This was a different energy than from before the kiss; it was as if the world had shifted and what chance outcomes loomed finally had more positivity to it. Caleb hadn’t stopped touching his hair and Essek had not pulled his hand away, and maybe they could remain like this a little while longer.

Maybe.

Maybe.

But he knew that Caleb should rest, too, and this hung at the precipice of something great and dangerous, precariously balanced and threated with danger and promise. The bed was as inviting as Caleb’s eyes, and he could lie in both for hours if permitted.

A month had never felt so long. They had gone far longer between visits before and yet here? Here, it felt ages.

“And what about what you want, Caleb?”