I rise up on my tiptoes and press my lips to his left eyelid, kissing the tears away. Then his right. Soft touches of my lips, barely there. A mirage of them, a dream.
It’s not a small thing. It might start that way, but after a moment or two passes, it becomes a full-body tremor that rolls through him, originating somewhere deep in his chest and radiating outward until I can feel it in my own bones. A sound escapes him—neither a sob nor a groan, but something ten times more heartbreaking than either.
His forehead drops to my shoulder and his arms wrap around me so tightly I can scarcely breathe.
But I don’t need air right now.
I just need to hold him while he breaks.
Moving on some unspoken signal, we sink down onto the stairs together. The wood is hard beneath my back, the edge of a
