Kyle was aware that they were still holding hands. From the very first moment he had felt Phoenix’s hand in his, he knew it wasn’t something he wanted to let go of so soon.

Soft. Delicate. Warm.

I know I should let go. He’s probably uncomfortable.

But I don’t want to.

I want to be selfish and enjoy a few more minutes.

Contrary to what he had been thinking, Kyle reacted differently.

“Uh… Phoenix?”

“Yes, Kyle?”

Kyle lifted their joined hands slightly as he spoke.

“I don’t want you to feel uncomfortable. I like this, but you have very clear boundaries when it comes to physical contact, and I don’t want to push my own wishes onto you.”

Phoenix pulled his hand away the moment he realized — and froze, unsure what to say.

“Phoenix? Hey, it’s okay.” Kyle said quickly. “Do you want me to leave?”

“No.”
The answer came out too fast.

Kyle noticed -  but didn’t comment.

“Kyle… could you not call me that?” Phoenix said quietly. “I don’t like being called that outside of work.”

“I understand,” Kyle replied. “But then we have a problem. You can’t tell me your name, and the only one I know is the one you don’t like. What do you want to do?”

Phoenix hesitated.

“I can’t tell you anything personal… but I can give you the first letter of my name.”

“Are you sure you want to do that?”

“Yes. Even if someone hears it, they won’t know anything. My name starts with P. Just like my stage name.”

Kyle smiled.

“Then tonight… P will be your name.”

P smiled and headed toward the sofa, gesturing for Kyle to follow him. Kyle didn’t hesitate.

“P… can I ask you something?” he said softly. “Nothing personal. I promise.”

P sat down, crossing one leg over the other, and waited.

“So,” Kyle continued, a small smile tugging at his lips, “how exactly are we supposed to raise our little Noah?”

The question did its job — the awkwardness cracked.

P laughed, warm and genuine, and leaned back slightly.

“Well, considering our little Noah is a French bulldog,” he said, amused, “I don’t think there’s much room for debate there.”

Then his gaze returned to Kyle, playful.