Once I locate the little tape dispenser, I get to work sticking little paper snowflakes to the windows and little wannabe ornaments against the mirror. It’s all pretty ridiculous, honestly, since it’s not actually Christmas and we’re just gonna have to spend time cleaning it all up later, but I know it’ll make Devin smile, and if this is our last day together, I don’t want to miss out on my chance to see it.

Devin shows up just as I’m putting up the last ornament. E looks up at me, eyes wide, and I realize e’s wearing makeup again. Or, at least, e would be if it wasn’t streaming down eir face in a rush of tears.

“Devin?” I say. “What happened? Are you okay?”

And for a moment I have a sinking feeling in my stomach telling me that I forgot e’s Jewish or something and this is all horribly inappropriate.

Then e laughs, wiping a hand across eir face and only making the makeup fiasco worse. “I just—I can’t believe this is the last day, you know? I’m gonna miss coming here every day, and all those kids.”

I smile because I’m gonna miss it all too, but it still kind of hurts that e didn’t mention missing me.

I accept my free coffee and say, “You’ll be back next year, won’t you?”

E sighs. “I don’t know. My dad’s looking at a possible promotion, and if he gets it, we probably won’t be staying in Denver.”

My heart aches harder at that. Where is e gonna go next? New York? Maine? It’s already bad enough just knowing I’ll be going to California, but this might really be it.

“Anyway,” Devin says, forcing a smile onto eir face. “Today is a good day, and I want it to be happy. No tears.”

I smile. That’s such a Devin thing to say.

Then eir eyes widen again like e’s just finally noticing the work I put up. A slow smile creeps across eir face as e says, “Oh my God, Noah, did you do all this?”

I shrug, but really I want to bow or something because I got out of bed early for this.

Devin turns to me, tears building in eir eyes again, but e just smiles, a smile so bright it reminds me exactly why it was worth working through my pre-coffee haze. “It’s beautiful.”

I roll my eyes. “It’s just some paper and computer ink.”

But I’m glad e thinks it’s beautiful. Now we both have something gorgeous to brighten our final day of work.