Page 10 of Romeo

“Why didn’t you fill it in the hospital?”

“Because you wouldn’t stop. You wanted to get out of there before someone recognized you for the pervert you are.” And I chuckled. That joke had been lost on Dante the moment he thought he was straight and only wanted to engage in the missionary position with a woman.

“Are you going to fill the prescription, or do you want me to?”

“I’m too sick,” Dante gave a small reply, his voice audible but weak. “I need you to get the meds.”

“Aren’t you afraid I won’t come back and call the cops on you.”

Dante swung his body to me and glared at me for longer than I wanted. “I guess I have to take my chances. I hope you’re the man I thought you were.”

“What about you? Doesn’t that go for you too?”

“I told you, Romeo, I’m no gentleman.”

“And what the fuck does that mean? How am I to take that?”

“It is what it is.”

I sat contemplating what I should do next, and as I stepped out of the car, walked through the door of the pharmacy, and spotted all the locals buying small items and people a certain age waiting for their prescriptions to be filled, I heard his words in my head. “It is what it is. I’m no gentleman.” Dante could have lied to me and he chose to tell me the truth. I couldn’t say that I respected that because I didn’t. Sometimes a good lie would go far, especially if you wanted to be lied to about the man you loved planning to off you.

After waiting for longer than I expected, I paid for the medication with Dante’s credit card. I’d forgotten to ask him for money and when I had planned my escape I took his credit cards to use for a plane ticket home and food.

When I hopped into the car, Dante lay slumped over. I touched him and he had a fever. “Let’s get you back before you get sick and die on me,” I said.

“You took so long and I thought you had abandoned me,” he said, placing his warm palm over my hand.

“You know there is some hope for you after all. At this point you look like a man I would want as a boyfriend.”

“Is that all?” he said.

“The way you feel about being with a gay man, it would never work out. Where the fuck did you get that attitude from, considering your brother is a queen?”

“A what?”

“Never mind, we’ll have plenty of time to discuss that before you knock me off.”

“I’m not going to knock you off. You’re not as smart as you think.” I was rounding the bend where the trees were everywhere and that little cabin sat behind them in the back near a lake.

“Well, what is the difference? You’re going to off me. Take care of me. A rose by any other name could smell as sweet.”

“I get it. Just help me inside. I want to go to bed.”

“After you eat and take your meds.”

“Okay, doctor,” Dante said, looking down at me, trying to smile, but managing to do it with his eyes. I took what I could get. A promise that he wouldn’t kill me and a thank you for saving his life. The only thing was it wasn’t over yet, because we had too many things to work through.

Helping Dante out of the car was easy, but getting him into the house proved harder, and yet I managed to do that without a complaint from him because he knew his limitations.

“Do you need me to help you into the bed? They’ve given you medication, and if you’ve never taken it before your body may not be able to handle it.”

“I’m not a weakling. I can do this—”

“I never said you were a weakling. Now who’s being stubborn and idiotic.” I turned to walk away and heat some canned soup. Then I heard a loud thump and a boom. Turning, I rushed to where the noise had come from.

“What the fuck are you doing lying on the floor?” Dante glared up with dark hooded eyes and what I thought was a tear.

“I fell. Can you help me up.”

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