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Even grabs the kettle off of the stove, pouring the water over the teabag and letting it steep inside the mug. He turns to Anna, his younger sibling, raising an empty teacup. “Do you want any tea, Anna?” He asks, and the girl looks up from where she’s rooting through her filing cabinet of bills and payments, shaking her head. Even leans against the counter, watching her rifle through envelopes and papers. “You’ve been digging in there all morning. Is there something specific you’re looking for? Anything I can help with?”
She holds up a torn envelope, pulling out the letter and scanning it quickly before putting it in the discard pile and digging through the box again. “No, I don’t think so. I just..,” she sighs, turning to face him again, “I had to leave my job.”
“What? Why?”
“Because they made me,” Anna admits sheepishly, and Even raises his eyebrows. Anna was one of the best chefs in Oslo, and at her younger age (26), he thought for sure that she’d be secure in her job as a sous chef. That type of talent at her age isn’t easy to come by. It’s a little baffling to hear that she’d been fired. “So now, I’m just struggling to make ends meet. Rent deadlines and all.”
Even stirs the tea, adding a tad bit of milk and mixing that in. “Do you need me to loan you some money?” He offers, putting the stirring spoon in the sink and sipping his tea.
“No,” Anna mumbles. “I’ll get annoyed when I can’t pay you back quickly, and then I’ll feel guilty and get all awkward and tense around you. I still owe Isak money from the last time he spotted me like 400kr, and I get a little bit nauseous whenever we hang out.”
Even blinks. “Isak lives here.”
“Then you see my problem.” Anna goes back to digging in the box, groaning and flopping back on the couch when her search proves to be for naught. Even comes over and pats her head, running his fingers through her hair.
“You’ll figure something out. Have you applied for a job?”
Anna nods, and starts picking at her cuticles. Even comes around and sits on the coffee table so he can face her as she talks and he drinks his tea. Because, you know. Priorities. “Yeah. I got called in for an interview, by the interviewer was a real creep. So I didn’t get very far with that. No one else has contacted me to say they want me to come in for an interview, or that they want to know my references, or even that they’ve decided to move forward with another candidate. I’d rather them send me a rejection email than just have total radio silence. At least then I can compile my rejection emails in a folder on my email and look at it when I’m sad, to validate my sadness.” She looks up at Even with a rather pitiful smile, and Even frowns. He doesn’t like to see Anna struggling.
“Why don’t you just ask mum and dad? I know they’re not on the best terms with you right now, but you can dig into their funds. And you won’t have to worry about guilt over paying them back every time you see them, because we only ever go to Korsvoll for holidays.”
“Shame, since it’s really not that far away,” she sighs, and Even hums in agreement. They really should see their parents more. “I can’t ask them though, Even. You already know they have their heads permanently lodged up your ass, so if I ask, they’re just going to give me shit for losing my job. I don’t know if I can handle hearing bullshit from mum right now, I’m stressed enough without her reminding me of the 2000 reasons why I’m stressed. And probably adding 2000 more new reasons I haven’t considered yet.” She grabs a pillow and puts it in her lap, pouting up at Even. “What do I do?”
Even puts his tea aside—on a coaster, so as to not set Anna off—and takes her hands in his. She seems to know from the look on her face that Even is about to give his coined Big Brother Advice, famed since 2010, when she was 11 and he was 13, and she had her first crush on a boy who wasn’t worth shit.
“Just ask mum and dad,” he repeats, and Anna sighs, already rejecting the idea again. “It’s the only thing that’s going to work. If you won’t let me loan you money, then your only other options are Isak and our parents. And you know as well as I do that Isak barely has enough to fend for himself. I know it sucks, and it’ll be unbearable, but it’ll also be worth it. Putting yourself through an inconvenience if it benefits you is just that, an inconvenience. Minor bump in the road. And nothing that someone as strong as you can’t handle. Okay?” He lets go of her hands and grabs his tea again. “Or you could let me help out. I can go write a check now...”
Anna throws her hands up, “Fine! I’ll call mum tonight.” She stands, wiping her hands on her jeans and then starting to put all of her bills and papers back in the box. “I really hate when you’re right.”
“26 years of being stuck with me. You’d think you’d get used to it.”
“28 years and you still haven’t grown up.”
Even shrugs, holds his pinky out as he lifts the teacup to his lips, and slurps it. Anna shoots him a dirty look. “Growing up is overrated. Growing up means worrying about things like jobs and rent.”
Anna nods, “Amen to that. I want to be in high school again.”
“I’m down,” Even agrees, and pushes himself off of the table, walking towards the kitchen to clean up the mess he’d made. While he’s doing so, Eva and Jonas walk in, announcing their presence by hopping over the couch and sitting down on it.
“Hey,” Anna says, barely looking up from her tidying. Even just snorts. “Have any of you guys seen Isak?”
“He’s with Magnus,” Jonas said.
She nods, “And you’re not with them? I swear, you and Isak are always glued to each other’s sides. And Eva is always with Noora. Speaking of, is she coming over too? Just so I should know to expect any more guests?”
Eva shakes her head, explaining that Noora is with Vilde, and that she was spending the night with Vilde. Jonas then explains that he and Isak aren’t, like, a couple or anything; they’re just best friends and it’s normal for best friends to spend time together a lot. Anna starts arguing that she is Isak’s best friend and has known him longer than anybody else there, even Jonas, and Even doesn’t have it in him to argue that he’s known Isak just as long.
Back in school, Isak used to come over all the time. He and Anna were in the same year and had hit it off quickly in primary school, and stayed friends all throughout high school and university. He used to sleep over all the time, in a separate room for a while, until they started forcing him to share with Even. It was awkward at first, because Isak was a lanky 10 year old who was friends with Even’s sister, and Even was 12 and didn’t know him all that well. But they talked a lot, during those nights they spent together while Anna slept in the other room. It wasn’t anything they ever spoke of when the sun came up, but whenever they were laying in Even’s bed together, they’d talk about anything.
Even likes to think he knew about Isak’s parents splitting before Anna did. And it’s a weird thing to want monopoly over, the knowledge of Isak’s family falling apart, but Even thinks that was the night he fell in love with Isak. It’s cliché, but Even thinks he always kind of loved Isak. That night though, when Isak came over and was crying about his dad walking out—Even was 17 and Isak was 15, and Even had never held his girlfriend (Sonja) as tightly as he’d held Isak that night. Anna hadn’t said anything about it the next afternoon, once Isak had gone home; so Even always assumed she didn’t know until three days later when he announced it at dinner with Even’s family, cheeks flushed and eyes on Even’s.
Regardless of when it happened, the fact of the matter was that it did happen. Even fell in love with Isak, either slowly or maybe all at one time, and Isak never gave him the time of day. He came out to Even when he was 17, he told Even when he’d lost his virginity at 18, and at 19 he told Even what he was going to major in. But there’d been no other cues than anything that could be considered platonic, and only romantic if you squint hard enough. Even tried not to let it get to him.
“Well,” Anna sighs, “my parents will be coming over to dinner tonight. I have to go take a shower and then call to actually invite them, so I’ll leave you three to your own devices. I’m sure you won’t burn down the flat?”
Eva and Jonas holds their thumbs up, but Even just reaches around the corner to flip Anna off as she disappears into the bathroom. He rolls his eyes and rinses the teacup, drying it with a hand towel and then putting it back in its place on the shelf.
When he turns, he sees Jonas staring at him. He raises his eyebrows. “So,” Jonas says, and Even hums. “How are things going with Isak? Have you cuffed him yet?” He asks, and Even rolls his eyes for the second time in twenty seconds. “I’ll take that as a no. Dude, you need to go for it. Childhood friends to midlife lovers is, like, some rom-com shit, and you’re a slut for rom-coms.”
“Me too, damn,” Eva sighs, leaning back and staring up dreamily, like she’s envisioning Ryan Gosling and Drew Barrymore right then and there. Even relates.
“I don’t know about romance, but it could be a comedy, with the way my life is going,” Even jokes, and Jonas just stares blankly. “Look, he barely ever gives me any hints that he wants any more than friendship. I don’t know what to do at this point. So, if you have any advice, hit me.”
They don’t get the chance to, because suddenly, the phone is ringing. Even picks up the phone and answers it, and walks over to the table when the caller asks for Isak. “Sorry, he’s not home right now, but I can take a message?” He offers, grabbing a pen. He scribbles down the guy’s name, Julian, and the message he had for Isak. When he hangs up, Even puts the message on the refrigerator, held up with a heart shaped magnet.
“Who’s Julian Dahl?” Even enquires, looking over at Eva and Jonas. The latter chooses to keep quiet, but Eva squeals, turning around and grinning excitedly. She explains that Isak had met Julian Dahl at the movies. Even frowns and shoves the message in the trash, ignoring Eva’s gape as he trudges over to the chair and drops in it to sulk. “I can’t believe he and I were so fucking close. We’ve been so close so many times, and now here I am, taking down other guys’ messages like a fucking dick. This Julian should be taking down my messages. Or, you know, Isak and I should be together and we can have some kind of message service.”
Jonas snorts, “Eloquent.” Even flips him off and whines. Jonas really doesn’t understand, because he found the love of his life in Even’s best friend Mikael, meanwhile Even’s stuck wishing he’d get with Jonas’ best friend. It sucks royally.
“You shouldn’t worry so much,” Eva says, and Even peeks up. “You two are going to be together, you know. You’re his lobster.”
“What?” Jonas and Even ask in unison.
Eva sighs. “His lobster! It’s a known fact that lobsters fall in love and mate for life. You can go to lobster tanks and see old couples walking around holding claws.” She demonstrates with her hands, and Even is enthralled. This girl is utterly unprecedented. “And it’s the same with you two. He’ll stop being dumb and realize he’s been in love with you for-fucking-ever, because he’s your lobster,” she adds, and Even can’t help the warmth that blooms in his heart at the mere prospect of meaning so much to Isak.
Even sighs, rubbing his hands on his pants and frowning. “If only he thought the same,” he murmurs, and Eva gives him a pitying look. Eva also doesn’t understand his plight. Eva was dating Noora, a beautiful blonde girl she’d met while on vacation in Madrid the summer previous. She’d come back home tan and well fucked, and Even had tried hard for weeks not to glare at her whenever they saw each other. It was hard not to be jealous of how lucky Eva and Jonas were to find people they love; while Even is mostly stuck with his right hand, some lotion, and the box of Kleenex he keeps tucked under the bed. It’s not something he particularly enjoys reminding himself of.
“Things will work out,” Jonas soothes, and Even shakes his head a little bit. He knows better than to get his hopes up. “Have you even tried? I mean, I’ve seen you flirt with him, but I think you need to make a more...straightforward approach. He needs to know you’re serious about this.”
“I disagree,” Eva says. “I think Isak needs space right now. You two have a shit ton of sexual and romantic tension, don’t get me wrong, but Isak like just broke up with Adrian. I think he might need some time to accustom to being single, so Even doesn’t become a rebound like Julian.”
Jonas raises his eyebrows. “Rebound? Eva, you said it yourself. Even and Isak are meant to be. And even if it starts as a rebound, I highly doubt it’ll be that for long. Isak’s already half in love with Even and you know it.”
“He is?” Even perks up, sitting up a bit straighter. Jonas turns to him, opens his mouth to say something, but they’re interrupted by Anna coming out of the bathroom in a robe.
“My wonderful roommate forgot to replace the shampoo,” she sighs, and Eva laughs. “I washed my body and used dry shampoo. It’ll have to do for now, I guess. I’m going to go get dressed but then I seriously have to call mum and dad, so please don’t be idiots, making sex noises and shit. My mum would have a temper tantrum.” She walks towards her room, and the three of them just share a look before Eva follows Anna and Jonas goes to get some food from the refrigerator.
Even sighs, leaning his head back and closing his eyes. “We’re never going to happen, Jonas. Isak will never love me the way I love him,” he says, and he hears Jonas close the refrigerator door, hears Jonas come closer.
“He does love you,” Jonas says, and Even tries to ignore the stinging in his eyes.
“He doesn’t. I’ll just have to accept that.”
....
Even had purposefully avoided going over to Anna’s when their parents were there. He claimed it was because he didn’t want to overshadow Anna—he’d never really believed he was his parents’ favorite, but Anna insisted they were both attached to his ass by their mouths, which put an uncomfortable picture in his head—but really, it was because he knew Isak was there. And Anna probably knew about Even’s feelings for Isak, but he’d never explicitly told her about them. His parents, though; they knew. Even shudders just thinking about it.
They’d left in the morning, and Even was still pretty much procrastinating in going over to visit. Anna had texted and said they’d brought over boxes from her old room, because they’re building a home gym in there or something, and that Even was more than welcome to come over and reminisce. She’d promised pizza and beer and old home videos, because she had always been just as much as a film guru as himself. It came from their father, who filmed everything because of his father, who was a director.
Honestly, Even was weak to that sort of thing. Seeing the old home videos and watching himself and Anna grow up always put this nice feeling in his heart. And, on a less poetic note, seeing baby Isak come in always made him pretty happy too. Isak was the cutest kid, was the thing. Even had thought so at the time, and he’s not entirely sure when it went from thinking Isak was a cute kid to thinking Isak was a cute guy, but it happened at some point, and Even’s been fucked ever since. Such is life, he guesses.
Still, even so, he lingers outside of the apartment for much longer than he should. He traces the gold number twenty on the door, takes some deep breaths. It’s always hard for him to see Isak, even more so now that he’s freshly single, and since Eva had dropped the stupid lobster theory on his head. (Even did some research and found out that it wasn’t total bullshit, so he’d been thinking about it a lot more than he probably should.)
When he pushes the door open, he’s greeted with the smell of cheese pizza (no pepperoni, of course) and the excited greetings of his friends. Eva and Noora cuddled on the couch, Jonas and Mikael bickering about Mikael trying to go outside for a smoke (Jonas smoked weed, but apparently was really against cigarettes), Anna is digging through a box of old videos presumably, Magnus and Elias are eating the pizza, and Vilde is sitting in the chair on her phone most likely texting her girlfriend who lives in London.
Isak is the last person Even looks at. He’s on his knees next to Anna, smiling and pointing at videos, giggling happily at whatever anecdotes Anna has to share about them. He looks up when Even shuts the door, and smiles so wide it looks like his face might split in two. He waves happily at Even, like a child who’s just seen his best friend on the first day of school, and Even can’t help his own smile. He loves Isak so much, and there’s no revelations about it. He’s always loved Isak, from the moment they met, and he’s always known it. He just wishes Isak did, too.
Even shrugs off his jacket and his shoes, and walks further into the apartment. Elias fist bumps him initially, but quickly swats his hand when Even reaches for a piece of pizza. “Fuck you, man. First come, first serve,” Elias gripes, and Even raises his eyebrows in amusement. He reaches down again, only to be smacked away by Magnus. “Dude! I like Magnus more and more every time we hang out. This is unbelievable.”
“Ha ha,” Even says sarcastically. “Where’s Sana and Yousef? Couldn’t make it out tonight?”
“Busy with the kids. Couldn’t find a babysitter, you know how it is with married couples. Jonas and Mikael surely get on your nerves.”
“Speaking of which,“ Magnus says, “Jonas told me that the adoption agency finally got back to them. They’re set to adopt a kid soon, won’t that be awesome?!”
Even forces a smile. So many of his friends are engaged, married, married with children, and he’s stuck pining after the same boy he pined after in high school. With only one real relationship under his belt, he can’t really see the likelihood of him and Isak actually living happy ever after—can’t imagine himself ever getting an ending like that really—but that doesn’t stop him from hoping. It’s his hamartia; hoping too much and loving too hard. His heart is too heavy for him to carry on his own, his mother always said, because it was filled with so much love that he needed another half to help him out. Even always secretly wanted that to be Isak, except for when he thought it might’ve been Sonja. Until that ended but, that’s another story altogether.
He walks away from the table and over to the couch, dropping down next to Eva and Noora. They both greet him with cheek kisses, and they talk for a little bit about lobsters. Eva keeps glancing at Isak and Noora looks confused, but Even doesn’t explain anything. To either of them.
“Oh my god!” Anna exclaims, standing up and pushing an old tape into the player and turning on the television. “I can’t believe I just found this. It’s our prom video!” She squeals, and Isak is laughing, and Even feels the color drain from his face as everyone floods to the couches and chairs to watch.
He stands, rubbing his sweaty palms on his jeans. “We-We don’t have to watch this,” he stutters, but Anna is too busy fucking around with the remote to listen to him. “Seriously, Anna, can we please not watch this one? I’m begging.”
“Dude, we’re so watching this,” Eva laughs, and Even panics.
“Yeah, chill,” Jonas says, sitting in Mikael’s lap and reclining a bit. “I want to see the cheesy suit Isak wore to prom. More importantly, the cheesy guy he took.”
Even swallows hard as everyone agrees, pacing towards the kitchen. The static clears and the picture comes up, Even’s dad David filming Anna posing in her dress as she waits for Isak to show. Even’s stomach turns.
“Please, let’s watch a different one,” he says again, hands going white as he grips the back of a chair. No one responds except for Mikael, who flips him off, and Even hangs his head. “Fine, but I’m not watching.” He slumps down in the chair and puts his head in his hands, fully intending to remain that way, but he can’t help but watch as he hears Isak’s voice. He turns to face the television, and tries not to let the mortification show.
“Issy!” Anna cheers, running over and throwing her arms around Isak’s neck. He laughs and hugs her back, compliments the long red gown she’d picked out. “Oh, my god, I can’t believe this is actually happening. Like, I can’t believe we finally get to go to prom!”
Isak smiles, “I know, it feels like just yesterday we were watching Even get ready for his prom and bitching about it in your room.” David pans the camera over to Even, who’s sitting on the couch and not-so-subtly staring at Isak. He startles when he realizes he’s being filmed, and reaches up to cover his face. The camera pans back to Isak and Anna.
“You look so good. Jakob is going to lose his mind over you,” Anna gushes, running her fingers over Isak’s lapels and smoothing out his tie. To anyone who didn’t know, it would look like Anna and Isak were dating.
“So will Isobel with you,” Isak grins, reaching out to touch some of the detailing on the bodice of her dress.
Anna smiles. “We’re going to be the gay icons at prom tonight, you know. Everyone else will show up with their boring tuxes and corsages and we’ll remind everyone what it means to be truly iconic.” She smooths down her dress, and then gives Isak a worried look. “Wait, does this dress make me look gay enough?”
Even stops watching again, going off to the bathroom. He plays a stupid game on his phone until he’s sure they’re suspicious, and he comes back out, his eyes locked on the tv screen. He doesn’t move from in front of the bathroom door.
“What do you mean he’s not coming?” Anna asks desperately. Isobel is standing in front of her, olive colored skin standing out against the yellow of her dress, afro clipped with a butterfly pin.
“He’s coming,” Isobel insists. “He’s just running late, I’m sure. Is he texting you, Isak?”
Isak looks up from his phone, his eyes a little wet. Anna reaches over to wrap her arm around his shoulders. “Uh, no. He hasn’t even read them, so...” He sighs, tucking his phone away. Anna wraps her arms tighter around him, and there’s a slight trembling of his shoulders, like he’s crying.
Isobel comes over to touch his back. “I promise Jakob will be here, Isak,” she reassures, rubbing small circles against his spine.
“I can’t believe that I don’t even get to go to my own prom,” Isak says, voice shaky and full of water. “This fucking sucks.”
There’s a gasp from behind the camera, and it shakes as the filmer (Even’s mum now, Liv) follows David to the stairs. Even is sitting there, leaning against the railing and furiously scribbling in his sketchbook. He looks up at David and Liv with wide eyes.
“Even, you should—”
The video stops altogether. Everyone is looking up at Even and protesting before Even so much as realizes that he’s the one holding the remote, that he’s the one who stopped the video. His heart is pounding so hard against his ribs that they might just crack. He lets go of the remote and it clatters against the coffee table, and he slowly backs away from it.
“Even, what the fuck,” Eva complains, reaching to grab the remote. Even doesn’t try to knock it out of her hands like he so desperately wants to.
“We should stop watching this,” Even repeats, though he knows it’s futile. It doesn’t matter how much he tries to tell them not to, because they’re going to do whatever the hell they want anyway. And that’s what makes Even want to throw up.
Isak stands, turning to look at Even. “Guys, I think Even is really uncomfortable with this. He’s obviously asking us not to watch it for a reason. Maybe we should respect that.” He sounds a little firm, a little harsh, like he’s irritated that no one’s been listening to Even’s pleas.
“Just because you’re in love with him doesn’t mean you get to kiss his ass, too,” Anna jokes, and Isak’s cheeks go a glorious shade of pink. It makes Even want to give Isak anything and everything he could ever want or ask for, and he probably would, given the chance. She presses play on the video again. Isak doesn’t fight this time.
“—take Isak to prom!” David exclaims, and Even quickly looks around the corner to make sure no one in the other room is listening in. How embarrassing would that be. “You can even wear my tux, I’m sure it’ll fit you.”
“Dad, no. Isak won’t want to go to prom with me,” Even says awkwardly, twirling his pencil around his fingers.
Liv scoffs from behind the camera. “Why wouldn’t he want to go with you? You two have been friends nearly as long as he and Anna have, you know. He loves you, worships the ground you walk on. I can see it in his eyes, darling. Mother knows best,” she chirps, and Even just shakes his head in disbelief.
“Ev, Isak is crying in there because his date stood him up. He needs someone to take him to prom and to be there for him; and if nothing else, you’ll be doing him a favor as a friend. But who knows, it could end up being more than that. You’re in love with him, aren’t you?” His dad asks, and Even’s silence does all of the talking for him. “Taking him to prom is a good place to start, Ev.” He touches Even’s shoulder, and Even sits up straight, asks if they really think taking Isak to prom will help his chances.
His mother nods, moving the camera in sync with it. “I see the way he looks at you, elskede. He hasn’t got a very good poker face,” she says kindly, and Even nods, putting down his sketchbook and agreeing. He runs upstairs, taking them two at a time.
When Even comes back down, Liv is ready with the camera. She praises how good he looks in the tux, and Even looks down with a small smile. The pants fit perfectly, and it hadn’t taken him too long to figure out the tie. He felt like he looked good, which helped the butterflies in his stomach at least a little bit.
He grabs a bouquet of flowers out of the vase on the stairs, shaking the water off of the stems and clutching them in his hand. He nods at his mum, smiling. “Okay, I’m ready,” he says, and the camera turns to face David, who’s already halfway down the stairs.
“Isak!” David exclaims, reaching the bottom of the stairs and starting to turn the corner. “Here comes your knight in shining— oh, no.”
The camera catches the moment perfectly as Anna runs out the door with Isobel, hand in had and giggling so loud that it echoes. Isak is soon to follow, Jakob close behind, his hand on Isak’s lower back. Isak laughs, too, wishes Even’s parents a goodbye, too, and the camera lowers to face Liv’s shoes before lifting up to face Even again.
Even’s face is downcast, as he stares at the bouquet of flowers. He swallows so hard it’s visible. “Oh, David, how do I turn this off?” She asks desperately. The angle goes a little awkward as they struggle to turn it off, but Even throwing the flowers down is the last visible shot before Liv finally manages to turn it off.
The screen goes black, and all eyes immediately go to Even. Even feels like he can’t breathe, like he’s going to fucking suffocate. He’d made his way to the door, his hand tight around the doorknob, ready to flee; but nobody moves or speaks for a very long twenty seven seconds. Not Even, not Isak, not Anna, not even Magnus. The air is still, the tension so palpable that Even feels like he’s choking on it every time he tries to take a breath. It’s miserable.
Anna stands, her hands hanging limply at her side. Even averts his eyes. “I can’t believe you did that,” she says gently, and Even just lifts his shoulders in a shrug. He doesn’t trust his voice. That video put Even out there, made everyone aware of just how fucking in love Even has been for as long he can remember. It’s left him flayed and open and vulnerable, all of the nerve endings are on the outside of his body, he’s just walked into class butt naked and everyone has their phones raised in preparation to take a picture.
When he looks up, dares to lift his eyes, he sees Isak standing and staring at him. The expression on his face is nearly indecipherable; it could be sadness or it could be confusion, or, if Even dares to allow himself to dream and hope and believe, it could be a revelation that took Isak way too long to stumble upon. Even swallows thickly, tries not to think much of it when he hears Isak’s footfalls approaching him.
Isak takes thirteen steps to get from the chair to the door, where Even’s standing. He’s so close that the toes of their shoes are touching, that Even can smell the pizza he ate, can feel the shaky breathing. He tries not to let his breath hitch when Isak’s hands rest on his chest, slide up to his collarbone and then his neck.
He loses his breath altogether when Isak’s lips press against his own.
“See!” Even hears Eva faintly, over the rush of his ears and the heavy breathing between them as they kiss. As they finally, fucking finally, kiss. “He’s his lobster!”
Even smiles into the kiss, reaches to hold Isak’s hands in his own. Isak laughs a little bit, pulls away and rolls their forehead together, their hands still linked. “You know,” Even breathes, “lobsters fall in love and mate for life. You can see old lobster couples walking around holding claws.”
“Oh?” Isak smiles, and Even nods, ducking down to kiss him again, just because he can. “Well, I covered the falling in love part years ago. And to think, we should’ve been holding hands all this time.”
Even nods, “We should’ve. We have a lot of time to make up for.” They kiss again, hands still linked together. They have all the time in the world, probably. At least, Even likes to think so.