Hugo is in love with his best friend. He doesn't know how to confess to Floyd, let alone if he's into guys, so his friend comes up with a plan: make Floyd jealous to see if he will confess to Hugo instead. Hugo is sure it's doomed to fail. Especiall...
"But she didn't," I said "Nobody found out. Our secret was perfectly safe. The only one who found out was your dad."
"Yeah, and look what happened!"
"It's not our—"
"You were right all along," he said.
"What? About what?"
"That it was dangerous for us three to be together. It doesn't matter that it's not illegal or whatever. People aren't okay with it yet. You were right."
"Well, fuck them!" Floyd suddenly exclaimed, making some heads turn in surprise. The owner of the cafe glared at him too.
"Yes, fuck them," I repeated, much less loudly.
"Remember what you said, Dylan? No one has to know. We were right to trust our friends and Hugo's family. They helped us when we needed it the most. Rafael even arranged this meeting for us, because he also wants us to be happy together."
Dylan crossed his arms. "It seems like you guys have forgotten what my dad threatened to do if we go back to what we were."
"Yeah, but he doesn't have to know, does he?" Floyd said with his eyebrow raised so high they disappeared into his fringe. "Besides, once you're eighteen, he can't do anything. You can go to college and do whatever you want."
"That's four months away."
"We've gone through at least four months already," I said. "I can wait and do with the occasional arranged meeting, like this one, can't you? That's what Floyd suggested way back when, remember? Let's just wait. Meet up in secret only. Your dad doesn't have to know."
Dylan sighed.
"Only like two or three months till graduation," Floyd reminded him. "That's not so bad."
He covered his face and groaned, leaving us in agony for about an hour—or a minute maybe. I couldn't tell. In any case, he stayed silent for a long while, until I eventually heard a muffled, "You're making it so hard to say no."
"Because you don't have to!" Floyd said joyfully.
"I'm so going to regret this."
I started grinning. I couldn't help myself.
"You guys are visiting me every week if I get sent off. And make everyone else come, too. I'm not going to wither away in misery."
"Without question," I promised.
He finally lowered his hands to reveal a genuine smile and it made my heart skip a beat, because I hadn't seen him this happy in forever. And to think that we made him this happy.
For a moment, we only stared at one another, until Dylan suddenly said, "I love you too."
"That was like fifteen minutes too late," I said with the grin still stuck on my face. "It's no longer valid."
"Shut up!" he laughed. "I love you."
"I love you, too," I replied giddily.
"And I love you, Floyd!"
"I love you too!" he giggled.
I was smiling so widely my cheeks were starting to hurt and we soon left the café to pretend Dylan was still meeting up with Rafael at my house. The only thing we did was talk and laugh and hug and laugh a little more. Because we were finally back together and it just made us so damn happy. And no, you don't have to ask if we kissed, because I can assure you that's what we did the most. Sentences were interrupted by random touches and kisses on cheeks, foreheads, noses and wherever else we could lay our lips on. It was ridiculous, really.
Floyd had a strange addiction to touching Dylan's hair (until it turned into a tangled mess) and saying 'I love you' whenever a silence fell. It was adorable and I constantly felt like I was dreaming. It all just seemed so surreal.
But it was real and Dylan really was here again. Here, with us, where he belonged, and happy.
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