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I squeezed him tighter. “Thank you for those, by the way.”

He burst into laughter. “Yeah? You found them. Was it really fucking weird?”

I eased him back, then took his chin and opened my eyes so I could see a single brown orb staring back at me. “It was absolutely weird. And it was perfect. And it made me love you even more.”

I wasn’t expecting him to say it back. He hadn’t so far. Not since the first time we spoke about our feelings. But this time, he curled his hand around my wrist and then leaned in so our foreheads were pressed together.

“I love you too. I’m in love with you. And I want to be brave with you.”

“What do you need me to do?” I whispered.

“Just don’t let go.”

I wrapped my free arm around him and pulled him all the way against my chest. “I can do that.”

He laughed and then kissed me one last time.

EPILOGUE

ARAVIND

I absolutely loved San Francisco. I was with Tiago in not wanting to actually live here. But if things panned out, I could see us getting a little beach house right on the coast, just outside of the city.

It was so different from back East. The richness of the humidity didn’t feel as heavy, and the bite of the Pacific against my feet was so much sharper. The waves were uncontrolled and wild when too often the Atlantic was like a glassy lake, the water gently lapping at the shore.

The people weren’t my people either. They smiled less and didn’t make as much small talk. Even in the smaller suburbs, they always seemed to be in such a hurry. But I liked the change. I liked that in the city, there were plenty of people who looked like me. I liked that there were whole neighborhoods dedicated to different cultures.

Boston was like that too, but it didn’t feel the same.

Just as I was reaching the end of the driveway, my phone began to ring. I glanced down at the screen and was unsurprised to see my dad’s contact.

“Baba.”

“Am I interrupting anything?”

I groaned. “No. I’m just getting back from a meeting. What’s up?”

“I won’t keep you,” he said. “I just thought you might like to know that I read an article today about a man named Dr. Leon Jones.”

Everything in me turned frozen. “Oh?”

“Yes. It seems he’s under investigation for having inappropriate relationships with his students. An anonymous source turned him in after trying to exchange passing final grades for sexual favors.”

Holy shit. I needed to sit down. No, I needed to run upstairs and tell Tiago. Fuck, I didn’t know what I needed. “Oh my god. I…I kind of thought he’d never get caught.”

My dad was quiet for a moment. “It wasn’t like that for you, was it?”

“He was never my professor, but now that I’m so far away from our relationship, it’s giving me the ick.”

My dad sighed. “I’m sorry. I should have said something.”

“It wasn’t on you. And it doesn’t matter anyway. I’m happy now.”

“Well, beta, you’ll be even happier to know that the article said he’s on unpaid leave pending investigation and that he’s decided to head back to Utah to stay with his parents until it’s over. I doubt he’ll be showing his face around Boston ever again.”

That was…that was something. That was amazing. I almost laughed, and I also kind of wanted to cry. “Thanks for letting me know, Baba.”

“Of course. I love you, Aravind. And tell Tiago I said hi, and I can’t wait to see you both when you get home.”