“Fuck best behavior. I hate when people pretend everything is cool when it sucks,” I groused unhappily.
“Johnny, siblings fight. It’s what they do. Nothing crazy there. It would have been nice if they’d spared you the theatrics, though. The fact that they didn’t means they’re very comfortable around you. It’s not an excuse. They’ll apologize when—”
“I do not want an apology. I’m serious. I just wanted to make sure you’re okay and that I didn’t blow it. So, are you okay?”
“You’re calling to check on me?” he asked incredulously.
“Yeah. I guess I am.”
“Thank you,” he replied, sounding genuinely touched. “I’m fine. Penny’s fine too. Parker is embarrassed and…bummed. There was a party tonight at a former friend’s house and he wasn’t included. His mom told me about it when she dropped them off. When I asked, he said he didn’t care. I think he was happy you were coming over and, well…we’ll try again tomorrow.”
“You know, I never got invited to anything when I was his age either,” I said after a moment.
“Really?”
“Never. Or rarely.” I shared my story about game night at my friend’s house when I was a kid. “I survived and he will too. But don’t worry. Lesson learned. I’ll stay out of your family business and—”
“Don’t be silly. It was fun. We can try something else next time.”
“Like what?” I asked cautiously.
“I don’t know…roller skating, ice skating, arcade? I suck at all those things too. I can’t balance on wheels for some reason, and I’ve never been able to win my date a prize shooting in a barrel,” he admitted with a half laugh.
“Ha! So, you really aren’t perfect?”
“I suppose not. Listen, if we didn’t scare you away, I’d be thrilled if you spent more time with us…the three of us. Fiona will be fine with it too. I told her you’d be over tonight. I gave her the concert explanation and she approved. I think she was happy Parker was happy in spite of the party thing. You’re a good influence on him and—”
“Dude. Listen to yourself. I’m a terrible influence,” I protested. “Did you really tell her I’d be there? I thought we were keeping it quiet.”
“We’re keeping us quiet,” he corrected gently. “I’m not lying. She knows you’ve been giving Parker lessons. She knows he likes you and…she probably hopes your cool factor rubs off on him a little. And you’re Ann’s famous client. Another plus.”
I pushed the duvet aside to make room for Tabby when she hopped on my bed. “So what’s next? Clue?”
Sean barked a laugh. “Sure. Geez, I haven’t played that one in decades. Miss Scarlet in the drawing room with a lead pipe?”
“That’s the one. I played with the band on the road last tour. We made up a dirty version. The names of the rooms stayed the same, but the characters and weapons changed. Mr. Cock in the conservatory with a dildo, Colonel Jizz in the kitchen with anal beads. You get the idea,” I said around a yawn.
“They’re supposed to be weapons. How are a dildo or anal beads going to kill anyone?” he scoffed playfully.
“You could choke on a dildo the way you do when you suck dick or—”
“I’ve never choked.”
“Bullshit. The best blowjob givers in the world became the best because they’ve choked,” I stated like I was reciting a well-known fact. “It shows enthusiasm and a real lust for your work…as it were.”
Sean snorted. “Oh, please. I haven’t heard any complaints. Or is this my first official complaint?”
“No, but I’ll have to put a little extra hip work in next time.”
He snickered lightly. “You do that. I’ll be ready for you.”
We let a sweet silence grow in the connection. It was easy and unhurried. I could have listened to the sound of him breathing for a while without feeling the need to fill the quiet with words.
I think that was when I realized we’d become real friends.
10
Johnny
Fact. I’m a good friend.
I was the kind of guy who’d drop whatever I was doing if one of my buddies needed something. I used to cover Justin’s shifts when we worked together at Aromatique without asking questions. I lent Ky my SUV for a week last year when his piece-of-crap truck was in the shop because he lived farther from the studio than me. When Tegan and Dec moved into their new house, I rearranged my schedule to help them move. And when Bobby J wanted to riff on guitar or wanted to grab a beer at The Zebra Den after practice, I made it happen.
A guy with no family placed extra value on friendships. If you made it on the inside with me, you had a friend for life. Justin, Gray, Charlie, Ky, Dec, Tegan, Bobby J, Cody were my core peeps. But somehow, over the past couple of months, Sean had weaseled his way inside too.