Finn nodded. “Okay.”
“Good,” Mr. Santos said. “Now go to your new room.”
Finn turned to leave, but Mr. Santos added, “And, Finn?”
Finn looked back.
“Be sure this is what you want.”
Finn didn’t hesitate. “It is.”
Mr. Santos nodded once, resigned. “Then go.”
Finn walked down the hallway toward their now shared room, still hearing Mr. Santos’s lecture echoing in his head. By the time he reached the door, he felt wrung out—tired, embarrassed, and a little shaky.
He opened the door quietly. Maurice was sitting on the edge of the bed, elbows on his knees, hands clasped like he’d been waiting the whole time. The moment he saw Finn, he stood.
“You okay?” Maurice asked.
Finn nodded, even though he wasn’t totally sure. “Yeah. Just… a lot.”
Maurice stepped closer, brushing his fingers along Finn’s arm before pulling him into a gentle hug. Finn melted into it, letting his forehead rest against Maurice’s shoulder. Maurice’s hand slid up and down his back in slow, calming strokes.
“I’m sorry you had to deal with that,” Maurice murmured.
“It’s not your fault,” Finn said into his shirt. “Caleb’s just… Caleb.”
Maurice pulled back enough to look at him. “Still. I didn’t like leaving you alone.”
Finn managed to smile. “I know. But I told you I was okay.”
Maurice cupped Finn’s cheek with one hand, thumb brushing lightly along his skin. “I worry anyway.”
That did something warm and complicated in Finn’s chest.
He sat down on the bed, and Maurice sat beside him, their knees touching. Finn took a breath.
“I care about you,” Finn said quietly. “A lot. And I’m scared.”
Maurice’s brows pulled together. “Scared of what?”
Finn looked down at their hands. “That this ends when the trip ends. That we go back to our lives and… that’s it. You’re in Virginia. I’m in Boston. It’s not exactly a quick drive.”
Maurice didn’t speak right away. He reached over and took Finn’s hand, lacing their fingers together.
“Finn,” he said gently, “we’re not ending anything when this trip ends.”
Finn looked up, searching his face.
“We’re going to spend time together in San Francisco,” Maurice continued. “Real time. Not rushed. Not in a hallway or a train car. Just us.”
Finn’s chest loosened a little.
“And after that,” Maurice said, “if you can take some more time off, we can fly to Virginia together and you can stay with me.”
Finn blinked. “Really?”
“Really,” Maurice said. “I want you there. I want to show you my home. The trails. The lake. The city. Everything.”
