I’m serving someone a slice of my almond-and-apple cake when Leo walks into the hall.
“Look who’s here,” Julius says, leaning closer so I can hear.
I nod without taking my eyes off Leo. Julius takes over and hands out the cake and a coffee to the lady waiting. Leo walks toward the crowd and talks to another kid. My heart tightens when I see him smiling and dancing with the other kids.
He’s wearing his Hall of Fame T-shirt, and my next thought is that he walked here from the apartment without a coat on, even as my brain sees the rest.
He could get sick.
He made friends.
He could get sick.
He’s having fun.
“I’m sorry, Julius. I need a moment. I’ll be right back.”
I practically run toward the closest door. It leads to a hallway that runs along the side of the building, where there are a couple of offices and meeting rooms.
One of the rooms has the door open so I go inside, not bothering to turn the light on. My hands shake as I struggle to pull air into my lungs, and I feel stupid for running out on Julius.
“Constantine?”
“I’m here.” I should have known he’d come for me. How do I explain it to him?
He comes into the room, and before I overthink it, I run into his arms. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to leave you hanging out there. I just need a minute.”
“What happened? Is it about Leo?”
He runs his hands over my back, soothing me. It fucking works, and I’m not sure if I hate or love him for it.
Love?
My panic shifts from Leo to Julius.
“Hey. Hey. What’s going on?”
I look up at him, and even in the relative darkness of the room, I can see his face. We’ve spent so much time together that I could draw it without trying that hard, and I’m shit at drawing. But I know all his expressions, the worry lines, the depth of his dimples, depending on what’s making him smile or laugh.
“I need to tell you something, but…”
“Constantine, I need you to know that?—”
“What’s your problem?” Kay’s voice sounds right outside the room.
“My problem is you.”
Leo?
I move to go outside, but Julius holds me tight. “Shh. Let them talk it out.”
He’s right. I know he is, but my overwhelming feeling is to help and protect Leo.
“What have I done?” Kay asks.
“You think you know everything,” Leo snaps. “But you don’t know anything. You don’t know what it’s like.”
“I did my research, thank you very much. I grew up with men who lost friends to HIV. I heard the stories. Wait—what do you mean I don’t know what it’s like?”
