“Uh, stuff from the house. I told him to call you guys.”
Farzan snorted. “I think he’s afraid of us.”
“Good,” Arya said. “Okay, so Todd called, and I assume you told him to go fuck himself—”
“I told him I was in Italy, and then I went to a club and got drunk and then somehow Noah found me and took me back to his hotel because I was too drunk to find my way home. And we didn’t do anything, just cuddled, and this morning we talked, and I think we’re… seeing each other now?”
All three men on his phone stared at him. Ramin scratched at his new tattoo. He loved the piece, but he hated the itching.
Arya was the first to speak. “Dude. This is perfect. You went to Italy to drown in foreskins but this isbetter. This is your second-chance romance!”
“This isn’t a movie,” Ramin said. “This is real life.”
“I don’t know,” David said, scratching at his chin. “I think you should go for it.”
“But what if this is just… just a rebound? For me, or for him, or for both of us? What if it all falls apart?” Ramin could tell he was spiraling, but he couldn’t stop himself. “He’s divorced and has a kid and his kidmight be moving here and either way he’s going back home in like a week and I’m here for two months and I don’t know if I can just cancel the rest of my trip and go home and I don’t even know if I want to and—”
“Whoa-whoa-whoa,” Farzan said. “Hey. Calm down.”
Ramin huffed.
Farzan’s expression softened. “What’s this really about?”
Damn it. Why did Ramin have to go and have such perceptive friends?
“What if he gets bored of me, too?”
He felt silly for even saying it. For admitting how much Fucking Todd had gotten into his head. But what if this thing between him and Noah fizzled? What if this was just a flashback of teenage hormones and Noah’s two years of celibacy and Ramin’s (admittedly very talented) hands?
What if Noah realized there were more interesting people out there?
The guys were all quiet for a long moment.
“If he does, fuck him, too,” Farzan finally said. “But I really don’t think he will. I don’t remember him being an asshole when we were younger. And you’re a good judge of character.”
“But Todd—”
“Todd made you happy for two years. Just because he turned into an asshole at the end, that doesn’t mean you made a mistake.”
“Yeah,” Arya said. “Look. I know you’re the cautious one of us, but this time you really need to embrace your inner Arya and be brave.”
Ramin rolled his eyes, but smiled just a bit.
“You look happy,” David said. “Every time you talk about him. It’s a good look on you.”
“Really?”
“Really-really. I think Arya’s right. Be brave.” He yawned. “Sorry.”
“No, God, I’m sorry. It’s late for you.”
“We love you,” Arya said. “Don’t apologize.”
“Yeah. Seriously. We’re here for you any time. Even if we’re asleep,” Farzan added.
“Okay. But I will let you go. Love you guys, too.”
Ramin hung up and grabbed his tea, but it had gone cold. He went to go heat up more water.
