There were dark circles under his eyes, and smudges on his upper arms and chest. He was way too
thin, unhealthy looking, and it took Alec a hot second to even recognize the man he'd shared a
townhouse with for the better part of three years.
"Mac?" Alec said, already hating himself for the concerned inflect.
Mac gave a brief grin, and Alec caught a glimpse of the handsome man he'd loved beneath the
wraith-like facade. "Hi Alec," he said.
"I thought you were Demarco."
"No. Just me," he said, eyes flitting about nervously.
"Are you OK?" Alec asked.
"Yeah. I just… miss you."
"Mac, I…"
"I know. I know. I have no right. I just hated the way things ended. And… I wanted to hear your voice again."
"What's going on, Mac?" Alec said, growing a little irritated. Mac flinched like a scolded dog, and Alec regretted the impulse instantly.
"Nothing," Mac answered. "Just feeling down. Wanted to talk."
"Are you… on anything?"
"No," he answered, somewhat confidently. "Just haven't slept in a while."
"You need to eat something."
"Yeah, that too."
"Mac—" Alec started but was surprised to see Mac's expression twist into a painful grimace.
He wiped tears from his reddened sockets.
"Oh, God… I wasn't going to do this," he said.
"Mac, talk to me. What's going on? Are you in trouble?"
He nodded. "Yeah. I owe Victor money."
Victor. That was a name Alec had all but forgotten. Victor had been Mac's dealer when Alec
first caught him using. Alec had paid him off and told him to stay away. And now… Victor was back.
"Mac, are you clean? You don't look it."
He nodded, a little too enthusiastically. "I am… mostly."
"Listen to me. You need to give Victor what you can. Tell him your good for the rest, he might have to wait a day or two. You'll make the tips. You always do."
"I lost my job, Alec. I don't have any money."
"So that's what this is about."
