Dante vs the Internet by H.L. Holston & Eleanor Bruce

Author:H.L. Holston & Eleanor Bruce [Holston, H.L.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: SH Publishing
Published: 2020-05-05T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter Ten

Chris arrived home before he did. His big SUV parked in the middle of the driveway, leaving Dante no choice but to park in the street. The spiteful move was uncharacteristic of Chris, but then Dante had never pulled such a dumb stunt before, so maybe he deserved it.

He opened the front door cautiously. Chris looked up from his position on the living room floor; he grimaced in Dante’s direction and went back to playing tug-of-war with Pirate. Chris ignored Dante for a solid ten minutes, making his point very effectively by telling the dog -- repeatedly -- what an “asshole” Dante was.

“Are you ever going to talk to me again?”

Chris didn’t reply, instead asked the dog, “Did you hear that, Pirate, because I didn’t.”

A couple more minutes of being ignored and Dante finally broke down. He wasn’t too proud to beg. He dropped down next to Chris on the carpet. “I should have asked you before I announced we were engaged. You didn’t agree to that and I’m the worst friend in the world for blindsiding you.”

Chris didn’t say anything, just threw Pirate’s rope toy into the other room. They watched as Pirate chased down the toy and brought it back to Chris eagerly. The dog’s whole body shook happily, as if to say, “Throw it again!” So, Chris did just that. When the dog ran out of the room a second time, Chris stood up, his lean runner’s legs unfolding, so now he towered over Dante.

“Apology not accepted,” Chris said, coldly. He followed the dog out of the room.

Chris’ words hit him like a bucket of ice water. In the past, Chris had always accepted his apologies. Maybe he’d really gone too far this time. He knew he should just let Chris go and give him some time to calm down, but he couldn’t stop himself from following.

When Dante entered the kitchen, Chris stood in front of the big picture window, arms folded. He stared intently at the kids playing in the yard across the street. His shoulders were hunched up nearly to his ears. Dante reached out, seeking to relieve the tension that Chris obviously felt.

As soon as his hand landed on Chris’ shoulder, the other man jerked away. “Don’t touch me,” Chris spat through his teeth.

“I’m sorry! I was just-”

“No!” Chris held his hand up to forestall any further words. “You think you can do whatever crazy thing pops into your head, then apologize later and everything will be okay.”

He stalked forward until his face was just inches from Dante’s. Dante had never seen Chris so angry. Face red, eyes dark and narrow, he looked to be on the edge of his control. “Well, not this time.”

“Hey, you agreed to this!”

“I agreed to pretend to be your boyfriend! Your boyfriend, Dante, not your fiancé. What the hell were you thinking springing something like this on me in the middle of an autograph signing and not tell me?”

Dante put up his hands in a placating gesture. “Okay, you know I don’t plan shit.

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