A Night with no Stars - 4. Heads Will Roll

Aleks woke up to the sunlight peeping through the old, scruffy lace curtains. It had to be that first warm day of spring they were forecasting for ages. His thoughts immediately went to his aviators and ripped jeans, uselessly gathering dust at home, and that new suede jacket he bought back in October. He let himself float between dream and reality, thinking about future plans, loud gunshots, funky clothes, sex and inconspicuous blonde that got caught up in his life at the beginning of the weekend and didn’t seem to be going anywhere anytime soon. The sun kept pushing though and Aleks was aware of the even, husky breath on the back of his neck and a huge arm squeezing his waist. Damn, sometimes he hated that he was such a hunk. But other times he didn’t hate it at all. He tried to gingerly wriggle out from underneath him.

“Mm, baby, don’t go,” Wincent mumbled sleepily, tightening his arms around him and pulling him closer. Aleks stayed still for a few beats, letting his large, warm hand wander through the front of his body.

“What time is it?” he whispered and felt Wincent moving behind his back.

“Quarter to nine,” he said after a few seconds.

“Fuck, I’m late for school,” Aleks muttered, not sounding very heartbroken about it. Wincent snorted into his shoulder.

“I feel like a pedophile when you say things like that, it gets me soft,” he groaned. Aleks giggled weakly.

“Well, we can’t let that happen,” he whispered, too languid to be able to sound seductive.

“You can’t ditch today?” Wincent ask, pulling a crestfallen expression that looked hideous combined with his angular face, shaven head and massive frame.

“Nope,” Aleks assessed sadly, then smiled deviously. “I have a biology test… sexy, huh?” he murmured, waggling his eyebrows. Wincent snickered.

“I’ll teach you biology…” he whispered, rolling him on his back. Aleks pursed his lips when he started to run his hands down his body. That was a sufficient ‘no’. “You could pass these exams already, you know?” he said sullenly.

“What, you think then I’ll be all yours?” Aleks teased, flipping them back so now he was straddling him. “Dream on,” he whispered, leaning down to kiss him and slipping his hand under his neck. The skin on his head was always so smooth, but sometimes Aleks yearned for something to grab and pull.

“My sister is gone till Wednesday,” Wincent panted, breaking off abruptly. “You’re coming over tonight?”

“I can’t. I have plans with Sonia.” Aleks wasn’t even sure why he lied without missing a beat. It’s just… too much of a good thing wasn’t just a saying.

“It’s ok if you come late, even in the middle of the night,” Aleks tried to keep himself from rolling his eyes.

“Why does it have to be today?” He sighed, suddenly feeling a stab of guilt, but he couldn’t change his tune now, he had to stick to it. “I don’t mind your sister, you know she sees nothing and hears nothing even when she’s here.”

“I, um…” Wincent cleared his throat awkwardly, averting his gaze. “I like when it’s just the two of us,” he uttered, trying very hard not to look self-conscious. Aleks stared at him, not having any appropriate reaction in store.

Wow. No, really, just wow. There were never such words between them – as a matter of fact, there were almost no words between then. And sure, Aleks knew that Wincent was into him, he saw it in a way he was watching him when they've kept ending up in the same places, even though back then he was reading these looks quite differently. He got their meaning when they were walking through the Skaryszewski Park late at night about three months ago. Aleks was a little tipsy and for some reason he was talking about a really expensive shirt he found on Zalando, one he couldn't really afford, but he wanted it so badly that he bought it anyway, even though he hated himself for it. Wincent was shaking with laughter at the end and claimed that it was the gayest thing he’s heard in a very long time, so Aleks riposted that if he saw the shirt, he guaranteed he would discover his inner homosexual. Then he cursed himself, cause he was really asking for it. Wincent was eyeing him with an undecipherable expression for a long moment, but when he spoke, he said that if he saw the shirt on him, he would definitely discover his inner homosexual. Aleks’s mind was blown, because he had it on good authority that Wincent was one of those guys who wouldn’t even consider the possibility that one of their friends might be gay. And maybe there were things about Aleks that were pretty obvious, like his love for clothes, but generally he didn’t think that people could just tell. So he assumed that Wincent didn’t know, cause if he knew he wouldn’t hang out with him, worse, he would probably beat the shit out of him, because die fags and all that jazz. And then there he was, blurting out that he would like to see him in his fancy shirt, before pressing against him and whispering that as a matter of fact, he would rather see him without his fancy shirt. By then Aleks was close to fainting, because fuck, it looked like he managed to land a guy who spent eight hours a day in a gym and was so macho that testosterone was literally leaking through his ears.

The truth was, back then Aleks was pretty much in love with him. Ok, maybe not in love, because he always thought he was in love, then when it turned out that the guy didn’t have this elusive something, he switched to the next one. He’s been falling in and out of love at the same rate as an average teenage girl and just as unluckily. He didn’t think there was anything wrong with it. He just liked the idea of the eternal, soul-shattering love, besides he was young and had the right to fly blind. So he was smitten with Wincent for a while before that night, because it was quite flattering that despite his bad temper, he was always so nice to Aleks. Like he knew that he was completely green and really young, and wanted him to have a friendly face. That’s why while there were probably many people whose dreams were hunted by Wincent pulling a gun on them, Aleks associated him with security. It was that way from the very beginning, he felt that he could always come to him, hide between his tattoos and become one of the pictures on his skin, where nothing could do him any harm. And yeah, he knew it was incredibly sappy and naïve.

So he was smitten, and then Wincent said that he would like him better without his beautiful, flaxen shirt and they’ve slept together, because Aleks might be a lot of things, but a hard to get virgin was not one of them. He spent the next day thinking that life was really full of surprises, cause sure, guys could be nice at times, but he wasn’t so dumb to think that it always had to mean something. And he didn’t feel comfortable enough with his sexuality... no, he felt plenty comfortable with his sexuality, it was the rest of the world that had a problem with it, which kept him from considering random men as potential boyfriends. The main issue was that you always had to tread carefully and think every step through in order not to get punched in the face. He’s got punched in the face enough times throughout his short life even without being officially gay.

But fortunately this time it was Wincent who made the first move, with a small help of booze, and although it wasn’t Aleks’s first sex, it was the first with someone who actually meant something to him. Maybe he was a mushy fool, but no one before Wincent has ever liked him back. His infatuation with him was also different from shallow crushes he used to have on boys from school, who maybe had pretty faces, but when you got to know them it turned out they were as much fun as chlamydia. Wincent might have not been the sharpest pencil in the drawer, but he was entertaining and a little dangerous, which made his rare displays of affection even more endearing. There was enough adrenaline rush between them, because of course they had to sneak around most of the time, and it was also kind of a forbidden fruit, because as long as Aleks has remembered, the world was divided into ‘us’ and ‘them’, and Wincent was one of them.

Annoyingly enough, he got over Wincent right after he started sleeping with him. He was still important to him, sure, and the sex was still fine, because what Wincent lacked in imagination, he made up for with enthusiasm. But Aleks’s enthusiasm was starting to wane and he felt guilty, because what the hell was he looking for? And now Wincent was saying all the right things, as if he knew that it was always Aleks’s kryptonite – that he could melt such a tough guy and turn him into a teddy bear. But so far Wincent’s most tender confession was when he told Aleks that he was thinking of little else than fucking him since he first saw him. And sure, Aleks knew that he was playing it down and it wasn’t all about sex, but holy crap, it was nothing like ‘I like when it’s just the two of us’. That sounded awfully serious.

“I’ll come over tomorrow, ok?” he whispered, not having the heart to completely blow him off. Wincent grunted his agreement.

“You’re not mad, are you?” he asked suddenly. “That I haven’t told you before that our boys were going to meet you there?”

“It’s good you’ve told me at all,” Aleks muttered, drawing back slightly. “Or it might not end up as well as it did. Well, it didn’t actually end up well, cause Kostek had no time to sort everything out, which is why we’re kind of screwed…”

“But they won’t go after your asses, right?” Wincent inquired, looking concerned.

“Nah, I think I threw them off a little bit, at least for a while. The bright side is that I’m pure as snow, everyone would tell them that. Another bright side is that they don’t have anything solid on Kostek, it’s all guess-work. So far so good.” Aleks put his chin on Wincent’s chest, deep in thought.

“What about Rogal? Which way he turned out to be ratting?” Wincent asked reluctantly, not wanting to sound like he was grilling him. Aleks’s eyes narrowed.

“What does Partyka think?” he countered. Wincent didn’t seem to be willing to reveal anything, so Aleks ended up shrugging. “Both, as most rats. I don’t feel particularly sorry about it. Won’t be a great loss for either of us.” Aleks leaned down to kiss his collarbone just as Wincent let out a loud sign.

“Motherfucker,” he murmured. “I’ve never liked him.” Aleks chuckled.

“Technically we all rat, you know,” he said philosophically. “You’re ratting right now…”

“That’s different. You’re not one of them,” Wincent broke off hesitantly. “In fact, Partyka would still like to meet up.” Aleks looked unimpressed.

“What did you tell him about me?”

“Nothing,” Wincent assured him instantly. “He just appreciates people who can think for themselves. And it’s not even about business. He’s heard you a while ago and thought you were promising. He could help you turn all that writing and mixing you're doing into an EP. And you’re pretty good at both.” Aleks lowered his eyes, feeling his smile growing. He accepted the compliment graciously, because he knew he was good.

“My brother would kill me,” He shook his head. Wincent gave him a crooked smile.

“I would like to someday have half of the sway over you your brother has,” he said quietly. “Don’t get me wrong, Kostek is good people, it’s just his view on what’s what is a little… outdated. If he wants to keep fighting a war that’s been long over, he’s welcome to do it by himself. Partyka doesn’t give a shit what you guys are doing as long as you don’t interfere in his business.” The gentle smile looked so wrong on his face that Aleks felt an overwhelming desire to kiss it away. “Just think about it. Cause he could really help.”

“In exchange for?”

“Loyalty.” Aleks snorted when Wincent shrugged.

“I’m not loyal,” he said without a trace of doubt. “I've never learned how to be. Besides, let’s be serious, no one sets up something like that for free. What would I have to do? Suck him off? Shoot someone?” he asked casually. Wincent frowned.

“That’s not how it works,” he protested calmly. “We help our people if we can. There is no hidden agenda, you can consider it a peace offering. I’m just a messenger.”

“Oh, so now your job is about helping people, that’s new.” Aleks teased before grabbing his bag from beside the bed and starting to look through it. Finally he found a tiny object and placed it on the nightstand. “You can give it to your boss. Put it in some old model and don’t turn it on for longer than a minute if you don’t want them to track it down. Texts should be enough. Just to make him rethink if he’s tempted to retaliate, cause Rogal really wasn’t worth it.”

“You got rid of the phone, right?” Wincent made sure distractedly, glancing at the SIM card. Aleks rolled his eyes.

“Of course.” He laid back down on top of him, a little affronted that he took him for such an amateur. “Tell your boss that I will consider his offer,” he added, not waiting for Wincent’s answer and pressing their lips together. They've kept kissing lazily for a few long minutes before Wincent’s hands run down his back and found his ass. For a moment Aleks was almost tempted, but by now he was terribly late for school and he really had a test today, so he grabbed Wincent’s roaming hands and pressed them to the mattress. He appreciated that he let him do that, cause he probably barely felt Aleks’s slender arms holding him down, but he pretended he did just to make him happy. Which was in his best interest, because Aleks’s mouth moved down his chest to his abdomen. He felt a hand tightening in his hair, which meant that the prospect of a blowjob got Wincent eager enough not to insist on sex. Good, that way he can leave him here happy and sated and go to school in peace.

It was close to eleven and the middle of his third class before he managed to leave. He waited to be out of the door before checking his phone. As soon as he unlocked it, he smiled so brightly he was worried it was going to cut his face in half.

3:59 am. From: Maks. Are you ok?

7:17 am. From: Maks. Aleks? You didn’t reply last night.

8:56 am. From: Maks. I’m not worried, but considering this thing you took from my place yesterday and the amount of texts I normally get from you… I find your silence unnerving.

9:43 am. From: Maks. How is sending one fucking text so hard?

10:03 am. From: Maks. I have a job interview in an hour, if I screw it up then I want you to know that my future will be over because of YOU.

10:12 am. From: Maks. Please just let me know you’re ok.

10:14 am. From: Maks. You suck I don’t know why I even care.

Aleks felt such an elation overflowing him suddenly that he had to lean on the cold staircase wall. Maks cared. He didn’t have to, cause they were essentially strangers, but he cared anyway and now Aleks was wondering what was he supposed to do with poor, lovesick Wincent when Maks made his grand entrance. Because Maks was even better and had those puppy eyes, hair sticking out in all directions and the most adorable dimples he has even seen. And on top of that he was smart, and liked to pick up strays from Warsaw suburbs, and bantered with him, and…

…and he knew that Aleks was involved in a murder. Which could prove problematic if something happened between them and didn’t end well.

But he wasn’t going to dwell on that right now. Right now Maks was a guy who decided to propose to a woman, which happened to be one of the most heterosexual acts a man can commit and didn’t leave much room for various inclinations. On the other hand, there was a time when he thought that Wincent was the straightest of them all and how did that turn out? And the world was still full of surprises, so even though he should not get attached to the idea that Maks could have been in any way or form interested, he decided to put it in the box labeled ‘little dreams’ and keep it at the back of his head.

As already mentioned, he’s been falling in and out of love at the same rate as an average teenage girl and just as unluckily.

***

“Are you in a hurry?” Maks’s head jerked up when he hastily pocketed his phone.

“Excuse me?” he asked distractedly. The guy on the other side of the desk was so nice it was annoying.

“You keep checking the time. Do you have other engagements? Because if you do, we could…”

“No, please, keep going. I have time,” Maks assured him firmly, straightening up and promising himself that for the rest of the meeting he wasn’t going to even glance at his phone. He really wasn’t in any hurry and didn’t care about the time. He was checking if Aleks gave a sign of life.

He didn’t and Maks was getting very anxious. He was trying to settle down and remind himself what Aleks was like, that it was almost impossible to keep up with him, and that it didn’t even matter and he should focus on the interview. Especially that it was going pretty well and if he keeps it up, he might even get the job. That would be a surprise, cause he came here without any preparation or expectations whatsoever. Ironically it was that attitude that led to success more often than not.

He went back home, checking his phone every once in a while. Ewelina decided that he needed at least some substitute of a social life and started to arrange it for him, because, to quote, ‘they never go out’ and ‘they never see anyone’. So she kept coming up with more and more people to torture him with. Today it was Robert and Klaudia, who were their friends mainly because they've been a couple for almost as long as him and Ewelina. They’ve all met their first year of college and Maks was even Robert’s best man at his wedding, which made sense, because he had to admit that Robert was one of a few people he… ok, maybe not missed, but spending time with him wasn’t a chore. His wife was also bearable, so when Ewelina asked him if he saw them since he got back, he honestly admitted that he didn’t. He wasn’t even all that irritated when she insisted on inviting them over. Unfortunately each time she was hosting a get-together, she did it in his apartment, but he was slowly getting used to it.

He was sensing more and more often that Ewelina tried to suggest him subtly that it was time to move in together. Not many things frightened him more than this one. Well, sure, he loved Ewelina. But he loved peace and quiet more.

“You think it’s ok to be back in Poland for a month and not visit an old friend?” Robert asked, taking a bottle of wine from Ewelina and starting to pour it in four glasses, as she grabbed plates with pesto pasta to bring to the table. Of course Maks made dinner. She was always insisting that she could cook and it wasn’t her fault that Maks just cooked better, but in reality scrambled eggs were the best she could do.

“You’re not that old,” Maks said casually. Robert looked at him through narrowed eyes that said ‘very funny’.

“You know it’s impossible to get Maks outside.” Klaudia’s eyes lit up. “But he’s lucky, cause we’re not going to let him rot here.”

“Oh, it has not been that bad lately.” Ewelina took a sip of her wine. “He even went to the club with me on Saturday.”

“What!” Klaudia let out an overly dramatic cry. „Was that the craziest thing you’ve done in your life?”

‘No, that would be picking up a stranger from the side of the road and then discovering that he witnessed a murder,’ Maks thought sourly.

“Yeah, and with that I’ve reached my limit of craziness for the next year,” he said calmly. Klaudia giggled.

“Sorry, man, but I’m not going to let you stay in for the next year and there’s nothing you can do about it,” Robert said firmly.

“Yeah, me neither,” Ewelina backed him up.

“No way, honey,” Klaudia concurred. Maks scowled, sensing the upcoming intervention.

“Aleks won’t let that happen either,” Ewelina added. Maks sighed internally, cause she stubbornly refused to forget about Aleks’s existence. According to her he and Maks had to be best friends and she wouldn’t accept any alternative. Klaudia looked up.

“Who’s that?”

“A friend of Maks. Awesome guy. From now on I want him at every party as a guest of honor. He’s freaking hilarious. A little shameless though. But hilarious, right, honey?” ‘No, Aleks was a shithead who wasn’t even able to send one stupid text.’ He didn't dare to say that out loud, because she was clearly expecting him to agree.

“Are you serious? So we give you the courtesy of respecting your social anxiety and leave you alone, and meanwhile you’re finding yourself new friends? I’m wounded,” Robert said, looking hurt, and then reconsidered. “Actually, I think I’m jealous.”

“Don’t be, Aleks is a pain in the ass.” Maks shrugged with a smile. Somehow talking about Aleks with them felt wrong, like they were two worlds that weren’t supposed to mix, like he wanted Aleks to be only his. And yeah, he knew it was probably fucked up.

“We should get together,” Klaudia suggested innocently. “Maybe next weekend?” Ewelina bounced in her seat.

“Yeah, I've actually got an idea.” She sounded excited and Maks felt anxious, because it was never a good sign. “Do you remember my cousin, Monika? She was always into bad boys, we should hook him up with her. Or with your sister,” she added in passing to Maks who almost choked on his wine.

“My sister?” he echoed incredulously. “She’s sixteen!” Ewelina shrugged, clearly not seeing his point.

“So what? And Aleks is what, twenty? It’s not like it’s illegal. Unless he already has someone?”

“How would I know?”

“You’re a lousy bestie if you don’t even know if he has a girlfriend.” Robert snickered.

Maks frowned. Has Aleks had a girlfriend? He’s never mentioned one and to be honest Maks doubted it. He was more the kind of guy who would pick up a new one every weekend. He tried to picture Aleks with some chick, whispering sweet nothings into her ear. He couldn’t.

“He doesn’t,” he murmured eventually, rolling his eyes. “But it doesn’t mean we’re going to hook him up with my sister,” he warned. “Or with anyone else, cause I have to go to Sulejówek next weekend.”

“What for?” Ewelina asked suspiciously.

He actually didn’t have to.

“I promised Wiki to help her paint her room,” he lied smoothly, hesitating only for a second. Actually it wasn’t a full lie, his sister did ask for his help, but he was too lazy to come home, so she said that he sucked and decided to do it herself. Maybe if he helped her it would make her like him again. For the next fifteen minutes or so.

Shit, now he had to go visit his parents. Well, it was still a better option than watching Ewelina trying to sell her cousin to Aleks. He was pissed at him, but his cruelty had its limits, he would never condemn him to such torture.

“God, I would be scared to go there right now,” Klaudia said out of the blue. Maks looked at her quizzically. “Haven’t you heard? The guy was killed in the woods just outside of town, on the way to Warsaw. Where there used to be this army training area.”

“I’ve heard something,” he said mechanically, feeling a little surreal and having a distinctive impression of hearing his own voice from afar.

“Yeah, me too,” Ewelina said, her interest piqued up. “But it was some… you know, mafia stuff, right? Like a revenge or something? It’s not like normal people are in danger from them, as long as they stay out of their business.”

‘As long as they stay out of their business,’ echoed in Maks’s head.

“I would still feel much better if people weren’t wandering around the city with guns… You don’t exactly know where their business is happening so you can make sure to avoid it.”

“Come on, babe,” Robert said, trying to pacify his wife. “The guy got a bullet cause he messed with the wrong people. The underworld has always been there and always will be, but they have their own circles. It doesn’t concern us.”

“Excuse me,” Maks blurted, standing abruptly. He’s heart started beating twice as hard and he really hoped that he wasn’t as pale as he felt. His friends seemed surprised, but no one said anything when Maks rushed to the bathroom.

He washed his face, trying to settle down. They didn’t know anything, they couldn’t, and his behavior was only arousing suspicion. He had to calm down. Tune it out. He had to act like it was just a random tidbit of information, no different than any other rumor they could talk about during dinner.

He went back to the living room.

“Why do you keep checking your phone?” Klaudia asked when he sat back. He didn’t realize he was doing it.

“Come on, you won’t hear from him today,” Ewelina said and Maks’s head jerked up.

“Who?” How did she know that he's been waiting to hear from Aleks?

“The guy from the interview?” she said quizzically, looking at him as if he was dense. “You're waiting for them to call, aren’t you?”

“…yeah,” Maks muttered, distracted but relieved. He was obvious, but not that obvious. He reluctantly put the phone back on the table. Apparently no one felt like discussing murder and the topic has already been changed. Thank God. Ewelina started to talk about her job that was nothing new to him and not all that interesting either, so he zoned out and didn’t snap back until he heard his phone vibrating. He glanced at the screen and he didn’t even realize how anxious he was up until now that he felt he could breathe again. Unless Aleks called to tell him that something even worse happened.

Why did he always have to be such a naysayer?

“Sorry,” he said, standing back up.

“Ask Aleks when we’re going clubbing again,” Ewelina shouted after him when he headed to the balcony.

“Seriously, you need to go outside to answer?” Robert teased.

“I’m smelling bromance!” Klaudia sang.

“You smell right,” Ewelina giggled. “I’m telling you, it’s the cutest thing I’ve ever…”

Maks didn’t hear the rest of the sentence cause he closed the door behind himself and raised the phone to his ear.

“Yeah?” he spat curtly. His initial relief was replaced by annoyance.

“I’m sorry you were worried about me. It’s nice to know you care,” Aleks said with no greeting. He sounded serious, but Maks could sense a trace of amusement in his voice.

“I wasn’t and I don’t,” he huffed haughtily. “I just wanted to make sure you’re alive.” For a moment there was only silence on the other side.

“You realize that wanting to be sure that someone is alive is an integral part of caring?” he asked rhetorically. Maks rolled his eyes. Did he really think just yesterday that he liked talking to this guy? He was tempted to grunt an affronted ‘is not’, but he knew how childish that would be.

“I don’t wanna know what you were so busy with,” he said instead. What could Aleks fill his time with? Thefts, robberies, more murders? He wasn’t sure why he was so mean to him, he just felt like it.

“I had to study,” Aleks explained. Maks though that he misheard, but no, that’s exactly what he said. That he had to study. Did he think it was a joke?

“That’s the worst cover story you could possibly come up with,” he grumbled. “If you don’t wanna tell me…”

“No, I really had to study. Sorry,” Aleks repeated and Maks frowned. He sounded earnest and like he was actually sorry, so maybe he was telling the truth? He couldn’t always be lying after all. Only most of the time.

“Are you in college?” he blurted. He wasn’t sure why it was so astonishing, cause Aleks seemed pretty smart, though maybe more street-smart than educated, but for some reason Maks couldn’t even picture him as a college boy.

“Not yet. Maybe I will be some day, but I have to graduate first.” It took a few seconds for Maks to fully absorb his words.

“No way,” he uttered. “You’re still in high school? Are you kidding?”

“Hardly,” he said in a clipped tone. “Why, is that such a surprise?”

“Yeah,” Maks said without thinking. “But… you’re graduating, so that means you’re not a minor, are you?” Because that would make this whole mess even more hardcore. Then it would turn out that Maks had an underage murder witness staying under his roof.

“No, I’m not a fucking minor, thank you,” Aleks spat. “Since almost four months ago,” he added reluctantly. Maks felt nauseous, deeply affected by the abrupt realization that Aleks was only eighteen. He’s called him a kid before, but he was practically a child and was wandering merrily through the crime scenes. Suddenly he felt responsible for him, but why would he? Aleks wasn’t his burden to look after, was he?

Where the fuck were his parents?

“Good,” he muttered more to himself than to Aleks. “That’s good. But you’re still too young to…” Right, to what?

“Maks,” Aleks cut him off.

“Yeah?”

“Fuck off,” he instructed coolly.

“No, I mean it,” Maks objected. “Well, I don’t think that any age is appropriate to get into things like that, but you are really too young to…”

“I mean it too, fuck off. Not another word,” Aleks said, dropping the subject. Maks knew that trying to force him to talk would be counterproductive, so he tried another way.

“You wanna go somewhere tomorrow?” he blurted. When Aleks kept quiet, he added more steadily: “I just wanna keep an eye on you.” Aleks finally laughed and Maks internally patted himself on the back.

“Yeah, right,” he snorted the same way Maks did last time. “Go where?”

“Out,” Maks said without thinking.

“Sounds like a date,” Aleks remarked with amusement. Maks cringed, thinking that he will probably never live it down. “I’m just a little worried that you’ll end up hurting yourself like the last time.” Maks remembered that hangover and shuddered.

“No, not go out to get wasted, let’s go to… have lunch or something,” he suggested, aware that it sounded even more like a date and that he was digging himself deeper and deeper. He was actually close to blushing.

“Why not. I never say ‘no’ to free food.” Ok, not bad. He wasn’t taunted or ridiculed. Thank God Aleks was so easy-going.

“Where did you get the idea it’s on me?” he challenged.

“You’re inviting, aren’t you?” Aleks was completely unaffected. “If you rise to the occasion, I might even ask you for a drink after,” he added coyly. Maks could almost see him waggling his eyebrows and choked on his laugh.

“That’s officially the gayest conversation I have partaken in. I’m leaving,” he announced.

“Go do something super-straight, you’ll feel better” Aleks suggested.

“Like what?”

“I don’t know, go to the gym? Don’t take shower tonight? Eat a steak? Hump your fiancée?” he named a few. It cracked Maks up even more and he laughed so hard he started choking.

“Ok, I made sure you’re alive, now go away,” he uttered when he recovered. “You should come with a fucking warning label.”

“Does that mean I won’t get flowers?” Aleks asked heartbroken.

“Bye,” Maks said, hanging up and still laughing until his gut started to hurt. He shook his head. What a stupid dork.