Page 97 of Alpha & Omega

I hadn’t seen James in over two years. His blond hair was the same, and his green eyes still looked like gems. But he was taller and so much broader than I remembered, and his face looked tense and a little mean. He clearly wasn’t happy, which broke my heart. I hadn’t been happy either since his grandparents never let us talk over the phone or write to each other, like they somehow knew I was gay.

But when he glanced my way, standing between dancing bodies at the party, all those hard features softened as soon as he saw me. His eyes grew wide, and he frowned, not in anger but in grief.

Like a magnet, he plowed through the crowd, almost in slow motion like you saw in the movies, as he made his way toward me.

I dropped the beer bottle I was holding, uncaring that it spilled everywhere, and rushed to James, my long-lost best friend. My first love. My only love. I’d never kissed anyone, saving myself just for him.

I imagined this day so many times in my head, never believing it would truly happen, but always hoping.

Just like in my fantasies, James reached me, cupped my face, and pulled me into my very first kiss. The kiss that was always meant to be.

I closed my eyes as I listened to Harley’s soothing, deep, resonant voice, enjoying the story of the boys’ reunion until, eventually, sleep found me.

That night I dreamed of love and hope—no nightmares.

Itwasmid-October,andKingston’s birthday was the next day. I couldn’t have found a more fitting gift for him than getting his prosthetic. He was fitted for his new leg weeks ago, but today was the day he finally got to try it on and wear it for the first time. He still had therapy to go through to ensure the leg was comfortable and to walk in it properly.

His prosthetist, Evan, sat on a stool in front of Kingston’s, who also sat in a chair, showing Kingston how to put on the thick liner that went over theleg and knee.

Kingston looked up at me with twinkling blue eyes and a huge smile before watching Evan slide on the suction part of the prosthetic, which also wore his other running shoe.

“I bet you’re looking forward to walking again, eh?” he asked.

“You have no idea.”

The man chuckled. “Oh, I have a pretty good idea. I’ve been doing this for twenty-one years. There’s something magical about seeing a patient’s eyes light up when they can walk again. They feel almost complete, you know? And it makes my job really rewarding.”

“I can’t wait,” Kingston breathed.

“I’m also good at this. As long as you’ve been working on your desensitization, you should feel pretty comfortable. You’ll have some balancing issues and adjustments to get it to feel almost natural, but it will come. Eventually, you’ll be able to do almost anything you want, like hike, run, climb, play a sport—”

“Skateboard?”

Evan laughed. “Yes, skateboarding, too. Now, bend your knee.”

Kingston slid his knee into the socket of the leg, and Evan rolled the second liner up the leg to hold the prosthetic in place.

“How does that feel?”

“A little weird, but I can’t wait to try it out.”

“Take your time standing, but stand on your right leg first before putting pressure on the prosthetic.”

I held out my hand for him, and he slowly stood before grabbing the two wooden bars flanking either side of him. He didn’t really need me, but I needed him.

Evan rolled back on his stool between the bars and watched Kingston stand. Then he felt around Kingston’s hips.

“Let’s try to get a good feel for your new leg.”

He helped Kingston slowly wiggle and get used to the new prosthetic, moving it around along with the ankle and taking tentative steps.

“Looks good,” Evan said. “I know it may be a little awkward now, but trust that the leg is on there. You can feel confident it’s going to stay on as you move around.”

Kingston worked on his walking, making sure to bend his knee and not limp, and Evan made sure he had good balance while standing and walking without holding on to anything.

When they wrapped up the session, Kingston had scheduled several appointments to continue with prosthetic training. He would need it for at least another six months. Eventually, he would be able to run in it.

Tuesday morning was Kingston’s birthday. He stayed the night at my place, and I had to admit, I really enjoyed sleeping in my own bed again. I’d come back home a couple of times a week, and Tony would watch over Kingston when I couldn’t, but there was something comforting about your own place.

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