Page 149 of Summer Holiday Lifeline

“You going to fuck me this time?” he asked, thinking that was something they could both enjoy regardless.

“Seems entirely reasonable.”

“I thought so.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

There was a narrow window of time between asleep and aware when Myles managed to live in the dream. It came every morning, and he followed it back to when his sister was alive. Healthy. Jet was happy. Shelly wasn’t manic. He was sober. This time, the dream included Steven, pizza, and… deliciously sore muscles.

He didn’t follow the dream past the ache in his backside. That was no dream.

That was real.

He rolled over to an equally real, but empty, bed.

The house groaned like an old man. The bedroom door began to slowly swing shut, cutting him off from the rest of the house, but a voice admonished it from beyond.

“Don’t you dare, you miserable pile of ugly bricks.”

The door swung even more slowly back open, and Steven appeared, carrying a tray.

“Morning.” He came in and set the tray on the bed. “Didn’t mean to be gone so long, but it took some time to figure out your unnecessarily complicated coffee machine.” He handed Myles a mug. “Still not sure I got it right. I think it’s probably a little strong.”

Myles sipped and grimaced. “More cream, please.” He held the mug where Steven could reach to pour cream into it.

“As you wish.”

Myles stared at the mug for a heartbeat, then at Steven, who winked as he crawled onto the bed next to him.

“Any sign of Jet?” Myles asked.

“Not sure? The pizza we left him was gone, box and all, so either he came down to get it, or you have a concerning problem with ROUSs you should probably address before you sell this monstrosity.”

Myles stared at him some more.

“What did I say?”

“Nothing. Everything. I don’t know. Except Natalie would approve of you if only because you just casually slid The Princess Bride into the conversation without a pause. Twice.”

“You noticed that.”

“I did.”

Steven grinned. “Our favourite family movie.”

“I read the book. Didn’t see the movie until Natalie left me alone with the kids the first time. It was Shelly’s go-to before she discovered Avatar.”

“Not as many good quotes from Avatar.”

“None, really.”

“No.”

They sat shoulder to shoulder for a few minutes sipping too-strong coffee.

“You know I don’t mean to pressure you, right?” Steven asked after a while.

“I do know that.”