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be infectious. On many occasions, I looked forward to getting together with him after a long shift in the hospital just because I knew being with him would lift my mood. Frequently, we’d just hang out together. A typical evening would include hitting the gym together, grabbing a bite to eat, and watching TV. Invariably, Declan’s choice for perfect programming was reruns of The Golden Girls . Didn’t matter that he had the dialogue for most of the episodes memorized, he still laughed uproariously through every line. Same laugh, same volume. Earsplitting. But in the comfort of his living room, his laugh was the elixir that made me smile.
    The bar was hopping, and it took a while to navigate through the crowd. When I’d finally made my way to the table, I was greeted by five friendly, enthusiastic faces. Gary pulled the chair they had been saving for me out from under the table and gestured for me to sit down. After licking some salt off the rim of his margarita and taking a healthy sip, he eyed me with an inquisitive glance. “Crowded, huh? Were you looking for us long?”
    “You kidding me? I could hear Dec cackling from the parking lot. Just had to follow the sound of him laying that egg!”
    The whole group, including Declan, broke into smiles, but Declan was unfazed by my teasing. Without missing a beat, he retorted, “You’re just hoping that your ass will see that kind of action. Though, as tight-assed as you are, you’d better hope it’s a small egg or”—his grin broadened with anticipation—“that you’re nailed by a really tiny rooster.”
    The group was immediately reduced to sidesplitting laughter. I was pretty broken up too. Shit, I had to admit, Declan was the king of the comebacks. “Okay, Dec, I give up. I guess compared to you, a rooster does have a big dick. You still have to buy me a drink.”
    That drew another whoop of laughter from our friends, and I caught myself grinning warmly at Declan, a little proud I had rebounded from his teasing and salvaged a parting shot. He could have retaliated again, and we could have fallen into our customary exchange of innocent insults, but instead, he threw his arm around my shoulder, pushed a quick kiss against my cheek, and asked me, “So what are you drinking, asshole?”
    “Margarita’s good. Rocks, no salt. You really buying?”
    “First one’s on me. You can buy the next round. It’s Friday night—we’re gonna be here for a while.”
    My lightheartedness sank just for an instant. “Just one or two for me. I gotta be home by around ten. I’m on call tomorrow and will have to be up early.”
    Declan, who was unwavering in his support of me, immediately tried to buffer my disappointment. “No problem. I’ll probably be calling it an early night too. Had the week from hell at work. Besides, when you’re a real doctor and pulling in the big bucks, all the shit you’ve had to endure will have seemed worth it.” He bumped shoulders with me, lifted his own drink to his mouth, and winked.
    I bumped him back, refused to allow myself to become sullen, and quipped, “I already am a real doctor. I just have the privilege of working for slave wages.”
    His smile brightened, and he seemed determined to keep the mood light. “Slave wages, huh? Didn’t know you were into kink. When will we get to meet your master?” He flashed me a cockeyed smile but tried to inflect a tone of absolute sincerity into his voice.
    I smiled back. “You wanna meet him, you’d better make my drink a double!”
    He gave my shoulder another squeeze, then directed the conversation back to the group. He cast a quick glance in my direction to be sure he had my attention then gestured with his drink toward Alex. “I was laying that egg when you came in because Alex was regaling us with more of his infamous travel stories. No one on the planet could get themselves into more shit traveling than Alex. With the situations he finds himself in, it’s a wonder his dick