Page 73 of Septembers

“Don’t change at all. Promise me.”

He laughed as if Theo were joking.

The breeze was sobering as they passed chatting guests and smokers, lifting Dae’s hair off his forehead and making their shirts ripple. Their pace slowed as the gate loomed, but there was no stopping their inevitable arrival, and soon, they stood under it. On one side, the impossibly expansive, lush manor with incongruous dance music pumping from its esteemed hall. On the other, just another Toronto road with gum stuck on the pavement.

Once Dae passed through the gate, that would be it. Visit over. He’d go see his family, then get on another plane, and Theo wouldn’t see him in person again for another year.

He was working up the nerve to say goodbye when Dae pulled him into a hug. Theo settled his arms around Dae’s middle as their cheeks drifted together. The warmth against Theo’s body was enough to shatter everything inside him.

He couldn’t pull away. It had to be Dae. But it seemed neither of them could muster the strength.

Then, a whisper against Theo’s skin. “If I don’t leave now, I’ll miss my train.”

“So miss your train.”

A pause too long to be anything but regret. “Goodnight, Theo.”

“Say it again.”

“Say what?”

“You know what.”

Dae’s hand drifted to Theo’s neck, the tips of his fingers flirting with his hair. Then he kissed his cheek, slow and gentle, his lips less than a breath away when he said, “I will definitely come back to you, Theo.”

Theo wanted to say thank you, but his breath was gone, and by the time he got it back, Dae was already walking away.

Hannah Fucking Gardiner

“What’s with you?” Jordan snapped her fingers in front of Theo’s face, then took the knife out of his hovering hand, put the lid back on the jam, and took a bite of his now-cold toast.

“What?” he asked, as if he didn’t know exactly what she meant.

She cocked her head so her messy bun flopped to the side and then hit him with a probing stare that Theo knew he’d succumb to if he didn’t take counter-measures.

“What’s with you?” He snatched his toast back. “Since when do you wake up before ten?”

“Well, actually, I wanted to catch you before you left for work.”

His anxiety spiked. Was Jordan moving out? Quitting music? Suddenly a flat-Earther?

“Don’t look so worried! Okay, so, actually…” She squinted at the toast in his hand then shook her head. “Put it down. Follow me.”

She led him out the window and onto the fire escape, the clang of their steps echoing down the alley. He liked it out there, even if the sight of the far-off ground through the metal made his head swim and his stomach tingle. The morning was too cold for pajamas, but he wasn’t about to stall her news to get a sweater.

Jordan sat on one of the lawn chairs and patted the other. “You can unpinch your face; this news is in the positive column.” She paused for dramatic effect. “I was approached by North Talent.”

Conflicting thoughts and feelings battled for dominance, so what came out of his mouth was a garble of “Ohmygodholyhellamazing.”

Jordan laughed at him. Straight-up at him. “You’re such a doofus, Theodore. I told them I already have an agent.”

“What? No.” He stood, backing away from her like if he physically put enough distance between them, she could feel better about leaving him behind. He didn’t get very far before his back hit the railing. “Jordan. Absolutely not. Under no circumstances will you throw away an opportunity to be repped by one of the most influential talent agencies in the country. Not for me. I forbid it.”

That really got her going, clutching her stomach and bending over. “You forbid it!”

He changed tactics, sitting down and taking her hands. “This is huge, Jordan. Enormous. If this is the way the world gets to hear your music, then you have to take it.”

“I know, you dumbass. I told them I already have an agent, so I’d only work with them if you do too.”