Page 81 of Poolside

There was a long moment of quiet.

“Yeah, of course, man. He’s safe with me.”

CHAPTER23

I’VE GOT YOU

TOMMY

Tommy was trying to keep it together. He really was. He gripped the steering wheel tightly, checking his mirror as he merged onto the highway. He was doing everything in his power to make sure that, regardless of the chaos tearing through his head and heart, he stayed cool, calm, and collected on the outside.

Cool, calm and collected, even though he’d never felt more like crying in his life.

Nothing had prepared him for the sight of Chuck shaking with sobs on the bathroom floor. The look on his face was so far beyond sadness Tommy didn’t even know the name for whatever had leached all of the joy and vibrancy from the man he would do anything to protect.

Did something happen? Had someone said something to Chuck? Whatever it was must have hurt him so badly that even now, he sat slumped in his seat, his wide shoulders hunched and his face drained of color.

Tommy wet his lower lip and tried to steady himself.Chuck.Focus on Chuck. He needed to make sure that Chuck was safe. “Baby,” he said, the endearment falling from his lips easily. “Can you tell me what happened?”

Chuck was silent for a moment. “Nothing happened,” he finally said.

“Do you know what is happening to you right now?”

“Yeah.”

The response was so quiet Tommy almost thought he hadn’t heard it. But as the word sank in, dread curled and tightened in Tommy’s chest. Whatever was going on with Chuck, it didn’t sound like the first time it had happened.

“Is there someone who can help you?”

Tommy tried to keep his breaths slow and even in the following quiet. “Yeah,” Chuck finally responded.

“Do you have their number?”

“Yeah.”

“Do you want to call them?”

Quiet. “No.”

Tommy opened his mouth to argue, but then Chuck spoke again. “Can you do it?”

Tommy glanced over, finding Chuck’s trembling hand holding out his phone. “Yeah. Of course. I’ve got you.”

He had Chuck pull up the number. He still didn’t know what exactly was going on or who was going to answer the phone, but if they could help Chuck, he didn’t give a shit who they were.

A woman answered. “Dr. Mahoney speaking.”

Tommy did his best to explain who he was and why he was calling, but, unsurprisingly, the woman had insisted on speaking to Chuck. Tommy wasn’t sure what she said, not when Chuck only gave single-word answers and his face remained blank.

Chuck hung up, wordlessly dropping his phone into the empty cup holder.

“Got a plan?”

Chuck nodded.

“Anything I can do now to help?”

Chuck shook his head.

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