Page 29 of Would You Rather
He shrugs. “It’s not like it hasn’t happened before.”
He lost his dad a few years ago, right around the time my dad passed away. I was a fucking mess when I lost my dad, so I can’t even begin to imagine how James must be feeling now that both of his parents are gone.
“You want to talk about it?” I ask him. He might not want to talk to therapists about it, but maybe he wants to talk to me about it.
He lets out a laugh, furrowing his brows at me. “Since when have we ever done that?”
We’re not the talking kind. More the ‘let’s forget about it and move on’, but maybe it’s not such a terrible idea. “We could start,” I tell him.
He scoffs. “I’d rather not. You get this ugly face when you cry.”
I nudge him on the shoulder. “Fuck you.”
He laughs, and everything is back to normal. He’s been my best friend for most of my life, and we’ve been through too much together. It sucks that this happened to him. But you’d never know he was unhappy with how he’s always smiling.
The door creaks open, and then a knock hits. My mom peeks in before opening the door and gives James a smile. “Hey, honey,” she says. James might as well be her other son at this point. She reaches over and fluffs the pillows behind his back. “How was the sandwich?” she asks.
He left the hospital last week and moved into my old bedroom, which is why I was a little late for the photoshoot. He was living alone, but after what happened, we all thought it would be best if he moved in with my mom. That way, he has someone taking care of him.
“Good, mama Silva.” He grins at her. He’s called her that ever since I’ve known him. It makes me laugh every time. “Was there bacon in there this time?”
My mom nods. “I picked it up for you this morning.”
“What about me?” I ask her, even though I’m not a big fan of bacon. “I’m hungry too.” I ate an hour ago, but I’m not going to lie, I’m feeling a little left out.
“Nossa,” she says in Portuguese. “Tem sopa na geladeira.”There’s soup in the fridge.
Well then. Guess we know who’s the favorite.
James grins. He loves receiving the attention from my mom. “Don’t know what she said, but she’s right.”
I scoff. “Asshole.” My mom shifts his legs, placing a blanket on them. I let out a sigh. “He’s fine, mom.” But she shakes her head.
She loves taking care of people. I guess she’s been doing it for so long it’s all she knows. “Are you comfortable? Do you need anything else?” she asks him.
“Yeah,” James says, grinning like an idiot. “Some good di—”
“Dinner,” I interrupt before he gives my mother a heart attack.
We’ve known James was gay since he announced he had a crush on Justin Timberlake one day when we were watching the Music Awards. But even though my mom might not have an issue with it, that doesn’t mean she can handle hearing the gory details.
“He was just saying he can’t wait to have your meatballs.”
“Yeah,” James scoffs. “I love balls.”
I wipe a hand down my face. I should have seen that coming. She smiles at him, completely oblivious. “Then I’ll go getdinner ready.” She fluffs the pillows once more before she heads out of the room.
“Dude,” I say, smacking him on the arm, once she leaves.
“What?” He laughs. “She asked.”
I shake my head, a laugh escaping me. “You’re going to get your ass whooped by her someday.”
A mischievous grin creeps on his face as he leans back on the bed. “You would know about tough women, huh? How’s it going with that girl… what’s her name?”
“Madeline.”
“That’s right. Madeline. So, are things better?”
