Page 124 of Say It Again

“And this must be Daniel.” Andrew grinned as he stepped around Aaron to extend his arms toward Daniel. “I feel like I already know you, but it’s so nice to finally meet you in person.”

Daniel blinked, his whole body still as a long, lumbering silence ensued.

“Um.” Andrew flashed a glance back at Aaron, then outstretched his arms again. “Really, really nice. Bring it in.”

Aaron tilted his head at his frozen fiancé. “Ahh, so he probably needs a minute. Yep, give him a sec. This is how he was when I first met him.”

Daniel’s lips parted like he might finally say something when the balloon stole his glory. It slipped from his fingers and farted about the room in little loop-de-loops until it flumped onto the desk. Aaron snorted a chuckle while Daniel blinked double-time like he was orienting himself back to this earthly plane.

“Oh. S-sorry about that, everyone.” Daniel cleared his throat and smoothed the fabric of his shirt. “Apologies for my, uh… stuckness. I don’t think I was expecting the two of you to look so—what’s the word?—fraternal. Fraternal as fuck.”

Aaron chuckled harder as he smeared a hand over his face.

“And you’re both right in front of my face, aren’t you? Practically twins.” Daniel blew out his breath as he perched his hands on his hips. “Sure is a lot! S’a lot for me.”

“Hug the man, Daniel,” Aaron said, nodding gently. “He’s trying to give you a hug.”

“Right! Yes, of course. Here I go.” Daniel shuffled forward and lightly hugged Andrew, then swiftly pulled away. “Nice to meet you, Andrew. But I am happily engaged to your brother.”

Andrew opened his mouth to speak, then closed it, his face scrunching in confusion.

“And I’m Olivia,” Olivia announced in a voice about four octaves too low, suddenly wedged between Andrew and Daniel in the stealthiest, most hare-footed maneuvering possible. “Might I interest you in some champagne, Andrew?”

“Oh.” Andrew blinked at her. “Hi. Olivia, was it?”

“Indeed.” Still too low. And her eyes had this feral bird-of-prey look. “Champagne?”

Andrew’s brow line lifted as his gaze darted around between the three of them. He eventually shrugged. “Sure, I guess I could go for some.”

Olivia’s smile was saccharine as she slid her arm under Andrew’s elbow. “Right this way, then.”

Daniel coughed under his breath, “Please behave.”

She whipped around to hiss in a harsh whisper, “You shut your bitch-bag mouth, Daniel!”

Daniel flinched as she thrust a finger toward Aaron.

“You go home to that every night! So, a pilot, hmm?” she asked, twisting back to Andrew and adopting a syrupy tone as she guided him toward the booze. “So airy. Speaking of, how would you like to get some later? Air, that is?”

“Oh dear,” Daniel whispered once they meandered away, wincing as he tapped his fingertips together. “He’ll be okay, right? My fear is that she’s in heat. It could get kind of dicey for him—”

“Come here.” Aaron nabbed Daniel’s wrist and led him toward the back room, a cross between an office and a storage closet, where he shut the curtain behind them and cupped Daniel’s face in his palms. “I needed a minute alone with you before everyone got here.”

One of Daniel’s eyebrows arched. “To…?”

“Tell you how much I love you.”

Daniel smiled as he tossed his gaze upward, his teeth scraping over his lower lip. “See, this is what no one sees. Everyone thinks I’m the squishy one, but you’re the squishy one.” He poked Aaron in the stomach. “Underneath all this muscley business, you’re just a big ol’ squish, Aaron Silva—”

He whirled Daniel around and wrapped him in a hug from behind. He’d gotten efficient at that move, and plus, with his face buried in the crook of Daniel’s neck, he could properly huff the orange sherbet. Like a weirdo. “It’s true,” he said, his words muffled as he inhaled Daniel’s skin. “I’m a closeted squish.”

Daniel giggled while they swayed side to side, while they beheld the view of Silva Interiors through a slit in the curtain. Yes, there were far too many balloons scattered and Olivia was currently hitting on Aaron’s brother, but it was also where their friends and family would soon gather to warmly honor him. To honor them.

The picture before him was a real-life vision board, and the creature in his arms had been responsible for gluing down all the pieces.

“Thank you, kid,” Aaron whispered, his lips grazing Daniel’s ear. “God, thank you, thank you, thank you.”

Daniel shook his head, amusement waxing in his tone. “Stop thanking me. You’ve done all the work.”

“But you’ve been the thing.” He rested his cheek against Daniel’s, clutching him tighter. “The precious thing that’s made all the work worth it.”

Daniel hummed, so low and satisfied it was almost a moan as he rubbed Aaron’s arm.

“I don’t deserve the most precious thing in the world.” Aaron rocked them in a sweet, anchoring rhythm as he smiled at his vision board of a life. “But here you are in my arms.”

Side to side, they rocked. Back and forth. To and fro. Over and over. Daniel welded into his lead beautifully. Or maybe he’d been the leader all along. Either way, they swished and swayed until it was time to end the final dance to the last chapter.

“I love you too, mister.” To seal the last chapter with a kiss. “I love you too.”

Right before they started the next.

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