"You were on the phone with him last night, weren't you?" Jeremy asks from his seat at the kitchen table as Callum walks into the room. He spits out the word 'him' like an epitaph.

Callum tilts his head curiously at Jeremy. "So what if I was?"

Jeremy shrugs his shoulders. "I just don't understand why anyone would want to be with him."

"Why's that?"

"Because he's a bastard," Jeremy answers as he plays with the tin of Altoids on the table. "Do you always carry these around?"

"That and gum. It's the only thing that carries me through when I can't smoke." Callum slides into the seat next to Jeremy's. "Why do you think he's a bastard?"

Jeremy opens the tin of Altoids and takes one in his palm, examining it like it's a precious stone of some sort before popping it in his mouth. He makes a face as the strength of the mint hits him. "Oh, shit. That's strong." He swallows around the mint. "He's a bastard because he's a bastard. Literally even."

Callum takes the tin away from him. "I'm more interested in the figurative sense of the word."

Jeremy looks away. "I don't really want to talk about it."

"I'm not going to take your word for it," Callum says softly in hopes that Jeremy won't take offense.

Jeremy turns and his eyes lock on Callum's. "Doesn't it bother you that he always has to have your number? He's like..." Jeremy waves his hand. "Never straight with you. Ever. He's too busy pushing your buttons to be a real person."

"What do you mean by that?"

"I don't know. I guess just that he's as good with masks as I am." Jeremy pauses and looks away again, like he's remembering something. "He's charming though, I'll give him that."

Callum smiles. "How charming was he?"

Jeremy coughs a little. "Very, very charming."

"But you don't like talking about him?"

"I don't like answering questions. I'd rather ask them," Jeremy answers with a shrug.

Callum laughs a little. "That figures."

Jeremy tilts his head. "How so?"

"You hide so much of yourself. Of course you wouldn't want to answer questions. Better yet, why not distract someone by asking them?"

Jeremy shakes his head. "You've got my number."

"I won't push your buttons as long as you don't push mine," Callum says simply.

Jeremy flushes a little as he thinks of the night before when he tried to use sex to persuade Callum to give him a drink. "I promise. No more."

Callum reaches over and touches Jeremy's hand. "It's okay." He pauses. "You seem to be doing better today."

"I had a lot of time to think last night," Jeremy lies a little. He thinks about the dream he had last night. The one where Raine was leaving him for good. Leaving him for David of all fucking people. The one that woke him up with Raine's name coming off his lips as a sob. The one that terrified him with how realistic and plausible it seemed.

"Do you want breakfast?"

"I'll make omelets," Jeremy offers.

As he gets up from the table, the dream still haunts him, but at the same time, he really starts to believe that he'll be okay.