Page 16 of Just A Little Fling

“All right, Babbo, be prepared to be destroyed.”

“Don’t get too cocky.”

* * *

After an hour or so, Nico had destroyed my confidence in my video-game abilities. He was an absolute pro and crowed his victories at the top of his lungs. In the house with his messy clothes and even messier living room, I saw the boy Nico tried so hard to keep under wraps. Gone was the frighteningly efficient man with suits he wore like armor. He’d been replaced by a boy who craved affirmations and touch. I happily gave him both. Tonight, when I was too exhausted to even remember my name, wasn’t the time to have a discussion about moving anything forward. Now that I was his landlord, the situation was complicated. But did I want to fuck my tenant? Absolutely.

Over the last fifteen minutes, Nico’s phone had pinged almost nonstop. He’d paused only long enough to answer quickly and return to our game.

“Hey, do you need to call them or something?”

Nico looked guilty. Interesting. “Uh, I’m supposed to go out tonight.”

“Family obligation?” I kept my voice even and neutral. Score one for me.

“Nah, some guys I know from the club. We go out a few times a week.”

“You must be close to them then.” A shadow of something that very much resembled sadness passed over his face.

“We’re club friends, not real friends.”

“I don’t think I understand what you mean.”

Nico rolled his eyes, and I bit my tongue to avoid telling him he was treading in deep water. “It means we hang out for a good time or a hookup, but that’s it. We don’t hang out when we’re not there.”

“Do you want them to be real friends?”

“Don’t be dumb.”

I was shocked by the switch in him. Nico’s shoulders hunched and sarcasm dripped from his words.

“Pardon me?”

“You heard me.”

“I guess I did, but I’m not sure where it’s coming from.” Again, I kept my voice even. Nico’s flashing eyes seemed out of place.

“It’s just lame to think I’d want to hang out with them. We aren’t littles, and we don’t need tea parties. We just like to have a good time. And sometimes we fuck each other.”

“Thanks for clarifying that for me.”

“Uh, speaking of that, we won’t be doing that anymore.”What the hell was Nico talking about?

“We’re not? Mind if I ask why?”

“Because now you’re my landlord, and I don’t need messy in my life. Maybe it won’t get weird, maybe it will. Either way, if we aren’t hooking it up, the problem is solved.” Nico nervously glanced down at his phone during his monologue. “Yeah, I need to go.”

“I see. If that’s your decision, that’s that. Please let me know if you need anything.”

I let myself out of the bungalow and headed back to my house. The crap I’d dumped in the entryway still waited on me to put it away. The files I needed to work on tonight mocked me too. Instead of handling any of that, I grabbed a beer from the refrigerator and threw myself onto a living room couch.What the hell happened?

The quiet rumble of Nico’s car broke my brooding and snapped me out of it. He was leaving, and I wasn’t thrilled that it was after he’d been upset, but I couldn’t figure out why. Asking about his plans was an innocuous question that got asked a dozen times a day. I replayed the conversation over and over until it struck me.

Nico didn’t get upset over the question about going out. His agitation came after I asked if he wanted them to be real friends. That revelation sent me thinking back to the times we’d hung out. Canceling his plans was never a problem, and it seemed like he was always available. Nico was lonely.

* * *

Sweet Boy

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