"I respect it! Really, Gio must be giving youinsanedick. You're gone, man."
"Shut the fuck up, idiot!" I snatch the phone up from the floor. "It's not about the sex, Jesus—he did something good for me and I'm returning the favor in my own way, alright?!"
"That's what they all say until they're crocheting his initials onto dish towels. You're in deep, baby. I'm proud of you."
I groan, grab the scoop again, and go back to cleaning. "God," I mutter. "I should've called Lorenzo instead."
"Too late," he sings. "You called me, and now I'm part of the domestic drama. So tell me, did you feed the cat, too? Are you brushing her next? Want me to send you a wife apron?"
"Shut. Up." Lulu meows approvingly. "At least my brother isn't dating a cheater," I say while scooping the last bit of Lulu's litter. Noah goes quiet for a second.
"Fair. Low blow. But fair. I accept that."
I look at Lulu, who is still watching me like I'm her butler. "Your throne is ready," I tell her. "You may now poop like royalty."
Noah loses it. "Why do I picture you building her a little golden staircase and monogrammed toilet paper?!"
I roll my eyes, picking up the litter bag. "You're so dumb." I leave the room, phone propped against the wall, and head intothe bathroom. "Wait there," I call over my shoulder. "Be right back."
I pull all the clothes from Gio's washer, arms full of soft black T-shirts, then push open the back door. The heat hits me like a wall. Cicadas are screaming. I can barely see with the sun in my face. I start hanging the clothes one by one.
"So? Catch me up. What did I miss?"
I smirk to myself. "Oh, you misseda lot."
"Start talking. I hope you can wrap it in four hours because I have a tattoo appointment."
"Don't care. Listen." I clip a shirt onto the line. "The day you left? Gio's mom ends up in the hospital. I'm the one who drives them there. It was fucking scary."
Noah's voice changes instantly. "Wait, what?! Is she okay? Was it serious?!"
"She has a chronic condition," I say, pausing to hang a towel. "It got bad for a bit, but she's doing better now. Gio's with her as we speak."
He is quiet for a second. "Damn…"
I keep working, arms moving on autopilot. "After that, Gio and I go to this park. With swings."
"Swings? You two went to swings? I've always questioned your taste, man."
"Shut the hell up," I mutter. "They are important swings." I clip another shirt onto the line and just stand there for a second.
"It was one of the best nights of my life," I say.
"I'm talking full breakdown, man. Like, tears. Voice cracking. Hyperventilation. The whole package." I lean against the balcony rail, letting my forehead rest on my arm. "I told him everything. Literally,everything.Stuff I didn't even know I was still carrying. I just let it pour out. And he did too. Like we were cracking open at the same time."
Noah's face on the screen is frozen in awe. Literally mouth open. "I even told him," I say, laughing under my breath, "about that one time in middle school? When I purposely got detention so I could stay behind after school just to sit near him longer."
"YOU—WHAT?! Why didn’t I know about this, dude?"
I look at the phone. His face is lit up like a stage. "Wait. No. Don't talk. I need a second. Jesus Christ. You finally listened to my prayers for you two fuckers. You actually did it. You felt things. And said them. To each other."
He grabs his own face in his hands. "Oh my god." I roll my eyes, but can't stop the smile.
"I told him I love him," I say.
Silence. I can hear his breathing pick up like he's charging up for something catastrophic. Then the scream. Lulu bolts under the table like the house is on fire.
"YOU DID WHAT?!"
