“No.” Adam sighed. “It’s nothing like that. I can’t really talk now.”
That surprised Rico, but it shouldn’t have. The two of them weren’t exclusive, and if Adam was with someone else, it shouldn’t bother Rico. Even though it did.
“Sorry to bother you.”
About to disconnect, Rico heard Adam curse. “Shit, no. Rico. Are you still there?”
“Yeah.” Curious now, he leaned back on the bed to settle himself in. “What’s going on?”
“I—I left the city.”
“For good?” Rico asked carefully, shocked his heart twisted painfully at the thought of not seeing Adam again.
“No. Of course not. But, there was this boy…” And then Adam told the story of what happened inside a townhouse during a routine call and how his supervisor made him take some time off for his mental health.
“Ahhh, man. That’s horrible. Do they know why he did it?” This shit shouldn’t be happening. Not now. Not ever. He cradled the phone between his shoulder and ear and rolled over in bed, hugging himself close. Wishing Adam was there for him to give comfort to.
A tired sigh met his ear. “I gather he liked some boy, and when Manny approached him, the boy went off on him and got a whole bunch of kids to start harassing him at school and also on social media. We checked his Facebook wall, and it was filled with kids telling him he was better off dead.”
Pained, Rico closed his eyes in disgust. “He never said anything?”
“No. And I guess it got to be too much, so he went into his mother’s bathroom and took the pills she had from when she tore up her knee a year or so ago along with a bottle of vodka. Decided he’d had enough of this world.”
“Jesus. I’m sorry.” The utter helplessness a child feels knows no comparison. At fifteen they think their world is over. “But why did you leave the city?”
A moment or two of silence passed. “I wanted to come home, to Texas, and be with my family. I hadn’t seen them in a while, and much as I love New York, I couldn’t breathe.”
Rico understood. Having grown up in Miami, he missed everything about the beach and the fresh, salty air.
“You know what’s funny, though?” Adam’s slight Texas twang had become a bit more pronounced, and Rico couldn’t help but smile.
“What?”
“Now that I’m here, I miss New York.”
“Yeah? What do you miss?”
“You’ll think I’m crazy.”
“Nope,” he said jokingly. “I already know you are. Tell me. It’s the coffee, right? Or the pizza? Oh, wait. Must be dirty-water dogs from the cart you said were your guilty pleasure?”
“None of the above.”
Rain began to patter against the windows, and Rico stretched out, enjoying the back-and-forth with Adam, hoping that their talk might help ease some of Adam’s heartache dealing with such a tragedy.
“Then what?”
“It was you.”
Rico’s smile faltered, and his heart began to pound. No one had ever said that to him; he’d never gotten close enough for anyone to miss him when he left.
“Me?” He couldn’t help his voice cracking a bit.
“Funny, right? I mean, yeah, we’ve fucked around, and I know we said no strings, but—”
“It’s okay. I get it.” Shocked at how much Adam’s words meant to him, warmth flooded Rico. “So, what’re you doing tonight? It’s Friday afternoon. Looking for a lonesome cowboy to keep you company?”
“Not likely. I’ll probably stay home and watch some television.” He paused. “What about you? Busy this weekend?”
