Page 21 of Alpha & Omega

“It’s good. How about you?”

“I’m fine. Work’s good and shit. Still not drinking.”

“I’m so proud of you, Tony.”

We sat on the sofa in his studio apartment. As a waiter, he couldn’t afford the nicest place. I kept pushing him to come to Baltimore and stay with me since my place had two bedrooms, but he wanted his independence.

Tony fingered back his long brown bangs and leaned back on the sofa. “So, how are things up in Baltimore?”

“It’s all good. The bar is struggling a bit, but…”

He smiled sheepishly and shook his head. “The drawback of taking care of everyone, including yours truly.”

“Well, you took care of me, so it’s the least I can do.”

He abruptly stood. “Oh, shit. Can I get you something to drink? I’ve got some root beer, water, orange juice…”

“Water’s good.”

He headed to the kitchen and returned a moment later with two water bottles, handing me one.

“So, what’s going on exactly?”

I sighed heavily. “Rent is going up, insurance is going up, everyone keeps landing in the damn hospital. It’s like everything is increasing in price, and I can’t keep up. The bar is doing pretty well, but the weekdays are slowing down.”

“You had to help me, too, when I went into the hospital.” He sat up, looking at me with wide gray eyes under thick dark brows. “I’ll try to get you some of that money back, I swear. It’s just that things are—”

I waved him off. “You’re not paying me back. We’re brothers, and you don’t have any insurance. Besides, I know you’ll be there for me if I ever need it.”

“Always.”

Tony’s leg bounced as he stared at his blank TV screen.

“Anything else going on with you?” I asked. “How’s your new boyfriend?”

Tony had always struggled to find someone between his drinking and mental health issues. I’d hoped now that he was in recovery, he’d find someone.He was sweet and attractive. Surely, there was someone who wanted to give him a chance, and it seemed there was finally that someone for him.

He scoffed. “Good… I mean, he’s cool. I try not to burden anyone with all my shit, so I’m just lying low and trying to be chill. And… I still miss drinking, like… every day. But Justin is really supportive.”

I hated to admit it, but it was nice to have an extra pair of eyes on him. I gripped his shoulder. “You’re doing so well, Tony. I wish you would try not to be so hard on yourself. You’re doing amazingly.”

“I… just want to feel better, you know? Not feel like I’m crawling out of my skin all the time. That addiction is always fucking hungry. I never even thought I drank all that much until… well, you know.”

“I get it.”

“Anyway, enough about me. How’syourlove life, Mr. I’m Too Busy for Love?”

I chuckled. “Actually, I’ll have you know I had a date with a guy last week. I really like him, but…”

Tony sat up, his gray eyes wide and a smirk on his face. He dragged his fingers through his tousled dark brown hair, pulling his bangs away from his face. “I needallthe deets!”

“His name is Harley. We met on a dating app, but damn if we didn’t hit it off that night. He’s really hot with long, dark brown hair, tall and built like me, and he’s a dad with a teenage son. He’s also a chef. We slept together on the first night, and it was… fire. Even better, he works long hours like me, so he understands about having limited time.”

“He sounds dreamy,” he said, fluttering his lashes.

I laughed and rolled my eyes. “He’s quite dreamy, but…”

“Please don’t tell me you found something wrong with him already just to get out of anything serious.”

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