Endless, Forever (21 page)

Chapter Twenty-Six

Never in his life would Oliver have the sort of thrill he felt zinging up his spine when he burst out of the building where his father, brother, and boyfriend waited.  He had done well, only slipped a handful of times.  The entire board treated him as a colleague rather than a person under extreme scrutiny, and he knew that he’d wowed them.

He was grinning wider than he ever had, his cheeks aching as he stumbled into Sam’s arms.  His taller boyfriend lifted him by the waist, spinning him a little and sharing a kiss in spite of the audience.  Oliver didn’t mind at all.  The lips were warm and added to his feeling of success and triumph.

“So, I take it the whole thing went well?” Sam asked in his ear.

Oliver couldn’t help his laugh.  “Very, extremely well, my darling.”

Sam palmed Oliver’s cheek before letting him slip to the ground.  “I’m so proud of you.”

Oliver felt his face go a little warm as he turned to his father and brother.  Ren was smiling, looking as terse as ever, but there was a softness when he extended his hand.  “Congratulations, Oliver.”

Oliver ignored the formality of the sentiment as he placed his hand in his father’s, still unable to get rid of his wide smile.  “Thank you.  I can’t believe how well that went.”

Leo offered him a quick hug before they were ushered off to Ren’s hired car, and clambered into the back.  The restaurant Ren chose was one of the more posh ones in the city, a private room reserved in the back for the four of them, along with a handful of Ren’s associates.

The talk at the table was mostly business, though Oliver was able to recount a few of the memorable moments during his defense.  Eventually, though, he tuned out the conversation in favor of drinking a gin and wrapping his foot around Sam’s leg under the table.

“Hey, when we get home tonight, I have a gift for you,” Sam muttered quietly, leaning into Oliver.

“Is it a naked sort of gift?” Oliver asked.

Leo choked a little on his drink and rolled his eyes.  “Really, you two?”

Oliver glanced around the table, then laughed.  “No one’s listening.”

Sam smiled too, reaching over to put his hand on Oliver’s thigh.  “Part of it might be, but there’s something else.  And something I want to ask you.”

“You’re not proposing, are you?” Oliver asked, only half joking.  The last thing he wanted to deal with was the idea of marriage barely three weeks into living with a boyfriend for the first time.

Sam, however, laughed and shook his head.  “No, love.  Nothing like that.”

Oliver visibly relaxed, leaning into Sam a little, and eventually was drawn into a conversation about his upcoming future.

“Ever think about going into publishing?” one of the associates—Bernard or Brandon, he couldn’t quite remember—asked.

Oliver shrugged.  “Dunno.  I mean, journalism is alright, but it’s easy to become disillusioned by the media.”

“Well you know, you’ve got a decent resource here,” he winked at Ren.  “Nepotism and all that.  And it’s hardly that really, if you take your degree into account.”

Oliver hummed.  “I hadn’t really thought.  But I reckon it would be something to consider.”

Ren nodded tersely and steered the questions in another direction as a small dessert was brought around.  When it was over and they were enjoying a brandy, Ren leaned over toward Leo, and got Oliver’s attention.

“Would you join me outside for a quick smoke?”

Oliver blinked in surprised, but nodded.  They rose, and he gave Sam a ‘help me’ look before he followed his father out the front doors and to the side of the building.  Ren pulled out a pack of cigarettes and handed one over, along with a slim, silver lighter.

“I didn’t know you smoked,” Oliver said, taking a long drag and passing the lighter back.

“On rare occasions.”  Ren lit his own, leaning against the wall for a moment and regarded his son.  “You look like me.”

Oliver choked a little on his drag, and lifted a brow at his father.  It was true, he had more of his father’s features than he did his mother’s.  No one had ever mistaken his Japanese heritage, and he couldn’t count how many times people assumed his mother had adopted him and Leo.  But not growing up with his father around, he hadn’t ever given it much thought.  He never had anyone to relate to, to understand what it was like growing up in London with the mannerisms of a well-bred English boy, without the look to match it.

“Reckon I do.”  It was all he could say to that, really, and Ren offered no follow-up.

The father and son enjoyed half their smoke before either of them spoke again, and when Ren opened his mouth, the words were startling.  “I want to offer you a job.”

Oliver blinked at him.  “Is this because of what your mate in there said?  I don’t need nepotism and…”

“It’s hardly nepotism when you qualify for the position,” Ren said, waving his hand dismissively.  “I’ve several openings for editors, and of course I will not deny it’s a small attempt to make up for my lack of presence in your life.”

Oliver drew his tongue over his bottom lip.  “Is it the California or the New York office?”

“San Francisco.  You’d be working on fiction, working in the office.  You’d have an editing pseudonym of course.  No one would know you were my son, if that’s a concern of yours.”

Oliver hummed.  “You don’t even know if I’d be any good at it.”

Ren chuckled.  “Fair enough, but I owe you the opportunity to try.  You and your brother have impressed me immensely.  The offer stands.  I would of course provide an apartment, and Leo is welcome to come along and finish out his graduate degree there if he feels he’s ready to make this sort of change.”

Licking his lips, Oliver dropped the cigarette on the ground and watched the red cherry fade out before crushing it with his shoe.  “What if I wanted to bring Sam with me?”

Ren looked vaguely surprised, but gave a small shrug.  “It’s your life, Oliver.  If he makes you happy…”

He doesn’t
, was Oliver’s first reaction, but he knew it was knee-jerk.  He was enjoying living with Sam.  He cared about him.  Maybe he didn’t love him just yet, but there was something there.  He could feel it.  “I’d like to at least ask him.”

“You don’t need to tell me now, you know.  Take time, enjoy and celebrate your victory.”  Ren dropped his own cigarette, then reached out and gave Oliver’s shoulder a squeeze.  “I really am proud of you.  I always have been.  I’ll forever regret not letting you know before now.”

Oliver felt something squeeze around his heart, but he didn’t allow himself to do anything other than smile.  “Thank you.  I…that means a lot.”

Ren nodded, and beckoned him back inside.  As Oliver took a seat, he looked over at Sam who was chatting to one of Ren’s colleagues, laughing and shaking his head, and Oliver knew right then he was going to take his father up on the offer.  It was too appealing.  He appreciated London for helping him get well, to work past all of his pain, and to see his brother better, but it wasn’t home anymore.  Maybe it never had been.

The idea of moving back to California, being near the pacific again, created an almost physical ache.  He knew he could be happy there, with Leo safe, and with Sam by his side.  He’d just have to ask and hope Sam would understand why he needed this so badly.

When he closed his eyes and remembered the smells and sounds of the place he still thought of as home, he only caught a brief glimpse of dark curls and dimples.

***

They didn’t get home until late.  The three of them were exhausted, Leo excusing himself before Oliver had a chance to bring up the job offer, but he knew there was time for that later.  He knew with Leo, moving back to California wouldn’t be a hard sell.  For now, he was happy to be home, able to take off the uncomfortable suit, and fall face-first onto the bed.

Sam joined him a few moments later, running his palm up and down Oliver’s spine.  “Good day, yeah?”

With a small laugh, Oliver turned his face to his boyfriend.  “Yeah, not bad.  I mean, as days go.  Thanks for being there with me.  It meant a lot.”

“I wouldn’t have been anywhere else,” Sam said, and leaned forward to press a kiss on the tip of Oliver’s nose.  “You too tired for a chat?”

With a small yawn, Oliver shook his head and grinned.  “Nah, that’s fine.  I believe you owe me some gifts.”  He waggled his eyebrows with a small laugh.  “Also, there was something I wanted to talk to you about, too.”

“You’re not going to propose, are you?” Sam joked.

“Oh sod off.  You’d say yes if I asked.”

“Yes,” Sam deadpanned, making Oliver flinch.  “But I’ve never been particularly interested in marriage, so no need to worry your pretty head.”

“Pretty, is it?” Oliver quipped, trying to lighten the mood.

Sam leaned in again to press kisses along the one cheek not smashed against the duvet.  “The prettiest.  So, you want to go first?  Unless you’re breaking up with me again, of course.”

Oliver laughed once more.  “Not this time.  It’s actually kind of a big thing, really.  Bigger than anything we’ve done so far.”  He cleared his throat, then pushed up, propping himself up on his forearms to better look at his boyfriend.  “My dad offered me a job today.”

Sam blinked, then grinned.  “At his publishing company?”

Oliver nodded.  “Proper job and everything.  As an editor.  And well, I think I’d like to take it.”

“But that’s brilliant,” Sam said, his grin widening.  “I know it seems like nepotism, but you’d be really good at it.”

Oliver’s cheeks pinked a little.  “Dunno about that but…I think I could be alright.  That’s not…that’s not entirely it, though.”

“Okay,” Sam said very slowly.  “What else?”

Taking a breath, Oliver closed his eyes, not willing to see Sam’s initial reaction.  “It’s in California.  San Francisco, actually.”

There was a pause long enough for Oliver to crack one eye open and peer at Sam.  “So it’s not…you can’t work from here?  Or well, anywhere?”

“No,” Oliver replied softly.  “I’d have to work in an office and everything.  I wanted…I was hoping,” he tried, taking a breath to relax himself and gather the courage he needed.  “I wanted to ask you to come with me.”

Sam made a small noise in the back of his throat, then cleared it.  “Come to
California
?  To the States?  To
live
?”

Feeling anger begin to prickle along the back of his neck, Oliver pushed himself to sitting.  “Yes.  You know, it’s not nearly as horrible as you might think.  I mean, it’s not London, but it’s not total shit, either.  I liked it there.”

“Yeah, but you were also completely fucked up at the time,” Sam blurted, then stopped himself.  “I’m sorry, Ollie, I didn’t mean it like that.”

Startled almost physically by the statement, Oliver reared back.  “How
did
you mean it, then?”

“I meant,” Sam tried, keeping his tone steady and slow, “that I assumed you sort of got over that phase in your life.”

“
Phase
in my life,” Oliver repeated.

“Yes.  The running from your past, rebelling against your family phase.  What’s wrong with London?”

“It’s not home,” Oliver said sharply.  “I don’t…I never intended on
staying
here.”  He blinked rapidly for a moment, then curled his arms around his legs, pulling his knees to his chest defensively.  “What did
you
want to talk to me about tonight, then?”

“Well,” Sam said, and pushed himself up to sit against the wall, “I got a job offer as well.”

Oliver blinked, saying nothing.

“It’s in Cardiff.”

“Wales,” Oliver echoed.  “You got a job offer in Wales.  You didn’t tell me you were applying for another job.”

“Neither did you,” Sam retorted, sounding angry for the first time since Oliver had known him.

“I
didn’t
apply for another job,” Oliver defended.  “My dad offered it to me at dinner tonight.”

“Yet you just said you weren’t planning on staying in London.  When were you planning to leave?”

Oliver swallowed.  “I hadn’t given it much thought.  You only moved in a few weeks ago, and I wasn’t sure where we were headed.”

“Right,” Sam said, breathing out heavy and hard.  “So the answer to Wales is no, is it?”

“I’m not moving to sodding
Cardiff
,” Oliver said only a little meanly.

Sam let out a bitter chuckle.  “And yet you expect me to pack up and move to bloody California without a job prospect, without any idea of how to make a living, or anything?  Do you realize how hard it is to get approved for a visa?  And what if I don’t find something in enough time?  Did any of that occur to you?”

“No,” Oliver blurted.  “He made the offer
tonight
, not weeks ago.  I wasn’t planning on moving you in here, only to spring a bloody move to another country three shitting weeks later.”