“Today was amazing,” he said, leaning into me as I opened the door.
“It was. Mr. Paige really knew what he was doing with his will, giving us those assignments. He was so proud of you.”
“Do you think he knew about me? Like, that I could be likethiswith you?”
“I bet he suspected. But you didn’t need to be queer for Mr. Paige to know you were a good guy.”
“Yeah?” he asked, fisting my shirt.
Once we were inside, I pushed him up against the door, kissing him slow and deep, just the way he liked it. We melted against each other, and his hands landed on my ass.
“Uh, guys?” a gravelly voice said from the dark. “Sorry. Figured I should let you know I was here before you started getting naked.”
I spun around, right as Walker stepped out in front of me. “Who the fuck are you?” he growled into the pitch-black living room.
I snapped on the overhead light, and my jaw dropped.
“Hendrix?” I rushed to my cousin. I hadn’t recognized his voice. “Are you…? Jesus, Hen. You look like you haven’t slept in six months.”
His laugh was brittle. “Why do people keep saying that to me? My answer never changes: I look like I haven’t slept in six months because… drumroll… I haven’t slept in six months. Sorry to drop in on you like this,” he said, his voice wrecked.
“I’m sorry,” Walker said. “I… You startled me, man. I thought you were in Eastern Europe.”
“Mexico City, actually.”
“What the hell happened?” I asked
“I’m sure it’s all over the news,” Hen said.
“We’ve been volunteering out at Lupe all day,” I said, reaching for my phone. The top headlines in my search made my stomach drop to the floor.
Rock Festival Opens with Punk Drama
Punk God Hendrix Cavanaugh Collapses on Stage
Hendrix Cavanaugh Leaves Mexico City Hospital AMA after Collapse
“Mexico City? Weren’t you in Prague, like, two days ago?”
“Uh… yeah? They asked us to sub in for the opener. Flew in last night for a fuckin’ eleven a.m. start time. Who the fuck gets up before noon? Biggest crowd I ever saw, though.”
“Wait. Did this all happen today?” I asked, trying to follow his words.
He closed one eye, scrunching his nose. “It’s still the fifteenth, right? What time zone are we in?”
“Same time zone as Mexico City. And yes, the fifteenth.”
Taking a big breath, he nodded. “Yeah. Sounds about right.”
“No,” I said, shaking my head as I pulled him into my arms. “There’s nothing right about any of that. First of all, weren’t you supposed to have three days off in Prague? And why did you leave the hospital?”
Hendrix let me hold him for a lot longer than he usually did, and that scared me more than the damned headlines.
“I told the ambulance driver to take me to the airport,” he said into my chest, “but they didn’t understand me.”
I shared a look with Walker, who looked as worried as I did. Hen followed my line of sight and stepped away from the hug.
“Sorry for barging in on your romantic time,” he said, his eyes hooded. “Nice to see you, man. Seems like you’re making my cousin real happy.”
