Marco
Hey. Can Étienne and I come by tonight? Need to talk to you about something important. Around 7?
The response came within minutes.
Kinnunen
Of course. Everything okay?
Marco
Will explain in person. Thanks.
Kinnunen
See you at 7.
I showed Étienne the screen. “Seven.”
“Christ.” He ran a hand through his hair. “This is really happening.”
“Yeah.” I pulled him close again. “But we’re doing it.”
“Agreed.”
We spent the next few hours trying to distract ourselves. Showered together, hands comforting and gentle. Changed into clean clothes. Sat on the couch pretending to watch something on TV. Neither of us could focus. We just kept thinking about what we’d lost today, and what we were about to risk that evening.
At six thirty, we got in Étienne’s Jeep and headed for Kinnunen’s house.
The drive took twenty minutes. Kinnunen lived in a nice neighborhood with big trees and footballs abandoned onfront yards. His house was warm and inviting, a colorful Christmas tree glowing in the front window, Alyssa’s car in the driveway next to his.
We sat in the Jeep, neither of us moving, both staring at the front door with its white lights and pine wreath. “Last chance,” Étienne said. “We could turn around. Wait until tomorrow.”
“No.” I unbuckled my seatbelt. “We’re doing this now.”
We climbed out and walked to the front door together. I rang the bell.
Kinnunen answered almost immediately, Lilja on his hip. She’d grown even bigger than a few weeks ago and grabbed at her father’s shirt with chubby hands.
“Hey, guys.” Kinnunen’s smile was welcoming, but his eyes were assessing. “Come in. Alyssa just put coffee on.”
We followed him inside. The house smelled sweet and spicy—cookies, maybe, or bread. Alyssa appeared from the kitchen, her expression warm but curious.
“Marco. Étienne. Good to see you.” She took Lilja from Kinnunen. “I’ll put her to bed. You guys talk.”
She disappeared upstairs, and Kinnunen gestured to the couch. “Sit. Whatever this is, you both look terrified, so let’s just get it out there.”
We sat. Kinnunen took the love seat across from us and leaned forward with his elbows on his knees.
I looked at Étienne. He looked back at me. Then I took his hand, right there in Kinnunen’s living room, and held it.
“We’re together,” I said. “Étienne and I. We’re in a relationship. And we’re coming out publicly after Christmas.”
Kinnunen sat back slowly, his expression shifting through several emotions. Surprise. Understanding. Something that might have been relief.
“I wondered,” Kinnunen said, and at our expressions he smiled slightly. “At Thanksgiving. You guys were… there was something. I couldn’t put my finger on it, but Alyssa noticed too. The way you looked at each other. The way you moved around the kitchen together.”
My chest tightened. “We tried to be careful.”
