Sing. They’d sung their post.
But of course.
Every heart sings a song, incomplete, until another heart whispers back. Those who wish to sing always find a song. At the touch of love, everyone becomes a poet.
David stiffened under his palm, like he realised their mistake at the same time. They’d neither sung nor whispered. Their poem wasn’t even original.
All the colour, all the life they’d coaxed to the surface between them, drained from David.
Their hosts continued, looking between them and the Sapphires. “Your posts tied. None of the judges could reach an agreement on which trumped the other, so . . .”
David grabbed Jonathan’s hand and squeezed painfully.
“We decided to tally up all the likes on your previous posts.”
Jonathan tried to do the math in his head, but he couldn’t remember—
“I’m sorry,” the hosts said, and turned to the Sapphires. “It was close, but you didn’t quite make it.”
David wilted. Then he jumped up from his seat and bolted out of the room.
Jonathan thanked their hosts and found David at the top of the cliff steps outside. Pushing through a shudder, he stepped silently to his side.
David immediately pulled him back, away from the drop. He stared out toward the horizon.
Jonathan waited.
A heavy head dropped against his shoulder. “That was close, Jonathan.”
“Yes.”
“We have to win this.”
Jonathan hesitated. He’d always demanded more of himself and of David than of anyone else in the world. He made it seem so matter of fact. Like they could do anything if they wanted it badly enough.
This . . . Jonathan had never needed anything as much as he needed to keep David. Them. Living together. A home. Family.
If they don’t have to pay rent, they won’t need me as much. They will be okay.
He would do anything to win this.
What happens if we don’t?
It’d been David’s question then. And as the consequences had risen between them, sharp and terrifying, it had become Jonathan’s question.
“We need to talk about what happens if we don’t—”
David whirled around and met his gaze. “We have to.”
Chapter Nineteen
Social Challenge Final: Love is Trust
Jonathan turned off the music after dance practice and looked at Ben hopping before him, little cheeks glowing hopefully. The boy had been disappointed his lesson had been rescheduled to Saturday and then even more disappointed when he arrived for the lesson and David hadn’t been there.
When practice ended, he came up to Jonathan and tugged his hand for all his attention.
“I drew my brother a picture. It’s in my bag.” Ben ran off to the corner of the room and trotted back with a clear file holding white paper and crayoned outlines: two figures dancing and a smaller one at their side. He thrust it into Jonathan’s hands. One of the dancing figures had dark hair and a large smile, the other yellow hair and no smile at all. The biggest smile belonged to the smallest figure.
“Will I get to see him again? A lot?”
Jonathan swallowed hard, fingers pinching the drawing. “I hope so.”
“Yay!”
His waist was swallowed in a hug.
When Ben’s mum picked him up, Jonathan was tasked with giving the picture to David.
The whole walk home he stared at it, stomach twisting.
He found Jacquie and Savvy watching a movie in the lounge, and set the picture on the fridge under a magnet they’d bought in a tourist shop in Greece.
He found a free spot on the couch and joined them. Jacquie winked hello and Savvy immediately found his shoulder and rested their head on him.
“Movies the whole day?” he asked.
“Gloomhaven later. When O’Hara’s home.”
When O’Hara’s home. Like it was inevitable.
His chest rose and fell on the same hope.
Jonathan kissed blond hair. “We have an important challenge today . . .”
“Afterwards. He said he’ll need distracting before the results roll in.”
Unlike the challenges before, the results of the final would be announced an hour after the deadline for submissions. It meant by six, they’d know.
“You spoke with him?”
“He’s at the airport with Sapphire and bored.” Savvy pulled up their phone and showed him David’s last post, then swiped to Jonathan’s page. “Have you seen how many followers you have now? He shares all your posts.”
Jonathan hummed. Nice, but it didn’t matter.
Only one follower had ever mattered.
David and a black-tattooed Sapphire stepped into the arrivals lounge at Nelson airport, just as Jonathan finished reading the final challenge announcement.
David shoved his backpack into Sapphire’s arms and in three jumping steps pounced on Jonathan. The chuckles between David’s kisses had Jonathan recalling a particular story David had once taunted him with. He braced himself through the enthusiasm. “Welcome back, boyfriend. Good trip?”
David drew back and searched his eyes. Then kisses began in earnest, and Jonathan patiently let David consume him. “Good form, boyfriend. Let’s continue this later.”
When David dropped to his feet, Sapphire had uploaded a clip to his Picstar. “Okay, dudes, save something for your final post.” He came between them, slinging his arms around their shoulders. “Love is Trust. Damn, my brother was always the best at interpreting these. But don’t worry, I’ve got my thinking cap on. We’ll figure it out. . . .”