“Hey, we’re not shutting you out. Angelo doesn’t want you involved. Don’t take it personally.”
“I want to be included if it involves me.”
“You know the proverb, ‘curiosity killed the cat?’”
I nodded.
“Well, I don’t want you to be the cat.”
I laughed, even though being in danger wasn’t funny, and leaned my head on his shoulder. “You always know how to make me feel better, Sonny.”
He hugged me with one arm around my back. “You chose the wrong friend that day at the playground.”
I glanced up at him. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“I thought you would end up with me instead of Angelo.”
“Real friends only come around once in a lifetime. I think it was better this way. I like having you as a friend.”
Sonny lifted me up so I was on top of him for a second, before he moved me to the other side of the bed. Still holding my hand, he scooted up so he could prop himself up against the headboard, bringing me with him.
“Friends can cuddle, right?” He smiled not with his mouth but with his deep brown irises that had flecks of gold running through them. “I think that’s allowed.”
“You are unexpected, Samuel Bonfiglio.”
He cringed at the sound of his real name. “No one has called me that since I was in middle school.”
“My first friend ever was the kid who I knew as Samuel, not Sonny.”
“Thank God for nicknames, right?”
“You were so prim and proper back then. It was cute.”
He rolled his eyes and sighed at the memory. “That’s because my mom insisted on dressing me up like some pussy.”
I elbowed him in the chest, laughing. “You looked adorable.”
His nose wrinkled in disgust. “Men are not adorable. Gross.”
“Sonny suits you.”
“It does.” He sucked in a deep breath and let it out. “At least Angelo knows how fucking lucky he is to be with you. I’d make every second I had count.”
I curled up with him and took in his manly scent, memorizing everything about Sonny. When I was with him, I was at ease. Being with Sonny was like being with Angelo, only different. I didn’t want to fuck Sonny. I wanted to hug him and never let go. Our relationship was weird but special. I’d known for years that Sonny loved me in a less than friendly way. His love for me also made him the perfect man to watch out for me when Angelo wasn’t around.
“Hey, do you wanna watch a movie with me? I’m not tired yet. It might help me sleep.”
Sonny reached for the remote on my nightstand and turned on the television. “What are you in the mood for? Please don’t say rom-com or I will blow my brains out.”
I giggled and smacked him playfully on the arm. “Hello, this is me you’re talking to. How about horror? Have you seen the new Saw movie?”
“Horror I can do.” He shook his head, flipping the channels on the remote to look for Pay-Per-View. “I haven’t watched a movie in years.”
“That’s because you’re too busy watching super fucked-up porn,” I joked.
“Ha! Very funny, G. You think you’re so damn cute.”
“I know I am, Samuel.”