It felt like a year, but in reality, barely a few seconds had passed when Luis’s eyes fluttered open. For a long moment, his gaze was empty and disoriented, then he zeroed in on Paolo and sat up sharply. “What the fuck?”
Paolo withdrew, giving him room. “You fainted, I think. Unless you’re drunk, but I can’t smell booze on you.”
Luis shook his head, slower this time, without giving them both whiplash. “I’m not drunk.”
“Okay.” Paolo edged closer. “You want to tell me what’s up then? Cos you look like you’ve just found a dead body.”
Luis blanched. “Don’t joke about that shit.”
“Then tell me the truth.”
Luis leaned against the door behind him, still pale and looking like a man about to hurl his guts.
Paolo got up and fetched water from the kitchen. Luis took it with hands shakier than Paolo had ever seen and drank it down in one gulp.
“You want more?” Paolo asked.
“No.”
“Anything else you need?”
“No.”
“Then speak.”
“Why?”
“Why do you think?” Paolo’s patience snapped, and his shout rang out in the dark bedsit. “Because you ran out on meagain, and you’ve come back looking like you’ve fucking died twice already, and Jesus fucking Christ, is that blood on your clothes?”
Luis’s gaze flickered to the ominous stains on his jeans. “Do you really want the truth? Cos if I tell you, I can’t take it back.”
“Is it worse than the shit you’ve already told me?”
“I don’t think so, not for me, at least. But it could be if the police find out.”
“Did you hurt someone?”
“No.”
“You promise?”
Luis snorted out a humourless laugh. “Is that all you’re afraid of?”
“Not even close. If you knew everything I was afraid of, your brain would explode.”
“It already did.” Luis tapped the scar on the side of his head. “But we’ve done that story already.”
“Actually, we haven’t. You told me you got hit with a bar and it was Dante’s fault. You never said why.”
“I don’t know why.”
“For real?”
“For real. It was a beef I didn’t know about until after.”
They were getting off track. Maybe one day, Paolo would want to know every little thing that had shaped Luis into the man Paolo loved, but right now, only the last twenty-four hours mattered.
Paolo helped Luis up and guided him to his bed. He sat him down and fetched more water.
