He kisses my forehead, the press of his lips so soft my heart squeezes tight. “I won’t ever put you in a position where you see yourself as that guy from the bar.”
My breath stutters at the simple fact that he got it.
Trevor tucks me closer, his cheek resting against the side of my head. “I know how to speak my mind, Isaac. I know what I’m comfortable with and what I’m not. And I’ll tell you if weever get close to any of my limits, just as I hope you will do with me.”
I nod my head, my eyes stinging.
“So don’t worry about asking for what you want. If it’s not something I’m able to give, you’ll know, and we’ll find a solution. Trust me not to fail myself. Or you.”
I slip my hand under Trevor’s shirt, feeling his pulse beat against my palm. He makes it sound so simple. “Earlier. You said we could build a forest. Was that an allegory for life? Or…love?”
He exhales, the way his body is caught up in mine, curled around mine, making it feel as if his breath is my own.
His answer is exactly what I was scared to hope for. “Yes.”
Chapter 22
Trevor
“I remember when you read that book cover to cover,” my uncle says, standing in my doorway.
I huff a laugh, setting down the old dictionary Isaac reminded me of. “Yeah?”
He nods, coming into my room and sitting on the edge of the bed. I stretch my legs out on the floor next to my bookshelf.
“You wanted to be smart,” Rafael says with a fond grin. “Or, well, smarter than you already were. And it worked. I mean, what eleven-year-old uses the wordimpignoratecorrectly in a sentence?”
A smile curves my lips as my uncle goes on, looking lost in the memory.
“For weeks, every dinner included you schooling me in words I’d never heard of before. I had a hard time just keeping up with you.”
“Sorry about that.”
“No, no. Don’t apologize, peque. It was good for me, too. Taught me I’m never too old to learn new tricks.”
I knock his foot with my own. “You’re not old, Raf.”
He only hums. “What are you doing here on a Saturday? Figured you’d be spending the day with your guy.”
I raise an eyebrow. “Is this your subtle way of asking me how that’s going?”
“And if it is?”
I can’t stop my grin as my thoughts turn to Isaac. “It’s good.We’regood. He’s picking me up soon to drive to his mom’s.”
“Ah,” Rafael says, rubbing his hand over the ink on his knuckles. “I can’t help but notice he hasn’t been back here. Is it me?”
“What?” I ask quickly. “No, of course not.”
“You’ve been gone most nights lately,” he points out. “Which is fine. Of course it is. But he’s welcome here, too. You’re both adults, and I don’t want you to feel like you can’t act as such in your own home.”
“I know,” I tell him softly, appreciating his support more than he could possibly know. My uncle has always given me a safe place to call home. When I was younger, he never let me doubt any version of myself would be welcomed within these walls. Even now, he reminds me of it often. “Isaac knows he’s welcome here. I think he’s just not used to being so open around someone he considers a parental figure.”
My uncle snorts. “Surely he knows I’m aware the two of you are more than likely…intimate with one another?”
“I’m sure he realizes that on some level,” I agree, trying to hide my amusement at imagining Isaac’s blush if he were here. “How about I ask him over for dinner again soon?”
“Yes, good.” Rafael nods decisively. “Just, you know, keep it in your pants when I’m in the apartment.”
