Mile High (Up in the Air #2)(7)

CHAPTER FOUR

It took me a long moment to recognize the man, since what I was seeing made no sense to me.

Javier Flores and Stephan were not exactly on friendly terms. Last I had checked, they were closer to bitter exes. The two men hadn’t spoken for over a year. Or so I had thought.

Javier was Stephan’s version of the one that got away.

The two men were as dissimilar physically as they were personality-wise. Though both men were tall and handsome, Stephan was much taller. Javier was maybe an inch shy of six feet. And where Stephan resembled a strapping Abercrombie and Fitch model with his blond good looks, Javier was almost delicate looking. His face was just plain pretty, with perfect, even features, and the thickest eyelashes I’d ever seen. He had jet black hair that hung to his shoulders, falling into his eyes artfully as he tilted his head forward, giving Stephan a wicked sideways smile. He was tall and slender, almost thin. His dark brown eyes were mysterious and lovely, but I had always found them a little cold and distant.

The two men had dated for just a month, over a year ago. It had been an intense month, but it had ended quickly, and badly. Javier had a real problem being Stephan’s secret lover, and he hadn’t tolerated the situation for long. He’d given Stephan an ultimatum; Stop hiding their relationship, or he was out. Javier had been shocked and hurt when Stephan had chosen the latter. He’d been giving Stephan the silent treatment ever since, avoiding him at parties like this. He’d even left the room at the sight of Stephan for several months after the breakup. Stephan had been crushed by the whole thing.

I had understood that Javier was hurt badly, but I still thought he’d been an ass**le about the breakup.

Still, I’d been upset about the breakup as well. Stephan had never looked at any guy the way he looked at Javier, and I’d really hoped, at the beginning, that the relationship would work out for them.

Javier saw me staring at him, and his smiled died a quick death. He’d always been polite and courteous with me, but I’d sensed that I made him wary. Not a lot of people understood the relationship between Stephan and I.

Javier surprised me by striding to me and enveloping me in a soft hug. “I’m so happy to see you well, Bianca.”

I hugged him back automatically. He didn’t let go for some strange reason.

“You don’t hate me, do you?” he whispered in my ear.

I blinked, meeting Stephan’s sheepish eyes over Javier’s shoulder.

“Why would I hate you?” I asked him quietly. He’d thrown me for a loop.

“For being such a bastard to Stephan for so long. My heart was totally broken, but that’s no excuse for the way I treated him. And I wasn’t exactly nice to you. I stopped speaking to you as well, even though none of it was your fault. Stephan even tells me that you defended me, up until I threw a fit at that Valentine’s party and embarrassed myself.”

Javier had been on our crew for the month when he and Stephan had started seeing each other. I had never even given a thought to the fact that Javier hadn’t spoken to me either, since the breakup. All things considered, I had just expected it.

“I know it sounds crazy, but I was jealous of you. I had myself half-convinced that something was going on between the two of you, and that was why Stephan couldn’t seem to commit to being g*y.”

I stiffened. He hugged me tighter, though his hold was still soft. I doubted that the slender man had it in him to be rough.

“I know. Crazy, right?” Javier continued. “But me and Stephan have been talking again. Please, tell me you’re okay with it.”

I nodded, though I wasn’t really sure what to think. Javier’s about-face was just so sudden and unexpected, and Stephan hadn’t said a word. I had just barely caught up with the fact that he wasn’t seeing Melvin anymore.

“Yes, of course. I’m not Stephan’s keeper, contrary to popular belief.”

He kissed my forehead, pulling back to look at me. “I know, but you’re his family. I just want us to be cool.”

His eyes were earnest and pleading now, far from the cool way they usually looked. It gave me hope.

Perhaps he just acted cool, to hide his feelings. I could well understand that.

I smiled at him. It was stiff, but not for lack of effort. “Yes. Okay. I want whatever makes Stephan happy. Always.”

Javier nodded emphatically, finally stepping away from me. “Good. Great. Stephan was worried you wouldn’t like us seeing each other again.”

I sent Stephan a baffled look. He was still watching us, looking distressed.

“He should know better,” I said.

Javier moved back to Stephan. I was floored by what happened next. Stephan threw an arm over Javier’s shoulders, messing up his hair playfully. He released the smaller man almost instantly, but it was still the most affectionate thing I’d ever seen him do in public with another man.

For some reason, I felt my eyes getting moist.

Stephan caught my eye, walking over to me. He pushed me into his chest, leaning down to speak into my ear. “Are you really okay with this?’

“What kind of a question is that?” I asked, my voice muffled against his pale orange polo. “And why is this the first I’m hearing about it?”

He was running a hand up and down my back soothingly. “It was just weird timing. I kept meaning to, but things have been so crazy. I could never find the right time. He actually called me because he heard you’d been hurt, and he wanted to make sure we were both okay. That’s sweet, right?”