Prolouge
"Hello?"
You answer the landline with a polite tone, tossing the tape atop the box you just sealed.
For a moment all you heard was heavy breathing then the familiar italian accent cut through, weak and cracking,"(Y/N)...can you come get me? I'm on that corner again and had a little confrontation..."
Worry already riddled your noggin as you heard his shallow breaths and attempt at a light chuckle. With a heavy sigh you already knew what happened.
"I-I'll be there as quick as I can, don't move."
Stepping through the front door you struggled to hold up an injured Anthony due to his tall and lean stature. Making it to the couch wrapped in plastic you sat him down as gently as you could. He groaned softly while attempting to sit up.
He watched as you turned away from him, looking to the boxes until you pulled one towards you.
"Do you wanna talk about it...?",you question softly as you begin to look through an untaped box aside the couch. Anthony rubs his tired mascara streaked eyes as he clutches his aching side.
You heard soft pants coming from him as you pulled out the small first aid kit.
"You can guess what happened...",Anthony said with irritation and pain evident in his now dull and monotonous tone.
Turning back to him you unzipped the bright red bag and sat up on your knees, between his long legs. You first aided to the cuts along his legs, the fishnets he wore now torn and dirtied.
"Were you dry-gluched?",you question while carefully applying some disinfectant to the cuts. Anthony winced in pain at the burning sensation before nodding with eyes clenched shut. His lips were pulled into a thin line, relaxing once you finished aiding to the cuts.
"Those goons robbed me of damn near five-hundred bucks...",he felt tears sting his eyes as you gently put bandaids along the deeper cuts,"What am I gonna tell Val?..."
You looked up at the daisy with a frown on your soft features.
You've known him since you were just a teenager, him being two years older. You met him while you were playing in the alleyways, he was sleeping against a trash bin, his dark hair dirty and pale skin bruised. It took a month to get him to fully trust you. Now eight years later you had a bond that couldn't be severed and a care for one another that ran deep.
You scowled at the name of his cursed pimp. Valentino. A cruel man who you'd never met or seen yet you had seen enough of the damage that he'd done to Anthony to know he was a terrible and cruel man.
You had only found out about your friends occupation a year ago when he had to call you for help after he was stuck in a jam. He refused to quit, claiming he couldn't and had no where to go where the wretched man wouldn't find him.
"Tony...",you sighed gently while bringing a wet nap to clean the dirt and dried blood from his face. His cheek was swollen and kisser bleeding.
He laughed in a bittersweet way as his light eyes watched you aid to him for what felt like the hundredth time. Then you felt tears fall on the back of your hand.
Looking to his eyes you noticed he had begun crying. Hot tears rolled down his bruising cheek and he sniffled while hiding his face with his hands.
"God...I don't know what I'm gonna do without you, sugar..",Anthony said with exasperation while leaning back against the couch with a stiff back.
You felt guilt hit your heart at the fact that you would be leaving him in just a few hours. Having been offered a higher position at a news station you eagerly accepted upon hearing the raise. Yet you only realized after that you'd have to leave the only remaining person you had here.
Suddenly a thought hit you.
"Come with me.",you said in an enthusiastic tone while zipping the red bag back up. Anthony looked to you with a sniffle, his pointed nose now red,"What?..."
You reached up and gently cupped his cheeks with an excited smile,"Come with me to New Orleans, Anthony. Let me take you away from this mess, you don't have to do this hotsy-totsy to scumbags anymore."
The sex worker shook his head while slowly pulling your hands from his cheeks,"No...toots I couldn't—" You quickly cut him off, interlacing your fingers with his manicured ones.
"Yes you could! I'll be making enough dough for the both of us. The apartment has two bedrooms and not a single person knows where I'm headed. So not even Val could find you.",Anthony looks down at you with more stinging tears welling up in his eyes.
Ever since the day he met you you were a bright ball of sunshine in his dark world.
No matter how mean he had been to you for the first weeks of meeting you continued to come back with food and money and clothes for him. Even when you lost your only family you still aided to him and assured he was mentally and physically well.
Now you suggesting this...
I don't deserve you, babe.
Your hands tightened in his,"Please Tony...I can't leave you here...Come with me, lets dust out LA." His heart melted at your warm smile and eyes. You gently pulled him down, letting your foreheads meet you whispered softly while your eyes shut, two tears rolled down your round cheeks.
"You're all I have...I don't know what I'd do if something happened and I wasn't here for you...please..."
Anthony inhaled gently, his voice came out shaky as he pulled away from your head, he put on his usual grin as he gave your hands a squeeze,"Okay."
You looked to him with a wide smile and soft eyes as he continued,"I'll go with ya, ya crybaby."
With an excited squeal you pulled the feminine man in for a gentle hug. As you embraced your best friend you held onto the hope and thought that this would be a new and fresh happy start for the rest of your lives.
Oh how foolish you were.