Our Bright Christmas Town

One knows it’s love. The other is just figuring it out.
Ashby is not in love with his best friend.
Except that he is. And has been. Since forever.
Kieran left their tiny hometown to become a doctor in London, and Ashby—well, Ashby stayed behind, running his dad’s old business and doing odd jobs for everyone and their nan. The kind of guy you call when the sink leaks or the fairy lights need hanging. Reliable. Predictable. Entirely fine.
But now Kieran is back for Christmas, newly curious about kissing boys, and very interested in Ashby’s opinion on the matter. Ashby knows one thing: he can’t be Kieran’s “safe” experiment. Not when he’s spent half his life trying to forget he wants more.
So he offers to wingman instead. Take Kieran to a gay bar. Help him find someone else. But when Ashby’s ex shows up and Kieran kisses him just to make a point—everything changes. Because that kiss?
It doesn’t feel hypothetical.
It feels like home.