Page 69 of Total Creative Control

He glanced at his watch. Five minutes to ten. It was time he headed down for the meeting. Charlie hated lateness, and God knew Lewis needed to stay on his good side after bailing on dinner last night. Yet Lewis found himself delaying, putting off the awful moment when he’d have to knock on Aaron’s door and watch him pretend that none of this had happened.

Which made no sense because that was exactly what Lewis wanted him to do, what they both needed to do to get back to normal. The alternative was unthinkable.

“Get a fucking grip,” he told the empty room.

Checking himself in the mirror before he left, he was satisfied with what he saw. Despite Charlie’s insistence on casual dress, Lewis had put on a suit this morning. He’d brought it because he never knew what to expect at Safehaven, and he was bloody glad he had. The suit put him back in control. It made a statement to Charlie that Lewis wasn’t going to play his game, and it made a statement to Aaron too—that the line they’d so carelessly trampled last night was firmly back in place. That there was no expectation of a repeat performance.

Although the prospect of never being able to—

He cut the thought off before it could fully form and tugged at his shirt cuffs. Perhaps the suit made him look a little severe, but so much the better. This meeting, both the imminent one with Aaron, and the dreaded one with Charlie, would be tough. Lewis needed his armour in place.

Even so, his heart was slugging heavily when he left his room and stopped outside Aaron’s door. His skin prickled, and he knew, justknew, that Aaron stood on the other side of the door waiting for him to knock. He could almost feel him through the flimsy wood.

Lifting his hand, he took a steadying breath and rapped firmly.

Nothing happened.Shit. Stomach in freefall, he waited. And waited. Still nothing. Maybe Aaron had already gone down? Maybe he didn’t want to open the door, didn’t want to see Lewis?

Or maybe he’d left.

His chest tightened in panic. “Aaron?” he called sharply. He’d just lifted his hand to knock again when the door flew open, leaving him with his arm raised as Aaron bustled out, busying himself with his phone, his key, the messenger bag he was flinging over one shoulder.

“Uh,” Lewis managed, unexpectedly short of breath and useful words.

Fuck, Aaron looked good. He wore a slim-fitting blue shirt and dark trousers that flattered his slender frame. Like Lewis, he was dressed for business. Unlike Lewis, his expression was perfectly calm, perfectly professional.

And he didn’t meet Lewis’s eyes once.

“Toni said we should collect her on the way down,” Aaron said as he locked his door. “Safety in numbers, apparently.” He began to walk toward her room, not waiting for Lewis. “I checked, and there’ll be breakfast in the meeting. At least, there’ll be coffee. I can’t vouch for what Charlie considers acceptable breakfast food.”

Aaron was in hyper-efficient professional mode, and it stung like a slap, compounding Lewis’s fear that he’d lost something precious last night. Anxiety churned in the pit of his stomach as he hurried to catch up. “I doubt we’ll get a decent bacon roll,” he said desperately, offering a hopeful smile.

Look at me, he begged silently.Smile at me.

But Aaron ignored the comment, reaching into his bag and pulling out a slim folder. He handed it over. “A clean copy of the US pitch,” he said. “I thought it might be useful. I put a summary of the main talking points at the front.”

Lewis took it miserably. “Thanks,” he said. “My copy’s covered in red pen.”

“Yes,” Aaron agreed as they reached Toni’s door. Stiffly, he knocked, eyes front and centre, staring at the door as if willing it to open.

It didn’t.

Silence grew between them, agonisingly awkward because yesterday—any day in the three years they’d known each other—the silence would have been comfortable. Or, at worst, unremarkable. But this morning it blared loud as a klaxon.

Warning! Warning! Everything’s fucked up!

Lewis couldn’t bear it. “Aaron, listen,” he said, just as Toni flung her door wide open.

“Well, this is it. I hope you—” Her face fell, and she eyed them warily. “What’s wrong? What’s happened?”

“Nothing,” they chorused. It couldn’t have sounded more suspicious if they’d scripted it.

Toni frowned as she looked between them both. “Okaaay,” she said warily, drawing out the word. “And did I miss the memo about business dress? Because you both look very office-like this morning.”

Lewis shook his head. “No memo. This just felt…” Instinctively, he glanced at Aaron for support, only to find him fiddling with his phone. Sighing, he said, “It felt more appropriate today.”

If anything, Toni looked more wary. “Meaning what?”

“Meaning we’re going into battle, so I’m wearing my best armour.”