“You still living in Chicago?” Giuliano asks.
“Yep. I just took a few days off to unwind a bit.”
“He’s a child therapist,” Nantes explains.
Brogan nods in understanding. “Ah, yeah. That can be heavy, right?”
“Sometimes, yes. It’s good to see you guys. You look great.”
The front door opens again and a tall man with dark hair peeks in, relaxing when he sees all of us. Nantes waves him in. “You can come in, Balt.”
Deo turns around with a huge smile on his face. “Hey, babe.”
“Hey. Your mom said you were coming over here.”
“You were busy with Nonna, and I figured I’d only be a few minutes.”
Balt kisses Deo’s cheek. “You don’t have to tell me where you’re going, but I missed you.”
“Gag.” Brogan rolls their eyes. “Clearly, these two are in love.”
Deo and Balt hold each other’s gazes until Nantes clears his throat. Deo chuckles. “Sorry. Um, this is my man, Balt. Balt, this is a family friend, Vanian Taylor.”
We shake hands as Balt says, “Nice to meet you.”
“You too, man.”
There’s something about Balt that strikes me. It’s something in his eyes or his demeanor that says he’s a man with secrets. Call it the therapist in me, or maybe it’s because I recognize myself in him, but yeah, he’s lived a lot of life.
Deo must notice my gaze and misconstrue it as he wraps his arm around Balt’s in a territorial fashion.Settle down, little dude. I’m straight.I can admit that Balt is an attractive man though, so I guess if he was mine, I’d hold on tight too.
“Any plans while you’re in town?” Giuliano asks.
I shake my head. “Maybe go out to Madison, but mostly just hanging out and catching up with Nantes.” I glance at my friend. “I’m a little burned out at work, so I just want to chill for a few days.”
“Good plan. Better rest up tonight, because once Nonna finds out you’re here, she’s gonna be all over you.”
“Is Nonna a fan of his?” Balt asks.
“Uh, yeah,” Deo says. “She thought he was ‘too skinny.’” He mimics Nonna’s voice perfectly. “She spent a lot of time trying to fatten him up.”
“Nantes too,” I point out. “We were her skinny boys.”
“And we were her chonks,” Brogan says, nudging Deo, who laughs.
“And you, Giuls?” Balt asks.
He shrugs. “Just normal, I guess. Our bonding wasn’t over food. She liked to go antiquing and I would always tag along.”
Listening to all this brings back a lot of warm memories for me. I always enjoyed hanging out with Nantes and his family. They were so different from my own. So close. And loud. Very loud. My house growing up was the exact opposite.
“I’ll be in the office in the morning,” Nantes says, “but I might take off a few hours early to hang with Van.”
“Whatever you need,” Deo says. “You know that.”
It’s super weird seeing Deo as an adult. He looks very similar to how he did as a kid, but he’s shed the quirky oversized clothing of his youth for super stylish tailored clothes. He always had really short hair before, but now it’s long and wavy, draping over his shoulders. He seems mature too, but I guess he’d be over thirty by now. Time flies.
“I’m sure we’ll see you for dinner before you go,” Giuls says. “Or Nonna will hunt you down.”
