At this point Morgan couldn’t even think about the effort required for a new relationship. He barely cared about what he was going to have for dinner.
“Are you guys hungry? We could order in something to go with the wine.”
“Sure. We passed a cute Thai place on our way here.” Chris bounced off the couch, and Morgan couldn’t have been more grateful to have friends he could turn to.
“Thanks, guys. I really appreciate you coming here and hanging out with me. I know I haven’t been much fun this past year, but I think I’m finally getting it together and putting the past behind me.” Morgan hugged Chris, then jumped on Sean, who grabbed hold of him. “I couldn’t have done it without you.”
“Sure you could. You’re stronger than you thought and a fighter. But the thing is, you won’t ever have to. We’re always going to be here.”
Tears collected on his lashes. “I know.”
“And maybe Leo will be too.”
“Knock it off. Come on, let’s get some curry.”
As he picked up his phone and opened the delivery app, he couldn’t help wondering what Leo was doing.
***
The following Sunday found Morgan still thinking about Leo. He’d barely seen the man all week. Not that he’d been looking for him.
Yeah. Say it often enough, and you might believe it.
And talking to Marla had only brought backmorethoughts of Leo, even though he did enjoy their chats. She’d called him asking questions about kindergarten for Evan, her younger son, then deftly turned the conversation to how Leo was doing.
“I have no idea,”had been the only answer he could give her, because it was the truth.
He’d spent the last few days trying to understand what the hell had happened between the two of them the previous Sunday, when he’d let down his guard and welcomed Leo inside him.
God, the memory still made him dizzy. What was wrong with him? He’d never had this much sex on the brain before.
Annoyed that he’d wasted yet another day thinking about Leo, he decided to take a walk through the neighborhood to clear his head.
After a two-mile trek, he’d had enough, and pleasantly tired, headed for home. When he rounded the corner to his block, he saw a small crowd gathered in front of their building, and following their gazes, spotted Leo up in a tree. What the hell was he doing? Then he saw Ilya, the little girl who lived across the hall from him, leaning out the window, crying.
“Please get Jazzy. Please.”
He stopped by the edge of the lawn and squinted into the sun, catching sight of a small, fluffy orange cat clinging to a branch. And oh Jesus, there was Leo, stretched out on a lower branch. Leo reached up to grab the kitten, and the crying ball of fur swiped at him.
“Ow. Son of a—” Leo yelled, then pressed his lips together.
Even from the street, Morgan could see the blood on his arm, and he winced, knowing how much that must hurt.
“Jazzy, be good,” Ilya called out. “Leo’s trying to help.”
Morgan’s heart beat faster as Leo tried several more times to get the cat, enduring vicious tangles with the cat’s sharp claws, until finally he lunged and snagged her by the scruff of her neck. Holding the growling cat away from his body, Leo carefully found his way down the ladder propped up against the tree trunk. When he reached the ground to some cheering, Ilya burst out through the front door and ran across the lawn.
“Thank you. Thank you, Leo.”
“No problem. Make sure to keep your windows closed from now on, okay?”
“I’m sorry.”
“Don’t worry about it.”
Cuddling the now sweet animal, Ilya ran inside, and Morgan joined Leo by the tree.
“Good job.”
