently.
    No more thinking that he’s the sweetest, sexiest, most complete package to get thrown your way in… oh, your whole life?
    Shut up, you’re going to be late for dinner.
     
    *  *  *
    Abe smacked himself on the forehead with the palm of his hand. Could you get any more pathetic, you twit? 
    For the past three days, he had spent nearly every non-working moment with Geoff. Even now, just the thought of him was enough to make him melt into a puddle of goo. You are so whipped. And he doesn’t even know you’re alive. Well, maybe that wasn’t quite accurate. Geoff knew he was alive; he just refused to see the forest for the trees, so intent was he upon his lame-ass first boyfriend. Abe was just an available fuck in the meantime.
    Available? That’s one way of putting it, you slut. “Oh, shut up,” Abe muttered to himself, drawing a startled look from the vendor he was signing off on a delivery from. “Sorry,” he spoke up. “Here you go.” He tipped his usual friendly smile at the man before turning around and keeping it pasted to his face as he worked his way to his office at the back of the salon.
    They were both leaving on Friday, tomorrow, Geoff to his hometown and the blast from his past, and Abe to drive to his parents’ home for the weekend to celebrate the Hanukkah Sabbath with his dad and an early Christmas with his mom.
    This was the last night they were going to be together, Abe knew, and the realization hit him like a ton of bricks. His heart was dying a little as he admitted the truth at last. He had fallen in love. Him! What a joke. 
    Abe had skipped unscathed through relationships all his adult life, only to be brought low in three short days by a sweet, conflicted, misguided man who had no idea how damn hot he was, who thought of Abe as a casual fling, who was fixated on a faulty memory, and who thought he was heading off to ride into the sunset with said memory, possibly getting his own heart broken in the process. And Abe couldn’t do a damn thing to stop it.
    What a cock-up! Abe thought as he viscously sent a pile of paperwork flying and fluttering to floor of his office. Crap. He knelt and started to half-heartedly straighten the papers before stopping, his insides churning, tears welling in his eyes. He dropped to sit, leaning back against the desk as he battled in vain the alien emotions roiling within him.
    Abe sat that way on the floor of his office for what seemed like hours. His eyes were red and tender and his ass was sore from sitting by the time he was motivated enough to stand, disregarding the mess he had made, deciding to call it a day instead. He walked out through the salon, ignoring everyone except his assistant, Lula, who he knew wouldn’t let herself be ignored.
    “I’m heading home. Can you lock up tonight?”
    Lula looked concerned, “Are you okay? Did you get some bad news?”
    This whole week has been bad news. “No, nothing like that. I just don’t feel well.”
    “Awww, you poor thing.” She patted his arm. “You just go on