“With enough space for me to plant a garden, and maybe a barn, so Shula can stay with us sometimes.”
“Okay.”
“And I may be okay with having a dog as long as they are not too rambunctious.”
“I like dogs.”
“And I will repair people’s clothes and make soap while you heal the animals.”
“You gotta stay busy.”
“And we will have a porch swing, and I want a bicycle, so I can ride into town. I am afraid of driving.”
“I’ll get you a pink bicycle with a basket on the front.”
“And I want a telescope to see the stars and planets.”
“I’ll buy you five telescopes.”
“And we will cook dinner together and watch the stars together and go to bed together and…” Zef swallowed thickly. “And we will be happy, and we will be together.”
“Yes,” Bryce said.
“Good. I want that future.”
“Me too, Zef.”
They kissed him, and it was good, and it was right.
“We will say goodbye, but it is only for now. Only for a little while. And then I will come to Montana, and we will build a life together,” they promised, and he nodded.
“Gardens and barns and bicycles and telescopes and any other goddamn thing you want.”
“Alright. That is the future we work toward.”
“I love you,” Bryce said.
“I love you too,” Zef said.
And it was so much more than enough.
Chapter twenty-eight
Easy as Pie
Zef
The late October daywas bright and happy, the sun shining, the mustard yellow sky clear of clouds. Since the weather should have been reflective of Zef’s gloomy demeanor, they were miffed, which made the gloom darker. They glared at the sky as they stood at the tram stop, Bryce’s wheelie bag in their grasp.
Thick fingers teased Zef’s upper hand, and they turned away from their silent argument with the sun to face Bryce. He stood beside them, a sad, knowing smile on his face. They returned the expression and laced their fingers with his, their palms pressing firmly together.
On the tram, they rested their head on his shoulder, soaking in his pheromones and presence while they still had him. Their heart hurt, andthis time, it was not a good hurt. It was a bad, bad hurt. Because Bryce was leaving, and Zef would be alone again.
As the train took them from Envy to Purgatory, Bryce stroked their drooping antennas. “What’s with all the moping?”
“I am sad,” they said morosely as their antenna wrapped around his finger.
“I know. Me too,” he admitted, leaning in to kiss their cheek. “But I’ll see you for Christmas, remember?”
