Stay With Him Read online

  Contents

  Copyright

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Other Work

  Stay With Him

  By Seb Taylor

  Copyright © 2020 by Seb Taylor

  All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Written by Seb Taylor

  Chapter 1

  Mike

  I stared at the screen, eyes red rimmed from lack of sleep as my fingers tapped away at the keyboard. The blinking numbers flashed for a second as I processed the stock levels, taking in a long breath as I fought the fatigue that slowly sank in.

  Taking a long drink of coffee, I glanced across the office at the CCTV unit, watching as Liam scanned the stock, looking just as tired as I felt. We’d been working on the stocktake for hours now and I knew we were both ready to crash.

  It was always the same, a long day at work followed by an even longer evening sorting the stock out. Luckily, I had Liam to keep me company through most of it.

  He was one of the best assistant managers I could have asked for, doing a great job, but even better, helping to keep me sane. He’d worked for me for about two years and in that time we’d become good friends.

  We both shared a lot of the same interests, and working together so closely had helped us to form a bond. That bond felt as if it had grown into something more, but I could never quite put my finger on it.

  Whenever he was around I just felt comfortable, but the ache in my stomach suggested there was something so much more. He was the first thing I thought about when I woke up, and the last thing I thought of before falling asleep.

  What I was feeling was completely alien to me, and the more I tried to figure it out, the more confused I became. I knew that it was just the comfort I took in being close to him, but lately things felt a little more intense.

  I tried to tell myself that it was just our friendship, but I knew that I was telling myself a lie.

  Letting out a long sigh I chuckled to myself, standing up and stretching my legs. It was laughable to think that I actually had romantic feelings for my best friend, but there it was, as clear as day if I would just accept what I was feeling.

  Denial was the easiest route, the one I was taking despite how much I wanted to just confess my feelings. There was no way I could be honest with him, not if I wanted our relationship to stay as it was.

  To make matters worse I was keeping a secret from him.

  Recently I’d been offered a promotion, but it came with a caveat. I’d need to relocate, and that meant leaving the store I loved and my best friend behind.

  It was an opportunity that I could pass up. Not only would I be able to progress my career, but I couldn’t help but think that I’d have the chance to escape these feelings. Putting space between us both seemed like a sensible idea.

  The move would hurt at first, but over time those feelings would die down and everything would return to normal. Or at least, that’s what I told myself.

  Trying my best not to think about it again, I focused my attention on the stocktake, clicking away at buttons on the computer as I assigned stock levels. I needed to tell Liam the truth, that I’d soon be leaving, but I just couldn’t figure out the best way to bring it up.

  After about half an hour he rejoined me, walking into the office and folding his arms as he leant against the desk.

  “How’s it looking?” He asked.

  I glanced in his direction and felt my heartbeat quicken. He looked so good, his green eyes so full of energy despite how tired we both were. He had short brown hair and shadowy stubble lining his strong jaw.

  As he folded his arms I found myself appreciating how well toned he was. When I’d first met Liam he had been well built, but lately he seemed to be getting a lot stronger, spending most of his free time in the gym.

  I certainly had no complaints there. He was incredibly good looking and now he looked even more amazing than ever

  “Getting there,” I said slowly, looking back at the computer.

  I only had a few more bits to complete and then we would be done, but I knew that the system took forever to process everything. The thing was old and out of date, but it was all we had to get the work done.

  “That’s good because I need sleep,” he chuckled. “I swear this takes longer and longer every time we do it.”

  Grinning to myself I nodded. He wasn’t wrong about that. We were either getting slower or the system was.

  “I think these computers are going to give up sometime soon,” I mumbled. “Do you reckon it snowed?”

  Glancing up at Liam I saw him grin, blushing ever so slightly. He’d been going on all day about how it was forecast to snow, but there hadn’t even been the slightest hint of it when we’d started the stocktake.

  “Hey, you might be surprised,” he mumbled.

  Chuckling under my breath I got back to work, finalizing the last bits.

  We didn’t say much else as I finished off the stock and then I let the system do its thing. As we waited, we left the office and went into the staffroom, grabbing a final coffee.

  Liam handed me a mug, his eyes meeting mine and I felt my heart leap for joy, that irritating feeling taking hold again.

  What was it that had me so captivated lately? I didn’t have a clue when these feelings had started, but the longer I let them rage in my head the harder things got between us.

  There was no way I could talk to him about how I was feeling. Not only would it be highly inappropriate, but it would also risk our friendship and nothing in the world was worth that.

  As soon as we finished our drinks we walked back into the office, both of us letting out a sigh of relief when we saw the system had done its thing, singling that we could finally go home.

  “Right, let’s go,” I said, pleased for the chance to escape.

  We grabbed our jackets and locked the building up, stepping out into a blanket of white. My eyes went wide when I saw how much the snow had settled, a thick layer of the ice lining the street, flutterings flakes still falling all around.

  “Fuck, when did this happen?” Liam chuckled, sounding amused beside me.

  He looked at me, waiting for me to say something, the amusement clear in his expression. I’d been teasing him all day, pointing out how unlikely it was to snow, but there it was right in front of us.

  Our office was in the heart of the building so there were no windows, the snowfall coming as a complete surprise.

  “Well, this is a problem,” I said, grabbing my phone to check the traffic home.

  Clicking the screen I felt my heart sink. Everything was gridlocked and there was no way I was going to make it anytime soon, especially if the snow kept on coming.

  “Not looking good?” Liam asked.

  I shook my head and sighed, trying to figure out what on earth I was going to do. There was no way I could drive in this and I definitely couldn’t walk back to mine. I could always stay in the shop and wait for things to blow over, but it didn’t show any signs of stopping.

  “Stay at mine if you want?” Liam suggested.

  His words made sense, but a little part of me was screaming at me to say no. I’d spent plenty of nights at his before, but those
were before I’d developed these new feelings. I wasn’t sure how I’d be, but there weren’t many options open to me right then.

  “Sounds like a plan,” I answered. “Thanks Liam.”

  He shrugged and took a step out into the snow, almost slipping over before I caught him. His body pressed against mine as I helped him back to his feet, the pair of us laughing loudly as we made our way out into the night.

  I really did have feelings for him, there was no denying that, but I could never let them get in the way of what we already shared. That friendship was more important to me than anything else in the world, and no matter what else I wanted us to be, I needed to control myself around him.

  Besides, I only needed to last a little longer and then I’d be moving away, putting all of this behind me. Once I’d left this life behind I’d soon get past these feelings, but until then I just needed to keep my emotions under control.

  Staying at his was going to put those feelings to test, pushing my control to the limits, but I knew I could handle it. Or so I hoped.

  Chapter 2

  Liam

  I couldn’t believe how cold it was outside. The moment we got back to my flat I made sure the heating was on full blast, rubbing my arms to try and fight the cold that was seeping in.

  The walk back to mine had been treacherous, my feet sipping beneath me on a number of occasions. Luckily Mike had caught me that first time otherwise I’d have fallen flat on my ass.

  The memory of his arms holding me up stole back into my mind, making my heart race as if it were happening all over again. He was so strong, much stronger than I’d expected, but it was the feeling of his breath on the back of my neck that had really set me off.

  It was late and I was ready to curl up in bed, but having Mike back at mine gave me another surge of energy. He was great fun to be around, and until the place warmed up I knew there wasn’t even the slightest chance I’d fall asleep.

  Walking over to the kitchen I grabbed myself and Mike a drink, turning slowly to look at my boss and best friend. He was tall and incredibly well built, with short dark hair and hazel eyes that seemed to look right through me. When he smiled I felt my chest tighten, his handsome face far too good to be true.

  It was odd how quickly we’d gotten to know each other, hitting it off almost from day one, but since then we’d grown so much closer.

  When he’d started in the business he had taken the team by storm, his personality infectious, his energy always brimming over. The whole team had fallen in love with him and I had to admit that I’d been caught up in that feeling.

  Whenever he was around things just felt better. He had a vision that cut through any of the issues we were facing and we all appreciated that, me more than most.

  It had been a rough few years in the business, with cuts being made to our staffing and fewer and fewer customers walking in through the front door. At one stage I’d been looking for something new, but when Mike showed up he helped to revitalize me, getting me back on board with a job I’d grown to hate.

  Now we were closer than colleagues, two best friends who spent most of our time together inside and outside of work. I loved spending my evenings with him, just chatting and doing stupid things. We often went to the movies or played video games together, and over time that friendship had blossomed.

  I tried not to think about it too much, worried that if I did then I would need to accept what really lurked beneath the surface. As much as I’d tried to deny how I was feeling, I knew that deep down what I wanted was to be more than friends.

  When that longing had kicked in was beyond me, but when I so much as glanced in his direction I felt the burning need to be with him flare to life.

  It seemed like such a silly thing to crave. I knew all too well that it could never happen, but it didn’t stop me craving it. He was perfect for me and I knew that we made a great team, but he’d never shown any interest in me romantically.

  “I can’t believe how much snow has fallen,” Mike said, staring out of the window into the street below.

  He turned to look at me, smiling in the dim light. His handsome features made me ache even more for him, his dark hair tumbling across his forehead, strong arms bulging as he folded them across his huge chest.

  Mike was a mountain of a man, tall and strong, even more muscular than I was. I often hit the gym and I knew that he was the same, that body of his dancing to life in my dreams at night.

  He’d been teasing me all day about the chance of snow, telling me to stop checking the weather, but now the joke was on him.

  “Yeah, it’s crazy,” I said, walking over to where he stood. “I did warn you though.”

  I handed him his drink and looked out into the darkness, just about making out the blanket of snow that lined the streets. It really was coming down hard, the blizzard kicking into full force.

  “Yeah you did,” he chuckled. “But when do I ever listen to you?”

  “Good point,” I shot back. “Maybe it’s time you started?”

  He laughed a little louder, the sound of his amusement string my excitement. I hated that we were so close and could never be anything more than what we already were. I would have killed for the chance to be with him, but I was just teasing myself thinking about it.

  “You reckon we’ll be able to get out in the morning?” I asked.

  He shrugged beside me.

  “Maybe,” he said, sounding very unsure. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen it this bad before.”

  I had to agree. We’d had flutterings of snow before, but nothing like this. If it kept on falling all night then I knew that it would be almost impossible for us to get to work. Not that was a bad thing.

  Suddenly my mind was full of the fantasy of the pair of us being stuck in all day, wrapped up warm together, but as soon as I thought it I banished it from my mind.

  I’d had so many similar fantasies before, but they could only ever be that. Mike didn’t feel the same, that much was obvious, and even if he did, I wasn’t sure I would actually do anything about it.

  We were such good friends, and risking that seemed like the most stupid idea in the world.

  “Well, if we don’t freeze to death in the night I guess we’ll find out in the morning,” Mike chuckled. “Thanks again for letting me stay.”

  “Could hardly let you freeze to death could I?” I teased.

  “True, although I wouldn’t put it past you.”

  We stood around talking for a little while longer when we finally decided to call it a night. We were both exhausted from a long day at work, and as much as I wanted to stay up talking, I knew that I couldn’t last much longer.

  I grabbed a blanket from the wardrobe and brought it out for Mike, insisting that he take the bed, but of course he refused. Before I could leave, he began to undress himself, pulling his top off and stretching his arms.

  My eyes bulged in my head and I froze in place, unable to move for a few seconds as I drank the sight of him in. It was warm in my flat by that point, and the moment I saw him in a state of undress I felt my heart racing.

  His muscular body was even better than I could have imagined, thick arms like tree trunks as his biceps curled. The strength in his chest took my breath away, and his rock hard abs left me feeling a little jealous.

  He was easily the best looking guy I’d ever seen, and right then I wanted to tell him that. I wanted to confess how I was feeling, to let it all out, but instead I just said goodnight, turning as quickly as I could when my body finally obeyed my commands.

  Slinking away into the safety of my bedroom I got ready for bed, unable to shake the thought of my best friend in the room beyond. The image of his body floated to life again in my mind, only this time it was fueled by the memory from just a few minutes ago.

  Slipping beneath the covers I thought about how much I wanted him. It still surprised me what I wanted, a relationship, something that would last. It had been so long since I’d had anything serious, but I coul
dn’t shake the thought that Mike was the guy for me.

  Sighing, I tried to get some sleep, knowing it was fruitless to fall further down that path.

  No matter what I wanted it was never going to happen. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d actually wanted a relationship, but with Mike around I felt whole. It was a part of me I’d never known was missing, but now I knew how much I needed it, how much I wanted it.

  Eventually sleep came, dragging me down into the depths of my dreams, but even in my dreams I couldn’t escape from my best friend.

  Chapter 3

  Mike

  I wasn’t sure how long I slept for but it couldn’t have been more than a few hours when the bitter cold crept in. Waking up in the darkness of Liams living room I hugged the blanket a little closer around me, shivering in the cold of his apartment.

  At first I thought it was just me overreacting, but the cold didn’t subside, leading me to stumble in the darkness in search of the heating controls. My fingers felt numb and my entire body ached from the cold.

  When I finally found the little panel it didn’t respond.

  Moaning, I walked across the room, the blanket still thrown over my shoulders and flicked the light on, only no light came. Trying the switch again I heard it click, but nothing happened.

  Was the power out?

  I glanced around and noticed nothing but darkness, not even the shining of a single LED, nothing. The pitch black crept in from the windows, no sign of light beyond, suggesting that there was a power outage in the area.

  Not sure what to do, I made my slow way through the dark towards Liams bedroom, stopping just inches from his door. It wasn’t like he could do anything, but I figured it was best to let him know there was an outage just in case he had someone he could call.

  Hesitating, I thought about walking into his room. Normally it wouldn’t have stopped me for more than a second, but then my mind strayed, dipping down into those dreams that continued to haunt me.