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It was strange to imagine that Anthony and Dave’s relationship was as close today as it had been in the mid 90s, back when they walked the line between dating and not, but it truly was. After Dave’s messy departure from the band, they had quickly rekindled their friendship. It turns out that addiction was the only thing holding them back.
Now every day they were reminded of the beauty in the other’s soul, and even though public meetups were sparse, it wasn’t rare for them to hang out in private. Today was no exception.
Dave held a cigarette between his fingers. He almost laughed when he remembered how Anthony would steal them from his guitar when they performed together. Smoking with Anthony was always fun, but it was different now. The singer avoided narcotics altogether, for the sake of his health.
He wondered how much had changed between them, if it had gone further than the little things. Maybe there was even less change than he expected, and most things were still the same deep down. Anthony would know better than he did.
“Was there something you wanted to tell me?” Dave asked, a curious gleam lighting up his dark hazel eyes.
He felt Anthony reach for him, tracing his fingers along his wrist and gently squeezing his palm.
“I wanted to tell you that I had a crush on you instantly,” Anthony started with familiar words, “and I still have a crush on you. But I’m past pretending to be straight while having feelings for another man. I’m serious, and I want this more than anything.”
Anthony looked Dave in the eye, but Dave’s eyes drifted to the ink on his chest. His heart belonged to another, couldn’t Anthony see that?
“You should have told me earlier, man.”