He frowns. “It’s a good investment. It’s just bus—” He sees the smug grin on my face and rolls his eyes, realizing he just walked right into that. “Oh,fuck you.”
Laz laughs as he selects a cigar from the box. Carmine does the same, and I watch them both deftly clip off the ends, bring them to their lips, and light them.
“No one else?” Laz asks.
I shake my head. “Not my thing.”
“Roman?” he grunts, turning to offer the box. Roman shakes his head, twisting the glass of Coke on the table in front of him. “Nah. I made Val quit cigarettes. It’d be a dickhead move to come home smelling like smoke.”
Laz cocks a brow. “How’s that going, by the way?”
Roman frowns. “How’s what going?”
“The being into dudes thing.”
Roman smiles. “I’m not into dudes. I’m into one particular dude.”
Roman and I are pretty close. Actually, out of the crew, he’s arguably the one I’m tightest with. But even I didn’t realize one of the reasons he was always so angry, and violent, andwasted, was that he was fighting a war within himself between what was expected of him and his true nature.
I.e.,gay.
Yes, choosing sobriety and quitting booze has been a huge part of the change in him over the past few months. So has stepping up to the Nikitin throne after his father was banished to Russia.
But I know the biggest reason my friend has changed is Val. In him, Roman has found true love and happiness.
My jaw sets.
I had that, once.
Nero frowns. “So you don’t findanyother guy on the planet attractive?”
“Don't be so needy, De Luca,” Carmine sighs. “It screams desperation.” The rest of us, Roman included, crack up as Nero flips us all off.
“I’m just curious. Jesus,” he mutters.
Roman folds his arms over his broad chest. “Do you find any other women other than Milena attractive?”
Nero scowls. “Nope,” he says instantly.
“None at all?”
He sighs. “I mean, I recognize beauty when I see it, but I’m not attracted to…oh fuck off, I walked right into that one, too, didn't I.”
Roman chuckles. “Yes, you did.”
Laz clears his throat. “Can I ask a personal question?”
“I’d be shocked if it was anything less,” Roman says, shaking his head.
Laz takes another puff of his cigar. “Before Val…did you…you know…”
Roman cocks a brow. “Know I was gay?”
“Actually I was going to ask if you’d hooked up with any dudes before that.”
“Jesus, Kislev,” Nero growls, glaring at Laz. “Chill.”
“What?” Laz mutters. “I’m just asking a question!”
