Total pages in book: 16
Estimated words: 15318 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 77(@200wpm)___ 61(@250wpm)___ 51(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 15318 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 77(@200wpm)___ 61(@250wpm)___ 51(@300wpm)
Peter smiled. “Thank you, Sam. You’re a lifesaver.”
He hung up and leaned back in his chair, looking at the door. It was 7:19 already. Where the hell was Justin?
As if reading his thoughts, his associate entered the room.
Something inside Peter eased at the sight of him—but he tensed up again when he saw that Justin was carrying a cup of coffee, which he put in front of Peter.
Peter narrowed his eyes. “What did you do?”
Justin blinked innocently. “What do you mean?”
“This.” Peter gestured to the coffee. “If you’re bothering to bribe me, you must have messed something up.”
“I resent that! Can’t I just be nice?”
Peter gave him a flat look.
Justin grinned impishly, plopping into the opposite chair. “Really, Peter. I’m just in a good mood today.”
“And why is that?” Peter said, picking up the cup.
“I have a soulmate!”
Peter’s hand froze in the air. He set the cup down. “What?” he said sharply.
Justin smiled wider, looking at him with his ridiculous eyes. “Yeah. I thought I didn’t have one, but apparently I do. Can you believe that?”
Peter’s first thought was a hard No. He unclenched his jaw, unsure why the idea bothered him so much. Justin simply wasn’t allowed to—he wasn’t supposed to believe that nonsense, much less want a soulmate. The thought was inconceivable. Unacceptable.
“Soulmates don’t exist,” he said, glaring the idiot down. “We’re lawyers. Lawyers deal in facts, instead of believing in fairy tales created to sell trashy books to ignorant and foolish people.”
He had expected Justin to roll his eyes or scoff, but his expression was… sad?
“I know I joke about you being a heartless dick, but surely you don’t actually…” Justin shook his head, biting the inside of his cheek. “I’m not like you, Peter. I don’t think I can be happy with having a fat bank account and leaving a trail of one-night stands behind me. I want a connection. I’m not saying I necessarily believe that soulmates are forever, but… I really want a human connection.” His green eyes were suspiciously shiny. “I don’t have anyone, Peter. My parents are gone, my only brother hates me, and I don’t have any time for a personal life or friends because of my job. I don’t have anyone. No partner, no friendships, no nothing.”
Something ugly and vicious twisted in Peter’s chest before curling in his stomach. “What about—your job? Is that nothing too?”
Justin laughed, his lips twisting into something bitter and fragile. “I might be masochistic, but I do like this job. I love it. It’s the only good thing I have going right now. But it’s not enough. It doesn’t replace a—a personal relationship, a friendship. I’d like to think that we’re—friends, but for you, I’m just a lowly associate you like bossing around and treating like your personal slave.” Justin swallowed, averting his gaze, his face a little pink. “I want a human connection, Peter. A connection that’ll be reciprocated. This is my chance to finally get it.”
“No,” Peter said.
Justin shot him a startled look. “What?”
“I forbid you to look for your so-called soulmate.”
Justin blinked slowly. “You forbid me. To look for my soulmate.”
“That’s correct.”
“Are you fucking serious?” Justin hissed, springing to his feet. “You can’t forbid me anything, you overbearing dick.”
“Sit down.”
Justin glowered at him, breathing hard. “Fuck you.”
“Sit.”
Justin didn’t sit down, still scowling fiercely.
Peter got to his feet and rounded the table. Justin watched him approach suspiciously. He flinched a little when Peter put a hand on his shoulder, his green eyes fixed on him with something like wariness.
“You’re a capable, talented lawyer with a very promising career,” Peter said, squeezing his shoulder before moving to fix Justin’s tie. It was an eyesore. “Focus on that and I’ll put you on partner track next year. You’ll be a junior partner in three years. A senior partner within a decade. That’s not nothing. A ‘soulmate’ would only hold you back. Focus on your job as my associate. Nothing else matters. Your ‘soulmate’ doesn’t matter.”
Justin’s lips curled into a weird expression that wasn’t quite a smile. “Only you matter, right, Peter? God, you’re such a self-centered dick. Admit it: you like that my life consists of nothing but you and the work you give me.”
Peter chuckled. “Who is the self-important one now?”
“Bull. Shit.” Justin leaned into his personal space, his eyes boring into Peter’s. “I know you, Peter. Maybe you don’t consider me a friend, but I know you better than anyone else does. You like being the most important thing in my life. I’m not sure why you like it, but you do. Maybe it’s just an ego thing, but you like it. You actively discourage me from having friends in the office—”
“That’s not true,” Peter said with a scoff.
“It is. You never let me have lunch with the other associates—”
Peter sneered. “I didn’t know it was such a hardship for you to eat with me in high-end restaurants. If you preferred eating fast food with the other associates, you should have said something.”