I didn’t say anything when he handed me a slip of paper and said it was a repair estimate from the dealer.

It wasn’t.

It was his HIV labs, and he had been laying all this guilt and baggage on me for being poz while he was “neg.”

We’d been friends for like a decade , what a fucked up thing to lie about.

I’d just offered to fix his cracked intake manifold.

I was flustered and kicking rocks again cause I’d always had a thing for him.

I set it down and I didn’t say a word about what I’d just read.

I guess I appreciate being slapped in the face with the fact that he’s a liar right here and right now before I get too invested in that and get my heart busted again.

“Eh bien, continuons…”