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Walker knew that cloth. He’d used it countless times when the duo had forced him to clean up the kitchen on the heels of a dinner they’d invited him over for.
“I just…” he grumbled incoherently, squeezing himself into the hard wooden chair at the desk in front of the only window in the room. “I just miss bein’ home is all. I miss bein’ there with y’all.”
Adya’s bottom lip poked out. “Aww, we miss you too, buddy.”
“We had Jamie and Nate over earlier. I made sliders and we played Clue.” Corey’s back was to the camera, but his voice was clear.
The sound Walker released was downright pathetic.
“It was fun, but it wasn’t the same without you there playing as Professor Plum,” Adya said.
“You didn’t let Nate play him in my place, did you?”
Corey turned and the looks on his and his girlfriend’s faces were nearly identical and completely offended. “Of course not. We would never betray you like that.”
Walker rolled his eyes, but his body relaxed more into the chair. “I just want to make sure y’all aren’t chomping at the bit to replace me.”
His best friend screwed his face up. Corey’s first instinct would be to call him ridiculous, but Walker knew he would find a way to crush that impulse before it made an impact.
“I’ve been your best friend for over a decade, Walker,” Corey said. “There’s no replacing that shit.”
The words were a balm, instantly cooling the fast-burning irritation overtaking Walker’s body. There was security in Corey’s words that settled over him like a weighted blanket, letting something solid and calm settle into his bones.
“I’m fuckin’ countin’ down the days, man.” Walker closed his eyes. “In less than two months I’ll be back in my own bed and back to my real life.”
“Walker…” Adya’s voice made him open his eyes. “Fuck that town. This is a blip on your radar. A couple months out of your entire life. You’ll be back here with us soon, and none of them will matter.”
“I know it’s not easy, man, and being there sucks and makes it harder for you to stay on track, but I don’t care if you have to walk around telling everybody to go fuck themselves. You’re there to take care of your granny, but that doesn’t mean you can’t put your needs first too,” Corey added.
“Right. You’re right. You both are. I just need to remind myself that this is temporary, and I’ll be there to watch the Saints get their asses beat to hell and back by September.”
Corey’s face screwed up, arms folding across his bare chest as he stared Walker down. “A’ight, it’s time to go. For a second there you almost made me forget how much I can’t fucking stand you a good ninety percent of the time.”
Walker’s laugh was a loud bark that he had to shush for fear of Gram hearing him and coming to investigate. Corey walked away from the camera, grumbling how shitty it was to have a best friend who refused to respect the sanctity of football teams.
Adya shook her head. “Now I have to go calm him down so… thank you for that.”
“Right. I’ll just stay here and think about what I’ve done.”
“You do that. And remember, we can’t stand you… but we love you.”
Even after they hung up, their words continued to wrap him up tight, squeezing his insides until he finally decided to take his ass to bed.
