Elliott pulls Victor in for a tight, bone-crushing hug. “The last day of my trip fell apart, so I was able to come home early.” Elliott smacks Victor in the arm, “And where the fuck have you been?”
“Yeah!” Amber says as she pushes past Elliott and backhands Victor in the arm. “I’ve been worried sick about you.”
“She wanted to fly out here to check on you,” Lupe says, hugging Victor.
Victor looks over at Amber fondly. “Aww, Amber. You have a lady boner for me.”
“Fuck off,” Amber says aggressively as she pushes her way inside. “Where’s the booze?” As Amber walks into the living room, she sees Leo sitting on the couch. “Hello?” she asks Leo while giving him a confused look. “Victor, who’s the guy?”
Victor makes his way past his friends. “Oh, sorry. Everyone, this is my pal, Leo. He’s visiting on a layover. Leo, these are my friends, Elliott, Frank, Amber, and her fiancée, Lupe.”
“Pleased to meet you,” Leo says, waving at everyone as they enter the living room.
“On a layover? Do you fly with us?” Frank asks.
Leo sees Victor behind his friends, pleading to play along. “No, I fly for Legacy Air,” he responds. He glances over and sees Victor thanking him quietly.
“Oh, Legacy,” Frank says in excitement. “I heard they just started flying to Johannesburg. I’ve been waiting for us to start flying there.”
Leo crosses his legs and continues to play along. “Well, I’m based in San Francisco and don’t feel like transferring to New York.”
“So, Victor, how did you and Leo meet?” Elliott asks while giving Victor a sly look.
Victor starts to freeze up. Leo notices and answers for him. “We met at a layover in Mexico City. Our crews were checking in at the same time. My crew was discussing where we wanted to eat, and Victor chimed in, offering us suggestions. I invited him to join, and it ended up being the two of us. We hung out, exchanged numbers, and stayed in touch. When I told him I’ll be in Phoenix, he invited me over.”
“How come we’ve never heard about you before?” Elliott asks Leo while looking suspiciously over at Victor.
“It was a couple of months ago. And we’re only pals,” Victor says while trying to contain his nervousness.
Elliott squints his eyes and gives Victor an“Mmhmm.”
Victor changes the topic by saying, “So, Amber, you mentioned booze?”
As the day passes, everyone laughs and updates Victor on their lives. Elliott starts pouring more drinks. Amber gently caressesLupe’s legs in her lap. Frank teases Elliott’s ear. Elliott swats Frank’s hand.
“So, how’s your uncle?” Amber asks Victor.
“My uncle?” Victor questions with confusion.
“Yeah, the one that had knee surgery,” Amber explains.
Victor almost forgot his lie. “Sorry, I thought you meant the one in rehab in Chicago. He’s fine.”
“Wait, you have an uncle in rehab?” Frank asks, almost snapping his neck to look at Victor.
“Yeah, that’s why I was in Chicago last week. I thought I told you?” Victor’s friends shake their heads. “That’s why I wasn’t texting all the time. It was a big ordeal. He almost OD’d. My dad couldn’t make it out with some of the family, so he asked me to go.” Victor starts to sweat, hoping his friends don’t press for more information.
“So, Leo, how old are you?” Amber asks, changing the subject back to Leo.
Victor almost chokes on his drink.
“I’m 35,” Leo responds.
“Where are you from?” Amber interrogates.
“São Paulo,” Leo responds coolly. Even though he is not an empath, he can tell Amber is very suspicious of him.
“I’m going to São Paulo for the first time in a couple of days,” Frank mentions. “You need to tell me the best place to eat. And your favorite bathhouse.”
