Page 115 of Say It Again

Daniel smoothed a thumb over the ring. “I’m not going to take it off, because I want you to fight for me.”

“I am fighting!” Aaron’s eyes were so wild and intense as he slung an arm out to the side. “Fuck, can you not see that I’m working to build a life for us? We need money to live. This is the only way I know how to make money. I can’t take care of you or Andrew if I—”

“Andrew?” Daniel’s brow knitted as he searched Aaron’s face. “Andrew your brother?”

Aaron blinked for a moment like he was orienting himself. Like he hadn’t meant to say that.

“Oh, sweet man.” Daniel held his hands to his heart, his voice tangled with sympathy. “It’s so noble that you did what you did for him. And your mom. And me. It’s noble the way you tend to everyone around you. You make these huge sacrifices, and you ask for nothing in return.”

Aaron shook his head as if to deny it or maybe clear it of whatever fog it was in.

“But I don’t need that. I don’t need you to take care of me. You understand, right?”

Aaron rushed to him and cradled his face, tipping it back. “Baby, listen to me. You know how much I admire your spirit. I think it’s courageous to dream, but we cannot survive on dreams alone. We just, we can’t.”

Daniel parted his lips when Aaron’s gaze fell to them. Then Aaron’s phone pinged from his pocket. After a moment, he broke his gaze away and checked his phone, then sighed. “I have to get ready.”

At Daniel’s nod, Aaron pressed their lips together for a sweet second. The smile he wore was stilted but lovely as he backed away toward the bathroom, stretching out their arms as long as he could until they had to drop.

“You should kiss me better than that.”

Aaron twisted around.

“You should kiss me.” A breath. “Like you did at the party.”

Aaron didn’t overthink or hesitate, which was such a profoundly admirable trait of his. He narrowed the space between them and yanked Daniel in by the waist, their bodies tense yet snug. At home. He kissed him. He kissed him genuinely and with so much depth. Until the clock ran out, until the last moment he could, until Daniel’s eyes burned with tears, he kissed him with everything he had.

“There it is,” Daniel whispered once their lips unlocked. He touched Aaron’s face and pressed their foreheads together. “That’s a kiss.”

Aaron blinked a lot as he scratched his temple. “Hey, uh. Don’t, um. Everything’s going to be okay. Right?”

“Yes.” Daniel nodded, warm tears streaking his vision. “Go get ready. I’m gonna take off too.”

Aaron chewed his thumbnail as he reeled away a few steps. It was like he couldn’t decide where to look, his gaze swinging from Daniel to the bathroom and back to him. “I’ll call you every chance I get. We’ll sort this out. We always do. Okay?”

I hope he’s good to you.

“Daniel,” Aaron said when he didn’t answer, fidgeting by the bathroom. “Okay?”

But I know he will be. Daniel wiped his face and nodded. He already is. “Goodbye, Aaron.”

Chapter Twenty-Five

YOU SHOULD kiss me better than that.

Aaron was running late. He should’ve been ready five minutes ago. He’d tried to hurry through the shower, but Jesus, if he didn’t catch himself staring into space, too distracted to rinse properly. Distracted by I will be gone. Do you understand? Distracted by You should kiss me better than that. Kiss me like you did at the party.

Midshower, he’d dripped water all over the apartment floor to check if Daniel was already gone, which he was. Fine. No big deal. He’d said he was leaving. I will be gone. Do you understand? He’d then sent Daniel a text asking to please let him know when he got to wherever he was going safely. That was a typical thing he might text, and even if Daniel usually replied with an eye roll emoji, he still replied.

Better than that. Like you did at the party.

He cut the water and scrubbed a towel through his hair. He’d started to sift through his shirts in the closet when his phone dinged from the bathroom. A text ding. He darted for it, but it wasn’t an eye roll emoji from Daniel.

Marco:

Are you ready for some sunshine? Be there in five.

“Shit,” he whispered and cradled the phone between his ear and shoulder as he called Daniel.