Stanley nodded, looking a little perplexed. Poor guy. I had a feeling he’d taken his dad’s words to heart.
“I hope you feel better soon, Stanley.”
“Thank you”—his mom’s eyes darted toward my nametag—“Danny. I really appreciate your help.”
“Anytime.” I left the room.
Stanley was the last draw of my shift. I headed to the lab and returned the samples.
“Hey, Reyes! Busy day?” Celeste asked. She was just coming in for her shift.
“Not too bad, but you know that doesn’t mean anything. Things can change in no time flat.”
“Ain’t that the truth?”
“Have a good one.” I clocked out, went to the employee bathroom, cleaned up, changed clothes, and then was on my way.
I took MARTA, Atlanta’s public transportation, from the hospital to the stop closest to my best friend Elijah’s apartment in Midtown. He and I used to have BFF Tuesdays every week—which was dinner and a movie or TV show. We still got together often, but these days, the Tuesdays when it was just him and me had dwindled to only about once a month. He’d fallen in love with a guy named Shaw, whom I used to hate but now knew was absolutely perfect for Eli. They were crazy about each other, and I was happy for them. While I wasn’t looking for that whole heart-in-eyes, happily-ever-after thing, Elijah always had been, and there wasn’t anyone in the world who deserved it more than him.
But yeah, the point was that BFF Tuesdays had morphed some lately, and it often ended up being a group of us. Tonight Shaw’s best friend, Will, would be there, along with his boyfriend, Jameson.
Elijah and Shaw’s place was about a block from where MARTA dropped me off. It was almost seven, but still hot and muggy because, well, because the South. That basically explained it all.
I went into their building, waved at the doorman, who knew me by now, then took the elevator to the eighth floor. When I got to their apartment, I could already hear voices inside. I knocked, and a few seconds later Elijah opened the door. He was wearing a short pair of shorts and a cropped T-shirt, showing all sorts of his creamy, brown skin. Not gonna lie, even though we had only ever been friends, I’d have to be crazy not to admit he was beautiful, with his high cheekbones and abs for days. He taught Pilates and danced ballet.
“Hey, hermano.” I kissed his forehead before walking inside. “I’m sorry you guys had to suffer without me. I got out of work a few minutes late.”
“You know, sometimes you say things like that and it’s almost as if you think you’re as cool as me. Then I realize that would be a ridiculous thing for anyone to think because I’m me and I’m special,” Shaw joked. He was always teasing like that. When I’d first met him, the playful overconfidence turned me off, but then, I was kind of like that too.
“You’re a dumbass is what you are,” Will countered. “Hey, man, what’s up?”
“You’re a dumbass is what you are,” Shaw mocked. Elijah and Jameson both rolled their eyes.
“I’m sorry I left you alone with them—God, it smells good in here.”
“Shaw’s making orange chicken and fried rice,” Elijah replied.
“God, it stinks in here,” I joked, which earned me the middle finger from my bestie’s man. “So, what’s up? What’d I miss? Any new drama from the real boyfriends of Midtown?” I was the only single one in the group. I had to poke fun at their boyfriend status sometimes.
“I’m off school for the summer,” Jameson replied. He was so fucking cute. He wore these adorable bow ties and hats and was maybe the most awkward guy when you first meet him. He had a habit of rambling and spilling things, but once you got to know him, it eased up. I wasn’t sure if he knew how much he had Will wrapped around his finger. I was pretty sure there was a photo of Will’s face for the definition of the word smitten in the dictionary. But then, Jameson was the same about Will.
It was all slightly nauseating.
“That means I get my professor all to myself.” Will nuzzled his neck.
“Yeah, and I have to share you with my dad,” Jameson countered.
“Ew. That sounds gross. How about you never say that again?” Will replied. He was Jameson’s dad’s PA at his entertainment firm.
“How about you all stop being mushy, because I’m over here all by myself.” I stood and went into the kitchen. “I need wine. Is there wine?”
“Isn’t there always wine?” Elijah grabbed a bottle. There was, in fact, always wine. “Also, don’t blame us because you don’t want a boyfriend.”
“Boyfriends are gross.”
Shaw finished cooking, and the five of us sat down to eat together. We were halfway through the meal when Shaw asked Will, “How’s your brother?”
I’d met Jonathan a couple of times in the last few months, the first one being at Will and Jameson’s place in December. He was this sort of masc guy, who I knew had come out not long before. Apparently it was something he’d been struggling with for a while, but I didn’t know all the details. He seemed nice enough, a bit quiet and uncomfortable when all of us were around, but we’d struck up a pretty decent conversation the first time we met because we’d both played football in high school and still liked it. He was in his early thirties, and I figured the age difference between him and the rest of us, plus him being a baby gay, was probably why he was quiet around us.
“I don’t really know for sure,” Will replied. “He talks to me a lot more than he used to, and we’re closer than we’ve ever been, but he still isn’t overly chatty about how he feels. Jonathan’s like our dad was, and…well, like my brothers are; if it’s serious and makes you feel things, you keep that shit locked tight.”
I understood that. My dad had been the same…and then he bailed. Just walked out when I was the only one home…
“He wants to move into the city,” Jameson added. Jonathan lived about forty-five minutes away. “I think something went down with him and their other two brothers, but he hasn’t said much. We just know he’s had a couple of interviews. He’s looking to rent a room. We offered him our spare, but I think he feels weird because of everything.”
“I just moved into a two-bedroom in my building. He can rent a room with me,” I offered without really thinking it through. I hadn’t been in the market for a roommate, but this was Will’s brother, and there was something about Jonathan I liked—besides the fact that he was fucking gorgeous in this rugged way; tall, broad chest, stubble, and dark-brown hair that was sort of shaggy and slightly wavy… It was more than that, though. There was something so…lonely about him, and shit like that always got to me. I hated for anyone to feel that way.
Will’s eyes went wide. “Really? You’d do that?”
I shrugged. “Why not? He’s quiet, so I doubt he’ll be an annoying roommate. We got along all right the few times I’ve met him.”
“Oh, no. He’s my brother. He can definitely be annoying. But I worry about him. It’s been a tough year for him, and he’s coming to terms with a lot of things. He’s lost some of his friends since coming out, and his relationship with Brad and Nolan changed. I want… I want him to be okay. I want him to see that he can be gay and happy. Hell, he doesn’t even know any out queer people except the ones I’ve introduced him to.” Which was basically the people in this room, along with Kira and Ali, girlfriends and Jameson’s best friends, and Brooklyn, whom Elijah and I hung out with.