Page 100 of Back to You

He got back to the apartment while Ethan was showering, and let Barnabus out of his carrier. The cat huffed off to the couch and curled up, shooting Brandon resentful looks.

“I know, buddy. You just got used to the new place and I’m dragging you back to the old place. It’s just for a couple of days.”

Ethan walked in and spotted Barnabus on the couch. He darted over to pet the cat, murmuring about how much he’d missed him. “Such a sweet kitty you are.”

Barnabus took this attention as his due, flipping over to show Ethan his belly.

“Don’t do it, it’s a trap,” Brandon said, setting the litter box back up where it used to go.

Ethan reached out tentatively to pet the cat’s belly, and got his hand attacked for his trouble. “Worth it,” he decided as he extricated his hand from Barnabus’s claws.

“Hey, Michelle has decreed that I bring you for dinner Sunday. What do you think? It’s fine if you’re not ready for that.”

Ethan thought about that for a moment. “Are you sure they don’t hate me?” he said quietly.

“No, why would they hate you?”

“Because of all my issues that led to us breaking up.”

“Ethan,” he said, coming over to sit next to Ethan. “That wasn’t all on you.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, neither of us were great communicators. I only said anything when I was mad, and we didn’t talk about it productively. Also, I should have seen how much you were struggling and forced you to get help.”

“You couldn’t have forced me,” Ethan said. “I needed to do it for myself.”

“Well, I see your point. But we definitely need to be better at communicating with each other. That’s on both of us.”

“That’s true.” He was quiet for a while, and Brandon let him think. “What would you think about us having sessions with Sarah like once a month, just to make sure we’re staying on top of things?”

“I think that’s a great idea. I was really impressed with how well the session the other day went. And anything that helps us is a good thing.”

“Thank you,” Ethan said, giving Brandon a quick peck on the lips. “It means a lot to me that you’re so willing to do this.”

“Anything for you, you know that.”

***

On Sunday, they stepped up to the door of Brandon’s parents’ house.

“You nervous?” Brandon asked.

“Yeah.”

“We don’t have to go in, I can make an excuse.”

“No, I want to go. I miss everyone. Still nervous, though.”

Brandon gave him a quick kiss for luck and opened the door. “We’re here!” he called.

“Who is we?” his dad said as he came out of the living room. He stopped when he saw Ethan. “Look who’s here!”

Brandon’s mom bustled out of the kitchen. “Who?” She saw them and cried, “Ethan! Oh darling, come here. I missed you!”

Ethan slid into his mom’s arms, looking thrilled. “Hey Adelaide. I missed you too.”

Anthony walked over to put his arm around Brandon. “Hey son. It’s good to see you together.”

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