Then, Gregory was there, on his knees beside him, strong arms wrapping around his shoulders and tugging him close. Their weight shifted, and Gregory fell onto his butt, back against a dumpster, and Landon was half-kneeling with his face pressed against Gregory’s chest.
He smelled so fucking good. Landon sobbed.
What if he had gone to Florida like they’d planned?
What if he’d never lost Greg?
“Why don’t you hate me?” He whispered against Gregory’s shoulder. Gregory’s hands stroked a smooth circle around his back and Landon felt his warm breath against the top of his head.
“I couldn’t ever.”
“You should.” He hiccuped.
“Maybe,” Gregory conceded.
Gregory held him like that, on the dirty ground of an alley behind a pizza shop until his breathing and his crying had calmed. Even as his heart rate returned to normal, he wasn’t ready to let go of this moment. Somehow, still and always on the same page, Gregory spoke.
“You’re not fit to drive. Let me take you home.”
“Yes, please.”
9
Gregory
It wasafter midnight when Gregory pulled into Landon’s driveway. He cut the ignition and stared at the looming house in front of him. Rapture must earn a ton of money if Landon could afford a place like this.
“My grandpa left it to me,” Landon shared as he stepped out of the car and pushed the door closed behind him.
“Your grandpa?” Gregory asked, shocked. Landon had a normal enough family life when they were in high school, but he couldn’t remember any real relationship with any of his grandparents.
“I know, right?” Landon scoffed, his tone biting. He shuffled up the stairs onto the porch and unlocked the door. He walked in, leaving the door open behind him and Gregory assumed that meant it was okay for him to come in.
“What about John and Diana?” Gregory asked after Landon’s parents.
Landon looked over his shoulder at him then flopped on the couch, loosening the laces of his boots.
“They died.”
“Oh.” Gregory rubbed a hand across the back of his neck. “Sorry.”
“Yeah, thanks.” Landon toed his untied boots off and slumped back into the cushions.
There was a soft and quiet click-clack sound that drew Gregory’s attention to the other side of the room. He found a small and slender dog prancing in from the hallway. The dog was pale gray and had a long, narrow face, and a collar made of pearls around its neck.
Landon followed Gregory’s stare out of the room and chuckled.
“There’s our third,” he joked dully.
“Hey, Ed.” Gregory dropped into a squat and held his hand out. Ed trotted across the room to sniff him then looked at Landon and jumped on the couch. He spread out, his back legs dangling over Landon’s thigh leaving no room for Gregory to sit, so he took a seat on the loveseat instead.
“Are you going to take your boots off?” Landon gestured to Gregory’s feet, and Gregory’s reflex response was to ask Landon to do it for him, but he bit his tongue.
“Am I staying that long?”
Landon stroked a hand down Ed’s back while he mulled over his answer. Ed rolled over and gave Landon his stomach, which Landon continued to pet.
“You can take your boots off.”
