Carter ignored me, and when I looked at him, he was staring up.
I turned to look, too, and the whole world seemed to stop around me.
Oh.
This? This was nice.
“Glass ceiling,” he said, still peering up at the cloudy sky above us. “I remember Hallie mentioning it, but I didn’t give it any thought at the time. The chapel’s meant to be like this, too. You know her, she was outdoorsy. Wanted to get married in the woods. Mom talked her down to this.”
“This isn’tdownfrom that,” I said, still staring. “Oh my gosh.”
“Oh mygosh?” Carter looked at me, that tiny, crooked smile I was quickly getting addicted to on his face again.
“Habit,” I said. “Quit giving your loving boyfriend shit.”
“Dad took it well.” Carter looked up again, transfixed by the slowly-swirling clouds overhead, awe shining on his face.
He wasstunning.
“Yeah, noticed that,” I said. Still wasn’t sure what to make of it, but I’d filed that information away for later.
Mrs. K didn’t seem to have quite registered what was going on yet.
“How do you feel?” I asked. “Being fake-out to your family, I mean?”
“You know,” Carter began, glancing at me before looking back up again. “I expected to feel like a fraud, but I feel…”
“Free,” I finished for him.
I didn’t want to jump to any conclusions, but I thought I was coming to understand some things about Carter. Things he maybe wasn’t clear on himself, yet.
“Yeah,” he agreed, turning his attention to me instead of the ceiling. He held my gaze for long moments, drawing breath as though he was on the verge of saying something, but then letting it out without a word.
He looked up at the swirling clouds overhead again, face unreadable.
“Yeah,” he repeated after another few heartbeats. “Free.”
7
Carter
Aiden lookedlike a goddamn angel napping on the couch, hair tousled, hands resting on his belly, curled up in his dad’s too-big leather jacket with a pin that saidbi-furiouson it and another one that something in the back of my brain told me was a bisexual pride flag.
His eyeliner was smudged where he’d rubbed his face in his sleep.
Maybe heshouldhave looked like he was passed out drunk, but he didn’t. There was the tiniest smile on his face as his chest rose and fell, like he was the most content he’d ever been in his life.
It was a shame to wake him, but I had to show up to this family dinner, and if I was gone when he woke up he’d probably freak out.
“Aiden,” I murmured, not wanting to shout or touch him if he didn’t need that to wake.
His eyes opened immediately, bright emerald green ringed with gold, impossible to look away from in the handful of heartbeats he held my gaze for.
A warm, soft smile broke over his face. I wasn’t sure anyone had ever been so happy to be woken up, especially not by me. I’d had pillows thrown for less.
“I didnotmean to fall asleep,” he said, blinking and yawning as he sat up. “Is it super late?”
“Six-thirty. I have to go meet my family for dinner, didn’t want to leave without telling you.”
