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Levi was uncertain about Jon’s plan, at least with the part that brought him and James together in their house. He didn’t trust James. He found himself packing while Jon worked in a failing attempt to keep his nerves down.

A few minutes before noon, there was a knock at the door. Jon had the door to the office closed, which usually meant he was on a call, and Levi didn’t feel like entertaining. He took a deep breath and headed for the door.

“Come on in, but be quiet. Jon’s on a work call.”

“Good to see you, too. You know we could keep doing this or you could try to be civil. I’m sorry about the past, but can we at least try to be friends? I’ve been trying to make amends, and you are on that list.” He sighed. “I know I need to make up for some shit.”

Levi raised an eyebrow. “Some shit? That’s the understatement of the year. But I don’t want you to make it up to me. I don’t want a damn thing from you. Have you made amends to Gloria yet?”

James looked down.

“So it looks like y’all are moving.”

“We are. We’re moving into Gus’s house. You must be James.”

Levi was caught off-guard. He hadn’t heard the door to the office open. How long had Jon been listening? He felt his heart race, then Jon’s hand in his. Why had he told James where they were moving? Why was James staring at Jon like that?

“Levi said you were dating my sister and came to talk to him.”

“Um. Yeah. She’s a piece of work. All I did was mention the bar, and she started saying some shit about you two. I figured it was the same Levi, but I wanted to be sure before I said anything to her. Figured if I knew for a fact, it would change what I said.”

“How so? I mean, how long has it been since you and Levi were together?”

“A couple of years now.”

“And why did you two break up?”

Levi wanted to run away and hide.

“Well, we were never exactly dating per se, but he found out I was married, and he didn’t like the fact that I was cheating on my wife with him.”

“I see. Do you know if Alicia has blocked my number?”

“Honestly? I don’t know. She didn’t mention it.”

“Ok. Are you sure you want to break up with her?”

“Well, I can see the writing on the wall. I know that no matter how much I love her, being bisexual is part of who I am. I’ve made a lot of mistakes in the past, but I won’t let myself support someone who is homophobic, even if she never knew.”

Levi was awestruck by the strength exuding from Jon. He pulled him closer.

“Thinking of protecting other bi people now after you basically were living the life of a negative stereotype?”

“I said I’m sorry Levi. If it would help, I’d take out a full-page ad in the Derecho Times, ‘My bad, I was an asshole,’ but I don’t think anyone here would care.”

Levi heard Jon stifling a laugh.

“Have a seat James, I’m just fucking with you now. Alicia is a piece of work, so here’s what we’re gonna do. I’ll text her right now. If she hasn’t blocked me, your phone’s probably going to ring in just a few minutes. If she hasn’t said anything in ten, you call her. You can tell her as little or as much as you want then. Sound good?”

“What are you going to say just in case she gets your message and thinks you’re full of shit?”

Jon laughed. “I don’t remember you, but you sound like you’ve known Alicia a long time.”

Levi understood now that part of wanting to meet James was to see if he had met him before. He felt Jon pull his hand away so he could type faster.

“Are you sure you want her to know? I mean, I could mention it or not. It’s up to you.”

James didn’t hesitate. “Tell her. People like her will only shut the fuck up when they learn people like us, and our allies outnumber them.”

“Sent! Now we just wait for the fireworks.” Jon nestled his head on Levi’s shoulder.

Just as Jon had predicted, it was only a few moments before James’s phone rang. Levi could hear Alicia from across the room. He wanted to cuss her out. He looked over to Jon, who had determination in his eyes, and saw him mouth the word ‘speakerphone’ to James. James complied. It probably preserved his hearing.

“Alicia. Just stop for one sec. Yeah, I’ve met Jon. He seems like a good kid to me. And what he said is true. Sounds to me like you owe him an apology because, after all the shit you said to him and about him, he’s still looking out for his big sister.”

That set her off again. Levi wondered why she didn’t hang up. He looked down at Jon again, and seeing tears in his eyes made him feel a burning rage deeper than he had ever felt before. He stood up, his heart pounding.

“Alicia, you don’t know me, but you should know who I am. All I can say is that Jon is a better man than I am because he still loves you and cares about you. I would’ve written you off faster than I did my own family because you are somehow worse than they were. You didn’t even try to find out if he was safe. Well, he is. And he’s found a family that loves him, but we still feel his pain because he misses you and your parents. But none of that matters to narcissists like y’all. His being gay doesn’t affect you one goddamn bit. James is a decent guy. I dumped him because he was a dumbass, but I think he’s grown a little since then. He deserves better than you, but I honestly think that if you could find it in you to be a decent fucking person, he would put up with your dumb ass. How many people are you going to lose before you realize that maybe it’s y’all’s backwards attitudes that are the reason you’re losing people you care about?”

Silence. Levi looked to James to see if the call had disconnected. He shook his head. She was still on the call? He looked at Jon, who smiled at him through the tears in his eyes. Levi nodded to him.

“Alicia, I forgive you. Tell mom and dad I forgive them too. I’m ok, but I miss y’all.”

The beep that signaled the call disconnecting cut through the silence of the room. Levi rushed to Jon, who collapsed into his arms.

James broke the silence. “I think I’ll leave you two be. Levi, you don’t have to worry about me coming around anymore. I hope one day you’ll see fit to forgive me.”

Levi didn’t acknowledge him. He was too worried about Jon. Jon looked up.

“James. Sit back down. I’ve still got a little time before my next meeting, and I think we all need a cup of coffee and to decompress after that shit show.”