“That’s different.”
Seven’s tone grew sullen. “If I gain weight, are you going to ditch me? Tell me now, ‘cause I feel like it’s pretty inevitable with my laziness and genetics. I hit the gym pretty often now, but I refuse to do crunches forever. Once I lock you down, there’s a really high chance that I’m gonna just let myself go.”
Enzo seemed to laugh against his will. “We can let ourselves go together. Trade the gym for beer and chicken wings on the couch. Fat and happy as my Nona used to say.”
Seven gave a pornographic moan right against Enzo’s ear, crooning, “You’re kind of turning me on right now.”
“Is it the chicken wings or the couch that’s getting you going because one is downstairs and the other can be here in twenty minutes.”
Seven laughed, feeling lighter than he had since his mother’s phone call earlier. Somehow, Enzo had made it all go away for a while. “No. Well, yes to the couch, though I prefer the bed. No to the wings. You promised me your mom’s tortellini and tiramisu, and now, I can’t think of anything else.”
Enzo laughed, handing Seven his phone back in exchange for his own. He hit a button then waited several seconds forsomeone to answer. “Hey, man. It’s Enzo. I need to place a delivery order.” There was a delay as the other person spoke before Enzo said, “For me, idiot. Why would I be placing an order for someone else?”
Seven snickered as he listened to Enzo place their order.
Once he ended the call, he rolled off the bed in one graceful move, then leaned down to give Seven a kiss that lingered just enough to have Seven making a needy sound when he pulled back. “NowI’m gonna go shower.”
“Noo,” Seven whined. “What am I supposed to do without you? I’ll be bored.”
Enzo kissed his forehead, then kissed it again. Then his nose. Then his chin. Seven’s heart felt like it was two seconds away from exploding tinier hearts everywhere. “Text your friends. I’m sure they’re worried about you.”
His friends.
“Oh, right.”
He was supposed to play online with them tonight. By now, Jericho had probably filled them in on the situation. They were probably all freaking out. He waited to open his phone until he heard the water running. He giggled to himself as Enzo began to loudly belt out something from what Seven could only assume was an Italian opera.
He navigated to his voice recorder and let it pick up about two minutes of Enzo’s dramatic aria on his phone for blackmail at a later date, then opened his group chat. The minute he saw the pages of talk he missed, he decided he didn’t have time to try to catch up. Hopefully, if he missed something important, they’d catch him up now.
The few messages he did read were all his friends fretting about why they hadn’t heard from him yet.
Seven
I’m alive.
Several dots began to fly across the screen.
Felix
We’ve been worried sick. What the fuck. Would a text have killed you?
Lake
Are you okay?
Cree
What happened?
Silas
How’s your mom?
Arsen
Is she still in jail?
Ever
