“I’d prefer if you weren’t.” The solidity of his words surprised Avery. The rest of him felt milliseconds away from complete vaporization. “I’d like you to leave.”
“Red, come on.”
“No.” Avery’s eyes narrowed. “No. You don’t get to call me that. You think it means anything after last night?”
“Avery.”
“You humiliated me in front of literally every single person I know.” His voice cracked, but he continued. “You promised me. I said you didn’t have to. That I understood if you couldn’t. But thenyou promised meyou would be there. For me. With me. It is literally the only thing I have ever wanted in my entire life, for someone to want me, to be proud to be seen with me in public—”
“I am. Av—baby. I am. So much. Just—”
Avery took a step back. His eyes were filled with tears, but his chest was full of anger, not sadness, and it gave him a kind of power he’d never had before. “Were you even going to show up? Did you ever mean that?”
“Of course I—”
“Or was it all some joke to you? Am I some joke?”
“No—” Linc’s voice was hoarse, like he might be crying too.
“I know what I am.” He wrapped his arms around himself, towel be damned. If it fell, it fell. He needed the comfort, and he couldn’t let Linc be the one to give it to him. He’d never trust himself again after. “I know I’m ridiculous. Poor Avery. Can’t cook. Can’t walk across a room without hurting himself. I don’t need you to remind me in front of the whole goddamn town!”
“No. Hey. Just listen to me.” Linc reached for his arm, and Avery jerked it back, banging his elbow hard against the corner of a dresser. His whole lower arm went numb, andof coursethe towel fell. He swore and grabbed for it, holding it in front of himself with his other hand, pins and needles shooting through his fingers.
“I’d like you to leave.”
“But listen—”
“No!” His voice cracked again, but the word echoed off the walls. “No. I don’t want to listen. You kissed me, and then you disappeared on me instead of giving us a chance to figure out how to be together. You pretended to be someone else, and I let it go because it’s just a stupid video game, and I thought maybe you needed a safe space to be yourself. But now I don’t know if anything you’ve ever told me is the truth. Was it just sex? You were looking for someone dumb enough to let you fuck them without expecting any kind of respect in return?”
“No. It was never—”
“And now this? No more forgiveness. I’m done listening to your explanations. Do you even believe yourself? No more apologies or promises. You’ve lost that chance.”
“I’m sorry. Please.” It was barely a whisper. “Please, you have to—”
“I’m moving to Atlanta.”
Eight seconds.
“I thought you were staying in town?”
Avery bit the inside of his lip to keep from saying anything else. He’d made the decision in the shower. He couldn’t stay. Not now. He shouldn’t have said yes to his uncle in the first place. Offering to sell Avery the business was been a kind gesture. Like his aunt bidding on him last night so he didn’t stand on the stage like an unwanted loser for thirty whole seconds. But he’d never learn to be his own person if he stayed in this town where he’d always feel fifteen years old.
“Please leave.”
Linc shut the door softly behind him. Avery leaned against the dresser and waited for the shaking to stop.
* * *
Avery spent two days moping. His apartment had never been so tidy, which was good because he was going to have to sublet it. He checked listings for apartments in Atlanta but couldn’t decide on a neighborhood. Atlanta was big. They had a transit system and everything. Before, the size seemed exciting, full of possibility. Now, it felt daunting and overwhelming.
He made some notes about questions to ask Wanda the next time they got together, but he wasn’t ready to see her and Vasquez. They’d been kind to him on one of the worst nights of his adult life, but he didn’t want to see their sympathetic smiles again—or go anywhere near their liquor cabinet—for a long time.
Late on Sunday afternoon, someone pounded on his door like they were being chased by a pack of wild dogs. Avery had been dozing on the purple sofa, but he rushed to the door. Only as he undid the deadbolt did it occur to him it might be Linc.
Instead, Wanda stood there.
“Are you okay?”
