He leaned into Sebastian’s shower and twisted the taps, wondering what the differences in their tastes said about them. He wanted to know what sort of bathroom Jace would have designed for himself if money was no object, and he wondered what on earth had possessed Sebastian to buy a copper sink.
When the water was warm enough, he went back to the living room and pulled Sebastian off the couch.
“How much have you had to drink?” he asked, guiding his best friend down the hall.
“A bar,” he answered with a shrug that sent them both into the wall. “I don’t know. They cut me off on the plane.”
“Jesus, Sebastian.”
“I’m getting a divorce,” he said.
“I know.”
“I’m allowed to drink.”
“Alright.” Callahan walked Sebastian into the bathroom and helped him undress, closing the door on his way out and taking Sebastian’s clothes into the bedroom.
He tossed Sebastian’s clothes into the laundry, then stripped out of his own. He pulled a pair of black jeans out of the dresser, thankful they’d always been close enough to the same size, and he took a pale blue and white stripped button up from the closet. Callahan couldn’t help but notice there were no women’s clothes to be found, and he buttoned up and returned to the living room to wait for Sebastian.
It was a near eternity before the water turned off, and even longer before Sebastian managed to drag himself back to the living room. When he appeared, he had a bottle of pain pills in one hand and a bottle of water in the other. Sebastian sat down beside him, took three pills, then closed the bottle and dropped it between them.
“Do you want to talk?” Callahan asked, giving Sebastian a sideways glance.
“I don’t think there’s anything to say.”
“Should I have known this was coming?”
Sebastian shook his head.
“Where is Daniella, then?”
“I don’t know.” Sebastian smoothed his hand over the top of his thigh. “She hasn’t…we’ve been separated for a while.”
“I noticed her clothes were gone.”
“Yeah.”
“Is there anything I can do?”
“No,” Sebastian said quickly. “Not about that at least. You can tell me what’s going on with you and that pretend boyfriend of yours, though.”
In spite of himself, a small smile tickled the corners of his mouth. “Your master plan might have worked after all.”
“Oh?”
“I think he’s going to give me a chance.”
Sebastian scoffed. “Another one?”
“And hopefully more than that.” Callahan sighed and ran a hand through his still damp hair. “I’ll probably need them.”
“Probably.”
He elbowed Sebastian, and they both laughed quietly, then lapsed into silence. Callahan was conflicted, a tension in his neck twisting and tangling his nerves together. He wanted to be excited for the promise of what would come next with Jace, but he knew he needed to throttle it so he could be appropriately present for Sebastian, who clearly needed him more than he had in a very long time.
“It’s okay,” Sebastian said, giving him a very stern look. “The thing with Daniella, it’s…it’s been a while coming. It’s just the finality of it that has me a little off. I know that it’s the right thing, and it’ll be better for us both.”
“Are you two going to stay friends?”
