“You wanted to tell me,” he says.
“I couldn’t. Leo made me promise.”
“Your loyalty is one of the things I love the most about you.”
I rest my head on Julius’s shoulder. “What else do you like about me?”
“It’s a long list. Might take me a long time to read it all out.”
I hold Julius’s head between my hands and pull him in for a kiss.
“Don’t start what you can’t finish, Galanis. We still have plenty of coffee and cake to give out,” Julius says.
I stand and hold out my hand. He takes it, and we leave the room.
As much as I want to check in with Leo, I need to decide whether to tell him I overheard the conversation or wait to see if he tells me.
An hour and a half later, Julius and I pack up the empty trays and clean the coffee maker. I don’t know how much money we raised, but the tin where people placed their donations is heavy as we hand it over to one of the organizers working with Kay.
“Hey, Connie?”
I school my expression before turning to Leo.
“Hey. Having fun?”
“Yeah. Um…can I sleep over at a friend’s place?”
I bite my tongue. “Sure. Who is it?”
His cheeks go a little pink. “Kay. She’s, um…my friend, and I’m going to meet the band.”
“I’m not sure… I should meet her dad properly first.”
He rolls his eyes. “Kay told me she’s lesbian, and their place has like a gazillion bedrooms. That good enough for you,Dad?”
“Okay. If you promise to call me if you need anything.”
“I will.”
“And please take my jacket with you. It’s on the hook in the hallway. You’re hot now, but I don’t want you catching a cold when you go outside.”
“Yeah, sorry. I was really excited to see the band, I didn’t know what to wear, and then I was running late. I ran here and forgot my coat.”
I ruffle his hair.
“Connie.”
“Love you too, bud. Have fun.”
He runs over to where his friends are all together.
I go back to Julius. “Hey, I have a little problem. I was wondering if you could help me out.”
“Sure.”
“My schedule has cleared out for tonight, so I was wondering if?—”
“Fuck yeah.”
