Being held by Zach, I feel a sense of rightness I haven't experienced since we had been in bed together right before Gabe unexpected returned. I would feel pretty content in this position for the next six years, easily. But of course, there are things to do and plans to make, and a happily-ever-after to achieve! This plot twist of a day may be ending for Cody, but the man whose arms I am blissfully within and I have a lot ahead of us before we can return to that bed.

"You okay?" my beloved whispers against my neck.

"Yeah, it's been… quite a day," I admit, snaking arms around him as we deepen the hug. "But I wouldn't trade a second of it for any other outcome, babe," I confirm, sneaking a quick kiss on his forehead. Zach sighs.

"And you really are down for all this?"

"You know it, dude."

"Thanks sweetheart," Zach inhales to continue. "I mean, I dunno what our life would look like right now," he pauses for a second and shudders as we step away from Cody's room. We head toward the living room, passing my luggage I had ready to go to LA this morning, which now feels like half a decade ago. We plop down on a couch to hash out all the details we haven't had a chance to cover yet. "I feel like everything is moving around, like total chaos — the good kind, the bad kind, and everything in between — and you are the one solid, steady, still thing I can hold onto. And you're not just like, shelter for me, but for Cody too!"

"You think I'm your shelter?" I quietly ask. Zach nods, eyes serious as they gaze into mine before looking away. I'm his shelter. How can I properly explain to him that he's mine too? "Babe, that's… beautiful. Thank you, sincerely. The shelter is mutual though, you know?" Zach looks back up at me. "I was kind of… I guess coasting, for the past few years," I admit, looking out the window to the beach as I continue. "The writing I was doing was not my original stuff but mostly rewrites for scripts and other projects. My relationship with Rich was on autopilot. That plane crashed and burned obviously, so I came here and found you again. And suddenly my muse is back. I feel like since seeing you that first day, food tastes better, reds are redder, and I am feeling things in a way I haven't in so long."

"Wow," he murmurs, brow furrowed as he thinks about what I have said.

"Yeah. 'Wow.' Mostly a good kind of wow though. But in some ways, a scary kind of wow. I fell for you fast. That didn't exactly scare me, since I have known you forever so that getting-to-know-the-nitty-gritty stuff wasn't necessary for us, but, some of my reactions have been scary to experience: when I panicked thinking you and Gabe were makeout buddies. I was a goddamn mess when you broke it off. I gave my car to a random person I had just met that night! Like what was going on in my head?" Zach's jaw drops at this nugget of personal information. "I mean, thank God it was Elisabeth, who is lovely and not a thief or axe murderer or anything like that, so she returned it the next day after using it to get home. And the reason her original ride left her was because I screamed at someone so scarily they peaced out. That is so, so, so not who I am."

"Oh, sweetheart," Zach sighs, mournfully. "I am so sorry."

"I know. I need to show you how I was though. If we are gonna make this work, we should be honest, yeah?" He nods, closing his eyes. "So, um, yeah I was in a bad place. Really low. And so mad at myself, since I was falling apart over this relationship that was so short. I kept kind of fluctuating back and forth between thinking I would give you some time and wait around for you to come back, and telling myself I needed to move on and forward with my life." Zach nods, understanding. "My muse didn't leave, though. I mean, there were times I was too low to get work done, but other times, I was okay." Zach grabs my hand in his, running his fingers over my palm as he continues listening. "I couldn't make myself throw out your toothbrush even last night as I was finishing up packing to leave this morning." I chuckle a bit at this. "I also felt sick seeing your car this morning because that's where we broke up. These are not exactly the most normal or healthy behaviors," I swallow before continuing. "I have told you that you do weird things to me. I meant that not just metaphorically, babe. I dunno if I can handle the heartbreak if you decide again that this isn't what you want…"

"This is what I want, I swear!" Zach protests, grabbing both my hands and pulling them to his chest. I can feel his heart beating rapidly.

"I know, babe. I know." I whisper as he tears up and kisses my palms. I gather him in my arms and hold him. "I just want you to be fully aware of how it's been for me. I know Gabe has probably been a bit… less candid about my condition." Zach nods against my shoulder.

"I half expected you to be dating some guy who gave you his digits, the way he talked."

"I considered it, you know the old adage 'get over someone by getting under a new someone,' but I couldn't," I admit. "I couldn't give you up so quickly. And I know from Gabe how you have been uncharacteristically short and grumpy, but maybe that was to give me hope and not hurry back to LA to lick my wounds…" I consider.

"I was a jerk. Angry at everyone and everything. You do weird things to me too, you know?" He slips a hand under my shirt and holds my waist.

"Yeah. Seems like we were both pretty messed up over it, huh?" Zach slightly nods against my chest. I decide to broach a topic that might be sensitive. "I realize we both didn't deal with life in the healthiest of manners. And now we are going from broken up to shacking up with the kid in a matter of hours. That's… a lot going on. And Codes will be dealing with losing his mom, his home, and starting new with me in a new home and school in a new neighborhood. That's… even more going on."

"Yeah it is," Zach agrees.

"I think it might be a good idea to consider starting therapy as a part of this new chapter." I hold my breath, waiting to see what Mr. I-use-art-to-get-through-life-by-dealing-with-shit-and-not-always-talking has to say. Zach's eyes close. "I think all three of us would benefit. Individual, couples, and family too. We have a lot to process…" I continue building a case.

"I think that is… probably a good idea," Zach acquiesces, eyes still shut. "I dunno how good I will be but we can try." His eyes pop open as he continues. "I wanna make sure Codes is okay and I wanna be the kind of person — the kind of boyfriend — who is a shelter for you too." My stomach drops as I envelop him in a huge squeezy hug.

"I told you, you are my shelter already, Zach," I whisper, feeling a bit choked up. "Having you by my side prompted my creativity to return. I feel a sense of balance that I've been missing for a while has been restored. Things that were important to me that fell away like family and surfing and laughing are my priorities again. I feel like I am returning to the best version of myself and that feels safe and I feel secure and strong in our future. That's my shelter, thanks to you." I pull away from our hug to see his eyes brimming with unshed tears.

"Really? I do that for you? All that?"

"All that, and weird things." I smile and his mouth starts to mirror mine as he wipes his eyes clear. His smile reassures me that things will be okay, even after this heavy, yet necessary, conversation.

"So yes to trying therapy, as long as I can schedule my classes around it," Zach confirms as he cuddles back up against me.

"I will reach out to Mom's therapist Dr. Green to see about a referral to someone near our place who specializes in LGBT and family therapy," I share, squeezing his shoulder, relieved that he is open to it. "And I am so glad about your schooling, babe."

"Me too. Nervous, but excited. I still can't believe you sent in my application, and planned and set all that up with a house to be 'our place' with room for everyone."

"Yeah, I am choosing to view my actions through the lens of being a hopeless romantic," I confide, "Which is considerably better than the lens of being a super hot mess. We'll see what the therapist says." Zach guffaws and I am glad the mood is light enough to joke a bit.

"You can be my hopeless romantic hot mess of a live-in boyfriend," he beams, pretty proud of himself. I can't help but chuckle.

"That sounds fair," I agree. "And I am looking forward to living with you and the kid. We should probably continue this heart-to-heart and figure out setting up house — or at least some of the basics on how that will work — to have a gameplan ready for tomorrow," I reason.

"Sounds good. It would be better in bed with ice cream though, dontcha think?" Zach wonders, touching his lips like he's considering it.

"Well since you were so accommodating to my request, it's the least I can do to grant yours," I reply, the picture of magnaminty. "Shall I meet you upstairs in a few? Do you want sprinkles on your ice cream?"

"Yes and yes please!" he laughs, jumping up. I smack his ass as he takes off to head upstairs.