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Damn. Art had the parenting thing down pat. He gave Sophie the answers she needed without making things awkward like I had. She nodded her head, completely appeased by his answer, and joined him at the counter to carefully slice fruit with him. When I looked at Art, he smiled softly at me.

“I’m glad Laz has a friend like you to help him. Is he going to be okay?”

I nodded. “Should be. It’s been a while since he’s done anything to take care of himself, but he realized he couldn’t put it off anymore and asked me to wingman for him.”

“And will you be taking part?” There was a hint of unease in the question, and I could tell he was worried about my response. I couldn’t do a lot to comfort him with Sophie standing right there, so I placed my hand on his forearm instead of holding him like I wanted to.

“No. I’m just going to support him. I’ve got no complaints about my self care right now,” I winked subtly. That made Art blush, and he ducked his head, focusing instead on making the snacks.

I wasn’t lying to him. Between hanging out with the band and spending time with him, I got everything I needed. Yeah, lately sleep has been elusive, but I was never going to complain about being inspired. Art and the joy he brought into my life covered everything else. Hopefully soon I’d finish the song we were working on and be able to tell him exactly what he meant to me.

After dinner with Art and Sophie, I headed home to meet Laz. He looked like he had a date with the gallows instead of a night of fun ahead of him, but at least he put effort into his outfit.

“You look good, man. Gimme a minute to change and we’ll head out.”

He nodded, forcing a smile that was more of a grimace. I jogged upstairs to change, not really paying attention to my outfit. I wasn’t going to participate after all. I just wanted to be there for my friend.

I came downstairs right as Ruby and Duncan got home, and they looked at us curiously.

“You two going out?”

Laz looked like he wanted to swallow tacks before he’d admit where he was going, so I answered for him.

“Yep. Heading to Laz’s cousin’s club to check it out. Don’t wait up.”

Duncan whined about not being invited, but I ignored him, steering Laz towards the door. When he passed by Ruby, she offered him a smile, patting his shoulder.

“You look good. Have fun.”

I saw the flicker of hope cross Laz’s face, and I kind of wished I could tell Ruby not to be so nice to him, but I wasn’t going to do that. I wanted them to be friends. We were in this for the long run, but I didn’t want to encourage Laz’s crush, either.

“You staying in tonight?” I queried.

Ruby shook her head. “Got another date. Last one went really well. Duncan and I grabbed some food first, but I’m heading out soon. Just gotta get ready.”

There. That was a nicely drawn line. Laz looked dejected, but I got the feeling Art was right when he said Ruby was aware of his crush and purposefully ignoring it. She didn’t want to make things awkward, but she was putting up all the signs to tell him she wasn’t interested. It would hurt him now, but eventually he’d get over it.

Leading him outside, I headed for his car. Since I’d never been to the place before, I couldn’t teleport us. Laz was too upset to drive, so I shoved him into the passenger seat and climbed behind the wheel. The drive was quiet and tense, and I knew he’d never do anything about getting his needs met if he was this dejected. I nudged his arm, reminding him I was there for him.

“I know it sucks, man, but this is for the best. Who knows? You might meet someone tonight who will crank your engine.”

He grimaced, finally giving me his attention. “Who the hell taught you to say shit like that?”

I barked out a laugh, shrugging my shoulders. “I’ll let you guess, but you won’t have to try that hard.”

He rolled his eyes. “Don’t quote your dad. He’s not the person anyone should be quoting.”

True. My dad wasn’t a bad guy, but maybe my mom should’ve thought twice about having a kid with that one. He wasn’t exactly a good influence.

“Okay, well, how about Art then? He said in order to live healthy, you needed to practice self care. Which includes meeting your body’s needs. You need this, Laz. You’re starving yourself for a woman who isn’t interested.”

He sighed, nodding slowly. “I know. You told him you were coming?”

“Yeah. I didn't want him to think I was sneaking around on him.”

“That’s good,” Laz agreed. “He’s a good guy. I’m glad things are going well with you two.”

I fought back a laugh. “Man, could you say that with a little less dejection in your voice? You’re making me feel bad.”