Sebastian sighed through his nose. “He’s put his house up for sale, but with all the building traffic, and the sound, and dust, I doubt he’ll get the price he wants for it. I may even take pity on him and offer to buy it.”

“I think he’d rather burn it to the ground.”

Sebastian tipped his head back and barked a laugh.

****

The apartment was only a short drive, and when Rory looked up, a small smile tickled his lips. They ate together, had sex, worked out, and played chess, just like they had inside, but they did new things, too. Sebastian liked behind outside, he liked walking through woodlands, across fields, and beaches. Their hands linked as they walked, and Rory’s heart always did an excited thump when Sebastian reached for him.

Sebastian liked Oodles, but hated Flip Over with a burning passion. They ate chips at Rashford pier and sat on the bench where all their lies had come out into the open. Rory felt a little less alone and broken each day, and when he told Sebastian, he said he felt the same.

Rory had a home with Sebastian, a life, and when he walked into the hall, he released a long breath, shut his eyes, and stood for a few seconds. Sebastian came up behind him and rubbed his shoulders.

“You’ve got another letter from Captain.”

“You read it?”

“Nope. It’s in the kitchen.”

Sebastian released him, and Rory strolled into the kitchen. He ripped open the letter, and his eyes roamed Captain’s scribbly handwriting. He’d been seeing Jenkins regularly, and although he didn’t say so in the letters, Rory hoped the sessions were helping. In each letter he always wrote a paragraph about Ollie, and Rory’s heart soared when Captain told him Leo had been to visit. His own visiting orders were still going unanswered, but he hoped with enough time, Ollie would give him a chance to explain.

Sebastian stepped into the kitchen and flung his jacket at the back of a chair. His tank top clung to his chest, and Rory gave him an appreciative look.

“I was gonna do pesto pasta for dinner?”

Rory scrunched his nose and put the letter down. “I’ll cook.”

“I’m not that bad.”

“Yeah, you kinda are…”

“You’ve got a weak stomach, that’s all it is.”

Rory snorted. “Weak after you poisoned it… Where’s the recipe?”

“On my laptop.”

Rory snorted, walked over to the laptop, and flicked the lid open. He froze at what the web-browser had been left on. “How to cheat at chess.”

Sebastian rushed over. “It’s a typo. It should say how to get better at chess.”

“It definitely says cheat.”

“Nah.” Sebastian reached for the laptop, but Rory slid it away.

“I can’t believe you.”

Sebastian raised his hands. “Okay, Officer Matterson, you’ve got me.”