Alex walked farther than he meant to.
The argument kept replaying in pieces his own voice saying *s*x toy*, the still look on Troy’s face, the way the kitchen had gone quiet after the words landed. He didn’t go back for his phone or a jacket. He just kept moving until the streets changed and the buildings got older and lower.
Kevin’s walk-up looked the same as the last time. Alex pressed the button for 3B and waited.
A crackle. Then Kevin’s voice, rough with surprise. “Yeah?”
“It’s me.”
A short pause. The door buzzed.
Kevin opened the apartment door in a T-shirt and sweatpants, hair messy. His eyes moved over Alex once no jacket, no bag, expression scraped raw and the irritation that usually lived in his face shifted into something sharper.
“What happened?”
Alex stepped inside. “I
