Coby Ward

Coby could just reach the phone on the nightstand without leaving Anael's arms, which was more than good with him. He pressed another kiss to the underside of his angel's jaw as he unlocked the phone, then before he let himself get distracted, thought about what to type.

trying to decide if i should add a hotel california cover to my regular set lists. or maybe try writing a 'fuck off hotel california' song of my own. what do you think, butterfly?

Reading over it again, he wasn't sure, but he hit send anyway. If Curnen didn't know what he was talking about, that would be something too. And if she didn't answer... eventually, either she wasn't around, she didn't have the same number that was in his phone, or she went back to before and had no idea who he was. At least he had Anael with him, while he waited to find out.

Curnen froze when she felt a phone buzz in her pocket. She hadn't known it was there, and for a moment she was only puzzled by the whole thing. "Sorry," she murmured, pulling it out and checking it.

And then she almost choked. She was not going mad. She was not going mad. "Coby."

write it and i'll sing it with you

Followed almost immediately by--

u all right? is jag with you?

With Anael there, Coby couldn't dwell on how long it might take for Curnen to answer, or what she might say when she did. But it was still a relief when his phone buzzed with a reply almost right away.

anael's here. i'm good. i'm assuming jag's having his own reunions, haven't checked yet. are YOU okay?

with a friend

Curnen wondered if maybe she should revise that, but. No. Akeem was lovely and she felt perfectly safe where she was.

not in needsville, thought i was losing my mind a bit, it's better now

If she made herself laugh at it, it might become funny.

With a friend meant she was safe, and if she wasn't in Needsville, did that mean...?

london?

And then, because he knew kind of how she felt,

thought i was too at first. still weird, but better

Oh fuck, yeah he would. Curnen winced in sympathy. yes. you too?

yeah.

It just hit him, he could go visit his folks. Or maybe talk them into coming back to London. LA wasn't SLO, but he wasn't sure he was ready for more of any California.

let me know if you need the address to the church again

That didn't immediately make sense, but for the moment Curnen wasn't going to worry about it. worry about it tomorrow?

tomorrow. til then, you take care of you, songbird. call or text if you want.

i will. love you

❤ you

Curnen's bawdy song followed them for a way, but faded from their hearing well before they reached Coby's room. The sign on the door said Tall & Short and after using his key, Coby stood to one side so Corbie could enter first. "Barbie Dream House pink, circa, I don't know, 1990-something." The room was, as he'd hinted, floor to ceiling pink, with only small amounts of cream or gold to keep it from being completely monochrome.