Tristan smiles, just soaking in the moment. “Are you going to call him?”
“I’m going to see him. You relax, take a bath, make yourself at home. I’ll be back soon.”
“I don’t know if I’m excited or terrified.”
I offer a slight smile. “Same.”
I knockon Rocco’s door, not letting myself in like I normally do. We’ve been distant since our last talk about Tristan. After this, I don’t know if I’m even welcome here anymore.
He looks surprised to see me. “Is Tristan okay?”
“Yeah. Can I come in? It’s time we talked.”
“Of course.”
I follow him to the couch and sit down, wringing my hands. It just has to be done. “I don’t know how to say this, so I guess I’ll just say it.”
“What?”
“I’m in a relationship with Tristan.”
Rocco is silent, staring at the floor. Several minutes pass, and I don’t know what to do, so I just sit, waiting for him to react.
“I know, Bishop.”
“What?”
“I know. I have known since Thanksgiving.”
My heart races. “Why didn’t you say anything?”
“Why didn’t you?”
“Because you were so against it. I tried, but you shut me down. He tried, but you shut him down.”
“Because I didn’t want to hear about you fucking him. He’s my kid, Bishop. I get that to you he’s an adult, but to me, he’s my baby. I was scared for him.”
“Has that changed?”
“No.”
I stand up, pacing in front of the coffee table. “The last time we spoke you told me if I could look you in the eyes and tell you it was love, you would try to understand.”
His eyes widen. “Are you in love with him?”
“I don’t know, Rocco, but what I do know is I haven’t stopped thinking about him once since we met. I tried, desperately to leave him alone out of respect for you, but I can’t. I want to be around him and with him constantly, and I can’t remember the last time I felt that way about anyone.”
“Bishop…”
“I want to fall in love with him. I want to.”
Rocco is silent for a moment. “Does he love you?”
“Yes.”
“Did you know he quit school before he did it?”
“No. We didn’t talk much while he was there. I didn’t want to be a distraction to him and he didn’t want to want me. We both tried very hard to stay away from each other, but we just can’t. It’s like we’re magnets, constantly drawn to each other.”
