“I can’t hear you.”
“Bernard, when did you become my grandparents?”
“ThatI heard.”
I buried my face in my palms, slowly dragging them down. From my tablet’s vantage point on my coffee table, I made sure Bernard saw the whites of my eyes as they rolled back into my skull. How was this man allowed to run the entire public relations department for the world’s premiere superhero team?
“I know you hate textingandphones. Do you even own a computer? Bernard, do youstill own a pager?”
He held his phone far enough away. I could tell he wasn’t wearing a shirt. The man was the definition of barrel-chested and had enough chest hair he must trim it. I caught myself gawking, and my face grew warmer than when my body was covered in alien fire.
“I’d show you the rest, but I don’t think your cheeks can get any redder.” He laughed. “Nope, I was wrong.”
“Why did we date?”
“I’m old, so my memory might be shot. But I don’t remember us going on many dates.”
Two men, emotionally unavailable when they met. There are nights when I’m alone in bed that I wonder what might have been. Thankfully, the decision to transition from ferocious sex fiends into friends had been mutual. There weren’t many men in my life I could say I loved unconditionally, but Bernard had made the cut despite my efforts to push him away.
Years ago, I hadn’t been ready for anything more than friends with benefits. Thankfully, things had changed.Ihad changed. The thought of Aiden snoring as he buried his face in my chest made me smile.
“I don’t know why I put up with you.”
“Yeah,” he laughed, “you do.”
Deep sigh. “I do.”
I nearly came clean and confessed. It’d be so easy to tell Bernard that I was the infernal Blaze. He’d shimmy to the edge of his couch and listen as I unburdened my life. Thatwas the nature of Bernard. I’d screw up. He’d ground me. When I came to my senses, he’d be waiting.
This burden could only be carried by one.
“You’re getting that serious face.”
“I had a rough day at work.” It wasn’t a lie. I had become one of the many Americans working two jobs. I’d have to ask Hellcat who signed my paychecks.
“So, I saw the news. Everything okay?”
No, not really. “Yeah.”
“Say it again. Maybe you’ll convince me.”
“Ever try to do the right thing, and it bites you in the ass? You know me, keep my head down and do what I’m good at. I tried sticking my neck out?—”
“Uneasy is the head that wears a crown.”
“You did not just quote Shakespeare at me.”
He launched into a speech about how the bard had a poignant line for every situation. While he relived his college literature class, my phone buzzed.
A: Not going to respond? I’ll keep texting.
I made the mistake of telling a would-be reporter I was having a bad day and not giving him the full scoop. Hellcat didn’t explain the implications of putting on the mask. She skipped the part where a secret erected a wall that kept everybody at arm’s length.
X: Work. I got reprimanded for something I didn’t do. Same shit, different day.
“You call me so you can stare at your phone?”
“Sorry, it’s Aiden.”
