Page 66 of Sugar

“Oh. You like that idea?” Piper whispered.

Juno swallowed thickly. “I don’t think I hate it.”

“We can explore that when we’re not at a small inn with very thin walls.”

Covering half his face, Juno grabbed his water and took a long drink. “Change the subject, babe.”

Piper did. He told Juno their plans—tonight, they might see the northern lights. Tomorrow, the planets at the observatory late into the night when the sky was darkest. He loved listening to Piper talk about what life had been like for him before he retired.

Their food showed up, and Juno realized he hadn’t even tasted it until he was almost finished. He’d been so caught up in Piper, so enraptured by the way he smiled as he chewed, and the way his eyes kind of sparkled, and the timber of his voice, and the deep, richness of his laugh.

“What are you thinking?” Piper asked.

“I…” Juno stopped himself. The words nearly tripped off his tongue, and they felt so right, but the timing felt all wrong. Maybe it was unfair to himself, and unfair to Piper, but he swallowed them back. “I want to go back to the room.”

Piper swiped his napkin over his mouth, then laid it beside his plate. “Let’s get a dessert to go.”

Juno wasn’t going to argue with that. He let Piper choose, enjoying the way he touched his lower lip with the tip of his tongue and the way he used his finger as a guide to read. How much of that would he lose?

While Piper wasn’t looking, Juno closed his right eye and shifted his left. Most of Piper was gone to the fog, but not all of him. Juno could still see the edge of his smile, and when he turned his head enough, he could see his face. It wasn’t as defined as before, and the colors weren’t the same, but it was still him.

“The flourless chocolate cake,” Piper said.

Juno blinked rapidly, then nodded. “Sounds good to me.”

Piper gave him another look like he knew something was wrong, but he didn’t push it, and Juno felt terrible because keeping things like this a secret had threatened to shatter them just days ago. But he wasn’t ready yet. He wanted a little more time to ignore what was happening.

Talking it out wouldn’t change anything.

He wanted just a few more moments of denial in the grand scheme of his life.

His phone buzzed, and he pulled it out of his pocket, holding it at an angle he could see it clearly. His heart leapt into his throat. “He messaged me.”

“Roe?” Piper said.

Juno stared at the message preview: ‘I saw your name pop up on DNAFacts…’

“He knows. Uh. About me, I mean. He saw my profile on the DNA website.”

Piper bit his lower lip, then set the dessert menu down. “What else?”

“I’m afraid to look,” Juno admitted in a whisper.

Piper rose from his chair and dragged it to the other side of the table. He sat, facing Juno, and took his face between his hands. His palms were warm and a little soft and the most comforting thing Juno had ever felt in his life.

“You need to look. You don’t have to message him back, sugar. But you should read it.”

Juno nodded, unable to stop until Piper tightened his grip on his cheeks. “Read it to me.”

Piper picked up his phone and swiped his thumb over the screen. His eyes moved back and forth, his lips moving silently, and then he took a breath. “I saw your name pop up on DNAFacts.com, and I read over your profile. I didn’t accept your friend request, but I thought maybe we could talk on the phone. I’d prefer that to messages. Here’s my number, and I’m free all evening.”

Juno squeezed his eyes shut and bowed his head. His hands were shaking, but the fear wasn’t as intense as he expected it to be. Maybe just getting it over with was enough. “Do you mind if I do this outside?”

Piper leaned in, hooked a knuckle under his chin, and kissed him. “No, Juno. I don’t mind. I’m going to pay, and then I’ll meet you in the room.”

Juno got up and moved, through his whole body felt strangely numb. His feet were heavy as they trudged across the restaurant floor, then through the lobby. Eventually, he found himself outside and glanced around. It was dark apart from the low parking lot lights, and he was terrified of getting lost, so he sat on a bench next to a cement flowerpot and stared at the number.

His thumb hovered before pressing on it, and he was prompted to make the call. So he did.

---