Page 115 of Under Water

“And we don’t need to hop a flight and get home, like, now?”

I head to the crosswalk and hit the button. “No. Neal’s in jail, and I’m pretty sure the detective is working on making sure he stays there so he won’t have even a chance of getting access to Rune or Elio again.”

“I’m gonna fucking murder that⁠—”

“Hey,” I tell him, and he stops. “I’m just as pissed, but we’re all good. Rune and I got some leave, so we have a few weeks to find a new place and get settled.”

North coughs. “Uh. Like. Together?”

I bite my lip. “Yeah. Together.”

He lets out a sharp, short laugh. “Really?”

“I mean, is that a bad thing, or⁠—”

“No, fuck! I just never expected it to be him. I knew you’d end up with someone eventually. I knew you’d make the best boyfriend in the world. I just didn’t think it would be with Rune.”

I can’t help a laugh as I cross the street and head into the deli parking lot. There are a few cars, so I make my way to the awning to finish my call before going in.

“Me either. I’m still waiting for him to jump out from behind a door and yell, ‘Just kidding, I hate you!’ But he told me, ah…well. He told me he loves me.”

“Holy fuck,” North breathes.

I’m still struggling to accept it. I don’t think he’s a liar, but it’s hard for me to reconcile all the ways he couldn’t stand me at work with also being in love with me all that time.

“How do you feel?” North asks.

I swallow heavily. “My feelings are big. Intense. I think it’s love, but I’m scared to say it and realize I don’t mean it.”

“Is he upset that you haven’t said it back?”

“No.” Which is what makes the feeling even bigger and stronger. And yeah, it’s probably love, and I’m probably being a dipshit for feeling like I need to wait until some glowing sign appears over my head that says, Dumbass In Love.

“Well, I’m excited to be back home. And Leo wanted you to know that you guys aren’t being kicked out or anything. You can crash with us for as long as you need to.”

“I’ll talk to Rune about it,” I tell him. “Elio’s mom is here, and I’m not sure how long she’s staying. Or where she’s staying. We didn’t really talk much.”

North hums. “Is that weird?”

“No,” I answer, and I mean it. I thought it would be. I waited for a hot spark of jealousy to hit me when I saw the two of them in each other’s arms this morning, but in the end, all I wanted was to be part of it.

And they’d welcomed me right in.

“I like her. I think everyone will like her.”

“I hope she’s still there when we get back,” North says. I hear another muffled voice, and then North says, “Leo wants to know if you’re still going to keep his fish.”

“Yes. I have the auto-feeder still on, but I was going to drop by this evening and check on him. Unless he wants him back.”

North clears his throat. “Well, ah—the thing is, we kind of want to travel after my last shift. You know, see some stuff? Now that my sisters have my mom taken care of, I feel like maybe I have time to do it.”

I can’t help a small smile. “I think that’s amazing. And you know we’ll keep an eye on the house.”

“Thanks. So yeah, maybe don’t look too hard for a place right away. We want to be gone for a while. And—uh, hold on. Your brother wants you.”

I’m not surprised that Leo steals the phone away from his boyfriend.

“I heard everything,” he says. “I have money set aside for you.”