We made our way through Lisbon traffic toward Fundação Arco-Iris. Magically, we also found a parking space. I would have to thank the parking gods later.
When we arrived at the center, Tiago was so focused on his computer that he jumped as we approached.
I made the introductions, noticing how Tiago’s eyebrows shot up at the sight of Max and then he discreetly gave me a look. I knew exactly what he was thinking.
“He‘s stunning. Remind me again why you didn’t get in touch with him?”Tiago asked under his breath while Max examined the contents of my desk and picked up the Christmas decoration he’d given me.
If only the answer to that question wasn’t that I’d been too afraid of being rejected.
Diogo asked if he could sleep, so we took him to the newly renovated floor where we had the emergency accommodation units. Each unit had a phone that connected directly to our desks so he could call us if he needed anything. Once he was settled, I offered to give Max a tour of the center.
I showed him the other units first. I was proud of the work we’d done. To save money, we’d done the decorating ourselves over the summer.
Each unit had a different style of decoration, but they were all verymodern. All had en-suite bathrooms, and three had a small kitchen unit. We hadn’t planned on having anyone there long-term, but we knew all too well how long the system took, so we’d included cooking facilities to make the units more independent for those unfortunate enough to stay with us longer than a few nights.
After that, we went to thekitchen.
“This building used to be a kindergarten, so we have a fully equipped industrial kitchen. It’s here that David does his baking workshops for the kids. One of our older kids, Bruno, recently got a job at Café Lima after excelling at the workshops.”
Max nodded but said nothing. I made us a coffee each and took him to the back garden.
“This is a veryspecial part of the project. It was designed and created by the kids who come to the center to socialize.”
I looked around at everything that made the small, enclosed space a little haven. There were fairy lights in one corner wrapped around an arch made of tree branches, and under the lights there was a comfortable couch we’d gotten as a donation from a furniture store.
Right next to it, there was a box that served as a side table but was also full of books. Some kids loved to pick a book and read for a few hours when they felt like the social rooms upstairs were too noisy.
On the other corner, there was a wall that currentlyhad a big rainbow painted on it. The kids thought thathaving some kind of art in the garden was nice, but it would get boring after a while, so they decided that anyone could paint the wall and it would stay on display for some time until it was painted over again and someone else had a go. I thought it was a fantastic idea because it allowed them to express themselves without fear of judgment, and it also brightened up the place since they all seemed to like bright colors.
In the middle of the garden, we had a flower pot display with a few recycledschool benches around them so the kids could sit in a circle and chat.
“This is beautiful, Isaac. I remember what you told me about your center but I didn’t realize it was like this.”
He was looking around and then walked to the sofa under the fairy lights and sat down.
“There’s so much life in here. It feels cozy, safe, familiar. Like everything a home should be.”
“Thank you. When I went to New York, this place was nothing like what it is now. Tiago and I spent a lot of time working on it, and the kids have been great. Letting them get involved was the best thing we could have done. Jean-Paul gave me that idea.” I smiled.
Max looked comfortable sitting on the sofa, and I wastempted to sit next to him. No, correction, I wastempted to sit ON him, so before I ended up doing just that, I grabbed a stool and sat facing him.
“I spoke to Diogo’s uncle yesterday,” I said. “They’re very excited to see him and invited us to meet the family. Diogo’s uncle is hoping to move to New York to help Diogo while he’s at university. I think he works for a multinational company and can ask to move to their Manhattan office.”
“That would be great. Diogo will always have a support network at the Liberty Center, but there’s nothing like having your own family around.”
I nodded in agreement.
I knew nothing about Max’s family, but from the little David had told me, he’d been close to Joel’s parents. I wondered if he had siblings or an extended family.
Max asked me more questions about the center and our setup, which I was happy to answer. I wasn’t sure how long we’d been in the garden, but during that whole time, he’d never touched on anything personal or mentioned what had happened that night at the club.
“Diogo’s family is here,” Tiago said from the doorway.
“Thanks, we’ll get him and be there in five,” I said.
We got up to leave at the same time,which meant we’d ended up only inches away from each other. We were nearly the same height, which was perfect for kissing. I looked into his brown eyes. They were dark and unsure.
“Isaac.”
