Page 71 of Sebastian

He still doesn’t listen, and when I glance at him, he’s studying the fuzzy picture of my future kid.

“You know that Veronica’s with another guy?”

My feet hit the floor so hard that Gio leans back, narrowly avoiding a collision as I sit up. The picture slips from his hand and floats to the floor.

“Say that again.”

The hair on the back of my neck stands on edge. He straightens his spine, and his curly hair flops when he nods.

“Yeah, they’ve been seeing each other for a while. I thought you knew.”

His right eye squints in disbelief, giving me a dubious look.

“Why? How would I know that?” I demand, leaning forward and invading his space as he did mine a second ago.

“Because they were together in Cabo. You sat right next to the dude at brunch on the last day of the trip.”

I search my memory, but nothing surfaces. I can’t even recall the brunch he’s mentioning. The only recollection I have is of vomiting on the plane when it ascended steeply during takeoff and that I couldn’t stop throwing up in first class.

“I was fucked up that trip. I remember that lame-ass coal-walking shit and the Cuban cigar roller, but I spent most of it wasted.”

“You don’t have to tell me. I had to carry your fat ass back to your room. Veronica was pissed and stormed off when you passed out on the bed. I stayed with you to make sure you didn’t die.” He taps his fist on my knee. “Bros before hoes, ya know?”

His lame-ass saying usually gets an eye roll out of me, but not tonight. I could kiss him for staying with me like I did with him the other night. His corny phrase is true.

“Did she ever come back to the room?”

“Nah, man. I’m pretty sure she hooked up with him that night, but I’m not certain. They’ve been together ever since.”

Then he starts counting shit on his fingers like a damn child. I can’t contain my annoyance any longer.

“Dude, what’s with the finger shit? I’m pouring my heart out here, and you’re playing finger puppets or some idiot crap,” I accuse, wishing I would have thrown him out when he arrived.

“You’re the idiot.”

He smacks me upside the head, which he never does. I’m about to swing on his ass when he suddenly stands up and pulls out his phone.

“That’s what I thought. Did you look at the due date in the corner of the picture?”

I huff and roll my eyes.

“I don’t know how to read that shit, but the lady at the office said it’s due in August. Which is really fucking far away.”

I flop back against the couch cushions, not in the mood to play timeline with Gio.

“I’ve asked you nicely to leave, and your ass is still here. If you don’t get out, I’m throwing you out. Jiles!”

“Too far away,” an undeterred Gio says.

He swipes the picture from the floor and shoves it in my face, along with the calendar on his phone. This isn’t charades we’re playing. Jiles walks into the room, and just when I open my mouth to tell him to call security but Gio continues, “She’s four weeks pregnant, dumbass. Cabo was six weeks ago.”

I shove his hands out of my face, wondering why the hell he’s smiling at his big revelation.

“I know,dumbass.The lady at your papa’s office already told me she was four weeks. Jiles, can you have security kick Gio out because he won’t go? I’m tired of playing Sherlock Holmes with him.”

Jiles pauses, looking uncomfortably from me to Gio, who stands and walks the picture over to him. Both of them study it, Jiles remaining more stoic than Gio’s outright goofy grin.

“He doesn’t get it.”

---