Page 46 of Friendly Skies
Darius raised his beer to Greg. “Thank you.”
“Seriously, though, are you doing all right?”
The question sucked the air from Luis’ lungs, but when he looked at Darius, it hadn’t seemed to faze him at all as he brought Greg up to date on where things stood.
“FBI? Seriously?”
“I’ll know more after I talk to the lawyer. At the moment, I’m trying not to think about it.”
“And I’m helping to distract him,” Luis said with a coy wink, trying to be lighthearted but feeling as if he couldn’t quite mask his anxiety. He wanted the conversation to shift away but knew it was all any of them were going to be thinking about for as long as it took the situation to come to a resolution.
“You excel at being a distraction, sweetheart,” Greg deadpanned.
“Thank you.”
“I don’t think he meant that as a compliment, chico.”
Luis pouted and pretended to glare at Greg. “Is this why you came back from San Francisco, so you could make fun of me?”
“Naw. Came back because I caught a flight to DC tomorrow.” Greg sighed. “This bicoastal shit is getting old, and I’m starting to not know if I’m coming or going, but we’re gonna have to delay finding a place in Denver for a bit because of Holden’s schedule.”
“And you’re sure he’s the one?” Luis asked.
“When you know, you know, right?” Greg paused a beat, then grinned at them. “Maybe not in your cases.”
“Hey! We knew, we just didn’t tell each other what we knew.”
“Don’t get my boyfriend’s temper up,” Darius warned. “He’s a hot-blooded Latino, and he knows where you sleep.”
“You say the sweetest things.” Luis lifted his face for a kiss, and Darius obliged. When they both looked at Greg again, he was smiling.
“I’m really happy for the two of you.” He stood up. “Okay. Shower, then food.”
“We’ve got pizza coming,” Darius told him.
“Awesome. Ricky around this week?”
“Not at the moment.” Darius shrugged. “I’ve got no idea where he is or when we should expect him back.”
“Sounds about right,” Greg said as he returned to the entranceway to get his flight bag.
The pizza arrived while Greg was showering, but no one in the condo ever stood on ceremony. Darius and Luis brought three plates to the table, along with parmesan cheese, red pepper flakes, and garlic powder and dug in. At least, Luis did. Darius took one slice, took a couple of bites, and poked at the crust.
“I thought you were hungry.” Luis put his half-eaten slice back on his plate.
“I was.” Darius shifted in his seat. “I think I need to call Ry and get it over with.”
“Okay.” He tried to muster a reassuring smile, but he knew it came out weak and unsure. “I’ll be right here if you need me.”
Darius’ expression softened, and he reached out to cup Luis’ chin. “I will always need you, chico. Don’t doubt that.” Then he dialed the number Jake had texted him and put it on speaker.
The call connected, and a voice said, “This is Ry Carlton-Lee,” and then a sudden wail from a young child came over the phone so loud both Luis and Darius winced. “Hang on,” the voice onthe other end said. “Hey, Cart? Cart? Xian needs you.” The homey sounds of family chaos issued from Darius’ phone, and Luis heard the distinctly shrill voice of a young girl as well as the distressed cries of a toddler, followed by a masculine voice trying to comfort and contain the din while Ry said, “Hello? Is this Darius? Sorry about that. Xian’s learning to walk and his sister was trying to help. It didn’t go well.”
“I can call you back if it’s not a good time.”
“It’s fine. Just give us a moment to regain control.”
Darius looked at Luis and shook his head. “We are never having children,” he whispered, and Luis laughed, thrilled that Darius felt he had to clarify this point.
