Page 68 of Garbage

There was some bullshit about not wanting him to have the necessary mods to keep him safe, but those lawyers are good!

Enjoy your boy!

Oh, and you might not see me for a few days.

Quincy was free! And he was coming home! A thousand pounds fell from Evan’s body, and he staggered over to the couch just to take it all in. Quincy was free.

Though… Now that he didn’t have to worry about Quincy, he was worried about Ben. What do you mean I might not see you for a few days?

Places to go. People to see. I’ll be in touch when I can. Maybe from a different number.

Don’t worry, Ben added.

What the…? And Evan was supposed to not worry about that? Please be careful, he texted back. Let me know if you need anything.

He’d gotten a smiley face back in return. Like that was a real response.

He loved Ben, but sometimes he wanted to wring his neck. Evan had always expected that at some point, Ben would grow up a little bit and stop taking so many risks. Maybe he’d even find someone to settle down with. Ben would probably never admit it, but he needed someone to look after him.

The fact that he was still a wild card had clearly worked in Evan and Quincy’s favor this time, but at some point, Ben was going to go too far.

Thank you for everything, Evan told him. I’m always here for you. And I need my best friend to stay safe. He knew Ben wouldn’t appreciate the mushiness, but sometimes Ben needed to hear it.

He got an eye-rolling emoji in return. Save all that drama for your man.

Evan set down his phone. It was easier to anticipate Quincy coming home than worry about Ben, who was beyond his control.

Evan went to the kitchen. The hot chocolate packets and the mug of water were already sitting out. Maybe he should have gotten better hot chocolate, though. The fancy kind, that you make with milk.

Maybe he should be making a whole dinner. A feast like Quincy had made him before he left. He couldn’t even begin to feel hungry, though. He just wanted to give Quincy a good homecoming.

Anyway, as much as Quincy loved to smell food, he seemed to enjoy cooking it more. Evan realized, far too late, that he should have gone out today to buy Quincy presents. He should have been showering him with gifts. All the things that he couldn’t bring to the jail.

Quincy had been talking about getting a dutch oven for the kitchen. And one of those little herb gardens that grow in the window.

Plus he’d said something in one of his makeup videos about wanting to try… something. Evan should have looked it up.

Evan had ordered some shoes, in a variety of “mens” and “womens” styles, but they wouldn’t be arriving until next week.

It was too late for presents now, though. Quincy should be getting home any minute.

When Evan’s phone buzzed, he raced over to it, swiping to let Quincy inside the building. Even in the grainy, low-quality video from the front entrance, his heart leapt to see him.

Evan still wasn’t quite used to the longer hair, his brain playing tricks on him, but it was good to see Quincy whole and complete again.

Seeing him hurt before had been the worst moment of his life.

And now he was coming upstairs.

Evan rocked on his feet by the door. He wasn’t sure where to put his hands.

And then there was a knock at the door.

He threw it open.

Quincy.

Who was holding his towel, the rest of his belongings clutched in a garbage bag.