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Lito didn’t quite mean to end up at the bar where he embarrassed himself (tequila squared still rung in his ears) but Hernando was asking questions Lito didn’t really know how to answer and he couldn’t think of a better solution than alcohol. After a drink, he was in Nomi’s apartment, watching her stare at Amanita. He could feel the love radiating off of them and it made him ache for the days when his relationship was simple. “Hey, Lito,” Nomi murmured.
“Hello, Nomi,” he answered. “Want a drink?”
In the bar, Nomi shook her head. In her apartment, Nomi said, “I thought things were going well between you and Hernando. Why do you look like someone shot your dog?”
Lito chuckled bitterly. “Life in the cluster can make you act… erratically. Hernando is asking about it, and I don’t know what to say.”
It was easy to know when Capheus arrived, because he was so sunny it simply lit up the room. “I told my mother a few days ago. Sun taught her some Korean, and Wolfgang told her stories about life in Berlin, and now all is good. Hernando loves you very much. If you tell him, we will all be there to support you, and I guarantee it will be okay.”
Amanita asked, “Who’s here, Nomi?”
“Right now, Capheus and Lito.” It didn’t register for Amanita, so Nomi added, “Capheus is the bus driver. Lito’s the actor.”
Recognition lit up Amanita’s face with a smile. “Oh, yeah! The cute boys. What’s the problem?”
“Lito’s boyfriend issues.”
Amanita nodded and said, “Blow him. That’ll solve all your problems.”
“Um,” Capheus said, and left.
Lito looked pensive. Then he said, “I like your girlfriend, Nomi.”
Nomi rolled her eyes. “Look, it’s a good idea for us to get out of the country anyways. We’ll come down to Mexico and help you talk to Hernando. Just try not to implode before we get there.”
“Right. No implosions.”
He was left in a bar, suddenly feeling terribly alone. (Not for long, of course. Wolfgang was a great drinking partner.)
* * *
Lito had almost forgotten what happened until Nomi texted him, telling him she and Amanita needed a ride and a shower. He drove out to meet them, and the first thing Amanita did was hug him, then spin him around to check out his ass. “Wow,” she said with a laugh. “I can see why Hernando likes you.”
“I am feeling very used by your girlfriend,” Lito told Nomi. “I am not a slab of meat. I am more than my exquisite ass.”
They laughed together. Close together, Lito could feel more of Nomi. They were both nervous. They didn’t know what would happen when they touched. The only reference point they had was Riley and Will, but Lito was definitely not romantically or sexually attracted to Nomi, and Nomi was the same.
When they hugged, it was a rush of emotion. Lito and Nomi, Nomi and Lito, blurring together before they figured out where their lines were, and it felt right. Like hugging his mother, all safety and warmth. He felt like he had met someone who was not just his very best friend, but a vital piece of his soul.
“Don’t take this the wrong way,” Nomi mumbled, her face pressing into him. “I seriously don’t want to move.”
“Neither do I,” Lito confessed. But they pulled apart, and Lito said, “It feels like…”
“Family,” Nomi finished for him. “And good things.”
They smiled at each other.
Amanita squealed.
* * *
Hernando and Daniela were out when Lito got back with his new guests, leading Nomi by the hand, who was clutching Amanita’s hand. Luckily, there were no paparazzi outside his building. Nomi and Amanita showered together, ignoring Lito’s playful protestations about lesbian cooties in his pristine shower. Then they sat down and watched some of his movies together, since neither Amanita nor Nomi had ever done so, which Lito felt was an absolute crime.
Capheus joined them halfway through the first film, and then Wolfgang and Sun popped in. Kala appeared for a few minutes, but she left once she realized the films were violent. Riley took her place, tucking herself under Nomi’s arm. It was a lovely time.
They got through three films, with Lito explaining all of Hernando’s thoughts to the cluster, when Hernando and Daniela finally returned home. With a quiet word, most of the cluster left, waiting to see if they’d be needed, although Riley stayed, curled up in a chair. Hernando was sober, and Daniela was giggly and tipsy, and both of them froze when they saw the two strangers on the sofa. They relaxed soon after, and Hernando asked, “Who are these two, Lito? Friends from on set?”
Nomi stood gracefully, and Amanita popped up beside her. “My name is Nomi,” she said in flawless, if slightly accented Spanish. “This is my girlfriend, Amanita. It’s nice to meet you both.”
Hernando shook their hands as Daniela eyed them with the same look she always gave Hernando and Lito. Lito added, “You wanted to know why I’ve been acting so strangely lately. Nomi is part of the reason. And it’s very complicated, so… I think I need a drink.”
Nomi intercepted him on the way to the bottle, biting her lip hard as she suddenly felt his need for a drink. But she turned him around, speaking only to him: “You can do this. He loves you.”
“Yes,” Lito said quietly. “Yes.” He shifted his weight from side to side, trying to get it out. Then he said it, out loud, to his boyfriend and best friend.
At first, Hernando was stunned. Then he turned to Daniela. “What kind of drugs have you been giving my boyfriend?”
“I don’t know,” Daniela muttered. “Whatever it is, I want some.”
“It’s true.” Lito was grateful Nomi was stepping forward. He let her take over the talking. “There’s eight of us, all across the world. And you’ve seen it before. His freakout when he got the worst of Sun’s period. When he rescued you, Daniela, that was with Wolfgang’s help.”
“I was wondering when he learned to fight,” Daniela admitted.
Hernando shook his head. “This is…”
“How do you think I feel?” Lito chuckled weakly. “This entire thing is beyond strange. It is incomprehensible. But it gave me seven people who are part of my soul, as much as you are my heart.”
Daniela pursed her lips. “I think I have an easy way to test this. Nomi, come here.” She pulled Nomi out of the room and shouted back, “If you’re a telepath, tell me what’s happening in another room.”
“I don’t have to visit to know you’re staring at her tits, Daniela.” Still, he closed his eyes and let it happen. Daniela was writing on a pad of paper. She held it up for Nomi’s inspection, and back in the other room Lito said, “That is completely filthy, Daniela, and I don’t think Amanita would appreciate you saying that about her girlfriend.”
“Yes I would, she’s hot,” Amanita said immediately. “What is it?”
Daniela came back in the room with the note pad, handing it off to Amanita, who laughed. “That’s hilarious! I like this girl, Nomi. Can we keep her?”
“Maybe, Neets.” Nomi was blushing badly, but smiling. “I know it’s a weird situation, Hernando. We came down to help give some proof that it’s real.”
Hernando nodded slowly. “I think I’m going to need some time to adjust to this. I’m going to make dinner. Are Nomi and Amanita staying here?”
“I was hoping so,” Nomi said. “I’m sort of a wanted fugitive in America. Which is… a whole different long story.”
Hernando glanced between Nomi and Lito, sighed, and went to the kitchen. Daniela immediately started questioning Nomi about what happened, and Nomi glanced at Lito, asking silently, “Was that so bad?”
And he murmured, “No. Not that bad at all.”