"Sure, man," he said with that gentle smile he got especially around Maria, and around Billy too, he was realizing more and more. "Anything you need."

He clapped a hand on Billy's shoulder, squeezed gently, lingered. It was an obvious touch, with a single swipe of his thumb on the skin just above Billy's collar.

"We just drinking here tonight?" he asked. He finished off his first drink in a rush, and got a second one to match Billy's second.