“You did what?!” Lulu’s eyes blew wide open as he clasped his hands in front of his chest, the pale pink nail polish shimmering under the light from the overhead lamps.
“Yeah.” Xavi shrugged. “I guess he didn’t care for my characterization of Holden Caulfield.”
“Holden who?” Joe asked, sitting on the desk.
“Holden Caulfield. The protagonist of the novel.”
“What’s a protagonist?” Lulu looked like his head was spinning, and Xavi thought it might just be the cutest thing he’d ever seen.
“It’s the main character of a story.” Xavi smiled. He loved talking about books, but no one he knew at school shared his interest. He already knew he wanted to be a teacher one day, maybe even teach English in high school if he’d be able to go all the way.
“Oh.” Lulu nodded, his dark curls bobbing up and down, trying to break free from the purple headband around his head. “What did you say?” he near-whispered.
“I told Mr. Garcia that Holden Caulfield is a narcissistic, grade-A asshole, and then he totally lost it on me.”
“No shit,hermano,” Joe laughed. “That’s fucking awesome. Wish I could’ve been there.” Joe looked genuinely impressed and slightly disappointed he hadn’t been there to witness the dreaded English teacher’s meltdown. “That’ll teach him.”
“Probably not,” Xavi laughed. “Lost cause.”
“Yeah, probably,” Joe agreed.
There was a pause, where they all smiled tentatively at each other, perhaps all aware that this wasn’t just any ordinary Wednesday afternoon in detention. Something was happening, and Xavi was almost certain he wasn’t the only one feeling a strange connection growing between them, like they were long-lost friends, or perhaps even brothers,hermanos.
Then Joe finally spoke. “I set fire to my chemistry project. Third time this year. I fucking hate chemistry.”
Like always, Xavi winced at the mention of fire, his skin itching with the phantom feel of searing flames licking along his skin, the nauseating smell of burnt flesh assaulting his senses. Closing his eyes, he focused on his breath. It wasn’t that night. He was at school. He was safe. Opening his eyes, he focused on the details around him, on the two boys standing next to him.
“You set fire to your chemistry project?!” Lulu gaped at Joe.
“Yeah,” Joe groaned. “It was an accident, but still…”
“Shit,” Lulu laughed. “I didn’t hear the alarm.”
“It was just a small one.”
“Oh.”
A small pause stretched between them, and Xavi found himself wishing, hoping, this day would just go on forever and that Joe and Lulu would just continue to talk and smile at him like they were really truly friends.
“What are you guys doing after?” Lulu eventually said, looking at first Joe, then Xavi expectantly.
“Nothing,” they both replied simultaneously, then laughed, bumping their shoulders against each other.
“Wanna hang out? Maybe hit the park?”
“Sure.” Joe nodded eagerly, still smiling broadly.
“Xavi?” Lulu asked, his almond brown eyes wide, a few tears still clinging to his dark lashes. “You wanna come too?” There was something unspoken in his eager voice, or perhaps it was just Xavi’s mind playing tricks on him. Something similar to hope, perhaps. He swallowed, taking in Lulu’s expectant face. He couldn’t recall there ever having been a time when someone had asked him what he was doing after school. Or if he wanted tohang out. But he already knew his answer, because there could only ever be one when this beautiful boy looked at him like this.
“Sure, I’ll come.”
Chapter One
Xavi
As usual, Lulu was late. Sunday breakfast atGloria’swas a recurring event, and had been as long as anyone could remember. ‘Come rain, shine, or hangover,’ as Lulu had once proclaimed, they showed up. Because showing up wasn’t just about breakfast, no, it also meant showing up for each other in general, during all stages of life. They were the three musketeers, one for all and all for one, and they had been since that day in detention, and now they were four, Noah, the love of Joe’s life, blending into their little group seamlessly.
“We should just order,” Xavi eventually said when Noah looked like he was close to taking a bite out of the table. The guy was huge, and next to Joe, he looked almost like a giant, his bulky, tattooed arm wrapped securely around Joe with a naturalness that hadn’t been in the cards when the Buffalo police officer and firefighter had met a little over two years ago. Warmth spread through Xavi’s chest at the sight of his best friend and his fiancé. It hadn’t always been a smooth ride for the two of them, but in the end, they’d come out stronger, rock solid, and in two weeks, they’d tie the knot in Portland, where one of Noah’s four sisters lived with her wife.
