Page 62 of Hold Him Like Gravity

“Well, well, well,” Bass said as soon as I was inside the apartment, flicking on the lamp to reveal him sitting there with a drink in his hand.

“The fuck you doing sitting there like some mom waiting on her teenager out past curfew?”

“And where have you been, young man?” Bastian asked, a smirk tugging at his lips as I made myself a drink and moved todrop down on the couch. I saw him take a breath, and the light spark in his eyes. “Smelling like blueberries all over,” he said.

“Don’t.”

“Hey, it’s good, man. You’ve been wound like a fucking top. Can’t be good to go that long without a fuck.”

“Man, it’s been, what? A week or so since you moved in?”

“As an expert in going without sex, man, I feel like a week is too long. So, the fuck you doing home?”

“What are you talking about?” I asked as I sipped my whiskey, praying it did something to slow my swirling thoughts. All of ‘em involving Kick.

“Been mooning over this chick since before I got out. Figured if you finally sealed the deal, you’d be spending the night at least. Weekend. Month. Let me have this place all to myself,” he said, waving around the apartment. “Though, I’d have to take down all this art.”

“What’s wrong with the art?” I asked, glancing around. Granted, I hadn’t given it a lot of thought. I’d found the prints at some shop I’d popped into for paint. They, you know, matched the decor. That was all the thought that went into it.

“It’s bad, man,” he said, shaking his head at me. “I knew guys on the inside who did better work with pencils down to the nub on the backs of letters from their families.”

“Feel free to put something better up while you’re here.”

“While I’m here?” Bass asked. “This place is mine.”

“Where the fuck am I going?” I asked.

“I give it six months, ten max.”

“Until what?”

“You’re condo-hunting. Something with a few extra bedrooms. Bigger kitchen. His-and-hers closets…”

“It’s not like that,” I insisted, but even I heard the lack of emphasis in my voice.

“Sure sure. Out of curiosity,” he said, shooting me a smile, “did Renzo, Dav, and Elian say the same thing when they were in your shoes?”

“None of them were in my shoes. Renzo was securing a truce.”

“But fell in love with his wife.”

“Dav has always had this weird will-they-won’t-they with Cinna.”

“And then the two fully fell in love and are raising their teenagers together.”

“Elian, well, Elian always wanted a wife and kids. So that wasn’t surprising at all.”

“Let me ask you something,” Bass said, leaning forward so his forearms were on his thighs.

“Alright…”

“What the fuck makes you think you’re so different?”

“What? What are you talking about?”

“All your closest friends, guys you see as family, they’re all settled down and it’s good for them, right?”

“Yeah.”

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