He looked away, but his cheeks continued to darken, to the point James had no choice but to lean forward and kiss the rosy, mottled skin. “If you’ve been thinking about it, I definitely want to talk, but…you’re right, maybe that’s not the first thing we need to talk about.”
Leon squeezed his hips, stroking the soft bits that sat right above his waistband. “How about you give me a tour of the place?”
If this had been several months earlier, he would have assumed Leon was teasing him, but they weren’t two friends dancing around each other, resorting to sarcasm and wit to connect. He pulled Leon in, and they shared another kiss, this one as sweet as the orange peel candy waiting in Leon’s basket. James always thought of orange when he thought of Leon, and it turned out that not only did he smell like long walks holding hands in an orchard, he also liked orange as a flavor. James had been sure to include lots of orange-flavored things in his gift.
“I guess we can start out here and then go into the bedroom?” James said, taking Leon’s hand and leading him over to the living room.
“Oooh, you decorated my bedroom, too? Weren’t you a busy little mensch?” Leon said, noticeably looking at James and not the decorations.
“I wanted it to be festive,” James said, pretty sure his own cheeks were heating to match the color of the throw blanket he’d spread out on Leon’s couch.
“You’re so fucking adorable,” Leon said, placing a kiss on his forehead.
They were never going to get through this if Leon kept kissing him. Not that James minded them taking their time, but the ball of nerves and heat and anxiety and love was burning a hole through his stomach.
“Please feel free to save all commentary until the end,” James said, trying for a joke but falling flat. Leon raised a pierced eyebrow, and James ducked his head. “So, we can get through the tour and onto other things?”
Leon tipped James’ chin up and searched his face, before rolling his eyes. “You’re not wearing that wild, excited smile, so I’m assuming this is more than you just being eager to take me to bed tonight?”
James pulled his head out of Leon’s grasp. “No. I mean, I’m definitely excited for that, but also to spend the evening together and talk. About what Aspen said, but also about us, and Valentine’s Day, and your gift, and–”
Leon’s phone rang from his pocket, thankfully interrupting what would have become yet another spiral. Leon huffed and pulled it out, doing a double-take when he saw who was calling.
“It’s Hailey,” he said, and James’s eyes widened.
“Does she usually call you?”
“No. I’m pretty sure she’d rather send a letter than make a phone call,” Leon said.
“Oh, I thought that was just a millennial thing.”
Leon shrugged. “I should probably answer–”
It stopped ringing, and they stared at it.
“Huh. Maybe a butt dial?” James asked.
That ball had officially burned through his stomach and seemed to be moving around his insides. He needed to get this conversation over with–or at the very least started, so they could talk things through, and James could stop worrying and guessing and–
Leon’s phone rang again, and this time Leon picked up right away. “What do you want–” His expression went blank for a second. “Trina? Trina, I can’t understand you,” he said. His brows pulled together, and he stepped away from James to walk over towards the window, as if maybe he was getting bad reception. “Trina, I can’t… You have to take a deep breath, what happen–”
Leon’s free hand balled into a fist, and his breathing picked up. “Trina, please, what–”
James walked over and grabbed Leon’s hand. “Speaker?” he mouthed, and Leon nodded, pulling the phone away from his ear and switching it to speaker.
“–so slippery and…good driver…seriously, she didn’t do…wrong but, but, but…please! Leon!” Trina sobbed.
Leon’s hand was shaking so much that he almost dropped the phone. James gingerly took it from him. “Trina, honey, we can’t understand what you’re saying. It was slippery? Did you fall, or get hurt while–”
“Car accident! Please, I…I called 911 already, but…but she…she won’t open her eyes!” Trina wailed.
Leon made a choking noise, his body going stiff. In contrast, James felt his shoulders set, and his joints flex. Every trip to the ER with his mom had been preparing him for this moment. “Okay, Trina, do you know where you are?”
James pulled Leon by the hand over to the front door and pointed at their shoes. Leon nodded jerkily and shoved his feet into his boots while James slid his on one-handed.
Trina sobbed into the phone. “I can’t see any signs–”
“Can you share your location? I know Hailey has an iPhone; I can walk you through it,” James said as Leon grabbed their coats from the closet. He reached for his car keys, but James caught his wrist and shook his head. Leon grabbed James’ keys instead, and they rushed out the door.
