2. Alex #2
When I emerged twenty minutes later, Leo had busied himself cleaning up my apartment. The pizza boxes were gone, the empty bottles collected, and he’d even managed to make the bed I never slept in look presentable.
“You didn’t have to do that,” I said, toweling off my hair.
“I know.” He didn’t look up from folding a pile of clothes he’d apparently retrieved from various corners of the room. “But I wanted to.”
Something twisted in my chest at his matter-of-fact tone. When was the last time someone had just... taken care of me? Not because they wanted something, not because it was their job, but just because they wanted to? Not even Amanda did that kind of shit.
I pushed the thought away and grabbed the least wrinkled button-down from the pile Leo had made. “Where are we going, anyway?”
“There’s this little bistro about ten minutes from here,” he said, finally turning to look at me. His eyes swept over my appearance, and he nodded approvingly. “Much better. You almost look human again.”
“Thanks,” I said dryly. “Your compliments really know how to make a guy feel special.”
Leo grinned far too brightly. “Come on, grumpy. Let’s get some food in you before you waste away entirely.”
The bistro turned out to be exactly the kind of place Leo would pick.
It was small, cozy, with mismatched chairs and the sort of aggressively cheerful atmosphere that made me want to crawl back into my cave.
But the hostess lit up when she saw Leo, like everyone always did, and we were seated at a corner table with minimal fuss.
“So,” Leo said once we’d ordered, leaning back in his chair with that easy confidence he’d always had. “I have something to tell you.”
“Oh Jesus…” I sighed. “Are you gay again?”
He lifted one eyebrow, clearly unamused by my jokes. “I’ve always been gay, asshole. But no, that’s not what I wanted to tell you.” He leaned forward, his expression shifting to something more serious. “I’m supposed to leave for Italy next week.”
“Congratulations?” I said, not sure why he was making it sound like a problem.
“It’s three weeks in Tuscany at this old villa.
” His fingers drummed against the table, a nervous habit I remembered from when we were kids.
“I’ve been planning the trip for a long time and I wanted to reconnect with my heritage a little bit.
Dad always talks about where his father grew up, and I want to see it. ”
“So, what’s the issue?”
Leo was quiet for a moment, staring down at his hands. “I don’t want to go alone.”
I blinked at him. “Why would you have to go alone? Take Ben with you. Isn’t he a big art guy or something? Seems way more up his alley.”
Leo paused again. “Ben and I broke up. Two months ago.”
I stared at him across the table, processing this information. Leo and Ben had been together for what, three years? Four? They’d seemed solid the last time I’d seen them together, which admittedly had been... shit, probably over a year ago.
“I’m sorry,” I said finally, and meant it. “I didn’t know.”
“Yeah, well.” Leo shrugged, but I could see the hurt flickering behind his eyes. “It’s not like we’ve been talking much lately.”
Another reminder of how I’d let everything slip away while chasing after the perfect life. I felt like an asshole, which was becoming a distressingly familiar feeling.
“What happened?” I asked.
“Same thing that always happens,” Leo said with a bitter laugh that didn’t suit him at all. “He decided I was too much. Too clingy, too needy, too... I don’t know. Too me, I guess.”
The waitress appeared with our food, and Leo immediately straightened up, flashing her that megawatt smile that made everyone forget their problems for a minute. “This looks amazing! Thank you so much.”
She practically glowed under his attention before walking away, leaving us alone again. Leo’s smile dropped the moment she was gone, and he stared down at his pasta like it had personally offended him.
“So anyway,” he said, stabbing at a piece of chicken with more force than necessary.
“I have this trip planned, the tickets aren’t refundable, and I really don’t want to go alone.
I’ve been looking forward to it for months, but now the thought of wandering around Italy by myself just feels... pathetic.”
I took a bite of my sandwich, buying myself time to think. Where was this conversation heading? Because I had a sinking feeling I knew, and I didn’t like it one bit.
“Maybe you could postpone it?” I suggested. “Wait until you find someone else to go with?”
“Or,” Leo said, setting down his fork and fixing me with that determined look again, “you could come with me.”
There it was. I nearly choked on my food.
“Absolutely not,” I said once I’d managed to swallow.
“Why not?” Leo leaned forward, his whole body radiating that infectious enthusiasm that had always been his superpower. “You don’t have anything keeping you here. No job, no wife—”
“No money,” I interrupted. “In case you forgot, I’m in the middle of a divorce that’s bleeding me dry. Not to mention, I don’t speak a lick of Italian.”
“The villa and the tickets are already paid for,” Leo said quickly. “It sleeps six people, so there’s plenty of room. All you have to do is pack and bag and keep me company.”
“Leo—”
“Come on, Alex. When’s the last time you did something just for yourself?
Something that wasn’t about work or obligations or building the perfect life?
” His amber eyes were bright with excitement now, and I could practically see the wheels turning in his head.
“Three weeks in Tuscany. Good food, good wine, no responsibilities. Just... living.”
I shook my head. “I can’t just run away to Italy. That’s not how life works.”
“Why not?” Leo challenged. “What’s stopping you? What do you have here that’s so important you can’t leave it for three weeks? Your shitty furniture going to miss you or something?”
I opened my mouth to argue and realized I didn’t have an answer. What did I have here? An apartment I was renting month to month? A pile of divorce papers? A growing collection of empty beer bottles?
“It’s not that simple,” I said weakly.
“It is exactly that simple.” Leo reached across the table and grabbed my hand, his fingers warm against my skin. “Alex, you’re drowning here. I can see it. This apartment, this routine of yours... it’s killing you.”
I pulled my hand away, disturbed by how much I’d liked the contact. “I’m fine.”
“You’re not fine!” Leo’s voice rose slightly, drawing a few glances from other diners. He lowered it again, but the intensity remained. “You’re wasting away in that apartment like you’re waiting to die. When’s the last time you felt... I don’t know, excited about anything? Happy about anything?”
I couldn’t remember. That was the honest truth. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d felt anything other than anger or numbness.
“Look,” Leo continued, his voice gentler now. “I’m not asking you to figure out your whole life. I’m just asking you to come to Italy with me. Three weeks. If you hate it, you can come home early. But at least try something different.”
“I don’t want to be your pity project,” I said.
“You’re not.” Leo’s expression was serious now, all traces of his usual brightness gone. “I need this too, Alex. I need to get away from everything here, and I need... I need someone I trust with me. Someone who’s not going to abandon me the first chance they get.”
There was something raw in his voice that made my chest tighten. Leo had always been the one taking care of everyone else, making sure everyone was happy. When was the last time someone had done a favor for him?
“I swear to God, Leo…” I began. “If you lecture me about my life the whole time, I will drown you in the bathtub.”
His face lit up. “Is that a yes?”
“It’s a threat,” I corrected. Then I let out a long sigh, finally picking up my fork and stabbing a piece of chicken. “When do we leave?”