Hugo leans up on his elbow and looks at me. His eyebrows knit together in concern. “Did I hurt your feelings? I’m sorry?—”
“No,” I cut him off quickly, wiping my eyes with the palm of my hand. “The opposite. Knowing you think those things about me is…” I shake my head, unsure how to express how it makes me feel. “It means so much to me.”
Hugo’s hand moves up my body and he wipes a tear away. “Maybe you need to be told more often, but I don’t like making you cry.”
I take a deep, shivering breath as I gather myself. “It’s okay. They’re happy tears.”
He’s skeptical, but nods. His body drags up mine a little more so when he lays, his face is tucked into the side of mine. I take another deep, cleansing breath and concentrate on the heat from his skin seeping into me.
We’re quiet for a while. The only sound is that of the television, barely audible in the silent room.
“What’s your favorite food?” Hugo asks.
I grin. “My grandmother’s lasagna. I can follow her directions, but it never comes out the same.”
“Mmm. That sounds good. I think my favorite is anything from Antonio’s. I’d choose it every time.”
“I think I could’ve guessed that.”
His smile presses against my cheek. “Would you rather fly or breathe underwater?”
“Oh, fly. Definitely. I could get anywhere all on my own.” I’m not sure what’s made Hugo start with random questions but I appreciate the break from my emotional dump.
“I think I would too. But it would be so cool to see the depths of the ocean that no one else has. Would you rather be on the ocean or on top of a mountain?”
“That’s hard. I don’t like to climb, but I think the views on top of mountains are just breathtaking. Maybe I could see the ocean from there, too.”
Hugo sighs. “I think I’d choose to be on the ocean. I’ve been on a boat twice. Once when I was little and once… you know, I can’t remember the reason or when. I just think it was some time when I was a teenager.”
“I feel like I would get seasick.”
“On the big boats, unless it’s stormy weather, people rarely get seasick. But there are a lot of remedies if that happens.”
“That’s good to know.”
“Does that make you change your mind? Would you rather be on the ocean now?”
I chuckle. “No. I’m still choosing the mountain.”
He hums. A sigh follows. “I really hope I’m invited to the gay cruise this year. Oh, wait. I don’t mean gay cruise. I mean the Gays Can Play cruise that my friends go on. Does it still count if I’m not really gay?”
“Yes. You don’t have to be gay to be a part of that group.”
“How do you know?”
“Half of those athletes aren’t gay. They’re bi. Or pan.”
“How do you know that?”
I grin. “I follow a lot of them on social media. I’ve also read and watched interviews with them. Sometimes, it’s easier to just go with the ‘gay’ label than it is to constantly correct people who don’t give a shit. All they see is two men together. To them, it’s black and white. I imagine it gets exhausting having to constantly correct someone.”
“I don’t know why it even matters.”
“It shouldn’t. But that’s not the world we live in.”
Hugo is quiet for several minutes. “If I don’t get invited, want to go on a boat with me this summer?”
“Definitely. But those motion sickness remedies you mentioned? We should bring some just in case.”
