The Russos 8

by D. J. Manly

  Drake came over to his son. “There was no need for that. This is your house. You can go in any damn part of it you want. What in hell has gotten into you anyway?”

  Angelo stalked out into the kitchen.

  Drake smiled a little uneasily at Matt. “Forgive my son. He’s can be a little...hotheaded sometimes.” He laughed slightly. “Please, Matt, come and sit down. Are you sure I can’t offer you something from the bar?”

  Tony stood by the window now. He closed his eyes.

  Matt was saying that a cola would be fine, and Drake asked Tony to go and get him one.

  Tony tried to protest, but Drake turned around in his chair and motioned with his head. “Go out in the kitchen and get Matt a Coke, please.”

  Tony nodded and went into the kitchen. Angelo stood there, drinking his Coke from the can, leaning on the counter. He looked up as he came in but said nothing.

  “I’m getting Matt a Coke,” Tony muttered. “You might have offered.”

  “So I guess I won’t be receiving that Mr. Congeniality award I was up for this year,” he sneered.

  Tony sighed, took a coke out of the fridge and then slammed the door. He stood there for a minute. He was trembling. “Why do you have to do this?”

  “Do what? What have I done now?” he demanded.

  “Be so goddamned....hardheaded. I am not sleeping with your father!” He met his eyes.

  Angelo nodded. “Good. Now if you don’t mind...” he began, putting his Coke can on the sink.

  “I do mind!” Tony replied hotly. He grabbed his arm and turned him around. “I wanted your father once, but it was a boyish fantasy. It wasn’t meant to amount to anything. A lot of teenagers have fantasized about Drake Russo, but I was suddenly plunged into his world. I was close enough to talk to him and touch him and suddenly that boyhood fantasy had the potential of becoming reality. But it wasn’t love. It was never love, and it never happened. What you saw tonight were two sorry sons of bitches consoling each other. Your Dad just told me about you and Matt, and he and my dad are going through some rocky times. That kiss was...it was stupid. It was never meant to happen.”

  Angelo gave him a bored smile. “And this is supposed to do what...this little speech of yours? What would you like to be my next move?”

  Tony suddenly felt like grabbing him and shaking him. He sighed. “I don’t want you to...I want you to understand, that’s all. I don’t want you to be angry with your Dad. He’s done nothing wrong.”

  “I’m not angry at Dad,” he replied smugly. “He’s human like everyone else with human needs. Why should I be angry at him? He has a good-looking sexy young guy like you throwing himself at him. He’s not twenty anymore himself. I’d probably do the same, put you in the video in exchange for a little...”

  “You are the most pig headed son of a...you really have no intention of listening to reason, do you?”

  “I don’t know why you are so desperate to convince me of this? What do you care what I think is going on, anyway? I’m not the fucking pope! I don’t give a shit who is fucking who! That’s your problem to deal with, not mine.” His dark eyes were angry.

  Tony shook his head. He wanted to cry but he wouldn’t. “It’s important to me...because...because...” his voice softened. “Over these months that you’ve been gone, I’ve figured out that...well, I know now that I love you. I love you, Angelo.” Tony’s eyes came to meet his.

  For a minute, Angelo stood there. He said nothing. He didn’t move and then suddenly, he began to laugh.

  It was as if someone had poured cold water all over him. Tony felt a literal shiver run up his spine.

  The laughter grew louder. “God, stop it, Tony. I don’t think I could...” He laughed some more.

  “It’s true,” Tony whispered, lowering his head.

  The laughter died in Angelo’s throat. He took Tony’s chin between his thumb and forefinger and lifted his head. His face was suddenly very close to his. When he spoke, his voice sounded horse, as if it were choked with something.

  “Listen to me, Tony. I can tolerate a lot, I really can, but don’t play with me, okay?”

  Tony went to protest but Angelo tightened his hold on his chin and shook his head.

  “If you ever had any feeling for me whatsoever, if on those two occasions we made love even the slightest bit of tenderness was stirred inside you, then please...don’t say words to me I know you don’t even remotely understand the meaning of.”

  He let him go. Then he reached over and took the full can of Coke from the counter. “I’ll bring Matt his Coke, bring a glass, will ya?” He tossed and disappeared out of the kitchen.

  Tony was trembling from head to toe. He couldn’t have felt worse if Angelo had beaten him. He felt like a mere hollow of a man, cold, empty, with no idea how he was ever going to convince Angelo that he loved him. Now he wasn’t even sure if Angelo still cared enough for him for it to make much of a difference anyway.

  He was still holding the glass in his fist when Drake came out into the kitchen. He stopped and stared at him. “There’s that glass. Tony, are you all right?”

  Tony shook his head.

  “Are you hurt?”

  Tony laughed sharply. “Do you mean, did he sock me one, well...no, but he did far worse than that. I told him I loved him and do you know how your son responded, Drake?”

  Drake sighed softly. “No. How?”

  “He laughed.”

  Drake winced. “I’m sorry.”

  Tony nodded. He hadn’t realized that there was a tear on his cheek. He reached up and absently wiped it away. “Well,” he announced with false brightness, “let’s go and give Matt his glass and we’ll sit around and pretend everyone is happy, shall we?”

  Drake followed Tony out of the kitchen. “You really are beginning to be just like everyone else in this family. I can do that now without any practise at all.”

  Matt drank his Coke and then Angelo stood up abruptly and announced that they had to be going. Drake did not promise Matt an interview but he did promise to discuss it with him again at the wedding on Saturday. This seemed to satisfy Matt.

  Angelo walked out of the door without so much as a goodbye while Matt shook hands with both Drake and Tony and then hurried to get on back of Angelo’s motorcycle when he heard him racing his motor impatiently.

  Tony stood at the door and watched the motorcycle disappear down the driveway.

  Drake came up behind him and suggested they leave for Beverly Hills. “Your Dad is expecting me,” he said.

  “Right,” Tony replied, “we’ll take my car.”

  “I don’t know how I’m going to face him at the wedding,” Tony dropped on the way to his fathers. “Do you think he’s in love with Matt?”

  “No. Matt is not his type.”

  “Why not? He’s handsome, smart, accomplished. He’s knows the industry. He’s a little older then...oh well, not that old.”

  Tony was talking as if to himself until Drake placed a hand on his arm and told him to stop. “You’re only torturing yourself, Tony. He really laughed when you told him?”

  “He doesn’t believe me, and why should he? I did use him in order to be with you. I never thought in a million years I’d fall for him.”

  “Life is funny like that,” Drake remarked.

  “What are you going to do about Dad?” Tony asked him suddenly, tired of talking about his own doomed situation.

  “I don’t know. We need to talk it out. I know I can’t walk away and I can’t live without him so we’ll just have to find a solution we both can live with.”

  Tony glanced at him. “Good luck,” was all he could think of to say.

  When they arrived at his father’s house, Tony pulled up in front and let Drake get out. He could see that his father was upstairs in his room, looking out the window. He had been waiting for him.

  Drake looked up at him and raised a hand. Johnny waved back and then stepped away from the window.

  Tony leaned ou
t the window and told Drake he was going for a ride. Drake didn’t turn around. He just stood there staring up at the window.

  “I might go over to visit Uncle Pepi, stay at his place tonight,” Tony told him.

  “That’s okay,” Drake murmured, without turning around. “Have a good time.”

  Tony had the sudden urge to get out of the car and hug him but instead he just raised an unseen hand as Drake walked up the path to the front door.

  Tony slowly rolled down the driveway, watching Drake in his rear view mirror. He watched him until he saw him place a hand on the door handle and go inside.

  Please, let everything be all right, Tony thought as he drove. He had no idea where he was going until he found himself almost back where he began, a couple of streets away from where Drake lived.

  He stopped the car. He was a few blocks down from where his Aunt Janet lived. He turned off his engine.

  The house was well lit. There was a light shining in the living room and one in the kitchen. The room upstairs where Angelo slept was also lit.

  He wondered if he and Matt were going to sleep together in that room tonight. Aunt Janet was far too polite to make them sleep in separate rooms.

  Tony sighed and started the engine. There was no point in hanging around here, staring at the house.

  Suddenly, a vehicle pulled up behind him, two huge headlights flashing on and off. A few seconds later, a car door slammed and a man came walking around to the front of his car waving a flashlight. Tony squinted as the beam of light shone in his eyes.

  The man turned his flashlight to the ground and came around to the passenger side of the car.

  Tony turned off the engine and rolled down his window. It was one of those damn guards who worked for the neighbourhood private security company.

  “Good evening, sir. Can I please see your driver’s licence and registration, please,” the short rotund little man tipped his hat over his eyes.

  Tony sighed and handed him the requested documents. “What’s this all about, anyway?” Tony grumbled.

  “Just doing my job, sir.” He checked out the licence and then looked the car over. “Pretty fancy for a kid your age,” the guard drawled.

  “It was a birthday present from my dad. I’m Johnny Russo’s son.”

  “It says here your name is Anthony Newton.” The man glanced at his licence again and then at him.

  Tony opened his mouth, then closed it as the security guy asked him to please step out of the car. “Have you been drinking this evening, sir?” he enquired.

  Tony opened the door and stepped out. “No,” he said, “I haven’t been drinking.”

  “Now, what would bring you to this lovely neighbourhood this evening, Mr. Newton?”

  “My Aunt Janet lives over there,” Tony pointed to the house.

  “Really, and if your Aunt Janet lives in that house, why are you parked in front of this one here?” The guard glanced at the stone mansion across the street.

  It was a good question.

  “I wasn’t sure if I wanted to go in. My cousin has just returned from Phoenix, and it is a little late. My aunt is getting married day after tomorrow and....” he stopped. He knew he was rambling.

  “Why don’t we just go on over and pay this Aunt Janet of yours a visit, shall we? I’m sure she’ll be able to clear this whole thing up in a jiff,” the guard was preparing the cross the street.

  “No...eh...it’s late...please. I would rather...” Tony began. Shit. He had all the luck.

  The security guard wouldn’t take no for an answer and before Tony could think of anything else to persuade him otherwise, they had walked across the street and were standing at the front door. The guard pushed the bell.

  Please, Tony thought, let his aunt answer and then let him just get in his car and get to hell out of here before he came face to face with Angelo and experienced the ultimate humiliation.

  The door opened and his aunt stood there. Thank God.

  “Tony?” she exclaimed with surprise and then looked at the uniformed man with confusion “What’s going on here? Why are you with...?”

  “You know this guy?” the guard hooked a thumb toward Tony who wanted to sink into the pavement. “He told me his aunt lives here.”

  “She does, I mean...I do. I’m his aunt,” Janet blinked.

  “Fine, sorry to bother you. Have a nice evening, Madame.” The guard tipped his hat and headed back to his car.

  “Come on inside,” Janet insisted, waving her arm at him and when he didn’t make an immediately move from the doorstep, she peered at him in confusion. “Are you all right? Are you hurt? What happened?” she demanded.

  “I can’t...” Tony muttered, looking over his aunts shoulder nervously. “I have to go. I shouldn’t even be here...it was all a misunderstanding, and--”

  His aunt grabbed him by the arm now and pulled him inside. “What are you talking about?” she shook her blond head, closing the door behind him, “You aren’t making much sense, Tony. Are you here to see Angelo? He’s back for the wedding, you know.” Janet released his arm.

  “I know that.” Tony nodding, hovering around the entranceway. “I already...we already saw each other earlier at Drake’s house. I really have to go. I...”

  Just then he heard the sound of feet coming down the stairs and there he was. His worst nightmare had come true.

  “Angelo,” Janet said cheerfully, “look who’s here. It’s Tony.”

  Angelo stopped at the bottom of the stairs and gave Tony a strange look. “No kidding,” he laughed slightly. “What brings you here?”

  “I didn’t intend on coming here!” Tony snapped. “I was on my way to Uncle Pepi’s to spend the night when--”

  “Really,” Angelo replied. “Well, if you were on your way to Pepi’s, you’re headed in the wrong direction. Pepi lives in--”

  “I know where my uncle lives,” Tony muttered, glaring at him. He couldn’t remember ever feeling this embarrassed.

  Angelo smirked at him and then shrugged his broad shoulders. “Great, then I guess we should let you get on your way. It’s quite a little drive. If you hurry,” he checked his watch, “you should be able to make it by sunup. Wouldn’t want to keep Pepi waiting. I’m sure he’s expecting you.”

  Tony met Angelo’s eyes, then looked away.

  Janet was taken aback at her son’s rudeness. She gave him a dirty look, which he ignored, and then cleared her throat. “Angelo, you’ll never guess what happened? Tony came to the door with one of those cops from the neighbourhood force.” She tried to make light of it by laughing. “Imagine, he thought Tony was casing the place.”

  Janet looked at her son, expecting him to laugh or at least to be surprised, but he did little more then issue her a cool smile.

  “What happened, exactly?” Janet turned back to her nephew, who was leaning against the front door now, staring down at the carpet.

  Tony looked up and then uttered a sigh as Janet grabbed him again and propelled him into the kitchen. “Come on, you can tell me over coffee.”

  He followed reluctantly, dragging his feet as she barked at him to sit down at the table and poured him some coffee from the coffee maker that was sitting on the counter.

  Angelo did not follow them into the kitchen, which gave him some relief. He knew very well what his cousin was thinking when he looked at him. Cheeky bastard. Why in the hell did he have to go and tell him that he was in love with him?

  “So?” Janet persisted.

  “Well, there’s not that much to it, Aunt Janet. I parked across the street and before I could decide if I wanted to come in or not, that damn guard accosted me,” Tony complained, stirring some sugar into the coffee.

  “Well, there has been a few break-ins in the neighbourhood recently,” Janet replied, sitting across the table from him with her own coffee cup. “The house right next door to Drake got robbed just a few days ago.”

  “Really?” Tony lifted an eyebrow. “Drake never said anything a
bout it. Well, you have no need to fear with Officer Zealot patrolling the area. Must have been his night off when that place got robbed the other night.”

  Janet laughed. “Probably.”

  Tony fell silent. He could hear laughter overhead. It was probably Angelo telling Matt how pathetic he was, sitting in his car down the street watching the house like some lovesick kid.

  Janet gave Tony a concerned look. He looked miserable. “What is going on between you and Angelo? He was pretty rude to you? Did you see him earlier this evening?”

  Tony nodded. “I don’t want to talk about it, Aunt Janet, okay? Change the subject.”

  She nodded. “Can I ask why you’re going to sleep at Pepi’s tonight?”

  “I don’t know if I am or not.” Tony rubbed his forehead. “I was just driving around.” He stood up. “Aunt Janet, I really need to get out of here.”

  There was some noise upstairs, which sounded as if they were wrestling or something. There was laughter again.

  “They’re just roughhousing around,” Janet muttered, standing up. “Stay here tonight, Tony. You’re welcome. Your old room is...”

  He gave her a bitter laugh. Might as well ask him if he would like to lie down on a bed full of rusty spikes tonight, although that could be more comfortable than sleeping next door to Angelo and Matt. The very thought of them together, making love in that bed was enough to make him want to march up those stairs and beat them both black and blue.

  When he didn’t answer, Janet assumed he didn’t want to stay. She asked him if Pepi knew he was coming. Did he want to phone him, to make sure he was home? The answers to her questions were all negative.

  She walked outside with him. She knew he must be upset about Angelo and Matt but it seemed to be much more then that. She reached out and squeezed his shoulder. “I’m here for you. I wish you would talk to me. Tell me what’s wrong, Tony. Maybe I can help.”

  He looked into her blue eyes and then shook his head. “There is nothing anyone can do to make it better.” He raised his eyes to the bedroom upstairs. The light was out. He closed his eyes. He was trembling. He took a painful breath and then tried to speak but he found that he couldn’t. He patted Janet’s hand as if to assure her that he was all right and then turned and hurried down the street to his car.