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Robby had just settled in for his standard frozen dinner in front of the TV Tuesday night when a knock on the door forced his attention away from an old rerun ofBig Bang Theory.He scowled as he set the plastic tray on the coffee table. Probably someone trying to sell him something. As it was, he already had more Girl Scout cookies than he’d ever know what to do with.
Still, he couldn’t ignore whoever it was, no matter how gross his pot pie would be when it got cold. Maybe he could politely send the kid packing by pretending to be sick.
He coughed as he swung open the door. “I’m sorry. I—Parker?”
His old friend shot him a Cheshire grin and breezed past him into the apartment as if he’d been invited. “I couldn’t stop thinking about you after you left the club. I just had to track you down and see your amazing new life for myself.”
Closing the door, Robby felt acutely aware of the small, spartan space where he lived. Compared to the apartment he’d shared with John, it looked more like a hovel than something his old friend would consider amazing. “How did you find me?”
Parker wrinkled his nose for a split second before settling in on the sofa. With his perfectly styled hair and designer royal blue silky shirt, he would have been far better suited someplace higher end. He waved off the question. “A friend of a friend has a LexisNexis account and helped me track you down. We made a drinking game out of it.”
Robby perched on the edge of the sofa cushion beside him. He couldn’t think of a thing to say.
Parker didn’t suffer from the same problem. “Hanging out together again felt a little like old times.”
“It wasn’t.”
“You mean because you’re not with John anymore? The two of you always seemed meant for each other. The way he always fawned over you and bought you things. Like your PlayStation and all those nice clothes.” Parker leaned forward like he was sharing some juicy gossip. “I saw you smiling with him the other night. And I saw the two of you slip off to a dark corner.”
Robby gritted his teeth. “Are you kidding me? When have you ever not seen me smiling? It’s what I do. It’s what we all do.”
Parker’s salacious grin dissolved.
“It was one of the first lessons I learned. Well, thefirstlesson was to look for a guy in a button-down shirt and slacks, right?”
“And a blazer,” Parker murmured.
“Yeah. It took me one night on the streets and three in the shelter before the guy on the bunk next to me clued me in on the way things work.”
Smile. No matter what happens. No matter what they ask you to do. Do it and smile.
The advice had served him well.
“He told me, ‘Just flash those puppy dog eyes and roll over when they tell you to.’ He was right.” Going home that night with the guy who called himself Tex may have meant a few unpleasant minutes in the bedroom, but it had given Robby a safe place to sleep for the first time since his dad had thrown him out.
“Of course he was right.” Parker settled back in his seat. “Mother Nature made babies look so innocent and cute for a reason.”
Robby nodded. “People want to take care of them. It’s a biological imperative. Even ugly animals are cute when they’re babies.”
“Yeah, well, your buddy should’ve warned you to watch out for the predators.” Parker smirked. “In the wild, they eat the babies first.”
Robby rubbed at the tension building in his neck. The lesson had come a little too late. “Why are you really here, Parker? Did John tell you he tracked me down at work?”
“He did?” Parker’s eyes narrowed. “What happened?”
“I told him to get lost.” Which part of him wanted to do with Parker now. “Now I’ll ask you again. Why are you here?”
His old friend shrugged. “Guess I wanted to see how the other half lives. What my life might’ve been like if I’d left the way you did.” Parker looked around, barely trying to hide his disdain. “I’ve got to be honest. I don’t see the appeal.”
No. He wouldn’t. But Parker didn’t know the small part of Robby’s soul he’d sacrificed to get here. Holding the dark memories at bay, Robby stood and walked back to the front door. “It was nice of you to drop by.”
He smiled and they both knew the familiar expression for the lie it was. “Maybe we’ll catch up some more later.”
Parker swept a kiss over his cheek on the way out.
Robby spent the next hour trying to shove old memories back into the box where he kept them locked tight, but for some reason, they wouldn’t fit. John had found him at work. Parker had come to his apartment. The old life he’d worked so hard to escape was too close for comfort.
He paced the floor. Twice, he almost poured himself a drink.
