Tuesday night. Two days before Colorado. Rafe and I were packing and talking about what we were going to do in Colorado when we head a knock. I went and opened it. And standing behind the door, was Coach, and Bryce.

"B!" I screamed, and lunged in for a massive hug. Mr. Donnelly smiled while I took my time looking at his back. We slowly pulled back and looked at each other. His beautiful shiny eyes into mine. "How are you, man?" I asked. Bryce quickly waved the question away like it didn't matter. Of course, it mattered. Not because he was depressed, but he was MY Bryce.

"You got another roommate?" He asked, looking at Rafe.

"Unofficially." I knew this would happen. "Bryce, you remember Rafe?"

"Oh, right. Broken nose guy. What's up?" He said, as he was walking into the room.

"Not much." Not much?! That's all? Rafe said, before shaking Bryce's hand awkwardly.

I quickly stepped in. "You back to stay?"

"Nah, I'm here to pack up my things. I'm fine. Don't worry. Just need to be home for a while." A while?!

"You guys… probably have lots to catch up on." Rafe interrupted. I nodded, and answered: "Just for a bit. But I want three of us to hang out." Threesome?

"My mom's downstairs in the car. I told her in an hour." Bryce said, looking at his watch.

"See if she'll go for two, okay?" I bargained.

He took a bit to text his mom, and in the end, he okayed it.

"I'm out of here." Rafe said, walking to the open door. "Back in?"

"Maybe an hour." I said, and Bryce nodded. Rafe then walked to the direction of his room, while we hung out in our room.

"So, Rafe, what's up with him?" Bryce asked while he packed up his clothing.

"Oh, we hang out like this, he'd sit on your bed and we'd talk about… stuff… you know?"

"I guess, yeah."

I missed you. "I missed you."

"Me too, B."

We caught up on each other, Bryce talked to me about how he felt, finally, while I talked about Rafe after that night. The apple orchard, the incident in the shower, Robinson and Toby's relationship.

After the long hour of catching up, Rafe returned from his room.

"Here's the guy." I said to Bryce, letting Rafe in.

"Hey, sorry, but you just lost your sheets and comforter. Gotta bring 'em home." Bryce said to Rafe with a smile.

"I hope it was OK…" Rafe nervously said.

"Oh, yeah, no worries. I'm just glad you're here." Bryce smiled once again, but the feeling was more genuine. And I smiled along with him. Afterwards, we got some Gatorade. Rafe and I got plastic screwdrivers while Bryce drank it straight, unable to drink the vodka due to his medication.

As the hour flew by, Bryce did some impersonations of the people of Natick after Rafe had requested it, and we laughed and talked, talked and laughed. It was the first time I've seen Bryce enjoy himself since last year. I guess it was fitting for him to leave.

After the quick hour, Bryce looked at his watch and said it was time to go.

I'll miss you so much, my love. "I'm gonna miss you."

"I'll call you, don't worry, okay?"

"Cool, just let me know how you're doing, man. Two months without you sucked."

"Alright." We smiled at each other, then we hugged.

"I love you, buddy." I love you so much.

"I know, man. Love you too." He replied. Then, he turned to Rafe.

"Thanks for looking out for Ben." He said to him. "The thing I felt most guilty about the last couple of months was, thinking that Ben was all alone in Natick. He's not, so that's cool."

He sounded like an angel. He was an angel. My angel.

"Yeah, no problem." Rafe smiled, his face reddening.

When Bryce left, I laid down on my bed. I heard Rafe lie down on Bryce's. His bed. We just listened to the silence. I was about to cry.

"He's… a great guy." Rafe said.

HE WAS MY ANGEL. MY LOVE. "I know."

"Why do you think he was depressed?" He asked.

I thought about it for a moment. "I think being different is really hard, for one." Take. The Hint.

"Yeah."

"I mean, he was double different. He's a sensitive, good guy and he's black. So that's two lenses." Lenses?

"Lenses?"

"Yeah." I continued on my thought. "Bryce said it's like lenses that you see the world through. They shift your perspective on everything. They create what's real and what's fake, and unlike glasses, you can never take them off and see what normal is to most people, you know? Bryce had two." I have one. "and he said it was hard to relate to some of the students here, who seem to have none."

"Well, you seem to have one." My heart skipped a beat.

"I guess you do too." I said, unsure of what he meant.

"Yeah."

I tried to imagine what Rafe's lenses might see. And as I was caught in my thoughts, Rafe realized I was staring at him before I did. We saw each other. I saw who he really was, hidden inside all of his closet door of lies. Just. Come. Out! I'd say. But my better judgement stopped it from going out. Maybe next time.

Tomorrow would be a long travel day, with the flight heading from Boston to Denver in the morning. But other than waking up, both of us had nothing much to do. It was midnight and we were both tired. After a while, Rafe began to attempt to get up, slightly drowsy from our drinking.

"I should get my sheets and blanket." He said, before trying again to push himself up. I began to crack up, "Don't fall." I spoke. He thrashed around for a few more times until he lifted himself to his feet.

"You're gonna fall." I said to him, "C'mon."

"C'mon what?"

I sat up and patted on an empty area on my bed. "C'mere, you doofus."

He sat down on the edge, unsure of what I was gonna do. What the fuck am I doing?!

"Just sleep here." Did I just say that?!

"Okay."

I scooted to the wall, and pulled up the comforter. I began to sleep against him, because if I even slept on my back, he'd probably notice the bump. Our backs just touched each other, and I turned towards him, giving his smaller frame a bear hug. My heart melted as I felt his.

"I'm so glad I know you." I love you. I said.

"Me too." He whispered.

I could feel him shudder from my hug. I wanted to know if he felt what I think he felt. I wanted to know feel whether he felt the same. But there was only one way to know. To confess. To lift the veil. No, not now, I thought, my drunkenness not stopping my rationality. He began to shift his butt against me, and that was when I felt it. My tip against his back. I wonder if he blushed.

We both fell asleep very soon.

"This is the longest flight I've ever taken." Rafe said, settling into the seat right of me. The left side, the window seat, was a first-come, first served seat, so I assured Rafe that there wasn't going to be anyone in our row.

"Nobody likes a middle seat, especially between two guys, and especially when one of 'em is me." I sat up straight, puffing up my shoulders to look wider.

"Look at anyone menacingly if they tried to sit, alright?"

And he did. But it was hard, as he kept laughing. But it did work, no one sat at our row other than us.

The plane took off, and we settled in for the 4-hour trip. We sat around, I thought of Bryce as we drifted upwards towards cruising attitude, listening to the sound of the roaring engine and a few annoying babies and children. After a while, I broke our silence. "Do you think Toby and Robinson?"

He looked at me, slightly confused. "I don't know, hairy butt and all?"

"Perchance." I said.

"Do you think it's like, everyone?" he asked.

"Everyone what?"

"Never mind."

I took slight glances at him, his cute bony face, him wearing his favorite blue hoodie and his denim jeans. I almost noticeably flustered. We played cards for a while, Rafe ordered some spicy tomato juice, which apparently was only available at cruising altitude, and he had beaten me twice.

"People are really stupid about gay stuff." I said, shuffling my cards.

"People are, people are." He replied. Cheeky bastard.

The silence was deafening. I could feel his fear. The veil wasn't just lifting itself slightly. It was getting blown off by a breeze. Should I tell him?

I looked out to the bright sky, the window reflecting Rafe while he was checking something on his phone. Say. It.

"Did you and Bryce ever do that?" Fuck. Too late.

"Ever do what?"

"I dunno, sleep in the same bed?"

"No." I chuckled. We never had the time to do that. And he wasn't gay.

"But we did."

My chuckle turned into an anxious laugh. This is it. Do it.

"Th-thanks, Captain Obvious."

"I just wonder… what it means, if it means anything, you know?"

FUCK IT. "Well…" My mouth became dry. "I… uh…"

"What?" Rafe went from curious to concerned.

"I think I'm bi."

Off went the veil.