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1.
When Kevin Day realised Andrew and Neil were tiptoeing their way through something more than amicability, his first thought was: Is this going to affect the lineup? Kevin had been described countless times as a one-track minded man, but why should anything other than Exy be on his mind?
It wasn’t like he didn’t know. Baltimore confirmed everything he’d suspected of Neil, but the fact that Andrew was willing to reciprocate came as a shock, as it did to everyone else.
He didn’t care what Andrew and Neil were doing. They didn’t act any different from one another than they already did. It’d been half a year since they’d ‘gotten together’ but Andrew still treated Neil with the usual indifference, and Neil hardly spared a glance at Andrew when they weren’t glued to the hip. Even in their rooms, though Kevin was usually too busy to notice anything. If there was even anything to notice.
Kevin liked to think of himself as an insightful man. Recent events have put this truth to rest, but recently, he’s found himself watching things that nobody else seemed to care about. Even Aaron was clueless around Andrew and Neil, though he never seemed to care in the first place.
“Go get some water and we’ll play a few scrimmages after this,” Kevin said, pulling his helmet off of his head and tucking his racquet under his arm. Nicky cheered happily and was the first through the double doors, followed by the girls, then Aaron, who cast a lingering glance at Kevin that left him unsettled — like he knew Kevin was thinking about him. Kevin looked around for Andrew and found him staring blankly ahead, propping his chin up with his racquet. Neil was making his way to him, yanking his helmet off as well.
Kevin walked out of the court and went to pick up his bottle from the locker room, where the girls were arguing with Nicky about the movies they wanted to watch tonight. Kevin deliberately ignored Matt when asked for his input and made his way to the inner court, watching the pair that were still on court through the glass from the corner of his eye.
Neil had taken his helmet off, and his face was contorted in a rare, cheeky grin, the corners of his eyes crinkled up. Andrew was talking, his eyes trained on Neil as Neil threw his head back in laughter. Kevin hadn’t seen Neil laugh like that since their final match of championships. It was a wonder how Andrew, the darkest person he knew, managed to make Neil light up like that.
Neil had a bottle of water in hand, and he was drinking from it as he spoke to Andrew. Andrew replied, while prying the bottle from Neil’s hand and tilting it into his own mouth. Neil didn’t seem to give it a second thought and allowed Andrew to drain his water bottle. Kevin watched as slyly as he could before the rest of the team returned, and Andrew and Neil reverted to their expressionless default, waiting to continue practice.
Kevin didn’t begin to understand whatever Neil and Andrew had going on between them, but he wouldn’t deny the changes in both their personalities when they were around each other. They made each other better. It was simple and plain, though only there if you looked close enough. They were such different people when others were around, especially when each other was around.
As Kevin took a shot on Andrew during their scrimmage, the ball ricocheted hard on Andrew’s shoulder, causing his grip on his racquet to falter. “What the fuck, Andrew–” Kevin began, ready to storm forward and belittle him, when Neil elbowed Kevin aside and dropped his own racquet to get to Andrew. His hands hovered an inch above Andrew’s shoulders and the pair spent a minute speaking quietly, until Andrew brushed Neil away and cast a bored glance at Kevin. “Pay attention,” Kevin hissed when he caught Andrew’s eye, who only shrugged and took his position again.
The scrimmages went on without much incident, though when the team left the court for another break, Neil was walking with a slight limp. It went unnoticed by everyone, even by Kevin until Andrew silently pushed Neil down onto a bench and gestured to his leg.
Kevin stopped beside them, watching as Neil grimaced and pulled his shoes and shin guards off. He glanced around as if making sure none of the Foxes were watching.
Andrew leaned down to survey Neil’s swollen ankle as Kevin cursed under his breath. “You need to take it slow. Stop fucking around and being reckless. We’ve gone over this a million times.” He spat. Neil glared at him, wincing when Andrew pressed his fingers to his ankle. “Get ice.” Andrew said flatly. When Kevin didn’t move, staring down at Neil with an expression he hoped would convey his frustration, Andrew turned up to shoot Kevin a glance.
Kevin moved to the locker room to get an ice pack, and when he made his way back down to the inner court, he peeked around the corner. Andrew was sitting beside Neil, and Neil was positioned so his foot was elevated on Andrew’s lap. Andrew’s hand was braced on Neil’s ankle, his touch gentle in a way Kevin would probably never witness again.
The way Andrew moved alongside Neil, how they seemed tethered together, how his rough shoves became soft pushes, it was a side of Andrew only Neil had privy to. Kevin wasn’t emotional or sentimental, but thinking of the anger that lived in Andrew as raging fire and how Neil would smother it — he thought it was upholding part of the promise he’d given Andrew his freshman year.
Kevin dropped the ice pack in Neil’s lap. “Go inside and change out. We’ll continue tomorrow.” He said, going silent as Andrew tenderly pressed the ice pack against Neil’s ankle, not hearing Neil’s protests as he watched the expression on Andrew’s face, an expression that could only be worn by someone completely taken by love.
2.
“Who put Clueless on?” Allison exclaimed, leaning back in her seat and propping her feet up on Renee’s lap. “Nicky.” Aaron deadpanned from his seat in the furthest corner of the dorm. “Can you even see the screen from there?” Nicky asked, collapsing into the beanbag directly in front of the television. “Can everyone see?” He said again, turning to look at Andrew and Neil, who were both shoulder-to-shoulder on a beanbag next to him. Neil shrugged and Andrew gave his signature bored stare.
“Press play!” Matt exclaimed, and so Nicky did.
Movie nights were now a weekly occurrence between the Foxes. Nicky had first insisted on it, much to the disdain of his cousins, but then the girls chimed in and there was not much argument after that. Neil got dragged in by Allison and Matt, and Andrew followed suit. Aaron was only in attendance since he refused to speak about plans with Katelyn nor did he have much else to do, and Kevin came just to sit in the dark and get drunk.
Nicky rarely paid attention during these movie nights. He was too busy watching his teammates, a stupid grin on his face — because he was an emotional person, damn it. He loved his friends.
Tonight, he found himself peeking at Andrew and Neil. It’d been many months since Nicky found out they were dating, that Andrew was gay, that Neil actually did swing, and he’d mostly given up on trying to get information out of them. The only way he could do so was by spying, and spying he did. It was weird, maybe, but Nicky didn’t want to lose an arm trying to ask Andrew anything about them. He’d almost lost it one too many times.
He didn’t find it strange how Aaron did. He knew them both well enough to know that they both brought the best out of each other. Neil needed an anchor, a reason to stay, and Andrew was stoically unmovable. They were near-perfect for each other.
When Nicky found out they were together, it took him a while to get over the shock of his cousin being gay, and the fact that he was unaware of the fact. He didn’t believe his own eyes as Neil spoke to Andrew in Baltimore, and he was too worried about Neil to think much about the nature of their relationship. It was only when Allison brought it up that Nicky stopped to think.
Andrew was sitting higher up on the beanbag than Neil, using his hand to prop up his head while Neil clutched a pint of ice cream that he didn’t seem to be eating. Andrew’s free hand was hanging over Neil’s shoulder. Nicky couldn’t help but notice how loose Andrew seemed to appear. If you stood next to Andrew, or pressed a palm against his back (not that he would ever let you), you could feel how ramrod straight he held himself, how he’d tense so tightly under anyone’s touch. But sitting on that beanbag, Nicky watched how Neil leaned his head against Andrew’s chest, and Andrew’s shoulders dropped.
“I need a drink.” Dan blurted out, getting up from her seat on the couch and making her way to the kitchen. Kevin called for her to bring him his drink as well. When she walked past Andrew, her leg brushed against his back, and Nicky could see him visibly stiffen. Only when she had passed did his fist unclench against Neil’s shoulder, and he allowed Neil to lean on him again.
The lights were fairly dim. Nicky was sure nobody else was watching. Neil and Andrew were private people — he’d never even seen them touch, let alone kiss. But he could see their own ways of being romantic. He’d seen how Neil would zone out, and how Andrew’s presence would ground him. He’d seen how Andrew directed his gaze to Neil when something idiotic had happened, and how they’d share a secret, amused look. It was so clear they loved each other, but knowing them, neither wanted to admit anything about their relationship, even to each other.
Nicky wouldn’t meddle. Normally, he’d try, but again — he would rather not lose a limb. Though it was unlikely, as since they had returned from Baltimore all those months ago, Andrew’s knives had seemed to have disappeared.
When Neil scooped up some half-melted ice cream and raised the spoon above his head, to Andrew’s mouth, Nicky had to look away. Now he felt like he was intruding, and he shifted his gaze to Renee instead, who was sitting behind him. She smiled when he caught her eye, and he knew she’d been watching the pair as well.
Looking back at Andrew, his free hand was now creeping up Neil’s neck, scraping his fingers against the hair at the nape. Neil was biting his lip — a telltale attempt of trying to suppress a smile. Andrew looked on at the television screen blankly.
Nicky was so enamoured he was sure his eyes were watering. Seeing Andrew be so open with himself, with Neil, he could only think of the angry teenager he’d met almost a decade ago, the one that held his fists so tight as Nicky meekly waved. Looking at Neil with the easy smile he adorned when he was with Andrew, Nicky remembered the bewildered, paranoid man he’d met nearly two years ago, and he couldn’t believe how different the two versions of both of them were.
3.
“Neil, come on. I promise it won’t take long,” Allison tried her best to plead, pouting at Neil. She watched as the cogs turned in his head, already clutching the keys to her Porsche in the doorway of Neil’s dorm. Finally, he nodded at her and Allison grinned. “Maybe we can get a haircut for you too.”
Neil shot her a glare that rivaled how Dan looked when Allison allowed her rage at the opposing team to translate verbally.
“Let’s go then. I’m so ready to not see you in the same fucking outfit every day.” Allison beckoned for Neil and towards the lift they walked together. It wasn’t until she stepped into the lift did she realise Andrew was standing behind them, hands tucked into his sweatpants with an eyebrow raised.
Allison swivelled her head to look at Neil, who shrugged as Andrew stepped in as well. “Good! Andrew can help as well.”
In unison the two men voiced their disapproval, and Allison just laughed.
When they reached the mall that was definitely not the nearest one as Allison had promised, Neil’s eyes were already darting around as if scoping out an escape route. Allison sighed and grabbed his arm, dragging him towards the first shop she laid eyes on — anything to get him out of the horrible jorts he seemed to love so much.
“I can’t believe when Kevin and Nicky took you shopping they let you pick everything out.” Allison said, wrinkling her nose. “I didn’t pick anything out. It was all Kevin.” Neil said, nonplussed.
Allison pressed her lips into a thin line. “I thought better of the Queen. You’d think he would know something about style when he’s always in front of the camera.”
Perusing the various sections of the store, Neil begrudgingly pointed out some shirts he liked, though he never glanced once in Allison’s direction for her approval — when she was the one that had insisted on this shopping trip, hello? Instead, he looked at Andrew for every piece of clothing he picked out, and Allison watched as Andrew mostly shook his head, or occasionally nodded. She almost couldn’t believe her own eyes.
Allison watched in awe at the rare display of Andrew’s human side, pulling out her compact mirror every so often to pretend she wasn’t smiling at them and at herself instead. “I like the black one.” Neil protested, shoving the dark shirt into Andrew’s arms. Andrew returned it to the shelf and wordlessly handed him a dark green shirt instead.
“Green does go good with your hair,” Allison said, gesturing for Neil to hold the shirt up as if he was wearing it. “I can’t believe this is when you finally decide to agree with Andrew on something.” Neil huffed, but he tossed the shirt into the basket anyway.
“If I knew that Andrew’s approval was all it took for you to finally switch up that closet, we would’ve agreed a long time ago.” Allison muttered, pushing Neil along to the next part of the store. Andrew followed, and Allison stepped back a bit to walk behind them, watching as Neil’s hand brushed Andrew’s and the way their fingers curled together.
When Allison discovered that Andrew and Neil were together, she wanted to triumphantly say I told you so, but she couldn’t, because she hadn’t expected it at all. Only in the hotel at Baltimore did she realise, and she was quite upset that she hadn’t caught onto it. She didn’t like it when things got past her. Allison wanted to pretend she didn’t care about them, but she did. She was curious how Neil with his jagged edges fit into Andrew’s cold, warped heart. She was certain she’d never understand the enigma of what their relationship was, and she couldn’t quite say she was okay with that.
She kept her eye on both of them as they continued choosing clothes for Neil. The basket was nearly overflowing, but she thought the pair of them were enjoying themselves more than they would admit. She watched as Andrew shook his head at some jeans, and rolled her eyes when he pointed to a pair of those god-awful jorts.
Allison thought back to the first time she’d seen Neil in something other than his old clothes — the first time Andrew had taken him to Columbia. He’d been dressed in a dark button up shirt and fitting slacks that suited him. She wondered if Andrew had been the one to pick out his clothes then, too. It didn’t seem unlikely, given how readily he was nodding and scowling at the various things Neil chose. It was sweet, watching the two of them, as dysfunctional as they appeared sometimes.
At least Andrew has a sense of style, she mused, watching Andrew put all the clothes on Neil’s card when they were checking out, and Neil the money to fulfil it.
4.
“You wanna come with?” Matt asked, pocketing the keys of his truck and leaning against the doorframe. “Really?” Neil answered, the signature bewildered look on his face when somebody asked him something he deemed friendly. Matt gave Neil a look.
Neil glanced at Andrew, who was leaning against the window, smoking a cigarette. Matt scrunched his nose and willed Neil to decide faster. “Okay.” Neil finally said, standing up and bidding Andrew goodbye with a wave. Matt watched as Andrew dismissed him and turned back to his cigarette. Neil swung the door close behind them and gestured for Matt to continue walking.
As Matt ambled towards the elevator with Neil in tow, he wondered why and how Neil and Andrew had even gotten together. He believed Neil when he said he ‘didn't swing’, and he wondered when that sentiment had changed. Seeing Neil and Andrew together, their behaviour was no different than it had been before they’d gotten together — Matt was unsure if they liked each other all that much. He understood the other man had his own weird perception of relationships, and though Matt would never doubt Neil, it was a difficult truth to believe when neither of them showed much like for the other.
Maybe they did, but obviously not around him, or any of the Foxes. They seemed like the private type, though there was absolutely no indication at all that they were together. Not that it was a bad thing, but with how obviously Andrew had staked his claim on Neil those first few months, Matt thought he’d be similar now.
He didn’t expect them to be how he was with Dan, but he thought they’d be somewhat similar to Katelyn and Aaron — quiet, but obvious and reciprocated affection. But their relationship was really not anyone’s business but their own, Matt thought as they entered his truck.
When Allison had asked about the both of them in Baltimore, Matt didn’t even stop to consider her words, much too anxious about Neil’s fate. Only on the ride back when Allison did bring up the both of them did the information actually register, and even then, Matt still couldn’t form a solid opinion on it. He was just happy for Neil, and for Andrew, and extremely uneasy about both their well-being.
The drive was expectedly silent, though Matt noticed Neil fiddling with his phone, texting somebody. “Nicky says he wants some of that cereal you got for him last time.” Neil read aloud, and Matt nodded.
When they reached the supermarket, Neil went off on his own, and Matt told him he’d come by after he picked up what he needed. Matt went through the aisles quickly — grocery shopping was a weekly task that usually fell on his shoulders, since Nicky and Aaron were reluctant to do much in the morning, which was when the grocery stores were the most empty.
Matt didn’t mind though, since it was a calming errand. He couldn’t wait until he could do this with Dan, when they had their own apartment together. Typically, it was Dan that came with when he went shopping, but now he did it alone — he wanted her to rest before their practices, given how much yelling she had to do with the new freshmen.
He found Neil lingering in the freezer aisle, eyebrows knitted as he stared intently at two pints of ice cream in his hand. “Hey! You finished?” Matt said, and Neil shrugged before putting both flavours of ice cream into his cart. Matt peered into it and found that most things seemed to be of the unhealthy sort that was surely not approved by Kevin. There were several pints of ice cream in there, lots of candy and close to nothing with actual nutritional value other than some fruit and vegetables. Matt has never pegged Neil as having a sweet tooth, so that could only mean one thing.
“For Andrew?” Matt inquired.
Neil looked at Matt again, bewildered as always. “Yeah.” He finally replied, and pushed his cart down the aisle, opening another door to pull out more ice cream. “Do you think this is too much ice cream?” Neil called out.
Matt wanted to laugh as he followed Neil, looking into the cart again. There was really nothing other than teeth-rotting candy, and nothing that Kevin would like. Neil was buying out the sweets aisle for Andrew, and Matt had thought they didn’t like each other.
Clearly, they did, and they cared about each other in ways nobody else would think to notice. Neil picking out only things that Andrew liked told Matt all he needed to know about their relationship.
“I need to pick up more stuff,” Neil said sheepishly, and Matt shrugged and followed him. Neil led him down the candy aisle, where he pursed his lips and selected several more types of candy. “Would Andrew…” He heard Neil mutter to himself quietly.
Once Matt returned to Fox Tower with Neil, Matt insisted on following him into his dorm to help put away the groceries. Andrew was still in the same spot, smoking another cigarette, but he came over to watch as Neil shoved pint after pint of ice cream into the freezer.
As Matt was leaving, he heard Neil say, “Look, they had your favourite.” Matt peeked around to watch just as the corners of Andrew’s mouth turned up while Neil held up a tub of ice cream to show him.
5.
Renee sat on the floor with her knees to her chest, chugging a bottle of water. Andrew was sitting on a bench across from her, panting slightly and pressing a finger to his swollen lip. She’d accidentally elbowed him too hard.
“Sorry.” Renee said, smiling at him. He rolled his eyes with no malice.
It was later in the morning now, and soon the other Foxes would be trudging in to begin their workouts. Andrew had knocked on Renee’s door at 5 in the morning, as he usually did a few times a week. They liked to spar in the gym before exercising, as a way to warm up and loosen the previous night’s tension. Long gone was the habit of Andrew only sparring with Renee when he was upset — and Renee was glad for that. Now, they just trained with no intention of actually fighting people.
Renee stood up and flexed her hand before heading to the water cooler for more water. She watched Andrew stare glumly ahead of him through the large mirror on the wall. Renee looked down at her hand and said, “Teach me how you did that to my hand just now. It really hurts.”
Just as she expected, the peace of the empty gym was broken as Kevin walked in with the rest of the Foxes in tow. Allison came over and slung an arm around Renee’s shoulder, slumping into her and yawning. “How do you even have the energy to wake up so early and beat Andrew’s ass?” She muttered sleepily as Dan came over and leaned against Allison as well. Renee looped her arm around Allison’s waist and playfully poked at Dan. Dan poked Renee back, looking more awake than everyone else combined.
“You get used to it.” Renee said simply, turning her gaze back to Andrew, who was partially blocked by Neil, standing in front of him. The two were talking quietly, and Renee watched from the corner of her eye as Neil surreptitiously glanced around before bending down close to whisper something in Andrew’s ear. Andrew’s hand came up to brush against Neil’s thigh momentarily before dropping it, and Neil walked away to speak to Kevin.
Nicky called Allison away to talk, and Dan moved to Matt’s side, leaving Renee alone. She got up and went to sit beside Andrew. “If you had to spend 100 million dollars in a day, what would you buy?”
Andrew cast a bored glance her way and thought it over before replying. Renee enjoyed their daily hypothetical situation conversations, and she got caught up in her answers and listening to Andrew’s. She didn’t even realise that his attention had drifted until he took a few seconds to respond, which is when she turned in his direction to see just what had caught his focus.
Renee watched as Andrew raked his eyes over Neil, who was stretching in the corner of the gym. “Andrew?” Renee said, trying her best to conceal the amusement in her voice.
Renee felt a smidge of smugness as she recalled how she was the very first one that had picked up on Andrew’s care and affection for Neil. She’d known him for a while at that point, and they had grown incredibly close — despite the rest of the team’s disparagement for their relationship. She knew Neil would eventually fall for Andrew as well, for if he didn’t then he didn’t know better. Renee saw how they moved like they orbited each other, how perfectly their ragged natures were for each other — it was always clear to her how impeccably they were made for one another. Renee believed in fate, and Andrew and Neil were proof of its existence. She was a hopeful person, and she had wished nothing but happiness when Andrew’s attraction to Neil first revealed itself to her.
Renee was also observant and honest, and everyone agreed so. However, nobody besides Allison had taken her word when she said that nothing would happen between her and Andrew. Renee would never brag, but she came close to the elation one would get from it when everyone else realised that Andrew and Neil were trudging the waters of something more than friends.
Andrew being happy made Renee happy. She would never ask more than what she already knew about what he’d gone through, but she felt content knowing Neil was treating him with the care he deserved, and vice versa.
Hearing his name, Andrew turned back to Renee and scowled at the grin on her face.
When they were walking their laps that day, Renee read from her palm some questions she’d come up with the previous night. Renee let herself ramble a bit, finding herself more talkative than usual. Nonetheless, it worked out since Andrew seemed less keen on speaking, in favour of following Neil with his eyes instead. Renee found it endearing, but saying that out loud would probably make Andrew leave her in favour of sitting out.
“Remember our zombie apocalypse escape plan? Who would you go back to first?” Renee asked instead.
“My answer hasn’t changed,” Andrew said plainly, “Neil. Aaron and Nicky can fend for themselves, and Kevin would probably welcome death with open arms.”
Renee stifled a laugh. She’d expected that answer from him, and she wanted to tell him so, but he was already looking at Neil again.
She let the conversation die, watching Andrew from the corner of her eye as a comfortable silence fell over them. Maybe it was strange she liked to watch people, but it was an old habit, and it let her gauge aspects of people that talking wouldn’t reveal.
The look Andrew had on his face as he watched Neil argue with Kevin and the freshmen wasn’t much different from the one he wore everyday, but Renee could see the slight quirk of the left side of his mouth, and the way his eyes were slightly crinkled with mirth as Neil reprimanded a freshman loudly.
When Neil turned around as if he felt Andrew’s eyes on him, he gave Andrew the subtlest, gentlest smile Renee had ever seen grace his face. It warmed her heart, and settled it, as Andrew immediately jerked his head and looked away.
~
Neil Josten wasn’t sure why the team has been paying extra attention to him and Andrew lately, but he didn’t mind. He wasn’t the same person two years ago when everything about him had to be his only. His relationship with Andrew was still only his and Andrew’s, but he thought it was okay to show them his vulnerable side. He had to get a lot more used to doing that.
It was early evening, the sun just about to set. Dan had convinced everyone to head up to the roof to watch the sunset, much to Andrew’s annoyance. The roof had always been theirs, but sharing was another thing the two had to get accustomed to.
Neil was already sitting next to Andrew, a pack of cigarettes sitting between them when the rest of the team came up. Neither of them turned around at the commotion, and Andrew lit another cigarette.
Kevin came over to set a bottle of whiskey down between them and shoot a disgruntled look at the cigarettes. Neil heard the raucous laughter of his friends, but he was too busy looking at Andrew.
Neil watched Andrew’s profile in the last remnants of sunlight. His blond eyelashes looked translucent in the light, and the smoke being blown from his mouth only drew attention to his lips. Andrew’s hazel eyes were like staring into a pot of honey. Neil wanted to kiss him, but he settled on stealing his cigarette and taking a drag.
Andrew gave him an uninterested look and stole it back. “Staring.” Andrew said.
“Always.” Neil answered, letting a smile form on his face despite himself. “Yes or no?”
“Yes.” Andrew said, letting the cigarette fall from his hand. Neil looked behind him to where the rest of the team was standing, talking over one another and laughing loudly. Neil leaned closer to press a kiss on Andrew’s cheek, then another one on his eyelid.
“You made me waste a cigarette for that?” Andrew glowered, pulling another one out and sticking it between his lips. Neil pulled the cigarette away and properly kissed Andrew.
Andrew kissed back for a fraction of a second before pulling away, just as Nicky let out a hoot. “Never do that in front of them ever again.”
“Why’d you say yes, then?” Neil said impishly.
“Fuck you.” was Andrew’s response.
Neil laughed, scooting himself closer to Andrew, moving the whiskey bottle to the other side so that he could press his side against Andrew’s.
The sky darkened, and soon the team was growing quieter, the clink of bottles louder as they exchanged soft words and stared at the starry sky. Neil wanted to look up at the sky, thinking of the many times it’d looked just like this — carrying the smell of smoke and a bag full of his mother, the first time he was outside in two weeks when he’d left the Nest, the first time he’d kissed Andrew, the last time he thought he’d see Andrew — but his neck hurt after a while.
Without thinking, he slid down and rested his head on Andrew’s hip, stretching out on the edge of the roof. Andrew watched as Neil shuffled closer towards him, taking a swig of the whiskey.
Andrew’s lap was warm, and he felt Andrew shift his hand into Neil’s hair, running his fingers through gently. Neil smiled up at the sky full of stars, part of the vastness blocked by the shadow of Andrew’s head.
“Are they watching us?” Neil whispered, taking the whiskey bottle from Andrew and setting it aside. “No,” Andrew said, “I don’t know.” He was smiling down at Neil. Neil revelled in the feeling of making Andrew smile.
Suddenly, there was a flash in the dark. Neil watched as Andrew turned, and he heard Nicky’s laugh.
Neil listened to the click of Allison’s heels and the soft thump of Dan’s sneakers. “Look.” Dan said, holding up a picture above his head. Allison was right behind her, peeking over her shoulder for his reaction.
It was him and Andrew, exactly as they were now. Andrew, smiling down at Neil, an expression even Neil wasn’t very used to seeing. Neil, looking at Andrew with a tenderness he didn’t know he was capable of.