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Dan drew in a deep breath, his nostrils filling with the scent of jasmine from the hedge that separated Nina and David’s building from the property next door.
“You too, huh?”
Dan jumped as David joined him on the balcony. He clutched the railing, his heart hammering. “Warn a guy, okay?”
“Oh God, I’m sorry.” David peered at the concrete path below. “Yeah, that could’ve been ugly.” He straightened, then inclined his head toward the doors. “I don’t think we’re needed in there.”
Dan had had pretty much the same feeling.
“I’m sure Gary doesn’t mean to be rude,” David added quickly. “They’re both still raw from Cory’s death. I mean, it’s only been, what, eight weeks?”
“About that. I’m sure they must be. At least I know how Gary is feeling.” When silence fell, Dan turned his head to find David staring at him. He attempted a smile. “Do I have something on my face?”
David studied him for a moment. “How on earth do you cope?”
Dan frowned. “I’m sorry?”
“No, it’s me who should be apologizing. I’ve only met you twice: first at the funeral, and tonight. That doesn’t give me carte blanche to fire such blunt questions at you. And it’s none of my business.”
Dan liked Nina’s fiancé. David had an engineering background, and he reminded Dan a lot of his own brother. The invitation to dinner had been a pleasant surprise, and Dan had been happy when Gary said yes.
“I didn’t understand the question,” Dan confessed.
“I don’t know how this… gift of yours works. Can you tell what he’s thinking?”
Ah. Dan was suddenly on familiar ground. “No. But I pick up on his emotions.” He gestured to the french doors. “This is our first social event as a couple.”
“I had no idea.” David smiled. “Then I’m glad you came.”
Dan chuckled. “I’m still amazed to find myself in this situation.”
“What do you mean?”
Dan went with honesty. Nina and David were part of Gary’s life, and he wanted to lay a solid foundation for his friendship with them. “I avoided relationships. The thought of being close to someone and not being able to shut off the visions, of maybe seeing something that made me look at the guy in a different light, horrified me.”
David’s breathing caught. “Sounds as though it was a lonely existence.”
“It was hard to bear at times.” Except that was a gross understatement.
“But now you have Gary.”
Dan smiled. “Yes. He’s the man I was meant to be with.”
“Oh wow.”
He peered at David. “Wow?”
“The way you sounded just now… the warmth in your voice, the conviction.” It was David’s turn to smile. “That’s how people should sound when they’re in love.”
Dan wasn’t about to reveal the uniqueness of his and Gary’s relationship. David knowing about Dan’s gift was one thing—learning he’d had the same vision of Gary making love to him for the last thirteen years might prove a littletoohard for David to swallow.
David peered through the glass toward the dining room where Gary and Nina sat. “Then it doesn’t matter if he and Nina talk all night about Cory. When the night is over, you go home together.”
Dan followed his gaze. “In a way I’m grateful to Cory. He opened Gary up to the idea of being with a guy. Cory paved the way for me.”
David nodded, his eyes sparkling. “And you walked straight into his heart.”
DAN SWITCHEDoff the bedside lamp, plunging the room into darkness. A heartbeat later Gary curled around him.
