“You mean about what exam you’re having?”

“Don’t be a shit. About my mom. She’s been on my mind.”

“I figured.”

“Sometimes it’s like you read my mind and shit. You say stuff I’m thinking.”

Ronny wanted to say Ben did the same thing sometimes but held his tongue at the last second.

“Do I ever do that for you?”

“You did it a couple of times tonight.”

“When?”

“When you knew I wanted to ask about Jennifer.”

“Oh.” He grimaced. “That one was easy to figure out. It was all over you.”

“I try not to let it show. Except I can’t help myself.”

Ben gave him a look, a frown, and some of the peace ebbed out of the moment.

“I’ll shut up.”

“You were doing so great and then you had to start up about my girl.”

As if that made sense. As if Ronny ought not to be bothered by the fact of Ben’s girlfriend.

They were both awake by then, a little sweaty from contact. Even Ben was trying to keep quiet; the house was very still. They had been moving against each other, and after a moment or so the thought of Jennifer passed out of the room.

Near five in the morning Ben dressed and stood by the bed. “If we go downstairs I bet that old lady’s already up.”

The house was still now, except for the creaking of the old wood as the wind shifted it. “We’ll just have to be quiet.”

But Ben was opening the window over the bed. “I can climb out on the roof,” he said. “She’ll never see.”

“You sure?”

“I can be real quiet when I want to.”

Ronny stood beside him and put his hand on Ben’s neck. Touching Ben had become easy when it had seemed so difficult before. An exit through the window did look like an easier way to avoid Mrs. Delacy, and she struck Ronny, too, as an early riser.

“I didn’t break any rules though,” Ronny said. “We’re only not allowed to have girls in the rooms.”

Ben gave him that look again, totally deadpan. Ronny ran his hand under Ben’s shirt at the back.

“Okay,” Ben said. “You’ll get me started again.”

“That’s not much of a threat if you’re trying to stop me.”

“I do have to go.”

“I know.”

Ben rubbed his cheek against Ronny’s, and they pressed together for a second. “Great night. You learned a lot.”

“Asshole.”

“You did.”

Some kind of bird was singing in one of the trees outside, one of those pre-dawn calls that unfurled and extended impossibly far and high, a banner of sound. Ronny felt as if he might remember it all his life, a dawn calling, a morning bird, a sunrise soon to follow.

“I’m reading your mind again, I think.” Ben kissed Ronny quietly, mouths mostly closed, Ronny’s hand warm on Ben’s shoulders. Ben sighed.

Ronny said, “I’m glad you came.”

“Don’t say bullshit stuff like that.”