Page 165 of I Think They Love You

Jordan ends the call.

Braylon says fondly, “He’s gonna retaliate when we go back to Atlanta next month.”

“I know.” Denz’s mouth quirks upward. “I can’t wait.”

Two weeks in Atlanta for the holidays. They’ve been planning the trip for months. Dinner with the Carters.Allof them. Spending way too much time on his parents’ sofa as Mikah forces them to rewatch every Studio Ghibli movie they’ve missed. Visiting Braylon’s parents’ graves.

It’s a rare Saturday off for them. Braylon’s not working tirelessly on a new project or awareness campaign for the LA branch of Skye’s the Limit. Denz isn’t spending another weekend advising new clients to grow their online platforms.

It’s just them. They’re standing barefoot in the kitchen—theirkitchen—wearing matching aprons. An early Christmas gift from Nic. Embroidered on Denz’s isMUFFIN. Braylon’s saysSWEETEA.

Braylon peels the boiled sweet potatoes over the sink while Denz gathers all the dry ingredients.

The open patio door lets in a warm mix of city and ocean scents. Of earth and salt. The apartment is another gift, this one from Denz’s parents. It’s not a top-floor unit like he shared with Jamie. Just a one-bedroom studio in Culver City. Seven hundred square feet of space with their shoes by the door. Braylon’s electric kettle on the kitchen counter. A walk-in closet divided between monochromes and designer looks Auntie Eva insisted Denz pack.

“If you leave that Dolce sweater here, I’ll disown you,” she told him tearily.

Denz never thought he’d see the day Eva would cryhappytears for him.

He’s been in LA for four months now. Braylon arrived first, in April, apartment hunting and logging hours at the youth center while Denz set up his brand in Atlanta. Skye’s the Limit was his first client.

Those first few weeks apart were… a trial of errors. Missed calls. Time zone issues. Denz tried to surprise Braylon with a semi-naked FaceTime that was supposed to involve a toy or two, but instead ended with Braylon mortified on the other end. He was in the middle of a charity dinner.

But they survived.

They found ways to communicate and laugh andschedulesexy video calls.

In hindsight, Denz wonders why they never considered long-distance dating before. When Braylon left for London. Maybe they weren’t ready then? Maybe you have to lose something before you realize how strong you are? The lengths you’ll go to keep it?

He hasn’t mentioned any of that to Braylon, though.

One day, he will.

Now, it’s weekend mornings down at the farmers’ market.Afternoons discovering new queer neighborhoods. Holding hands on Santa Monica Pier. It’s Braylon insisting In-N-Out is inferior to The Varsity and Denz pretending to disagree. It’s Sundays playing Scrabble while Braylon tells Denz old stories about growing up with his dad.

Now, it’s Braylon curling around him from behind, hooking his chin on Denz’s shoulder to ask, “What’s next?”

Denz walks him through dumping the peeled sweet potatoes and melted butter into the stand mixer’s bowl.

“Sugar, vanilla, nutmeg,” he instructs.

“Bossy,” Braylon teases.

They’ve done this dance so many times before. But it’s never been Denz leading their waltz. He’s never been the one with the recipe and deft hand, helping to bring everything together. He warns, “Too much cinnamon.”

“Coming from you?” Braylon lifts an accusing eyebrow. “Is that a joke?”

Denz laughs, elbowing him aside.

This isn’t the life he dreamt about in college. It’s a lot less Hugh Grant happily-ever-after, more Netflix adaptation of a Jane Austen novel—clumsy and sometimes chaotic. Charmingly flawed.

He loves every second of it.

He loves the café two blocks from their place with the mint-green interior. Their dedicated corner table where Braylon steals bites of his muffin and Denz sips his way through the entire tea menu until he finds the right one.

For the record: it’snotDarjeeling.

He loves his new job. He finally gets what Kami was saying. Being 24 Carter Gold’s CEO was a fantasy. The kind of thing that’s so big and untouchable, it only exists in your head because you know it’ll never happen. But this? Taking on queer clients who want their content to impact others in the community? It’s hisdream,the thing you think about over and over until you have no choice but to make it a reality.

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