“I knew, he breathed, pressing his forehead to mine, when I developed a crush on you. My eyes flashed open. But we drifted apart, I whispered.He shook his head. I was scared of how youd react, that ...”

“Have a drink, Coughffles. Stop it with the names! I laughed and coughed.”

“Ouch. What is that?Water, you wimp. Humor colored his tone and when I looked up, he was smirking again, but this time it was different. He was beaming, radiatinglike he used to.”

“I knew,” he breathed, pressing his forehead to mine, “when I developed a crush on you.” My eyes flashed open. “But we drifted apart,” I whispered.He shook his head. “I was scared of how you’d react...”

“Have a drink, Coughffles.” “Stop it with the names!” I laughed and coughed.”

“He disowned me,” I murmured. “Kicked me out and told me to come back when I changed my choice.”“He seriously used those words? That it was a choice?”I nodded. “You can’t change it. Your sexuality i...”

“...I do come home at Christmas. We all do, or we all should. We all come home, or ought to come home, for a short holiday - the longer, the better - from the great boarding-school, where we are for...”

“He went to the church, and walked about the streets, and watched the people hurrying to and for, and patted the children on the head, and questioned beggars, and looked down into the kitchens of ho...”

“The Christmas presents once opened are Not So Much Fun as they were while we were in the process of examining, lifting, shaking, thinking about, and opening them. Three hundred sixty-five days late...”

“Love is the greatest gift, we can give to each other.”

“Soon enough, Miner stopped caring who was watching - for a brief time, he and Ennek were a universe of two.”

“We dont hide crazy, I said. We put it on the porch and let it entertain the neighbors.”

“Now wait a second..." Kenneth butted in."Yeah, we haven't asked you the questions yet," Brandon finished for Kenneth."Yeah, like what are your intentions toward our little Ryan," Patrick added, smi...”