“Mom died,” I said. He started crying. “I know.” My anger came so fast it scared me. “You know? You knew?” “I found the obituary.” “She waited twenty-one years.” “Please let me explain.” “Then come here.” Silence. “I don’t know if I can.” I almost laughed. “You’ve had twenty-one years to decide.”
Noah, silent until now, finally stood. “What about me? You knew I had an aunt. A cousin. And you never told me?” “I didn’t know how.” “You didn’t know how?” He pointed at Tyler. “I brought my boyfriend home to meet his mother, and she turns out to be my aunt. Do you understand how messed up that is?” “I’m sorry.” “Stop saying that.” Michael went quiet. Noah grabbed his jacket. “I’m leaving.” Tyler stood immediately. “I’ll drive you.” On his way out, Noah stopped in front of me. I said, “Noah — I owe you an apology.” “For which part?” Despite everything, I nearly laughed. “The basement’s a good place to start.” He didn’t smile back. “I shouldn’t have locked you in there. You hadn’t done anything wrong.” “No. I hadn’t.” “I was scared.” “So was I.” He nodded once, and left with Tyler.
