Page 27 of The Devil's Bargain
“I—” Calix stared at him. “Yeah.”
He chuckled and motioned the bartender over, placing orders for both of them. “You’re wondering how I know how much you like pickles. That’s not all I know. You always chugged a canned coffee before first period—Smithy’s, the cheapest in the convenience store down the road from school at the time. At lunch, you waited for everyone else to buy food so you could get the items left over, since those were usually the lowest priced.”
“Um…What’s going on?”
“Do you remember the pork buns that started showing up in your locker after fourth period?”
Was Cal drunk already? After three sips?
“That was me,” Nero finished sheepishly.
“What?” He shook his head dumbly. “Why?”
At first, he’d refused to eat the food, but by the end of the first week, hunger had won out over his pride. His allowance from Sister Grace was meager, and he’d been saving every spare coin for college. While he’d never discovered who’d been leaving the expensive buns, he’d figured it was one of his closer friends, feeling sorry for him.
Not that he’d been all that close with anyone, now that he had the perspective of age.
“I liked you, duh.” Nero chugged half his beer. “I know that sounds crazy, after everything. But that’s the truth. That’s why I freaked out when I realized you were sleeping with—”
“Don’t,” Cal stopped him, then cleared his throat when that made Nero flinch. Damn it. “It wasn’t consensual, okay?”
Nero’s eyes went wide. “Holy shit! Really?! Calix, I am so sorry! Fuck. No wonder you got mad enough to hit me with your car!”
“Keep it down.” He glanced around them, but no one seemed to be paying them any mind.
Which was kind of ironic, all things considered. If this had been nine years ago, everyone in here would be staring, whispering about them.
About Cal.
“Look, I was a shitty kid who didn’t know how to deal with my jealousy issues,” Nero told him. “I treated you like trash—no, worse than trash, but I meant everything I said when we met earlier this year, and this afternoon at the hospital. I really do hope we can put it all behind us and start fresh.”
Right, this afternoon, when Nero had been going to an appointment with Mercy that Cal hadn’t been read in on. He guzzled his beer and motioned for another, stopping the bartender at the last second and ordering something stronger instead.
“Want one?” he offered Nero, who nodded. As soon as their glasses were filled, he downed that and requested another.
“Whoa, slow down,” Nero suggested. “Man, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean—”
“It’s not you.” Another irony, because it really wasn’t. “Although I do think I should clarify something, just to be sure.”
“Okay, yeah. Of course.”
“I’m in a relationship.” They hadn’t really made themselves public yet, but that was something Calix was gearing up toward. He’d yet to mention it to either Aodhan or Mercy, but he was done hiding in the shadows. He wanted to live out in the open, unapologetically.
He also didn’t want it to be so easy for other people to make the moves on what was his.
They’d tricked him into this whole thing, into accepting the connection. They didn’t get to keep stuff from him now that they had him. Meeting with Nero behind his back? What the hell?
“Oh.” Nero held up his hands. “Oh, no. I mean, I get I just confessed for back when we were young and stupid, but I swear I’m not coming onto you. I have a girlfriend, remember? I mentioned her before.”
That was right…Calix vaguely recalled.
“I was just making sure,” he said.
“No, I totally get it.” Nero held up his glass for another cheers, sighing in relief when Cal complied. “So...friends?”
“Yeah.” Friends.
Friends got to visit each other’s houses and meet significant others, didn’t they?
