Page 63 of Bro Code

“Like…”

“Stage four breast cancer. It’s in her lungs and bones as well.”

A long breath came out of Riley that he didn’t really mean to let go. He felt the weight of that come down on him like it was pinning him to the bed. He had no idea what to say. He turned onto his side and put his hand on Louis’ chest in the dark.

How long had he known about this? How long had he been putting Riley ahead of his own mother? How had he possibly been dealing with the stress?

“She’s in her sixties,” said Louis. “So I mean… I don’t know. I was gonna try and go see her. Mostly I want to help my sister. They live in Guadeloupe.”

“Where’s that?”

“In the Caribbean.” He sighed again. “But I don’t know if I can do it.”

“Why not?”

“I don’t know. Because it’ll be hard. Not a very good reason.”

Nodding slowly, Riley pulled him closer so they were face to face, and studied what he could see of Louis’ silhouette. “Hard because…you’re gay.”

Louis nodded. “It’s not like my mom was ever – it was never really her. It was my dad. But she didn’t really try to stand up to him.”

“Did he hurt you?”

“No. No, nothing like that. It was just a lot of shitty arguments and yelling at each other. He has a lot of ideas about how other people should behave. I left when I was eighteen. I never liked being on the island anyway, I always felt trapped.”

Riley didn’t know anything about the Caribbean. Pictures, sure, and movies that made it all look like white sand beaches and palm tres. But what it was actually like to live there, he had no idea. “Is it, like, friendly to queer people there?”

“That’s what’s so annoying: Guadeloupe is a French territory, so the law is actually pretty progressive. But a lot of the older people are pretty conservative. A lot of them are religious. So with some people it’s like, ‘Of course we don’t mind, just don’t actually be anywhere we can see you.’ It’s changing. But everyone’s in everyone’s business. You feel claustrophobic.”

They lay quietly, listening to the hum of traffic. Eventually, Louis said, “Anyway, I guess I’m off the hook now because I have to stay here and take care of you.”

Riley sat up on his elbow, staring down at him in the dark. “Are you serious? I honestly can’t tell if that was a joke.”

“No, I'm serious.” Louis found his hand and linked their fingers. “I’m not gonna leave after what just happened. I’m supposed to watch you.”

“Yeah, tonight.”

“You got decked. I’m not leaving you alone.”

Riley felt the warm bubble swell in his chest again. Truthfully, there was nothing he wanted more than for Louis to stay here and take care of him. But that wasn’t what Louis needed, and Riley wanted to take care of Louis, too.

He let go of Louis’ hand and cupped his face firmly. “Bro. It was a bump on the head. Your mom has cancer.” He shook him gently. “Go see her.”

CHAPTER TWENTY

Louis

Planes were always inexplicably cold. Louis had never understood it. You left Montreal in a beanie, scarf and puffy jacket, and then you had to keep all that shit on on the plane because the plane was freezing, and when you stepped out the other end the humidity would make your skin damp immediately and you’d wish for shorts and flip-flops.

It was the day after the brawl that had put Riley in the hospital. Montreal and Tampa had been put on a three-day suspension, which meant Louis had a perfect window to fly down to see Manman. He didn’t want to. But Riley insisted.

He found his seat and put his bag in the overhead, then sat with his phone and texted Riley. Boarded.

How was security? Riley replied.

Some guy refused to take off his watch.

The eyeroll emoji.