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“It’s okay,” she tells him. “I know why you’re calling.”

She does?

“You know I saw Skyler?”

A pause. Then—“Oh. Well, no, I didn’t know that.”

Oh.

“I only knew that after he gave that interview and mentioned you, the media must be all over you. And I could imagine how you’d be feeling about it. But I didn’t know you and Sky—”

“Yeah, sorry,” he interrupts her. He didn’t mean to break their unspoken agreement to never mention Skyler. “I understand we can’t talk about that. But the media thing sucks, and I don’t know what to do about it. I’ve been dodging them and making my publicist cranky.”

“Oh, who cares about that,” Theresa says. “It’s your life, not hers. You have every right to want your life to remain private.”

This is why he called her. So at least someone could reassure him he’s not being a selfish prick.

Orishe being a selfish prick for the fact that he’s kept up his relationship with Skyler’s mom without Skyler’s knowledge long after they broke up?

Probably. But he has very few people left in his life who truly care about him. He needs this.

He tells himself that as long as they continue to never mention Skyler or anything to do with their relationship ever again after this slip-up today, then he’s not hurting Skyler.

And yet, when the man in question texts him right after he hangs up, Trevor’s hit with an immediate wave of guilt. Like Skyler could sense what he was doing.

What are you up to tonight?

He considers making up something exciting so that he doesn’t sound too lame, but then settles on the truth.Nothing.

Wanna come by my place for dinner?

Skyler uses “my place” so casually, like he doesn’t mean hisfucking Malibu mansion.

Trevor hesitates. Because he may have made it through a coffee without doing something pathetic like throwing himself at Skyler’s feet and begging for forgiveness, but dinner? At hishouse?

It sounds like a terrible idea.

Sure, he texts.

Stella peers her big dark eyes up at him like he’s lost his mind.

“Hush,” he tells her.

When Trevor arrives atthe address Skyler gave him, he’s having second thoughts. Third, fourth or fifth thoughts, truthfully. This is insane. Because Skyler isn’thisSkyler anymore. They once belonged in each other’s lives, but now there’s a huge security gate keeping them apart. You can’t even see the house from the road.

He hates how he’ll have to buzz in on the intercom to announce himself and wait to be allowed in. But then he realizes Skyler’s standing there behind the gate, hidden off to the side. He steps up and buzzes it open.

As soon as Trevor pulls through, Skyler hops in the car. His hair is up in a bun, and he’s wearing an orange sweater that makes him look so soft Trevor wants to pull him in and cuddle him. His nails are painted orange to match. On anyone else the color might look ridiculous, but on this man, it goes beautifully with his dark hair and green eyes. And it’s just soSkyler.

Orange is Skyler’s favorite color. Trevor remembers Skyler telling him years ago that, as a kid, he decided to make it his favorite because it wasn’t usually anyone’s favorite and that wasn’t fair.

Trevor’s is green. He didn’t have a favorite color until he met Skyler, but ever since then…Yeah. Green.

They exchange greetings, but then as Trevor drives slowly up the winding path, the silence between them builds. He breaks it when he notices a small building off to the side. “What’s that?”

“My security guard Mike’s apartment,” Skyler says casually.

Trevor refrains from making any snarky comments, and points to a small building on the other side. “And that?”