“I loved star gazing as well. Maybe we were looking at the same sky and wishing on the same star.” Win held him around the waist as he’d done in the kitchen earlier before the day exploded.
“Maybe.” Elliot faced him. “It seems incredible. And yet here I am.”
“There you are.” Win touched his cheek. “And here I am.”
“There you are. And we’re together.”
Once he met Kevin, he had no need to wish for love—he’d found it. When Kevin died, he’d stopped wishing and believing. Until Elliot. “I’m here for you no matter what. That’s what love is all about.”
Their lips met in a sweet kiss, and though there was nothing Win desired more than to lay Elliot down and make love to him, it wasn’t the time or the place. Elliot must’ve sensed his hesitation and rested a palm on his cheek.
“I’m sorry this day didn’t turn out like we planned.”
“I’m with you. I don’t need anything else.”
They stood together, staring out the window, the branches of the tree close enough to reach out and touch. The quiet of a Sunday afternoon lay ahead of them, the people walking on the street unaware of the turmoil behind the doors of this house. Secrets, broken dreams, lives lost and found. Elliot sighed.
“What’s wrong?”
Suddenly agitated, Elliot began to pace the room. “I know my mother is going to want me to come with her today. She won’t say it, but she doesn’t have to.”
“I think you should.”
Stunned, Elliot met his gaze. “You’ve got to be kidding me. Didn’t you hear what I’ve been saying?”
“Yeah, of course. Which is why I think maybe now, you can finally tell her how you feel. You’re not the same person you were when we first met. You’re strong and capable of anything and everything. All you have to do is speak from the heart.”
“I-I don’t know. I’m not sure.”
Win took Elliot by the shoulders, meeting his eyes. In their blue depths Win saw not simply pain and fear, but also the steeliness that had given him the strength to walk through life.
“You won’t know unless you try. And I can tell you from experience, don’t put off important things. You may not get a second chance.”
Elliot held his gaze. “I can’t promise anything but to try.”
Win kissed him. “That’s enough.”
***
Win watched the car drive away down the street until it turned the corner, disappearing from sight. With a sigh and a quick prayer that it would all turn out well, he entered his house. Strange how since Elliot came into his life, the silence that once followed him as he wandered from room to room had vanished.
For the first time that afternoon, he checked his messages and smiled. “Of course. I should’ve known.” And because he also knew a simple phone call wouldn’t suffice, he grabbed his tablet from the coffee table, and after settling onto the couch, hit the button to FaceTime.
“Hi, Mom.”
Her smile filled the screen. “Hi. Hold on, let me call your father. Jack, Win’s called. Come here.”
He chuckled and glanced with longing at the bottle of whiskey sitting on the sideboard. If he’d thought it out better, he would’ve had a drink with him.
His father slid into the chair next to his mother and waved. “How are you? Everything good?”
“Everything’s good. Very good.”
“Very good, hmm?” Her chin lifted, and she seemed to be peering over his shoulder. “Is anyone there with you?”
“Mom, your restraint is admirable, but you don’t have to tiptoe around. No, Elliot isn’t here.” Her face fell, and while Win would’ve loved to tease her a little more, he couldn’t, knowing how long they’d waited for him to reach this moment and how supportive they’d been. “His mother showed up today unexpectedly, and they’re spending some time together.” Elliot’s story wasn’t his to tell, but one day, if Elliot became close to his parents as Win suspected he might, Elliot would likely confide in his mother and they’d have the close maternal relationship he deserved.
“That’s nice. I’m sure he’s happy to see her. He seems like a very sweet man. We enjoyed meeting him.”
