“Huh? Gil, right?”
“Oh… no. They’re not dating. They only spend a lot of time together. Besides, Chase is straight.”
“My bad. Seeing how close they were, I thought the rumors were true.”
Calvin snorts. “Rumors are dumb clickbait.”
“Well, not all rumors,” he says, before he’s able to stop himself. Calvin says nothing, which should be his cue to shut up. He would, if he had any sense of willpower. Which he doesn’t. “I kept going on and on about Theo. Practically fawned over him. I wouldn’t have done that if I knew you used to date.”
“It’s whatever. I brought him up a few times, too.”
“Yeah, but still.”
“Really. It’s whatever.”
“Did, um…” Miles drums his fingers against the door. “Did I start something the other night? Chase said Theo was pissed because I was there.”
“He thought I brought you to make a statement.”
“A statement?”
“That I was over him or something, that I didn’t want anything to do with him anymore. Which, I don’t, but that’s not why I invited you.”
“Technically, I invited myself.”
That makes Calvin grin. Good. “Yeah. I don’t know why he acted that way. He’s stressed, maybe.”
“He thought we had something going on?” Miles pretends his heart doesn’t beat so much faster when he asks.
“I guess. Even if we did, it has nothing to do with him.” Then, he says, his voice barely audible above the music, “He can be… a lot. It’s exhausting.”
“How long were you together?”
“Four? Five years?” Calvin shrugs. “We broke up a few times. I can’t do the math.”
“Broke up… while you were playing as a band? That must have sucked.”
“It did. It still does.”
Miles peers at him when he says, “I’m impressed you were able to keep this all a secret from your fans.”
“Only because he thought telling people would take away from the band’s charm or whatever. Can we talk about something else?”
“Sorry. Yeah, of course.”
“You’re good.”
Having a toxic ex is not something Miles has ever had to experience. Seeing Calvin so defeated makes his chest pinch, and he wishes he could do something about it. What did he ever see in Theo, anyway? What made him write dozens of songs for him? Maybe there was a time that it was better, that this was a reality they never knew would happen, and now they’re only trying to survive the best way they can—that part, Miles understands.
Calvin’s jaw is set, his grip on the wheel tight. Miles needs tosalvage this conversation, and he settles on the memory of a viral video released some time ago where Calvin was photographed shopping with a woman and her children. “So, all the other rumors are false? You’re not married with kids?”
“Fuck no.” Calvin scrunches his nose, but he chuckles. “You mean that video that went around, right? That was my other sister and her kids.”
“Must suck to have your every move analyzed.”
“Yeah, but it comes with the job. I love playing, so it is what it is.”
“So, what other rumors are true?”
