Page 71 of Refraction

Hello? I mean, you do get that he put himself into the hospital, right? Over what I have no idea, but you want me to be his knight in shining armor here? He loves you. Where the hell are you? Man the fuck up, cowboy.

Fuck you.

Who the fuck did this piece of shit motherfucker think he was? Last time Tucker checked, Calvin was more than capable of demanding whatever the fuck he wanted, whether it was reasonable or not. So what if Calvin loved him? At some point the fact that the man couldn’t cope with him superseded all that. All those pictures and Calvin hadn’t so much as told him anything. It was a waste of light. This whole thing had been a waste of light.

I’m no one’s knight

Okay. Well sorry I interrupted your day then. You have a good one. I got him.

Tucker shot off a text to Calvin.What the actual fuck is going on, honey? Why is your roommate bitching at me? Have y’all lost your minds up there or is it just me?

There was a long silence and then his phone lit up.

I didn’t get the centerfold shoot

and I don’t really remember where I’ve been for the last two days

Timmy was scared

I’m sorry

I love you

I can’t do this without you anymore I tried I swear I tried I’m sorry

please send me a picture of something real

something that matters

He took a picture of the ice skates he’d ordered from eBay. They were right there, sitting on his kitchen counter. Then the silly stuffed bagel, the shaving scissors, the ticket stub from the movie they’d gone to see.

I’ll send you a plane ticket. I can pick you up anytime

Will you? I’ll come. I need all these fucking lights to go off for a while

I hear you. I got your back. Will email your info. You pack. It’s hot here.

He stared down at his phone, wondering how the world had changed so fast. Again. Still, Calvin wanted to come, and Tucker wanted Calvin, so he logged on to the laptop and got Calvin the soonest first-class ticket to Austin.

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