Page 48 of Friendly Skies
“No worries.” Greg stood up and returned to his seat. He picked up the slice of pizza he’d abandoned to comfort Luis and made a face at the cold and congealed cheese on top.
Luis stood and held out his hand for Greg’s plate. “I’ll heat it up for you.”
“It’s okay. I’ll do it. That way, I can grab a beer from the fridge while I wait.”
Turning in his seat, Luis watched Greg head into the kitchen and put his slice in the microwave.
“Travesty,” he said. “At least warm it up in the toaster oven.”
“That takes too long.”
They chatted about mundane things—how San Francisco had been, what Holden was up to, where they thought Ricky might go when he wasn’t flying or at the condo—but all the while, Luis was listening for Darius’ voice, hoping to get a clue about the conversation happening in the bedroom. So far, he hadn’t heard even a whisper. No raised voices. No shouts of anger. No indication of frustration. Was that a good sign? Or was the situation so dire Darius had resigned himself to the worst outcome?
“What was that?” Luis had been so preoccupied he’d only caught the tail end of something Greg was saying about how effortlessly Holden had accepted all of him and his baggage.
Greg raised an eyebrow at Luis. “I knew you weren’t listening to me,” he said, but his tone was kind and slightly amused.
“I am. I just got a bit distracted for a moment.”
“Uh-huh. I could tell.”
Luis dipped his fingers into his water and flicked droplets at Greg. Then he rolled his eyes at himself. The paragon of maturityright here, he was. Of course, Luis had an idea what kind of baggage Greg was talking about. Ricky might not be open to sharing his history—demonstrated by the fact that they’d only learned he grew up in Seattle the day before Luis had left for Brussels—but there weren’t many secrets between himself and Greg.
He knew how difficult Greg’s HIV status made it for him to find relationships, and the lingering pain and resentment at his infection by a selfish asshole of a boyfriend. Add in his asexuality, and it had made for some challenging dynamics until Holden swept their reserved and diffident roommate off his feet. Now, Luis could tell whenever Greg got a message from his boyfriend by the way he smiled and the soft tone his voice took on as he disappeared into his room for more privacy. And when Holden was in LA? Greg was nothing but smiles. At least while he was around. Most of the time, as soon as Holden arrived, the two of them were holed up in some hotel room.
While Luis had never been as forthcoming about Andrés, he’d said enough that he was sure Greg had a pretty good idea what was what. The conversation with Paul on the flight to Brussels had reminded Luis that his history wasn’t unique, and he was pretty sure Greg shared something similar in his past as well, even though he’d never spoken openly about it.
“You asked me how I brought up my past with Holden,” Greg said. “But then your eyes kind of got unfocused, so I knew you weren’t listening to me.”
“Sorry,” Luis said. “I wish I could be in the room with him. This whole situation is ridiculous and infuriating. He’s a fucking hero.”
“I know, hon. And I know you want to be there for him, but Ry’s right. They need to talk privately. He and Jake are concerned about what Darius might have said to the corporatelawyers this morning and what he may have said to you or anyone else that could possibly deviate from what he told them.”
“Ry’s good?” Luis asked.
“From what Jake said, absolutely. Ry’s been in employment law since he finished his JD, and his husband, Cart, works with Human Rights Watch. Oh my God, and their kids are absolutely adorable. Mei’s a sweetheart, and Xian is a little hellraiser, but the two of them make being parents look so easy…” Greg shrugged.
“Tell me you are not thinking about kids!”
Biting his lower lip, Greg nodded. “Kind of. They did this really cool surrogacy thing with Ry’s sister, so the kids are actually half siblings with Jen’s daughter, and they look like a perfect blend of Ry and Cart. I’d love to do that if my sister were willing. Getting to have a little Holden running around? Someone to teach how to ride and ski? I’d love that.”
The dreamy look in Greg’s eyes had Luis feeling slightly jealous, even though he was pretty firm in his resolve not to have kids. Though, he had to admit, he never thought he’d be in a position to have them with Darius, so maybe… In the blink of an eye, Luis felt his idea of what the future might look like expand to include possibilities he’d never thought of before.
“That would be cool,” he said, and Greg nodded.
“But first, Holden and I have to be based in the same city. That’s our next step. How’s it going with you and Darius on the relationship front?”
Luis smiled. “It’s good.” The smile broadened to the point Luis’ cheeks started to hurt. “I love him. I always have. And it keeps catching me by surprise that I get to have him the way I’d always dreamed of but never thought I could.” As quickly as it had bloomed, the smile faded. “I only hope I don’t screw it up.”
“You won’t.”
Luis tried to take comfort in the confidence Greg expressed in those two words, but he shook his head. “I don’t know.” He nodded toward the bedroom. “Being the grounded and steady one has never been my strength.”
Sliding another piece of pizza onto his plate, Greg shook his head. “As I said, you’re stronger and braver than you think. Just keep being who you are, and you’ll be fine.”
“Yeah, but…” Luis waved his hand in the air, trying to indicate all the past shit that got in the way of him feeling like he could be what Darius needed, and hoped Greg understood without him having to fully explain it.
Greg nodded. “I get it. You know what I said before about how easily Holden accepted my sexuality and HIV status? He told me he never thinks of them as limitations or something he has to get beyond or accept in order to love me because they’re a part of what makes me who I am, and he lovesme. Those things you’re worried about, they don’t make you less than perfect, they just make you who you are, and Darius already loves everything about you.”
