Nesto just winked and sat on the couch smiling. “Looks like you guys were enjoying a night in. Sorry to disturb.” That last part he said while innocently blinking at Patrice, who ignored him. “Anyways, I don’t have a lot of time. I have to go pick up my man at Carmen’s.” It was always amazing to me how Nesto used such a tone of complete adoration whenever he spoke about his partner. “He still eats dinner with them on Sundays when he’s not at the restaurant. But I wanted your help with something, P.”

Patrice seemed to relax when it was clear Nesto was not going to pry about why he was hanging out at my house on Sunday night, lounging by a fire. He walked over to his friend and sat next to him on the couch while I took a seat on the chair across from them.

“What do you need?”

The way he said that, it was so obvious that there was nothing his friend could ask that Patrice wouldn’t try his best to make happen.

Nesto turned to me, his face serious again.

“Did P tell you about what happened yesterday” His grim expression told me he could only be talking about Ari’s traffic stop.

I nodded, my face burning with shame that I had nothing better to offer than a nod and a shrug. “I know.”

Nesto nodded once and turned his mouth to the side, clearly refraining from whatever he wanted to say.

“P, I want to do something at OuNYe. Sheridan and I have that fundraiser in a couple of weeks. We were going to give all the proceeds to the agency that helps immigrants and refugees. The one that got me connected with Ari and Yin when I first got here. We still are, but I want to do something more.”

Nesto ran his hands over his head, he looked shaken, which was such a departure from the no-nonsense businessman I usually saw around town. He spoke to Patrice whose eyes widened at Nesto’s serious expression. “You know I like to keep my head down with this kind of stuff. I’m not political like you and Milo. I stay in my hustle and I know I do my part by creating jobs and shit.” He paused then and his generous lips pursed. He looked at us both before he spoke again. “The way that Ari looked this morning when he was telling me about that bullshit that went down last night. I can’t look the other way, bruh.”

Patrice gripped his friend’s knee. From the look they shared, I knew these two men had seen each other through everything. “What’d you have in mind?” Patrice’s tone clearly said, whatever it was, Nesto could count on him one hundred percent.