“Maybe, but that was over ten years ago.”
“You know how that boy is.” Mom shook her head. “Hendrix does not forget a thing.”
“True, but he’s deathly allergic to relationships that last for more than a night.”
“I don’t know, son,” my father said, his hand on his heart. “Hendrix tends to keep things to himself.”
That was also true. Hen didn’t often express himself, but he’d always been open with me. “Hen and I have no secrets. If you’re concerned, I’ll give him a call so he can laugh at me, too.”
“I’m glad you shared your feelings with us, even if we teased you.” Mom gestured to my plate. “But now stop playing with my saltfish and eat it properly.”
“Yes, Mom,” I said as Dad got up and kissed my temple on his way to get more coffee.
These two.
* * *
“Oz?” Hen asked, his face looming on FaceTime.
“Hey, cousin, I had a quick question for you, but…” I paused when I heard someone moving around behind him. “Sorry. Sounds like you’re not alone.”
“I’m not.” Turning to the side, he whispered something off-camera. “But you can call me anytime.”
“I feel stupid already.”
“Cousin, I love you, but I’m paying these fine people by the hour. So, you know, hurry it up.”
I laughed as a blonde with massive black eyelashes swam into view. She started kissing Hen’s chest, so I decided to get right to it. “Fine. It’s about Walker.”
Hen pushed the blonde away and sat up. “Is something wrong? Does he need money?”
I held up my free hand. “No, no. He’s fine. Actually, that’s why I’m calling you. Because I might be realizing howfinehe is.”
Hen quirked a brow. “I’ve already been down this path, so let me save you some time. He’s straight. Like…straightstraight.”
I tapped my forehead. “I might be wrong, but… I get the feeling that he might not be as straight as we thought. More specifically, I’m starting to think—though I might be totally wrong—that he might benot straightin my direction.”
“Oh.” Hen shooed away a brunette as his brows came together. “Really?”
“Yeah. Joel says everyone here sees it. But… I was talking to Mom and Dad about it?—”
“You told your parents?”
“You know how Kiyana and Preston are. They pulled it out of me.”
We rolled our eyes together. “True. But you told them, and…”
“Well, first they made fun of me for my straight-boy crush.”
“Fully deserved,” he said as a redhead briefly passed over his lap, flashing a bare breast.
“But they also reminded me you’d had a thing for him in high school after he?—”
“—ran in like a hero and saved my scrawny ass? Sure. Any hormonal, queer teenager would crush hard on a guy after that.”
I rubbed the back of my head. “So, anyway, they thought I should check in with you to make sure I wasn’t stepping on toes. Not that anything is going to come of this, but I’d feel like a shithead if you, I dunno, held a flame for him.”
Hen snorted. “Did you really just sayheld a flame for him?”
