“I’m just sayin’,” Cill says with a shrug.
I shake my head at them. It’s probably time for me to tell them the truth, but I wonder if I should talk to Elijah first. I think he may already suspect something, and he’s always been the one to give me advice. At the age of eleven, he became a father-figure, so I always seek his approval first.
Cill gets up from the bed and stretches. “Well, it was good hanging out with you today. I gotta get home and work on this painting. It feels so fucking good to have a studio space at my house now,” he adds.
When him and Midge bought a house together, they got one with a huge backyard and erected a large shed back there for him to use as a studio.
Royce gets up. “Yeah, I’m gonna head home, too. We’re gonna see you at Elijah’s tomorrow, right?”
“I’ll be there.”
After we hug goodbye, I drop down to my bed and turn the TV on. It’s only eight o’clock, and it’s a Saturday. I’m not used to being alone and having nothing to do. While I’m enjoying the break, some stuff takes some getting used to.
Plus, I can’t stop thinking about how Ali’s in the same town. I’ve given him space since last weekend. I haven’t seen him at all since I dropped him off at home after our drive.
I bring out my phone and text Lili, asking for Ali’s number. She quickly sends it to me with a happy face emoji.
Me: Hey, wanna get together tonight?
Ali: Who is this?
Me: It’s Merrick.
Ali: Oh my gawwwwd! Merrick Kingston? Yes, he wants to get together tonight. And if he doesn’t, I do.
I look at my phone with a furrow between my brows. What?
Ali: Sorry about that. It’s me now. My friend had my phone. Please ignore him.
Me: Oh. I was really confused for a second.
Ali: Yeah, sorry. I’m out with my friends right now. I’m in Chaparral.
Me: Oh. Okay. Maybe another time?
I don’t hear back from him right away, so I settle in for a quiet night in my hotel room.
19
Alejandro
Present Day
“Stop picking up my phone,” I tell Jordy, sliding it to the other side of me.
“What? You were in the bathroom.”
“That doesn’t mean you get to answer my texts.”
He shrugs. “I thought you were getting a booty call. I was being a good wingman.”
“Being a good wingman means offering yourself up?”
He laughs. “Okay, let’s not distract from the real fucking juicy news. Merrick Kingston is texting you. You! What? Why is this happening? And why haven’t you texted him back yet?”
I sigh, take a big gulp of my beer, then put it down. “If I tell you, you have to swear you’re not gonna tell the guys when they get here. I mean it, Jordy. I know you’re a gossip queen, but I don’t feel like fielding a million questions tonight.”
He purses his lips and runs his fingers through his blond hair. “Mm. Okay, I guess. Now give me the juicy deets.”
“Me and Merrick go way back. We went to school together and were really good friends. I ran into him last weekend, and I’m guessing he got my number from my sister because I didn’t give it to him.”
Jordy makes a face. “If you two were such good friends, why doesn’t he have your number?”
“Well, I moved. I got a new phone and number. He’s been on the road, so we haven’t talked in a long time. It’s not like we run in the same circles.”
He laughs. “No, you most certainly don’t. Anyway, why didn’t you mention this when we were talking last time?”
“I just told you. I don’t want to have to answer a million questions about what Merrick Kingston is like. Plus, we aren’t really friends anymore. It’s been years since I’ve talked to him.”
Jordy gives me a sly look. “But here he is texting you about wanting to hang out.”
“Stop it.”
“What?” he asks, trying to portray innocence with a doe-eyed look and parted lips.
“You always have mischief in your eyes.”
“Well, that’s because I’m always mischievous, baby.” He pushes away from the table and walks behind me, his hand dragging across my back. “I’ll be back. Gotta go to the little boys’ room.”
I take another drink of my beer, spotting Charlie and Dennis walking in.
“No AJ?” I ask, not really caring, because I know Dennis better than AJ.
“He has a date,” Charlie answers. “Where’s Jordy?”
“Bathroom.”
The two of them make themselves comfortable around the table after getting their drinks from the bar.
Mad Minnie’s is a gay bar we visit once a month. It’s not too big, and the main room is quiet enough to allow conversation either around the bar or at the tables spread through the room. There’s pool tables on one half, and in the adjoining room, there’s a dance floor. There, the music is pretty loud, but out here, we can still hear the music and each other.
“I’m back, the party can start,” Jordy announces, prancing around the table.
“What’s the plan? Are we hanging here for a little while then going somewhere else? ’Cause I’m hungry,” Dennis says.
Jordy smacks his lips. “You should’ve eaten before you came. Who moves from a bar to a restaurant? They’d kick us out, baby.”
“They’d kick you out, because you’re a lush,” Dennis counters.
“Whatever. We can stop by that Gyro sandwich stand a couple blocks over. In the meantime, let’s drink.”
“I wanna head to Shamrocks after this,” Charlie says.
“Shamrocks? With the straights?” Jordy questions.
Charlie waves him off. “I’m an equal opportunist. I need the variety.”
“I’ll go with you,” I tell him.
“You know I’ll go,” Jordy says, taking a sip of his drink. “I’m just giving you a hard time. Plus, I like to see if I can get any ‘straight’ guys to give me a chance,” he says, shimmying in his seat with a grin.
I shake
