Alex looked down at the hacky sack, rolling it between his fingers. “I hope so,” he murmured. His voice was quiet, uncertain.
Joshua tossed another hacky sack toward Alex, who caught it instinctively, his eyes darting up in surprise. “At Camp Pride, wehave this thing called the buddy system. Everybody looks out for each other. No one’s alone. Maybe you don’t have a best friendyet, but I’ll tell you what.” He smiled and leaned just an inch closer. “Until you do … I’ll sharemine.”
Alex blinked, his fingers tightening around the ball as if testing the weight of Joshua’s words. He tossed the second hacky sack into the box before turning to face him, his eyes meeting Joshua’s. “Colin?” he asked softly, something akin to wonder in his voice.
Joshua nodded. “Sure! He’s the best friend anyone could ask for.” His voice dropped slightly, sharing a confidence just between them. “Trust me, he’s got enough room in that big heart of his to hold both of us.”
For a moment, Alex said nothing. But something in his posture shifted—something small, something important. He nodded. Just once. Then he drew in a deep breath, and his eyes met Joshua’s. “Thanks, Josh.”
Joshua exhaled, feeling warmth spreading through his chest. He didn’t push, didn’t make a big deal out of it. Instead, he simply nodded as if sealing a quiet understanding between them. “Good choice on the hacky sacks, by the way,” he said, shifting the moment with an easy smile. “They’re gonna be a hit.”
Alex glanced down at the one in his hand, rolling it between his fingers. Then, finally, his lips curved in the smallest of smiles. “Yeah,” he said. “They’re really cool.”
He watched as Alex traced his thumb over the textured fabric of the hacky sack, his face a little less guarded. A moment ago, Joshua had wondered if he could reach him, if his initial mistake was beyond repair. But now, as he looked at Alex—the quiet way he clung to this small, simple offering—Joshua felt realization blossom within himself. He hadn’t erased his past mistake. Butat this moment, a door had opened, and he had been invited to enter. And for now, that was enough.
Colin stepped back into the room. “Aren’t you guys doneyet?” he asked with a quick grin. “Figured you two would wrap things up while I was gone, and I’d just swoop in for the credit.”
“Oh yeah, fat chance,” Joshua shot back. “Alex and I are not giving you credit for our hard work, are we, Alex?”
Alex snickered—a sound lighter than before, like it had slipped out before he could stop it. His grin widened, and without hesitation, he tossed the hacky sack to Colin.
Colin, ever the show-off, lifted a knee and thumped it softly across the room, sending it flying.
Alex let out a breath of laughter, a spark of something unguarded flashing across his face before he leapt to his feet and chased after the ball. The faint scuff of his sneakers against the floor filled the quiet space, the soft patter of the hacky sack bouncing once before skidding toward the corner.
Joshua saw it, though—and it brought a swift smile to his face. The way Alex moved without hesitation, the way childlike happiness had momentarily eclipsed cautious hesitancy. His gaze locked with his husband’s, the love in Colin’s eyes igniting the gratitude in his own. “Thank you,” Joshua silently mouthed.
Colin didn’t speak. Instead, he lifted his hand—thumb, index finger, and pinky extended—the silent, unmistakable sign forI love you.Joshua’s chest tightened with emotion. He lifted his hand, returning the gesture.
“Hey, Colin,” Alex chimed in, returning to his spot next to the prize box. “Josh said you can bemybest friend too.”
Colin blinked, caught off guard by the trust threaded through those few words. “He did, huh,” he replied, dropping onto the floor beside the boy and giving a casual shrug. “Well, that’s fine byme. I’d never say ‘no’ to having two amazing best friends.”
“OK, you two,” Joshua chimed in, waving the list of events in front of their faces. “Back to work. We need a prize for the Rainbow Relay Race.” He waggled his fingers over the pile of prizes. “So, start picking!”
When Joshua wanderedinto their bedroom later that night, Colin was sitting up in bed, leaning against the elaborate headboard with a pillow behind his back. He was wearing his reading glasses and peering down at a case file, stopping now and then to scribble a note on the legal pad beside him.
“I’m trying to figure out how to thank you for what you did for me today. And for that sweet, abused boy. You caught a lot more than a softball with that game of catch. You caught his heart.Andhis trust.” He sat down on the bed and reached to pluck the case file from Colin’s hand. “Canyouthink of a way I could … you know … show my…” He leaned close to his husband, his voice growing husky, “…appreciation?”
Colin breathed out a quick laugh. “I haveseveralideas in that regard,” he murmured.
Joshua set the legal pad and case file on their bedside table and spread out on the bed beside his husband. “Mm,” he hummed out, then gently removed Colin’s glasses and parked them on top of the case file. “Well, what’s number one on your idea list?” He slid his hand underneath Colin’s T-shirt. “But before you do, maybe you could take this off. I happen to know you think more clearly when you’re bare-chested.”
Colin was still shaking with soft laughter. “You’re quite the seductive little Jew tonight, aren’t you?” He pulled his T-shirt over his head and tossed it, then scooted lower in the bed, drawing Joshua down with him, smiling as he heard Joshua’ssoft moan when their bodies pressed close. “Maybe, my darling boy, you’ve got a few ideas of your own.”
Joshua’s eyes drifted closed, losing himself in the sensual bliss of Colin’s skin against his own. His lips moved over the soft, curve of his husband’s pectoral. His tongue traced—tasted—as he drew in a long, wavering breath through his nostrils, letting the perfume of Colin’s skin fill his senses.
Colin's laughter changed to a gasp, and then a low moan as the heat of Joshua's breath against his skin ignited a fiery ache in his groin. A sense of comfort filled him, nearly taking his breath. In the quiet of their bedroom, familiar movements and murmured words wove around them like a well-loved melody.They’d been here so many times, and yet every touch, every sound was a gift filled with a joy that was ever fresh and new. His fingers traced the subtle curves and valleys of Joshua’s back, the feeling almost as well-known as his own heartbeat.
“Tell me what you’re thinking, my love?” Colin asked, his voice low and husky.
“How impossibly perfect you are,” Joshua murmured against Colin’s skin, his lips brushing over his heartbeat.
Colin’s fingers traced lazy patterns over Joshua’s back, his touch familiar, grounding. “You’re the only thing that keeps me sane,” he murmured, voice low and steady.
Joshua lifted his head, meeting Colin’s gaze with a quiet intensity that sent hot desire flooding through him. “And you,” Joshua whispered, “are the only thing that makes the insanity worth it.”
Colin smiled, brushing a kiss over Joshua’s forehead. His lips lingered, pressing into the soft warmth of his skin. “I’m so damn grateful for us,” he murmured.
