“I puked my guts out in the gallery restroom over the idea of having to sketch Simone in front of an audience,” he blurted. “I’m going to panic and fail.”
“What? But–”
“You vouched for me, and I don’t want to do anything that would jeopardize your job there. You can’t go back to Identical Dog.”
Cosmo stiffened. “Right. My worthless ass is going to go crawling back to Royce because I couldn’t possibly get a job at some other gallery. The only thing I have working for me is my looks.”
“I didn’t mean it like that.”
“Didn’t you?” Cosmo’s mouth twisted, and he hugged his arms to his chest. “It’s what everyone else thinks, so why shouldn’t you?”
“I swear I didn’t. I’ve just been thinking about us being on this snagged thread, and how…” He shook his head. Neither of them knew how this parallel universe business worked, and it was foolish to presume it would try to pull Cosmo back to Identical Dog to correct the timeline when he was standing right here telling Micah it wouldn’t happen. “I’m sorry. I’m being an asshole.” He walked outside and rested his elbows on the balcony railing. The scent of laundry soap mingled with exhaust, and a chihuahua peed on the tire of a car before trotting away. Someone hacked and coughed from a nearby unit, and a conversation drifted in what might have been Thai.
The fire that had been smoldering in his chest had died, washed away by the realization that he was letting his mental health push Cosmo away again. He walked back in, vaguely noticing that he hadn’t hesitated, even though he knew Cosmo was inside.
Cosmo sat on the couch, squeezing an accent pillow. He didn’t look up when Micah approached, but whispered, “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have told Simone that you would sketch her without knowing if it was okay first.”
“I’m sorry too. I let you in without a problem, and it made me so angry with myself for some reason. You didn’t deserve to have that directed at you. You’ve had nothing but good intentions, and of course you could get a job at some other gallery.” He sank onto the couch and slid his arm around Cosmo. “The couch doesn’t smell like armpits, right?”
Cosmo pressed his face to the pillow, then wrinkled his nose. “It’s a little ripe.”
“Damn it.”
“I’m joking. It smells fine. Did we just have another fight?”
“I guess we kind of did.” So much for things continuing to go right today.
“Then I’m getting better at this. Normally all my arguments with partners end in fist fights or things being thrown over balconies.”
Micah cringed. “I suppose it depends a lot on who you’re arguing with.”
“Shh. I’m proud of myself for not hurling the banana bread into the parking lot. Don’t spoil my moment.”
“If you had, I would have eaten it off of the road.” And he vowed never to get into that kind of argument with Cosmo. He wasn’t ever going to be like Zedd.
“No need for that.” Cosmo stared at the carpet between his feet. “Do you still want a piece?”
“Absolutely.” Micah didn’t want to ruin this moment for Cosmo. He was going to take a huge bite of the bread and tell him it was the most delicious thing he’d ever eaten. Even if it was full of spiders. Or candy corn.
After walking into the kitchen, Cosmo cut into the bread and served them both a slice. A wide ribbon of cream ran through the center. Before Micah could pick up the slice, Cosmo broke off a chunk and fed it to him. Cream cheese and soft, spiced bread melted on his tongue. He moaned and sagged against the counter.
Cosmo watched, a small smile playing at his lips. “You like it?”
“God.” Micah chewed, cream sticking to his gums. “It’s incredible.”
“Oh good!” He pulled off another piece and pushed it into Micah’s mouth, even though Micah hadn’t yet swallowed the first bite.
Once Micah was certain Cosmo wouldn’t have to give him the Heimlich maneuver, he poured himself a glass of milk and said, “I can’t believe your ex didn’t like your baking. I can’t believe that anyone wouldn’t like it. The coffee shop on the corner has the best muffins, but I’m ruined now. They’re going to taste like dirt compared to this.”
“I can make muffins too.”
“Marry me.”
Cosmo smiled. He cocked his head, toying with the hem of Micah’s shirt. “If the event is stressing you out, I’ll tell Simone right now that you can’t do it. You can draw her from a photo or something instead.”
“No, please don’t do that. I think I can do it if you help me practice. Will you pose for me? Let me draw you? Or are you too mad at me?”
Cosmo tugged on one earring. “I think the conclusion we can come to is we’re both that GIF of a flaming dumpster floating down a flooded street, but we’re helping each other get better. We should both be proud of that, don’t you think?”
