* * * * *

Orlando’s apartment was on a much less glamorous side of town. When they entered directly into the living room, it became obvious that it was also smaller than Tony’s home. Considering he was still in college, Orlando being able to afford to live on his own was impressive enough. Not that he didn’t have a roommate. A sleek gray dog ran up to Orlando, thin tail wagging in excitement. Her front right leg was missing, but this didn’t hinder her as she hopped around in excitement. Evan had seen in videos how she could still bolt across a park at a lightning speed worthy of her greyhound breed. Finished greeting her owner, the dog’s ears perked up in curiosity.

“Hi, Beanie!” Evan said.

The dog walked over to him and sat on her haunches, looking up in anticipation.

“She expects people to come down to her level,” Orlando said, shaking his head. “Beanie, stop being silly. He’s not going to— Oh.”

Evan had already plopped down on the floor, sitting cross-legged. Beanie seemed pleased by this, stretching her neck forward to smell his hair and face. Then she opened her mouth and panted, treating him to a blast of dog breath. Evan groaned and waved a hand to clear the air before laughing.

“Sorry,” Orlando said. “I talked to the vet about that and he told me to brush her teeth. I haven’t tried yet, mostly because I only have one toothbrush.”

“You don’t want to share?” Evan joked. “It’s fine, really. The positive association almost makes it a good smell. Kind of like the zoo.”

“You mean that musky smell?” Orlando nodded. “I get that. I love animals, and even their stink reminds me of that. Do you have any pets?”

“No,” Evan said, rubbing the belly Beanie had rolled over to offer him. “I had a cat and uh... I’m not ready to move on yet.”

“Oh. I’m sorry.”

“Thanks, but it’s been a while. Most people would have gotten over it by now.”

Orlando considered him a moment. “Do you want something to drink? I have coffee. Or tap water.”

“I still have milk,” Evan said. “Shouldn’t we finally break out these cupcakes? We even have an extra one for Beanie.”

Orlando laughed. “Okay, but she can’t have the frosting. That’s way too much sugar. I’m not even sure it’s fit for human consumption.”

Evan made himself at home in the kitchen, scraping the frosting off one and into the sink while Orlando got plates. The cupcakes didn’t look special in any way, but when Evan sat on the couch and took a bite, he started making noises pretty similar to someone having an orgasm.

“Told you they were good,” Orlando said. “I normally don’t let myself eat them, but it’s been one of those weeks.”

“Sorry,” Evan said. “I guess that’s my fault.”

“Not entirely,” Orlando said with good humor. “My workload at school has been piling up. I’m totally behind, and if I don’t catch up soon, I’ll be in serious trouble. There’s also that handsome guy whose been hanging around my boyfriend, not to mention all the YouTube stuff. Speaking of which…”

Orlando stood and went to his computer to check on something. Evan surveyed the apartment while he did. The style was similar to Tony’s home. Warm earthy colors and cheap but attractive decorations placed among a few older pieces of furniture, like the pockmarked wooden coffee table. Maybe interior design was something Orlando and Tony had in common. Or more likely, Orlando had decorated Tony’s place for him.

Speak of the devil, a snippet of Tony’s voice filled the room before it was cut short.

“Sorry,” Orlando said. “Just checking some video comments. There’s been a group of trolls trying to stir everyone up. I keep having to ban them.”

Evan stood and walked over to the little desk against one wall, watching while Orlando perused the responses left to different videos. In the list were a few he didn’t recognize.

“Cooking with Chef Tony?” Evan said, reading one of the titles.

“That one is going live tomorrow,” Orlando said. “He makes pasta and does this horrible Italian accent the entire time.”

“People are going to love it.”

“Yup.”

Evan pointed. “What’s that one there?”

“One we recorded while drunk. We agreed not to publish it. Tony wanted to. He thought it was funny until I pointed out he has a booger in his nose.”

Evan laughed. “Hey, do you still have that one on commitment? You said you deleted it, but videos can be set to private, right?”

Orlando nodded. “Yeah. I kept it.”

He clicked a few times. Then Tony’s shining eyes appeared on screen, the video already a couple minutes in. “—it’s about protecting someone,” he was saying. “When I’m with a person and I give them my heart, I feel more vulnerable than ever. That’s why I need a sense of security. Not knowing who they are with, or if someone else might steal them away—just the idea of that hurts. I don’t know why it does. I know I should probably just have faith in the power of love, but I can’t. Being in love is the most wonderful feeling in the world, but sometimes it’s downright terrifying. That’s why people make promises to each other. That’s why they—”

Orlando stopped the video. “I’m sorry. It’s hard for me to watch that one. The letter I wrote addressed him directly, so he kind of changed it, but you get the gist.”

“It’s beautiful,” Evan said. “Do you still have the letter somewhere?”

“Tony does, yeah.”

“You should take it back. Make your own video where you read it out loud. Hey, you should start your own channel!”

“Not a chance!” Orlando shook his head. “I’ve never been comfortable in front of the camera. The only reason you ever see me is because Tony drags me onscreen, and he only does that because it makes the number of views go up.”

“Just more evidence that you should be making your own videos.”

“It has more to do with two guys being on cam together.” Orlando clicked shut the browser window. “I hate to be rude, but I really should start studying. I have work in the morning too.”

“Sorry,” Evan said. “I didn’t mean to impose.”

“Not at all!” Orlando said, standing. “It was fun! If you ever want to hang out again, you’ve got my username, right?”

“Yeah,” Evan said. “I still remember when you changed it to BeaniesBaby. I thought it was annoying at the time. And sort of cute.”

Orlando laughed. “Now that you’ve met her, can you blame me?”

“Of course not.”

Evan walked over to say goodbye to the dog. He honestly didn’t expect to see her ever again. As likeable as Orlando had turned out to be, remaining in his and Tony’s life would only cause more problems. After a pat on the head for one of them, and a civilized handshake for the other, Evan took his leave and headed home.

* * * * *

“So basically, the guy I had a crush on doesn’t exist.”

Julie, sitting next to him on the couch, patted his hand. “Sorry, darling. The logical part of me feels relieved, since this means the end of an unhealthy obsession. The friend part of me sympathizes. You thought you found a guy who had it all. The face, the pecs, and from what you saw in the shower, the sausage.”

“It sure was swinging back and forth,” Evan said with a wistful sigh. “But honestly, if all I cared about was a nice body and a big dick, I’d content myself with porn. More than I do already, at least.”

“Here’s to porn!” Julie said, raising her beer in toast.

Evan clinked bottles with her, noticing she was already one ahead. He chugged the rest of his down in an effort to catch up. “Ugh,” he said after a gasp, “what really depresses me is how Tony’s heart wasn’t real. I love the idea of being with a sweet guy who values love more than anything. The kind of guy with enough empathy to take in a three-legged dog instead of an adorable puppy. Someone who needs to give love as much as he gets it in return.”

“Like Orlando,” Julie said.

“Yeah. Exactly.” Evan blinked. “Wait, what?”

“Orlando,” Julie repeated. “He’s basically the one who made Tony seem so kind. He’s like the super-nice puppet master behind the scenes, pulling the pink fluffy strings. That big heart you adored is real. It’s just in the wrong body. I’m assuming this Orlando guy is ugly?”

“No,” Evan said. “I mean, he’s got this little button nose that’s always a little red, like he’s cold, but I like it. Great eyes too. They’re really sympathetic. At least when he’s not glaring at me for trying to steal his man.”

“Balding?” Julie asked.

“Nope. Medium length blonde hair. Covers his ears a little, which makes me want to nibble them.”

Julie patted her flat stomach. “He must have a gut. College boys love to drink.”

“His body looked nice enough to me. He’s no Tony, but I caught myself checking him out more than once.”

Suddenly Julie looked a lot shrewder than she had a second ago. “So basically you’ve found your dream guy, just in a different but still acceptably attractive body.”

“Right.” Evan sat up straight, goose bumps chasing over his skin. “Oh man! I am so blind!”

“That’s why you’ve got me.”

Evan slumped back into the couch. “Orlando is already taken. Duh. He’s with Tony.”

“And you can’t compete with a self-centered egotistical jerk who can’t keep his dick in his pants?”

“A jerk who is really handsome,” Evan said.

“This Orlando guy doesn’t strike me as being that superficial. Surely there has to be another reason why he’s with Tony.”

Evan thought about it. “For the same reason I wanted to be with him. Orlando caught a glimpse of something in that one video I showed you. Do you remember? We could watch it again.”

“No,” Julie said firmly. “If you still want a shot at your dream guy, it’s time you get your priorities straight.”

“Meaning?”

“Meaning it’s time to beat Tony at his own game.”

* * * * *