Sebastian
I’m working on it. Why? Did something happen?
I mean, yeah, I had maybe the best orgasm of my life and then Hayden fell apart on me while we were both still naked and sweaty. That’s probably TMI.
Santino
Just the usual. I don’t know how much longer he’ll be able to go on like this.
Sebastian
I’ll follow up with the therapist’s office, but it might be a week or two.
A week or two? That’s too long. Who knows how much worse Hayden will get by then? And there’s that constant niggle of worry at the back of my mind—what if he takes matters into his own hands? I can’t say it out loud or even type it in a text message. It makes it too real. But Sebastian doesn’t need me to spell it out.
Sebastian
Unless you think he’s going to hurt himself?
The other option is the emergency room and asking for a 72 hr hold.
My stomach drops as I realize what Sebastian’s saying.
Santino
You mean, like the psych ward? Like straitjackets and padded walls?
Sebastian
No straitjackets or padded walls. They just keep an eye on him to make sure he doesn’t hurt himself.
I shake my head even though Sebastian can’t see it.
Santino
No, we don’t need that. I can keep an eye on him. I won’t let him out of my sight for the next two weeks.
The three dots at the bottom of the screen bounce, then stop, then bounce again before Sebastian’s message comes through.
Sebastian
Your flight is next Wednesday.
My what? Oh. My flight back to San Francisco. Because, hey, I don’t actually live in New York. Because I was only supposed to be here temporarily.
I guess I forgot to tell Sebastian I’m not going back. I don’t know if there’s room for me in The Camboy Network. Or if Sebastian even likes me enough to offer me a place. But it doesn’t matter. If I’m going to be unemployed, getting by on odd jobs, I can do that just as easily here as I can in San Francisco. And New York has Hayden. San Francisco does not. In the end, it’s not a hard decision at all.
Santino
Can you cancel the flight?
Sebastian
Cancel? Not reschedule?
No, just cancel it. I think I’ll stick around for a while longer.
A split second after Sebastian’s message comes through, my phone starts vibrating. A picture of Mom fills the screen and dread fills me. How am I going to tell her I’m moving to New York? How am I going to explain I’malready inNew York?
