Page 55 of All That Remains
"Yeah?" he answered.
"Rome? Hey, mate...it's me." There was a pause and a bit of interference in the speaker, causing him to break up.
"Rafe, hey. Glad you made it. Come on in."
There was a distant cranking, then the gate parted and revealed another stretch of sequestered pavement. No house in sight yet; just a long driveway flanked with so many hedges it looked like a tunnel. He was dwarfed by palatial homes on all sides—many upward of 20,000 square feet. Simply unlivable. The esteemed handiwork of mad developers—more so statements of capital than actualhomes. Who couldreallydomesticate those cold, outsized things?
He stood at the end of the driveway, so I slowed. God, he was a dream, crucifix glinting in the sunlight.When I hopped out of the car, he approached and gaped at the model—a black Audi R8 coupe.
“Bro, this is sick.”
“Thanks.”
He set the coffee on the hood and hugged me. So much like last night. Except this time, he squeezed me so violently my feet left the ground.
“Rome…” I shut my eyes, allowing him to crush me as long as he wanted.
"Rafe..." he whispered, so tenderly my breath hitched.
"I missed you.”
"You too...somuch."
As I pulled away,he allowed his fingers to slide down my arms, absently clasping one of my hands on the way out.
"Thought you'd never get here," he grinned.
"Good thing I floored it."
"Got this for ya.Cheeky lil coffee.”
"Caffeine. Thanks, mate, I needed it." I shoved my glasses over my hair, pinning it away from my face.
"Taste alright?" he wondered. I took a sip and went‘ah’for his benefit.
"Perfect, actually. You remembered?"
"Yep," he chuckled, the blue of his eyes lucid in the daylight. “Black, Iced Americano. Barely any sugar.”
"Nice. How's everything?"
"All good. You?"
"M'alright. Change of plans, huh?"
"Yeah, it wasnuts. The minute I walked in, they were justshocked. Couldn’t stop callin’ my name, snapping pics," he snickered. "M'notcomplainin'or anythin'...I'm just like,shit, this won’t work. We’d make headlines faster than we could have a decent conversation. Know what I mean?"
"There aren’t many places we could go without being spotted, y'know? Not in Hollywood anyway."
"True," he nodded, placing a hand along his furrowed brow to shade the sunlight. Already it was understood we couldn’t be seen together. Although for how long, I was unsure. "You look amazing, Rafe." He was being charitable. I was wearing my usual. Vintage graphic tee and ripped jeans. Leather combat boots that’d seen better days.
"So do you." He was in his usual, which was rather similar to mine. Except, he loved a black button down.
"Still with a different ride every time I see you, yeah?” He kicked a tire with his unlaced boot. “How's that garage lookin' these days?" We laughed.
"I’ll be honest…it's a bit out of hand. My accountant’s upset.”
“Damn straight. Cars only depreciate.”
