Page 54 of Strange Lad

I wince, hating that I gave him that advice the last time I saw him.

Look, Iloathethat I’m lying to him. I love Phoenix like he’s my flesh and blood. He’s been my best friend for most of my life, alright? I couldn’t just…not help. So I told him to find something that would matter to both of them. Something sweet that’d bring back memories of the good ‘ol days. Oli is nostalgic like that. Hence his obsession with Magic: The Gathering. He’d play it with Phoenix often as a tween.

Yeah?

What happened? When did you do it?

Last night. I stopped by his house.

He didn’t seem too happy to see me. In fact, he was smiling all dopey and then realized I was at his door.

My stomach twists, nausea crawling up to slap my tonsils. Oli thoughtIwas the one at his door. Which means Nyx finally coughed up his address. Fuck.

But I saw it in his eyes when I left. He remembered painting it with me.

Good. Maybe this will be a foot in the door.

I hope so. What are you doing?

Dying on my couch.

OMG. Are you sick?

Yup. Blame my cousins. I might give up singing and become a mute hermit forever.

*rolls eyes*

Do you need anything?

Want Eli and I to come over?

I do.

I want to see both of them.

Since we’ve been back from the tour, it’s been touch and go. I’ve seen Phoenix a whole three times outside of the recordingstudio. He’s been too busy being in love. Too busy forgetting about me. Deep sadness swirls in my chest, so I rub at it. I want him to come over. But my phone buzzes again, and it’s from Oli.

Can I come by?

I’m sick.

Sick?

Yup. Got the illness.

I’ll make you some soup. Be there soon.

Okay. See you soon.

I quickly text back to Phoenix that I’m okay and that I’ll see him in a few days when I’m feeling better. And after, I tack on that I’m probably highly contagious, and I want to sleep it off so he doesn’t try to come over anyway. It feels like I need to move. Just find some old cabin in the woods to hide my secrets in. Because as much as I love and miss Phoenix, I want Oli with me more. He’ll make me feel better just by taking up space in here.

I just will make sure we don’t get close. So he doesn’t catch this grossness. That’s exactly what I’ll do.

Waking with a loud, gurgly cough, I blink through my three-minute nap as Oli knocks on the door. He has a keybut never uses it—something about boundaries or whatever. My lungs burn as I cough again, tugging my blanket with me as I hobble to the door. When I open it, he takes one look at me, arms full of soup ingredients, and drops the bags. He steps over them and hugs me. I wheeze loudly, shocked and dying.

“You look terrible, kitten,” he mumbles, giving me a long squeeze.

I’m having a fever dream. My dick tingles at the pet name, but my heart races because he’s…holding me.“Shit, you got a fever too.” He pulls back, slaps his palm against my sticky forehead, and frowns deeply. “Just hit you all at once?”

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