“Only if he wasn’t happy.” Angelo gazed steadily at Jevon. “I heard you talking earlier, and you’re both wrong about him and me. We’re not exactly mates, but I do care about him.”
“It’s not my business.”
“True, but if neither of you wanted it to be, you wouldn’t be bickering about it in my kitchen.”
“Bickering?”
Angelo shrugged but seemed to run out of steam. Jevon let it go and got to his feet. “You’re gonna need some stuff packing if you’re staying with Harry a few days. Tell me where it is and I’ll get it for you.”
“That’s okay. You’ve done enough already.”
“I haven’t done much, mate. And it will save Joe a job, eh?”
Angelo relented and directed Jevon to a bag in the bedroom cupboard that was half packed already. Jevon stuffed in some more clothes and retrieved a toothbrush and toiletries from the bathroom.
When he got back, Angelo was squinting painfully at his phone. He grinned a little when he saw Jevon. “Hang on, I’ll turn the camera round. Shit... I can’t see it. Hey, Jevon? Come here... Dylan wants to see you.”
Curious, Jevon put the bag down and rounded the back of the couch. He relieved Angelo’s shaking hands of the phone and held it far enough away that both of their faces fit on the screen.
A blond man—Dylan, presumably—who was every bit as pretty as Angelo, peered back at him, his head tilted sideways. “Wow. So you’re who’s been hiding Rhys away?”
“Doubt it,” Jevon said. “Until yesterday, I hadn’t seen him for a few weeks.”
“And yet you were still with him this morning?” Dylan’s tone was playful. “Rhys doesn’t do sleepovers with random fucks.”
“Um—”
“Stop it.” Angelo rescued Jevon with a mistimed wave of his hand. “Jevon isn’t a hook-up.”
Dylan eyed Jevon, but his expression was hard to read through FaceTime. Jevon recalled what Rhys had said about being closer to him than Angelo and wondered if he was being appraised.
“Joe should be here soon,” he said when the silence had stretched on a beat too long.
Dylan seemed to shake himself. “Thank god. Jevon, can I have a quick chat with you before he gets there?”
Jevon glanced at Angelo, but he seemed to have zoned out. “Sure. Give me a sec, I’ll step outside and call you back.”
After getting Angelo comfortable, Jevon took Angelo’s phone outside and called Dylan. “What’s up?”
“Nothing, really. I just wanted to thank you without embarrassing Angelo. He hates people seeing him like this. It’s probably why he didn’t call anyone when he started to feel bad.”
“It’s no problem. To be honest, I haven’t done much. He’s been asleep most of the time while I’ve folded some washing and watched Peaky Blinders because I couldn’t work your telly out.”
“Peaky Blinders is awesome.”
“Heh.” Jevon remained unconvinced on that point. The main character washot,but picking up midway through the second season had left him totally confused. “Either way, there’s no need to say thanks. If Rhys needs something, he’ll always get it from me.”
“I was hoping you’d say that.”
“Why?”
“Because he deserves to have someone there for him.”
“You’re not there for him?”
“Of course I am, but it’s not me he wants, and it’s not the same. Look, it’s none of my business, but I reckon you’ve heard enough about everyone else’s lives this morning to handle a little bit more.”
“Go on,” Jevon said warily. “Unless you’re about to tell me he’s a sound bloke who deserves to be happy, because I know that shit already.”