“What does that even mean, anyway?” he grumbled.
“Old person lingo. It means you’re awesome.”
Mr. Salvatore joined us. “The finish line is in sight. We should hear from the judge in a few days, but I don’t want you stressing and worrying. The case is over. Everyone in the room, even the reporter, knows they didn’t have a case to begin with. This whole circus was a formality made possible by whoever your father is in bed with.”
“Thank you, Mr. Salvatore,” Matteo mumbled. I imagined he wasn’t going to breathe until the judgment came down.
He touched him gently on the shoulder. “Go home, relax, and enjoy the rest of the evening.”
He turned on his expensive heels and walked off with purpose, likely to win his next case.
“I need a few hours to myself,” Matteo said. “I’m okay, I promise, but I’d like to play the piano and unwind for a bit. I’ll take an Uber.”
I didn’t want to leave him alone. I was desperate to hold him and tell him sweet things until I was sure he believed every word. But the last thing I wanted to do was smother him. “Alright. You know where to find me.”
Leaving without him was difficult but I found my way home and slipped into comfortable clothes. I decided to float around at the club. I’d scheduled myself off tonight but with Matteo gone and nothing to do except wait for him, I figured the time would pass more quickly if I did some work. And it did. Eight o’clock came and went and Matteo sent me a text to let me know that he was okay.
Matteo: I don't want you worrying. I’m upset but I’ll be fine. I just need to play for a little longer.
Me: play your piano, brat. When you’re ready, come home and U can play me.
Matteo: I’ll make you sing.
I grinned widely. Because it was a Wednesday night, the Adonis closed at eleven. By a half past the hour, the bar was shut down and the floors mopped, and trash taken out. I sat hunched over the bar counter, staring at my phone, and trying to formulate a response. I wanted to tell him that I was in love with him right this moment but doing it over texts wasn’t right.
A clap on my shoulder made me jump and I gaped up at Jere. I rasped, “Why are you still here?”
“Was being extra,” he said. “The bathroom door hinge was loose, so I fixed it.”
“Oh… Thanks.” I didn’t know what else to say. I came to realize the hearing had reopened all kinds of old wounds for me.
“I…wanted to ask you something.” He fidgeted and scratched the back of his head. “Ronnie is going to be Danny’s groom’s maid and he said I need a best man. Only one I can think of to ask is you.”
I blinked at him widely for a moment and it was impossible to fight the smile that pulled at my lips. “Fuck, Jere. I’d be honored.”
He nodded, a slow smile dimpling his cheeks. “Marriage never meant much to me before. But I’m looking forward to our wedding. Whenever I think about it, my stomach gets all twisty and tumbly.”
“Because you love each other.” I bumped his arm with mine. “I’m so happy for you two. Now get out of here and go be with him.”
“Oh, Danny wants to know if you’ll be bringing a plus one?”
I licked my lips and briefly entertained the idea of Matteo and I attending the wedding together. “Maybe. I’ll get in touch with him soon and let him know.”
Jere left with a light step. That was the look of happiness, wasn’t it?
With nothing to do and missing Matteo, I moved over to the DJ’s setup and scrolled to my favorite playlist on the computer. As the speakers blared a hopping remix of Eric Carmen’s “Hungry Eyes”, I came to stand in the middle of the dance floor. A whirlwind of sadness and hope swirled inside me. Matteo had helped me reconnect with myself and I realized I could have both sides of my coin. I didn’t have to lock myself away.
The music soaked into me and I moved my body, remembering what it was like to be a young gay man on the top of the world. I turned to find Matteo standing in the door jamb leading to the back of the club, looking achingly beautiful with the spotlights coloring his skin. I curled my finger, signaling for him to come closer.
He slipped his backpack from his shoulder and approached. I pulled him close to me by the small of his back, our hips meeting, our eyes connecting.
“Just feel it,” I said over the music as we grinded against each other.
His body fit perfectly against mine, our skin and muscles smoothing each other like sandpaper until our souls touched. He smiled something beautiful and as I took his lips, he slipped his hands down to cup my ass. We danced like nothing else in this fucking world mattered. Neither of our shitty parents nor the crushing weight of loneliness. As long as we had each other everything else was moot.
I love you, always and forever.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
