“Well, well, welcome to the land of the living!” Collin barks when we step into the living room.
“Y’all reek of sex,” Lenny adds, and I watch in fascination as Madison blooms in red from head to toe. I lean down and press a kiss to the top of his head and tighten my arm around his waist.
“Madison wanted me to introduce myself—officially. I’m Cedrick, his boyfriend.”
A chorus of whoops and hollers ring out, and I didn’t think Madison could get any redder, but here he is.
“Awe, darlin’,” I tease him as I feel the heat for a moment.
“Shut up,” he hisses at everybody, but it comes out choked, and we all chuckle light-heartedly because we know he doesn’t mean it. He’s grinning at all of us, and when his eyes meet mine, I know this is good.
This is the way it’s supposed to be.
We’re almost there.
“What if theydon’t like me?”
“Kase will like you just fine, darlin’.”
“But…”
“But nothin’,” I reassure him as we walk inside the apartment.
This moment feels pivotal.
My best friend meeting… my boyfriend.
Oh, fuck.
“So, this is the elusive Madison,” Kaser says as we walk into the living room, and Madison, of course, flushes from head to toe.
“H-h-hi,” he stutters, and I smile softly at him.
“It’s okay, darlin’. It’s just Kase.”
“Yeah, it’s just Kase,” they say as they push to their feet. They hold out their hand to Madison.
“It’s nice to finally meet the boy that captured Ricky.”
“Ricky?” he parrots, glancing up at me as he shakes Kase’s hand. I glare at them, but they just grin right back.
“Oh, yeah. He didn’t tell you about the nickname?”
“No…” Madison drawls, and Kase pulls him closer as he walks toward the couch.
“Oh, I’ve got stories for you, Madi. So, you know that Ricky and I grew up together, right? Well, you see, he’s always been this fuckin’ crazy, believe it or not…”
And as I watch my best friend make a spot for Madison on the couch right beside them like he’s always belonged there, something inside me shifts. Something big.
Something painful.
Something that causes my breath to hitch and my hand to fly to my chest to press against the ache.
“Cedrick?” Madison calls out, and I open my eyes to find him staring at me with his wide-eyed, blue gaze, and I smile through the pain.
Pain I’ve never known before but looking at Madison… I now know what it means.
It’s fear.
