“Maybe, buddy.” If therewasa next time. What was this to him? A one-time hookup? A rebound from his breakup? Curiosity?
Or was it the start of something like a relationship? Did Ramin want that?
Did Noah?Couldhe want that? Should he even be worrying about that now, when they were trying to figure out their family’s future? Should he tell Angela what happened? Would she be happy or mad? She kept saying she was worried Noah was lonely. But shealsowanted him to focus on their family this trip.
But what if this thing between him and Ramin was real?
Twenty years ago, Noah had had a crush on Ramin. He just hadn’t known what it was. He wouldn’t figure out he was bi for another few years. At the time, he just… liked being around Ramin.
He still liked being around Ramin.
“Dad?”
“Huh? Sorry, buddy. I was thinking.”
Jake shrugged. “Can we get gelato when we get back?”
Noah laughed. “If it’s in your mom’s schedule, sure.”
Unfortunately for Jake, gelato wasn’t on the route for The Death March of Fun: Part III. (Or was it Part IV? Noah couldn’t decide if yesterday counted, since while they’d definitely done some marching, they’d also spent hours with Nonna and Nonno.)
Angela gave them just enough time at the hotel to change clothes. Noah grabbed a quick shower, though he hated the thought of washing Ramin’s smell off him. He consoled himself by sniffing Ramin’s pink T-shirt. It smelled like the both of them, like sweat and lemons and sugar and lust.
It smelled like heaven.
But then Jake knocked on the bathroom door and he nearly dropped the shirt into the open toilet. He hung it carefully and told Jake he’d be done in a few minutes.
“Hey, is your battery pack charged?” Noah asked Angela once he’d gotten dressed. “My phone is dead.”
Thankfully, iPhone and Android had finally started using the same connectors.
Nothing in the divorce had felt so final as when Angela had switched from iPhone to Android, turning her and Noah’s years-long text chain green.
Angela shook her head. “Sorry. But my phone is charged. We’ll be okay if you need to leave yours here.”
Noah didn’t want to leave his phone. He wanted to text Ramin, be ready to get a response. But he couldn’t tell Angela that; she’d ask too many questions, extract a confession from him. He’d been relieved to see her warm up to Ramin a little yesterday—if making awkward small talk about her lesbian sister counted as warming up—but still, he didn’t want Angela thinking he was distracted.
So he plugged his phone in next to his bed, waited for it to power on, and shot off a quick message. Well, messages.
Noah
Made it back to Milan!
When do you get back?
Thanks for everything last night.
And this morning.
Noah stared at his phone. Was that too forward? Or not forward enough?
How were you supposed to text someone you’d had sex with? Especially if you wanted to have sex with them again, but notonlyhave sex, because you wanted to kiss them too, and talk with them, and go on dates, and just spend time together.
Noah was so out of practice at this.
He held his breath, waiting for Ramin to answer, but Angela popped her head through the open door connecting their rooms. “You ready? We’ve gotta go!”
“Yeah.” He started typing out a message to let Ramin know he’d be without his phone, but before he finished, Jake ran into the room.
