Susan assured him he would. She’d been incredibly supportive, but he’d grown tired of her bashing Thorne. Yes, Thorne had been an ass, an idiot. But had Thorne truly meant to hurt him? After days of reflection, Riley didn’t think so. Of course, that didn’t mean Thorne was in love with him. But what if…

No. If he let himself run with those thoughts, he’d call Thorne. And then he’d be right back where he’d been before—in love with a man who only appreciated what Riley could do for him. Or at least, Thorne wouldn’t admit to more. That was not what Riley needed.

Calling Thorne was a terrible idea, but he needed to call Marc. He’d been avoiding his friend because he knew he’d have a breakdown if he started talking about Thorne. He’d sobbed all over Susan and then eaten three quarters of a devil’s food cake the day Thorne had made his business proposition. Marc had warned him. And he wouldn’t hesitate to point that out; that was just how Marc was. And as much as Riley was tired of Susan insisting that Thorne was, if not Satan himself, his top minion, he also wasn’t ready for Marc to remind him that there was fault on both sides. Marc would see right through him. Riley still believed Thorne was more at fault, but he could have handled things differently himself.

His phone buzzed, interrupting his nightly pity party. Marc’s smiling face showed on the screen. Speak of the devil. Marc had called twice the day before. Both times he’d left a message asking Riley to call him back. The second time he’d sounded uncharacteristically upset. Was he worried that he hadn’t heard from Riley in so long?

He accepted the call. “Hey, Marc.”

“Where the fuck have you been?”

“I—”

“Never mind. I’m coming home. My overnight flight leaves in three hours, and I’m hoping you’ll pick me up.”

Marc’s despondent tone told Riley he wasn’t just coming for a spontaneous visit. “How long will you be here?”

“I’m moving back.”

Apparently the last week hadn’t gone any better for Marc than it had for him. “Oh, fuck.”

“Yeah, he ended it. I was counting on making it through the holidays at least. January is a good time to be alone, shivering in a blanket, drinking cocoa, and having movie marathons. Fall is a time for dating.”

That was so Marc. “Do you need a place to stay?”

“Yes, I was hoping—”

“Please move back in. I could use the help with rent. Thorne asked me to work for him full time. I stormed out, quit Sheila’s, and I’ve basically been hiding for the past week.”

“Wow, we’ll make cheerful companions, won’t we?”

“What’s your airline and flight number?” Riley asked.

Marc gave him the info.