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David didn’t have many friends these days.
In all honesty, he really didn’t have any at all.
But that was okay. Mostly. He had other things to focus on. His job. His phone calls to Detective Harper on Mondays. Searching, though it was mostly done online and in message boards these days. After all, the trail was almost six years old now.
“It wasn’t like that,” Phillip repeated. “I told you that.”
“Oh” was all David said.
Phillip picked up his fork, slid the broccoli off, and speared a potato. He put it into his mouth and chewed angrily. No one could chew food angrily like Phillip.
David waited because he knew Phillip wasn’t finished.
And in fact, he swallowed and set the fork down again. “I didn’t want it to be anything.”
“Okay,” David said. “Did he?”
Phillip gaped at him.
Back off, David thought, because they were so far beyond reminiscing now. Back off, back off, back off.
“Not that it’s any of your business,” Phillip said coolly, “but he did after I told him.”
“He seemed like a nice guy.”
The skin under Phillip’s left eye twitched. “The nicest.”
“That’s good,” David said, picking at the broccoli. It was so green, it looked fake. He didn’t know if he could stomach it.
“You aggravate me.”
“I know.”
“You don’t even know how much.”
“I have a good idea.”
Phillip ate another potato, but he wasn’t chewing as violently as he had been before. There was still a little bit in his mouth when he said, “I didn’t want that from him. He was just a friend. I’m allowed to have friends. And even if I wanted more, I don’t know that it would be any concern of yours.”
Right. Because David wasn’t anything to Phillip.
He ate a piece of broccoli. He could almost taste the green. He chewed quickly and choked it down. For a moment, it stuck in his throat and he couldn’t breathe, but then it passed and everything was fine. Everything was just fine.
He put down his fork. His finger brushed against the receipt. Unbidden, he glanced at the bar to find Matteo laughing with the young couple again. Like he’d felt David’s gaze, he turned and caught his eye. He winked before going back to the couple.
He almost said, Why are we here? Why did you want to see me?
Instead, he said, “I spoke with—”
Phillip said, “He kissed me once.”
David thought the broccoli was stuck in his throat again.
Phillip said, “And maybe I kissed him back, for just a little bit, but that was it. That was it, and I pushed him away and told him I wasn’t ready for anything like that and I didn’t know if I would be for a long time. He was a gentleman, said he understood, and I haven’t seen him in almost three months. I heard he’s dating an investment broker. So. There’s that.”
“I’m sorry.”
Phillip looked up at him sharply. “What for?”
