"Can we not thirst over this and just continue, please?" Rava says. I'm staring. There's absolutelynoway I'm jerking off to that photo at some point.
Zero chance.
"Agreed," I mutter. "But also…send me that. For science."
The next photo hits the wall.
The fuck?! It's me on some sketchy mattress, leg stretched, some guy tattooing the back of my calf like it's fucking Tuesday and we're not completely hammered.
I look halfway between euphoria and full mental collapse. Everyone leans in. I twist around, lift the leg of my sweatpants. I have…a small, perfectly outlined…something.
I stare.
Oh God. Noah is squinting at the screen, trying to crack a code. "I can't tell if that's a condom wrapper or a piece of ravioli." I look up. We all look at each other. Instant panic. "It's a condom wrapper," I blurt. "It's definitely a condom wrapper. Why would I get ravioli tattooed on me?!"
Lorenzo turns and stares at Noah, face unreadable. Noah starts wheezing.
"You two are the worst," I snap. "Go fuck yourselves. Both of you. I'm getting it removed. No big deal." I drop my pant leg.
"Next photo, let's go. I'm already dead inside."
The photo hits the wall, and the room explodes again. Noah, mid push-up. Lorenzo, fully perched on his back, grinning. And in his hand? A small, very real, very alive-looking mouse. I blink. "What the actual—"
But Lorenzo gasps. Loud. "THAT'S GIUSEPPE." He sits up straighter like he's just recognized a long-lost lover. "I found him before I got completely wasted! He was just in the hallway, like…vibing. I took him in. We bonded." He clutches his chest. "I don't know what happened to him after that. I blacked out."
"Damn. The alcohol gave me strength. You think I could do push-ups with your entire body on my back while you held a rodent? Sober? Never."
Rava is wheezing into my shoulder.
I can feel his body shaking from how hard he's laughing. I love that sound. I'm just staring at the mouse.
"…We need to find Giuseppe." Lorenzo adds while nodding. Noah nods. "He lives on. In our hearts. And possibly the pantry."
I cover my face. "Next photo before this turns into a eulogy." Next slide.
Oh, fuck me sideways.
It's me and Rava. Tiny-ass bathroom. I'm standing, laughing like a maniac, one hand reaching out toward the camera, clearly trying to hide it.
Rava's on his knees. Head tilted up. Glasses on. Both hands on my thighs. The look on his face? Ready and starving. It is, without question, a photo taken 0.3 seconds before he goes down on me.
That motherfucker can't stay away from my dick for literally one night. Or maybe I can't stay away from his mouth. I literally don't know. I stare at the screen.
"YOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!"
Lorenzo absolutely screams, nearly knocking over his coffee. Noah is choking. Hard. On what? Who knows. Rava lets out a noise I can't even describe, dives into my chest like he's trying to disappear into another dimension. Face fully buried. Ears red. Entire body stiff as hell.
I'm processing. Slowly. "That…" I say, blinking at the photo. "That is art you fuckers, don't laugh."
"Gio—" Noah gasps, tears forming. "Your fucking face in it. You look like you're about to pitch a reality show called Blowjobs & Betrayal."
"I was laughing," I defend. "I was trying to stop the photo."
"You failed," Lorenzo yells. "And I've never been happier." This photo is fire.
The lighting is perfect.
The timing is suspiciously perfect.
