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  "Okay, I'll send them right now." He listened to the instructions and scrawled the rep's contact info on a napkin. More notifications popped up, blocking his screen as he sent photo after photo.

  Fire burned in his muscles. He paced the kitchen, unable to stand still. Hushed conversations drifted in from the dining room.

  Finally, the rep called him back. "Sir, I've advised him to leave the property and to leave the keys in the lock box. And that he's liable for any property damage."

  "I have time-stamped photos of how the house looked before he arrived, so we'll be able to compare." He silently thanked Aaron for remembering to take them.

  "Will someone be visiting the house soon?"

  "Yeah. Me. I'll be on the next flight there."

  "I'll follow up with an email for your records, sir. And steps should you need further assistance."

  Joseph ended the call and barely resisted the urge to throw the phone through the window. "That little shit."

  "Joseph." Vince stood in the doorway. "You're not going to Asbury Park now."

  He scrolled through the airline's site. "There's a flight leaving in two hours, and I'm gonna be on it."

  "It's Christmas Eve. What do you think you're going to do when you get there?"

  "Make sure they're really gone. I don't trust him to be out in an hour, and I don't trust him not to do more damage now that he's been kicked out."

  "You can ask Aaron to do that."

  "It's my house, Vince. I need to be there to check out the damage. I don't know what Aaron's plans were for the night." He turned away from his furious boyfriend and sent a flurry of texts to Aaron.

  Joseph: Fucking renter is having a rave and destroying my house. Can you stop by my place to make sure they left? Bring Gus and any other bouncers as back up with you. I'll cover any costs.

  Joseph: And can you take some "after" pics of the place? Need them for reimbursement.

  Joseph: Sorry to bother you. If you can't make it there, no worries. I'm getting on the next flight out. Will text you when I arrive.

  Footsteps matching Vince's tread slapped against the tile. "Joseph."

  Heaving a sigh, he turned around. Stress burst from every pore. "What?"

  "You're really going? This is ridiculous. The rental contract covers damages. You could stay here tonight and go down after Christmas. You don't have to rush off now."

  He held out his phone. "I'll show you every photo. They might have destroyed my place. I can't believe you don't get it. Could you have my back in this for once?"

  Vince's eyes iced over. "I always have your back. But I don't see how rushing over there now will help."

  "I need to make sure they didn't destroy it."

  "Won't that app show you if they're still there?"

  "Only the outside. Not the inside. I need to know."

  Vince rubbed a hand over his face. Shaking his head, he crossed his arms over his chest. "Renting the house out was a mistake."

  Hurt and annoyed, Joseph snorted. "That's funny. If I hadn't, I wouldn't have met you again."

  "I mean now." Vince slammed his fist on the table. "You don't need to do it now."

  He needed to pack and get to the airport, not be embarrassed and shamed in front of their guests. "We've already had this conversation, and I'm not going through this again."

  "I'm not finished."

  "You're going to have to be. Because I am."

  Chapter Six

  Vince stayed in the kitchen. He resisted the urge to follow Joseph up the stairs and continue the argument. Leaning against the sink, he looked out the window, but only the darkening sky and his own reflection stared back.

  Footsteps jogged down the stairs. Joseph, wearing his heavy coat, and carrying two travel bags, stopped in the hallway separating the kitchen and dining room. He addressed their guests. "I'm sorry, guys. I need to go."

  Then he shifted and held Vince's gaze.

  Vince stared back. There wasn't anything to say. He was too angry. And apparently, Joseph was also, because he turned and walked away without a word. A few moments later, the front door opened and then closed.

  "Vince?" Celek poked his head in the room. "The guys and I are gonna take off."

  "No. Stay. We invited you to dinner. Let's eat." He followed Celek into the dining room.

  Slater and Noah watched him, their plates filled with mostly uneaten take out. Vince sat down, dropped two tacos on his plate, then pushed it away.

  His appetite was gone.

  Leaning on his elbows, he buried his face in his hands. The evening was turning into a nightmare.

  Celek laid a hand on his shoulder. "So, Joseph's going to New Jersey?"

  "Yeah."

  "He seemed pretty upset."

  Vince dragged his hands through his hair. "I don't understand why he needs to rent out the house. It's always more trouble than it's worth."

  "You've fought about it before." Noah was either observant or a really good eavesdropper.

  "You know what's worse? He referred to it as home tonight. Like that's still his home, not here."

  Slater pushed Vince's plate closer. "You should eat something. I think you just hit on what's really bothering you. You're worried he might leave. For good."

  "I guess I worry that he's holding onto it in case he's really not happy here. And since he hasn't found a job yet, I'm worried he might want to go back to the nightclub there, and we'll turn into a long distance couple, which is something neither of us wanted. We'd never see each other if that happened."

  Celek raised a brow. "I'm guessing you never told him this."

  Pressing his lips together, he shrugged and shook his head. "Never."

  "I think you need to talk to him. You guys love each other. You need to be honest. I bet there are things he's afraid to tell you too."

  "Celek's right." Slater nodded and again pushed Vince's plate a little closer. "I know you and Joseph are angry with each other right now, but you're still gonna check in with him in a few hours, right? Make sure those people really did leave, and he's not walking into a bad situation?"

  Noah groaned. "Way to plant horrible images into people's heads."

  "Sorry, but he's my friend as much as Vince is. I want him to be okay."

  Vince picked up his taco before Slater could attempt to touch his plate again. "Don't worry, Slater. I'll check in with him and his buddy there."

  He pulled out his phone and sent a message to Aaron, asking him to get in touch with Joseph. Then another to Joseph.

  Vince: J, I know you're angry. But I need to know you're okay. Call or text me when you get to the house. Please?

  The guys were right, he did need to be honest with Joseph. But he wasn't sure what to say, how to say it, or if Joseph would even want to listen.

  A wave of exhaustion hit him, and Joseph swayed on his feet. Leaning on the broom, he surveyed the living room. His eyes felt gritty like sand had gotten in them. And they stung like they'd been hit with saltwater. He'd arrived in New Jersey after midnight, walked into the aftermath left behind by angry partygoers, had worked throughout the night taking photos to document the damage and then battling through clean up.

  As the time ticked toward noon, the two-hour nap he'd grabbed at eight o'clock in the morning seemed further and further away.

  In the light of day, the situation didn't seem as dire. Hours of cleaning helped restore the house, but he'd still need to buy a new chair and replace the broken lamps. And that red wine stain might never come out of the carpet in the guest room.

  But at least the floors were no longer sticky with spilled beer and bits of food. And the broken bottles and crushed cans no longer littered the rooms like a frat house on a Sunday morning.

  He'd arrived to chaos and disarray.

  But he'd also left that back in Buffalo.

  Along with Vince.

  On Christmas Eve.

  He'd screwed up. Badly. What if it was too badly to fix?

  He pulled out hi