I hated moving.

Everything was in boxes and I spent the majority of my time moping around. Kyle didn't seem to be happy either since he had lived here for three years. I mean, I had been here for longer too. Everything here reminded me of Caleb. It was the first place that we bought together.

Maybe this was a good thing. Caleb was no longer in my life after all. Well, not in the traditional sense. It was a new start. It wasn't too far from the area that it would disrupt our lives completely. It'll just be different. A new home and a better school but not too far so that Kyle could still see his old friends. Hopefully, both of us could feel more peace in the new home.

Kyle carried his backpack filled with items that he deemed was necessary for the first day at a new apartment.

"I don't want to move," he mumbled.

"Don't you want a bigger room? Your current room is too small for a bigger bed."

"Yeah..."

"You'll even get your own bathroom, then we don't have to share."

"Yeah... But like, I'm going to miss it here."

"I know, I'll miss it here too. Come here." I opened my arms for a hug and he hesitantly hugged me. "Dad lived here a long time before you came here. And I loved living here."

The apartment wasn't friendly for a child. The walls were paper thin that sounds seep through them, especially if neighbours were fighting. Kyle was having issues sleeping here with how bad of a neighbourhood it was. It was fine before with two adults sleeping in one bed being used to the noisiness of the area, but it wasn't suited for a growing child. The walls were damaged or permanently marked with flecks of paint from the time Caleb used the area as his make-shift art studio.

"Dad?" Kyle's voice echoed slightly in the nearly empty room.

"Yeah?"

"I found these when cleaning while cleaning out my room." Kyle held out his hand and a puzzle piece laid in his palm. I take it from his hand, and I close my eyes as I sigh sadly. I pocketed the item and made sure that I reminded myself to put it in the same place as the rest.

"Are you okay, Dad?"

"Yeah, I'm okay. Just tired." The moving process did take a toll on me. So, it wasn't a complete lie.

"You look sad." It seemed useless to try and lie to him. He picked up on my emotions easily.

"It just brings back old memories. It... belonged to an old friend." I hesitated on my word choice. I wasn't sure what Caleb was to Kyle. I had called him his dad a few times before but only because it was an easy way to tell someone I was gay. It was especially handy during one time that a single mother tried to ask me out.

"Was it from Papa?" His eyes seemed to light up a little at the thought of Caleb.

"Yeah," I said. "It was from Papa."

We continued to hug in silence. I looked at Kyle and sighed. At moments like this, it made me wonder if Kyle will ever turn back into Caleb. Caleb never intended to leave me like this. Maybe he would change back into a man and say it was all a prank. He would say it was a convoluted plan to get us to move since he always hated the building.

I stroke the back of Kyle's head and he moved it slightly. I noticed my fingers accidentally touched his neck. I forgot he was ticklish at times.

"Dad?" His voice was muffled. He had buried his face into my shirt, but I didn't mind it.

"Yeah?"

"Do you miss him?" The question made me freeze for a moment.

"You mean Caleb?" I asked.

"Yeah." He attempted to nod his head.

My mouth tightened into a line. "Well, of course, I do."

"How come we never talk about him?" Kyle's words were slow as he said it.

"Dad just really misses him a lot." I could hear my voice crack.

"Oh." Pause. "What happened to him?"

Uh. How do I tell this story?

I gulped. "It's really hard to explain."

"Can I know, please?" At least I taught him his manners properly.

I took another moment to think before carefully answering.