“Don't do what?”
“Don't make yourself smaller to give me an out.” I reached over and cupped his face, making him look at me. “You're worth it. Your siblings are worth it. This whole messy, complicated thing we're building is worth it. And I'm not walking away.”
His eyes were too bright, and when he leaned forward and kissed me it tasted like salt and relief and a thousand things neither of us had words for yet. I kissed him back hard, pouring everything I couldn't say into the press of my mouth against his, and when we finally pulled apart we were both breathing hard.
“Okay,” Soren said.
“Okay?”
“Okay.” He nodded, more to himself than to me.
“We'll figure it out. Together.” “Together,” I agreed, and pulled back onto the highway.
We drove in silence for a few minutes and then Soren pulled out his phone and scrolled through his messages.
“Shit,” he said, sitting up straighter. “Luca says they've got a gig tonight at The Garrison. Asks if I'm feeling up to playing.”
I glanced over at him. “You want to?”
“Yeah, I do.” He was already texting back, his thumbs moving fast across the screen. “I know I just got out of the hospital andprobably should be resting or whatever, but—fuck, I miss it. And I think it would help. Getting back to normal.”
“Then you should play.”
He looked up from his phone, eyebrows raised. “You're not going to tell me it's too soon?”
“Is it too soon?”
“No. I feel okay. Tired, but okay.” He studied my face like he was trying to figure out if I was bullshitting him. “You're really fine with this?”
“Soren, I love watching you play.” The words came out easier than I expected. “You're fucking incredible up there. So yeah, if you want to do the gig, do the gig. I'll be your biggest cheerleader.”
His smile was small but genuine, and he went back to texting. “Luca says they're setting up at six. We could swing by before the show, say hi to him and June properly. I know they wanted to visit me at the hospital but the nurses weren't letting anyone in besides family.”
“Sounds good to me.”
The placewhere the band was playing smelled like beer and old wood and the ghost of a thousand shows, and the stage was already set up with equipment that looked like it had survived a war.
Luca was onstage adjusting his amp when we walked in, and the second he spotted Soren his whole face lit up. He jumped down and crossed the room in about four strides, pulling Soren into a hug that looked like it hurt.
“You absolute fucking idiot,” Luca said into Soren's shoulder. “Don't ever do that to us again.”
“I'll try not to,” Soren said, his voice muffled.
June appeared from the back room carrying her bass case, and when she saw Soren she set it down carefully and walked over to join the hug. The three of them stood there in a tangle for a minute, and I hung back near the bar because this was their moment and I was just the guy who'd brought him here.
When they finally pulled apart, June looked Soren over with the kind of thorough assessment that reminded me of Coach before a big game. “You look like shit,” she said bluntly.
“Thanks, June. Love you too.”
“I'm serious. Are you okay to play tonight?”
“Yeah, I'm good. Rook drove, I've got meds, and I promise I'll tap out if I need to.” He glanced back at me.
“Good to see you again, man.” Luca said, grinning at me.
“You too,” I said, shaking his hand.
June just nodded at me, her expression still cautious but warming slightly. “Thanks for taking care of him.”
