“Nothing, as far as I know,” Lucas said with a shrug. “The dude’s in the fucking wind. Frankie asked Fal if he’d seen him at all, and he said just once, but that was like…shit. A few months ago?”
Gage went cold. “Wait…what?” He definitely expected Fallon to talk to him if he’d seen his shit ex right after they hooked up.
“He didn’t go into detail, and he seemed fine, so…” Lucas trailed off and absently touched his face where he’d been beat to hell after the last time he’d run into Charlie.
Gage wanted to beat the fucker down again. He took a breath. “Is Fallon doing okay?”
Lucas nodded. “Seems so. He hasn’t been around much. He’s been working a lot, and he’s moving this weekend.”
“Oh.” Gage felt even worse. He could have helped. “Where?”
“Fuck if I know,” Lucas said with a snort. “I don’t get involved unless someone asks me, and they know better than to ask me.”
Gage sagged forward again. He’d hit another wall, and he knew he needed to let the whole Fallon thing go, but it wasn’t easy. They’d shared something and…and shit. He’d at least expected to become friends with him afterward. That’s what Fallon had said he wanted, anyway.
Maybe Gage had been so terrible, Fallon couldn’t face him anymore.
If that were true, it would be fucking humiliating.
Lucas found his hand once more and squeezed it. “So. You’re good, right?”
“Do I not sound good?”
“You sound tired.”
That wasn’t a lie. Hewasfucking exhausted. Work was kicking his ass—though he was enjoying it, and while therapy was helping him cope, sometimes it was hard to constantly relive his trauma.
What he really wanted was to move on. Properly. And completely.
“Gage,” Lucas pressed.
He groaned and stood upright, stretching his back. “It’s just been a long week, okay? My dad just took me off third shift, and readjusting has been hard. And…I don’t know. I think I need to change up my therapy. And maybe get laid?”
“I can’t help you with any of those things,” Lucas said.
Gage came around the counter and tugged his friend close. “I know. And that’s fine. This is good too.”
Lucas squeezed him back before pulling away. “Just promise you’ll tell me if shit gets weird again.”
“I promise.”
Lucas grinned. “Good. Now, get out of my house. Frankie’s going to be home soon, and Fenton has Elodie, so we’re gonna have sex on the couch.”
“Fantastic. Thank you for that,” Gage groaned. He leaned in and grazed a kiss over Lucas’s cheek. “Text me later. We can play Magic or something this week.”
Lucas softened and looked a bit sad, which Gage knew was because they’d drifted so far away from their goofy game nights that had once brought them so much peace and joy. But it was for the best. Every time they tried to join a new party, someone would be shitty. Or ableist. They’d refuse to make accommodations for Lucas, or they’d schedule game nights and “forget” to tell them about it.
Fighting for space in the groups that didn’t want them got old fast. But Gage was missing it, and Lucas could tell.
“I will make time for you.”
Gage loved him for that. He adored that Lucas hadn’t set him aside as soon as he fell in love. He’d been a little afraid of that—afraid he might have deserved it. But things carried on like whatever their new normal was going to be.
“Call me if you need me, yeah?” Lucas said as Gage opened the front door of the apartment.
“Will do.” That was a lie. He wouldn’t. He didn’t like interrupting the child-free time Lucas and Frankie got together.
If he needed something, he’d call one of his dads. Or one of his uncles.
