“Shared consciousness…” That's not something hementioned before.
“I was taught what love feels like. And it was like learning a new language,learning a word for what I was feeling for you, what Idofeel for you. I love you, Mason.”
Fuck. For as much as he cries in front of me, I'm going to cry in front of him just as often.
“I love you too,” I say. I knew it before, and I knew it after he left, and I know it now, with him in front of me, with his skin under myhands and that look on his face that he gets, his mouth pursed a little,his eyebrows curved in. It's like being alive is painful for him in an exquisite way.
“Can I stay?” he asks.
“Fuck, yes. Yes, stay,” I say, pressing my forehead to his. “Stay forever. I can't give you a normal human life, but?—”
He shakes his head. “I do not need what humans considernormal because I am not normal. As long as I have you and Mackenzie…”
“Probably Marty too,”I add.
He laughs. “Marty, yes. The one who makes it all possible.”
“Alright,he's not all that great,” I say.
Something about my tone sets Star off. He thinks it's so funny.And all I can do is hold him against me while he laughs.His skin is cold, even though I know he can't feel it.
“Come inside,” I tell him.I take his hand and we go in.
“Mason, I swear to God, if you don't answer meright now, I am going to call the police!” Mackenzie is shouting.
I’m suddenly grateful that I decided to switchchairs at the kitchen table because my phone is facing away from the back door and Mackenzie is not getting an eyeful of Star's penis right now.
“Oh, shit,” I say, rushing over to the table. There's a pair of sweatpants draped over the other chair,and I toss them to Star and take my seat. “Hey, I'm sorry. I'm really sorry.”
She’s sitting on the floor in her closet now, her hands buried in her hair. “What the fuck iswrong with you? I thought someone broke into your house and tried to murder you, but then it was reallyquiet, so I thought maybe that wasn’t what was happening, but then I thought maybe you were mauled by a bear and?—”
“Mackenzie.” Star's voice cuts her off, and her mouth snaps shut.
“Starlight?”
He comes up behind me and settles his chin on my shoulder. “Hello, Mackenzie.”
“Holy shit,” she breathes.
EPILOGUE
EIGHT MONTHS LATER
“Are you sure you want to do this?”I ask Star, putting my hands on his cheeks.His skin is so warm.I swear it gets warmer every day. I'm not sure how that works.I'm not sure how any of it works.
All I know is that for the last several months,every day,we've given Starlight a small electromagnetic burst,and he has experienced no pain.
And he's still here, spending his days turning my backyard into a massive garden and spending his nights in my bed.Ourbed.
Star nods confidently.He's always so confident these days.Fearless.
“They are your friends,” he says, referring to the small group of people currently congregated in our living room.“You said you trust them, yes?”
Yes, I did say that. And I do.I have to.I've been going to the paranormal group regularly for almost a year now, ever since we sent Star back.
Everyone in the group, they haven't just become my friends because of the paranormal stuff. I spend a lot of time with everyone, getting together to give our dogs playtime (once Icaved and let Star adopt a corgi, Maisie), going to see the new sci-fi movies, helping to run a festival in the town square.I've done more socializing in the last eight months than I have in… well, probably my entire life.
And it's because of Star.Because he's always encouraging me to hang out with people, and because he wants to hang out with them too.
