Page 49 of Bobby Green

Could he do it?

Could he come in and have a beer and play video games and talk and not touch Reg’s hand? Not rub his back? Not want to….

He did. He wanted to kiss Reg all the time.

Because God, yes. Touching without kissing… he kissed the guys at Johnnies on set all the time. Hell—Lance had kissed him during that hallucinogenic, drunken pity fuck.

Was that what Bobby had been missing? Reg’s lips on his own? Had he been working up to that?

Hell.

He was going to typeI can’t.He was.

But he remembered Rick saying “If I spoiled the fun, I couldn’t have you anymore.”

How long had they been roommates? How long had Rick pretended he wasn’t in love, just so he could be next to Skylar, doing things with him? Just so they couldbetogether.

I’d like that, he wrote. Bobby wouldn’t dick with him. He’d keep his promise to Trey. He would. No touching. No… yearning. They’d be friends. Rick and Skylar had done it. Bobby could do it. He added,Make sure it’s okay with Trey first.

Bobby and Trey had been civil to each other. They made each other coffee if the other one was up. Bobby offered him the couch if Trey got in late from his other job. But Bobby wouldn’t forget that moment when they’d been chest to chest with each other over the man on the other end of Bobby’s phone right now.

He said to ask you. Said you were feeling sad.

Augh! God love those guys in that damned apartment.

I was. I didn’t want to leave things like that. I’m glad you texted.

Me too. What are you doing now?

Bobby smiled a little. So normal. Like he hadn’t been the walking dead for nearly two weeks.

Going in to say hi to Mom. She’s making dinner for me. Probably us and the TV tonight.

Is she nice?

Oh hell. Had Bobby not even talked about his mother during those moments of holding him? He must have. Maybe that’s why Reg was curious.

She’s the best. She loves me. Sacrificed a shit-ton so I could have a truck and go down to Sac and work. I want to get her out of here.

Does she want to go?

That there was an important question, wasn’t it?

I suppose I should ask.

That’s a good idea. I don’t always know what people are thinking even if I see their face. Sometimes I need them to tell me.

Oh, ouch. Fucking ouch.

I’ll text you when I’m back in town. I’ll come over to watch TV on Thursday if you want. Bring dinner.

That’ll be real nice. Thanks, Bobby.

Course.

Bobby scrubbed his face with his hands and tried to fight the burn behind his eyes. Sucking Keith’s dick hadn’t done it. Seeing Sky and Rick together hadn’t done it. Spending the night before with Jessica, watching her shamelessly use him like a ten-inch human dildo, hadn’t done it.

A few lines of text from Reg had broken through, shattered that self-protective layer of scar tissue he’d worked so hard to spread over his heart.