12 Chapter 12

Days went by, and Ethan just kept dealing with all his confusing thoughts - about Rob and Julia and his supposed sexuality - by hitting the bars after work. It got to the point where the bartender at The Shack didn't even need to wait for Ethan to order. Once the bartender spotted Ethan coming through the doors and making a beeline for his favourite seat at the bar, he would immediately reach for the bottle of JD and pour him a triple, neat. And so Ethan drank until he'd forget Rob's kind smile, or Julia's accusing eyes.

She hadn't called him since their break-up, and her best friend Krista had turned up at Ethan's door with a hostile glare and a box full of his stuff that he'd left at Julia's. So many times he was on the brink of texting Julia, just to check in on her, but he knew it would just hurt her all the more if he tried to remain in her life.

Out of guilt, Ethan had avoided Rob's calls and not replied to any of his increasingly concerned emails and texts. He knew Rob could tell whenever Ethan was down or in trouble, and he didn't want to distract Rob from his weight loss efforts. So Ethan just kept his troubles to himself and headed for the bars the moment the clock turned 5pm. He drank so much that he was usually still hungover at work the next day, hiding away in his cubicle and hoping O'Leary wouldn't come over to make fun of him.

There was one day Ethan was so hungover that when his phone buzzed on his desk, he automatically picked it up and slid the green 'Answer' button. "Shaw."

"Ethan?" Rob's worried voice made Ethan sit up in a panic. "Are you okay?"

Shit! Ethan was so out of it that he had forgotten to check his screen before answering. "Hey, man. Y-yeah, I'm sorry, I know I've been quiet. It's just been a really fucked up week."

"What happened?" The concern in Rob's voice made Ethan's throat tighten.

Ethan rubbed his temples with a low sigh. He couldn't hide from Rob forever. "Hang on a second." Ethan stood up, making his way to the breakroom which was currently empty. He didn't want everyone out there listening to the sad tale of his pathetic love life.

Once he'd closed the door, he took a seat at a table in the corner. "Jules and I broke up."

There was a sharp gasp on the other end of the line. "Shit, are you serious?"

"Yeah, I--" Ethan let his head slump against the wall with a soft thud. "It kinda came out of nowhere."

"Are you okay?" Rob asked. "Need me to fly back home?"

Ethan was stunned. Even when Rob was trying to better his own life, he still placed Ethan first. "What? No, man, no. Stay at the ranch. Don't bother about me."

"Don't ever say that," Rob said, his voice sharp. "I care about you, Ethan. You're important."

To Ethan's horror, his eyes filled with tears. All the rampant emotions he'd been bottling up or trying to drink away since both Rob and Julia left him were now on the brink of breaking free. "Rob--"

"Look, why don't you take a break?" Rob said kindly. "Come up to Montana and visit me. The fresh country air will do some good to a slick city boy like you."

Ethan couldn't help his watery laugh. "Idiot." But actually, Rob was right. Now was really the best time for Ethan to take a break and get away for a while. "Sure, when's a good time to come?"

"How's next Saturday?"

"Cool." Ethan was actually smiling again. "I'll use up some of my PTO. How long can I stay?"

"Hell, stay as long as you want." Rob sounded really happy again. "You can bunk with me, as long as you don't mind my snoring."

"I'll bring earplugs."

In the background, Ethan could hear someone yelling Rob's name. "Hey, I gotta go," Rob said regretfully. "Time for more torture and punishment."

"Woohoo," Ethan said in a deadpan voice as Rob laughed. "Alright bud, don't kill yourself."

"We'll settle the details over text and email, yeah?"

Once they said goodbye, Ethan stared at his phone screen while Rob hung up, staring at his bright smile on his profile picture.

He really couldn't wait to see Rob again.