Page 28 of Cherry Moon

“Sorry.” I felt a bit bad with the slightly fluff response.

“It’s true, though,” he said. “Kisses are powerful. This guy changed my life.”

Aw, so lovely. “Will you see him again?”

“No. We had an understanding. Just a one-night thing. But now…” He folded his arms, signing nothing else.

I tried to fill in the gap. “But now the world is your oyster?”

He unfolded his arms. “Something like that.”

“Come here.”

He sighed. “I feel…I don’t know.”

“Lighter?”

“I guess so.”

“Come here.” I opened my arms. “Come hug your bro.” Cue a big grin just for him. “I love you.”

The bro hugging commenced. I patted his back, every beat a reminder of how much I loved him.

He wasn’t alone.

Ever.

I broke the hug, telling him, “I’m so proud of you.”

He blushed.

“Really, really proud.”

“Thanks, Akira. Please don’t tell anyone else yet. I’m not ready.”

I would never. “This is yours to share, not mine. You do what you have to do. It’s your life, your terms.”

He hugged me again right as a knock sounded on the door.

“Come in,” I called.

G entered with a plastic blue tray, with two steaming bowls of food and a couple bottles of water on top of it.

Shame they weren’t two cold beers.

My stomach rumbled in response, though. Ready for grub now.

“Everything okay?” G asked.

Zach gave him a nod and left us to it, closing the door gently behind him.

The moment that door clicked shut, my mood took a sideways lurch into the realm of discombobulated.

“Dammit.” I pinched the bridge of my nose.

“What’s wrong?”

I told him about the voice.