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As he stood there, purposefully not watching the dance floor, he couldn't help but feel like he’d just received an answer to a question he had never meant to ask.
Diego lost track of time as a few of his fraternity brothers cycled by the bar, wishing Diego a good summer and Diego congratulated the few he knew were graduating. When he finally got back to his couch, he was pretty drunk, and he somehow missed Frankie walking over to retrieve what must have been his coat from one of the chairs the women from Rainbow Club were occupying.
“Wow, Frankie, he’s cute. You going home with him?” the shorter woman, Lila, asked, winking lasciviously at him.
Diego focused his attention on the dance floor, his back turned to the three as Frankie responded, “I might be. Only one more week left of school; gotta make the best of it, right?”
“I actually assumed you were interested in someone else,” Jamie, the second woman, noted.
“Oh really?” Frankie answered, his voice sounding a little guarded to Diego even over the pounding of the house music.
“Yeah,” Jamie said and Diego could only imagine she was pointing, nodding, or somehow gesturing to someone in the room. Diego got a creeping sensation on the back of his neck like someone was looking at him.
“Her?” Frankie whispered in surprise and Diego’s fist clenched so hard he punctured the plastic cup in his hands. He could barely even feel the syrupy liquid dripping down his fingers as he waited for someone to say something. Anything. Because there was no way, absolutelyno way, that after all this time Frankie would somehow misgender him.
“No, honey, not Linda. I know she’s not your type. I meant…” Lila’s voice dropped so low, Diego missed the end of her sentence. There was another moment of heated silence and Diego glanced up to see Linda, a recent ex-girlfriend of the fraternity president chatting with another junior at the bar.
Diego couldn’t help himself. He flicked a glance over his shoulder for just a moment and caught Jamie and Lila staring at him. Frankie was biting his lip and looking down at the table. Diego snapped his gaze back to look at Linda, but he was no longer really seeing her.
“Well… he is really hot. But… he’s my…” and Diego swore if he said buddy again, he was going to get up and give him a drunken piece of his mind, “…best friend.”
Diego froze, eyes lowering to track the path of a few of the remaining drops of alcohol as they trickled down his wrist.
“So? That’s how mostadultrelationships start. That’s how we got together,” Lila said.
Diego did his best to file that little revelation about Jamie and Lila away since they were both juniors and would still be here next year. Maybe Diego could do a better job at getting to know them in Rainbow Club.
“Well… you know me. Never looking for anything serious. Besides, I’m leaving for France soon. Wouldn’t want something long distance while I could be sampling some French baguettes—if you know what I mean.”
Diego did his best not to laugh, but Jamie tittered, and Lila guffawed.
“Besides. I think he’s probably sticking around after he graduates, and I’ll be back by then. I would never risk our future friendship for a dumb hookup. Jeong though… I’ll probably never see him again, and he is absolutely stunning – and very clearly waiting for me. So. If you lovely ladies will excuse me, I hope you have a wonderful night.”
Diego watched out of the corner of his eye as Frankie walked towards Jeong, who was standing by the door, his lightweight jacket in hand.
After they both left, Diego slowly leaned back into the sofa and he accidentally made eye contact with first Lila, then Jamie. They both smiled softly at him and, before he could protest, they left their seats at the makeshift kitchen table and took up bookended seats next to Diego on the couch.
“Oh, honey, you better spill,” Lila said, an evil grin on her candy pink colored lips.
“And not your drink. Here, sugar, let’s go get you cleaned up and you can tell us all about your best friend Frankie,” Jamie said.
Against his better judgment, Diego did just that. He confided in them the many twists and turns their friendship had taken to get to where they were today. Buddies, and apparently best friends. Best friends who would hopefully see each other again one day.
Chapter3
Frankie
Penelope was nearly vibratingwith excitement; Frankie could relate. He hadn’t gone a full year without seeing his sister since… ever.
Penelope hadn’t stopped talking since she’d met him at the airport. She’d started with a barrage of questions about the past year Frankie had spent in France and segued to a month-by-month update of her life. She was still talking a mile a minute when she helped him wheel one of his two suitcases up the sidewalk to his new apartment.
The building was pretty run down, but Penelope had come by to scope it out for Frankie while he was still in France. She’d assured him the building was old, but the apartment had been renovated within the past ten years. Frankie was a relatively low maintenance guy. He was coming from sharing a tiny two-bedroom flat, which was more like a studio with dividers, with Gabby and Colette in Paris. Having his own room with a locking door sounded like paradise.
“Lopi, when are you and Maria just going to move in together? Your roommate sounds awful,” Frankie commented, referencing Penelope’s best friend who she’d dated for a moment before they’d realized they were better off as friends.
“That would be the dream, right? Living with my best friend in the whole world. I’m not sure if she’s looking to move when her lease ends, though. I’m probably going to have to if they increase rates again like they did last year. I would love to move in here to be closer to you, but… these stairs are brutal.” Penelope huffed.
Frankie let out his own grunt as he lugged his suitcase, backpack, and overstuffed garment bag up the stairs. He hadn’t been able to admit it to Penelope while they’d been hauling everything across town on the bus, but at least thirty percent of this was for Diego.
