“Raj," I say, as soon as the call connects.

“Yes, my man. What’s good? Your text said it was something about the exhibition?”

“Yeah, Aiden wanted to check in with you, make sure that the temporary walls in the exhibition space can’t be knocked over. So - is there any chance of that happening?”

“None whatsoever, brother," Raj says firmly. "We’ve got those things locked down.”

“Are they all set up where they’re supposed to be?”

“Yep. They’re set, no worries.”

I break into a smile, pick up my pen, and cross another item off the to-do list. “Thanks, Raj. Is Noah with you?”

“I’m here, dude.”

“Noah,” I begin, pouring myself a cup of coffee, “Do you think you could take four guys-”

“Maybe. How big are they? Am I allowed a weapon?”

“Jesus!” I sputter, dropping the coffee pot back down on the counter. “I was going to say, could you take four students from the high school to the exhibition space in Raj’s truck? They’re some of the artists for Ripley’s part of the show. They need to be there for installation day.”

“Oh. Sure, no problem. Why are you handling all this admin stuff for the exhibition, though? Shouldn't you be focused on your part?”

“I am, but Aiden is, um-" Unconscious. "Busy, so I’m trying to find ways to take things off of his plate. Give him a minute to relax. And it would really help me relax if you would-”

“Way ahead of you, man," Noah cuts in. "Blunt or bong? Or - nah, I’ll just bring both. You’ve got a shift at the shop tonight, right? I’ll drop by.”

I set down my coffee and scramble to pick up my phone.

“Noah! Stop guessing where I’m going with my sentences! And do not roll up to my place of business with a fucking bong!”

“Why not?” he asks, and I tip my head back, close my eyes for a second.

“Just pick up the kids from the high school, please. Don't bring the bong with you for that, either. And - did I ask about the walls already?”

“Yeah, you did,” Noah laughs. “Chill on that, man. The walls are solid as fuck, they’re like the walls of geronimo.”

“Geronim-?” I break off, staring at my phone. “Um - do you mean the Walls of Jericho? As in, like, the ones that famously came crashing down?”

“Oh, did they?” Noah sounds puzzled. “Why are they famous, then? Sounds like the ones we made are better.”

Hearing something behind me, I pull out one of my headphones and turn around.

Aiden is there, in the doorway of my bedroom, looking at me with sleepy blue eyes.

“Don’t be late for the pick-up!” I tell Noah, and end the call.

I hastily cross a few more things off of the list as Aiden comes towards me. Then I throw down the pen and my headphones and rush into his arms.

He closes them around me, and the feeling of them is perfect. Familiar, warm, both strong and gentle. I melt into them, pressing my face against him.

This is the first time he's woken up since the fire yesterday. Luca told me that he was fine, but still, it feels so unbelievably good to see Aiden's eyes open.

We hold each other tightly for a minute, and then Aiden gently lets me go. He reaches past me to pick up the notebook on my kitchen counter, clearly curious about what I was doing. He blinks in surprise when he sees that it’s actually his notebook, open to his to-do list for the exhibition.

He looks down at me with questioning eyes.

“I was trying to get some stuff done for you,” I explain, twisting the ring around my finger. “I didn’t want to wake you up, because I knew that you needed rest after yesterday. But I also knew that you’d be upset if you woke up late and ended up behind on all this, so I just…”

I gesture to the items that are newly crossed off of the list.

Aiden looks at me, then down at the notebook again, a smile slowly spreading across his face. He draws me in close to him, pushes a kiss onto the top of my head. Then he steps back, gathers my hands into his.

“Are you okay?” he asks softly, squeezing my fingers.

“Yes, but I…” Oh, god. I take a deep breath, then meet Aiden's gaze. “I need to tell you something.”

Aiden stares at me, concern in his bright blue eyes. I take a second to steady myself, to choose my words.

I tell him everything about Roger and Luca’s unexpected visit last night. What they saw, what they know. The promise and the offer that they both made us.

Aiden listens in frozen silence until I get to the end. When I trail off, he goes and sits down on the couch, drops the notebook onto the coffee table.

I sit down next to him, but don’t say anything. He’s got a lot to think about, and I know that it takes him a while.

“Do you believe them?” he finally asks. “Roger and Luca? You think they honestly won’t tell anyone?"

I know what a serious and important question this is, yet I find that I don’t even need to think about my answer. “Yes.”

Aiden lets out a long breath, then tips towards me. He pushes his face into my chest, knocking me flat onto the couch. I let out a startled laugh, caught completely unprepared.

“Thank god,” Aiden mumbles. His voice against my chest tickles another laugh out of me, and I automatically close my arms against him. “You know, I never considered myself all that lucky of a person, until I met you.”

I fall quiet, stroking my fingers through his hair, my laughter simmering down into a small, happy smile.

“You’re taking this news so well,” I answer, proud of him.

“You trust them,” Aiden says, without lifting his face from my chest. “And I trust you.”

I give him a squeeze, my heart filled with warmth. He starts to sit up, then laughs when I refuse to loosen my arms to let him do so. He doesn’t fight me on it, just drops back on top of me and nuzzles his face into my neck.

“Aren’t I crushing you, Jamie?”

“Yeah,” I sigh happily, to a soft burst of huffing laughter in my ear.

We lay still for a long moment, bathed in the sunlight, radiantly happy to have each other back.

I wish we could stay like this all day, but I know that any second now, Aiden is going to remember the exhibition. The notebook with the long to-do list is still on the coffee table, where he might lift his head and see it.

Without moving Aiden, I reach out with my foot and try to slide the notebook further away.

“Keane,” Aiden says, speaking directly into my neck.

“Mmm?”

“I know what you’re doing, and it’s not gonna work.”

I yank my leg back up onto the couch. “I’m not doing anything!”

Aiden sits up, laughing, pulling me up, too. I pout at him, and he makes a very exaggerated pouty face back at me before he picks up the notebook again.

“I already talked to Mel, Noah, and Raj,” I tell him, pointing to each checked-off thing. “Called Ripley and confirmed that he’s coming today. Noah’s fine to pick up some of the artists from the high school for installation day. The rest said that they can get there on their own. Raj is done with the walls, and Mel is on track for the opening night.”

Aiden lets out a relieved sigh. He turns his head to brush a kiss onto my mouth, then scans his eyes over the list again. There are, admittedly, a whole lot of things still left to do.

“I’m gonna try and make tons of progress on my part, tonight,” I tell him. “Gonna try to get out right at the end of my shift. Hopefully, no customers will decide to-” I stop, pull my buzzing phone out of my pocket. “Hang on, sorry. It’s Kent.”

“Jamie,” he says, when I put it on speaker.

“Hi, what's up?”

“We just got a giant order. It’s a rush, too. Some kind of fancy party happening in Greenrock tonight. The hosts had their original vendor cancel. They want the full suite of flowers. Centerpieces, displays, all of it.”

“By tonight?” I groan, sinking down on the couch. “Oh, god fucking-”

“So,” Kent continues, breezing right past that, “I wanted to ask if you’d like to swap shifts with me. I’ll take your closing shift tonight, if you take my opener tomorrow.”

"Um." I blink down at my phone, confused. “You realize that means you’re the one who has to do that giant order, right?”

“Yes, but I know you have the exhibition to work on, so I don’t want to make you spend all night at the shop. I’m sure you have your hands full over there.”

“Oh.” I stare at my phone, my heart flooding with affection. “Aw - really, Kent?”

“Yes, really. One of my employees is doing all the floral work, so, yeah. I’d like to see it work out. You better make it look professional, Jamie.”

Aiden and I exchange a grin.

“Is that the only reason you want it to work out, Kent?” he asks.

“Yes. That, and my upstairs tenant is the exhibition director. My daughter loves him so much that she cried when she heard that he’s moving out of our house, and I'm pretty fond of him, myself. I'd like to see it go well for him, too.”

“Right, that’s it,” Aiden says, nodding at my phone. “Those are all the reasons."

“Think you’re leaving one off, boss,” I tell him.

“What, that my girlfriend is the City Manager who allotted precious city funds to this project? And that I love her very much and I want the initiative she backed to be a smashing success?”

“Yeah, just that.”

“That basically has nothing to do with it.”

Aiden and I both break into laughter. I can practically hear Kent smiling on the other end of the line.

“Listen, though, Jamie - I mean it. You better knock it out of the park. You’re representing the store, so you’re representing me.”

“Why are dads always saying weird things like that?” I ask Aiden, who snickers softly. “What does that even mean, Kent?”

“You two will understand when you’ve got kids,” he laughs. “They’ll be hearing it from both of you, believe me. Probably at the same time.”

Aiden and I both blink down at the phone. My eyes dart quickly to his face, and his lift to mine at the same moment. For one instant, our gazes meet, and then we hastily glance away from each other.

My cheeks are burning. I can’t look at Aiden right now, but I think that his are, too.

We just decided to move in together. Kent is talking about stuff - beyond that. Stuff we’ve only barely discussed, talked about only one time, in a very broad, general way.

I clear my throat. Make a face at Aiden like whatever, and he makes it back at me.

“Well, anyways - thanks for taking my shift, Kent. I really appreciate it. I know it means you’ve got a ton of shit to do.”

“No problem. Do good work on Bright Future, and it’ll be worth it.”

I end the call, and Aiden gets up from the couch. He yawns deeply, stretching his muscled arms over his head.

“Sweet. Now we can go over there together.” He takes my hands, draws me upright. “I’d prefer to keep you close today, to tell you the truth. I mean, I'd prefer that every day, but - especially today.”

I understand exactly what Aiden means. The fire is still on my mind, too.

“So strange.” I wind my arms around his waist, snuggling up to him. “To go through what we went through yesterday, and then just go right back to… I don’t know. Work. Life. Everything. Don’t you think?”

“I’m - more used to it than you are.” Aiden hesitates, then gently pushes me back, searching my eyes with his. “Are you gonna be okay, doing that? Because - it’s…”

Something I have to be capable of, if I’m going to be with him.

“Yes," I say firmly. "I am."

Aiden breathes out a soft exhale, then bends to press a kiss to my forehead.

I take one more minute to hold him, appreciate him, love him. One more minute to bask in the relief of having him back in my arms, unhurt.

Aiden, I think, is doing the same thing. He buries his nose into my hair, gently twines his fingers into it.

Then we let each other go, take a deep breath, and move forward.

~~~~

Ripley 🎶 8:58 AM: (Attachment - Image)

Ripley 🎶 8:58 AM: Just got to the exhibition space, it looks really good! Nice work Raj and Noah

Raj 🔨 8:59 AM: Thank you, brother! We’re making progress! Love the work selfie

Noah ⚡ 9:01 AM: Ripples

Noah ⚡ 9:01 AM: Am I imagining it, or does your face look different?

Ripley 🎶 9:03 AM: Um yeah being on T has made my face kinda puffy for AGES and I think it’s finally going down

Me 9:04 AM: Oh my god I was wondering if I was the only one who noticed!

Raj 🔨 9:05 AM: Shit man I noticed too but I thought maybe it was bc you’re going to the gym with Aiden all the time, toning them muscles

Companion Plant 🍃 9:06 AM: Did you think we’re lifting, like - face weights, Raj?

Raj 🔨 9:07 AM: Why wouldn’t you, dude? You said that you guys do a full-body workout.

Companion Plant 🍃 9:07 AM: Yeah, but that's... not a thing. Your face being part of it is definitely not a thing.

Noah ⚡ 9:07 AM: No Raj is right, I’ve heard about those on TV. Face weights

Raj 🔨 9:08 AM: My boy has my back!!

Companion Plant 🍃 9:08 AM: Think you guys might be thinking of Shake Weights

Companion Plant 🍃 9:08 AM: Ripples and I don’t use those, either

Ripley 🎶 9:08 AM: I also grew a beard hair, btw

Ripley 🎶 9:09 AM: Literally just one it’s so random but I’m happy about it.😊 It’s all been bad peach fuzz up until this point that I’ve just been getting rid of

Companion Plant 🍃 9:10 AM: !!!!!!

Me 9:10 AM: OMG

Noah ⚡ 9:10 AM: SHOW US STUNNA

Noah ⚡ 9:10 AM: SHOW US SHOW US SHOW US

Ripley 🎶 9:12 AM: Lmao what's happening right now? It’s just one!! And you’re all gonna be here in like, under an hour, you can just see it in person

Noah ⚡ 9:13 AM: We don’t care bro, show us immediately

Companion Plant 🍃 9:14 AM: You’re gonna have to show us man. Like, right now

Me 9:14 AM: Unless you don’t want to, it’s totally fine if you don’t! We’re just excited!!

Noah ⚡ 9:15 AM: We won’t make it a big deal, no one’s going to freak out

Ripley 🎶 9:19 AM: (Attachment - Image)

Raj 🔨 9:19 AM: AHHHHHHHHH

Noah ⚡ 9:19 AM: DUDE!!

Me 9:19 AM: RIPPLES

Companion Plant 🍃 9:20 AM: omfg 😊😊😊

Ripley 🎶 9:20 AM: “No one’s going to freak out”

Noah ⚡ 9:21 AM: Our mans is a bearded baller now. BEARDED. BALLER.

Ripley 🎶 9:22 AM: Okay that's enough thanks!!

Raj 🔨 9:22 AM: He’s trying to sound annoyed but we just got to the exhibition space and we can literally hear him laughing from the other room

Me 9:23 AM: BUSTED

Ripley 🎶 9:23 AM: Can we stay focused, please? We do have an exhibition to put on, remember?

Companion Plant 🍃 9:24 AM: He’s right. We are seriously running out of time to pull everything together.

Raj 🔨 9:24 AM: We’ve got it, Aiden! Gonna make you and Ripples proud

Raj 🔨 9:24 AM: Although I know what you mean, I’m starting to get jitters like I used to during Hell Week in my Shakespeare days

Ripley 🎶 9:25 AM: I’m nervous, too

Me 9:25 AM: Good to know I’m not the only one! Noah, what about you?

Noah ⚡ 9:26 AM: Nah man I’m chillin. Got faith in the team 💯

Companion Plant 🍃 9:27 AM: I like that, but you better not just be chillin. Jamie and I will be there soon and everybody better be doing something by the time we arrive.

Noah ⚡ 9:28 AM: Or what, you’ll sic the ghosts on us?

Me 9:29 AM: The ghosts are already there, Aiden and I sent them ahead!

Companion Plant 🍃 9:29 AM: You should worry more about me than you should about the ghosts.

Raj 🔨 9:29 AM: Oh shit everyone get to work right now please

Noah ⚡ 9:30 AM: I will, but it’s not because I’m scared, it’s because I feel like it

Raj 🔨 9:31 AM: We’re all over it Aiden!

Ripley 🎶 9:31 AM: T-minus three days until opening, people!

Noah ⚡ 9:31 AM: Let’s fucking GOOOO!