Flare by Posy Roberts Page B

hear was the steady thrum of the waves washing up on the beach. Hugo closed his eyes to the sound and stood in the still-muggy air, smelling that familiar scent of the lake. No matter what, those sensations made him think of Summer and Kevin—mostly Kevin—and Hugo shook his head, questioning why on earth he was standing in the yard when he could be lying with Kevin.
    He pulled his suitcase and laptop bag from the car and dug through his pockets to find his keys, thankful for the outdoor light that was turned on above the door. Leaving all his belongings in the mudroom, Hugo quietly brushed his teeth with a spare Princess Ariel toothbrush in the bathroom downstairs, so he wouldn’t disturb anyone’s sleep, before heading up to their bedroom. He stripped down to nothing, wanting to feel Kevin on every exposed inch of his skin.
    Kevin slept peacefully, facing Hugo’s spot, a hand on Hugo’s pillow as if he’d been wishing Hugo was there when he fell asleep. Hugo slid in, taking care not to jostle the bed and wake Kevin. A strand of hair had fallen toward the outer corner of Kevin’s eye, so he pushed it aside. A soft moan came from Kevin’s parted lips, and then his eyes lazily opened.
    “Hey,” Hugo said with a smile, leaning in to tease his lips against Kevin’s. “I’m home.”
    Kevin pulled him closer, wrapping him in his arms. “I’m so glad you’re here.” He nuzzled against Hugo’s neck, taking in deep breaths of Hugo and smiling against his skin.
    “Smell the same?” he asked.
    “Better than I remembered,” Kevin said, and released a heavily contented sigh, refusing to let him go. “Sleep. You’ve got to be exhausted.”
    “I am,” Hugo agreed. “But take off your underwear.”
    Kevin pulled away to strip, and as soon as he was naked, Hugo found that perfect sleeping spot he loved so much on Kevin’s chest. He tangled their legs together and slowly brushed the bottom of his foot along the top of Kevin’s, closing his eyes in satisfaction at the feel of familiar skin.
    “Night,” Hugo barely managed to get out before falling asleep.

CHAPTER SEVEN
    Permanence & Pride
     
     
    D ESPITE HAVING only been apart for eleven days and having some sort of communication occurring every day, whether text, e-mail, Skype, or actual phone conversations, Hugo felt as if he’d missed out on a month. Brooke actually had a tan, even with her fair complexion, the marks from her sandals white, evidence of where they’d been when she’d been outside playing over the past days.
    When Hugo asked if she’d been wearing sunscreen, Brooke said with a little sass, “Of course I was, and I just put some on a few minutes ago, in case you’re wondering. I’d be red if I didn’t. Serena got burned, and her mom is making her put aloe on every few hours. It’s gross and now her skin is sorta green. It’s kinda funny.” She giggled, letting down all her defenses.
    Finn seemed carefree as he buried treasure in the sand, nose covered in turquoise zinc oxide that almost matched his eye color. He’d talked Hugo’s ear off at breakfast, telling him about any and all activities Hugo had missed while gone, including the summer gymnastics class Kevin had signed him up for. Ever since Hugo taught Finn how to walk on his hands, he’d been obsessed with balance. He never quit talking about it, and after their lives settled down, Kevin suggested taking a summer class to see if Finn was really and truly as interested as he thought. Apparently he was.
    Rowan even gave Hugo a little rundown of the days he’d been gone, including him as if he were really the kids’ dad. It made Hugo happy, not only that he got to hear all these cool stories about Brooke and Finn from an outsider’s perspective, but also because Rowan was treating him as an equal, as if his involvement in these kids’ lives was just as significant as Kevin’s was. When he said as much, Kevin looked at him funny, scrutinizing Hugo’s face before he said,