It took Brian a few seconds, after waking, to realize Conley wasn’t beside him. He would have rolled over and gone back to sleep, figuring his lover was in the bathroom, if he hadn’t smelled bitter and yet fragrant smoke. Panicked, he jumped out of bed to try to locate where it was coming from and saw flickering light on the curtains. Tearing them open, he looked down at the yard.
Below him, where the empty pond had been only yesterday, there was now a roaring fire. Conley was standing beside it, totally nude, staring into it. Brian pushed open the window, calling loudly, “What are you doing?”
Conley looked up at him soberly for a long moment. Smiling suddenly, he blew Brian a kiss. “I love you. I always will. Remember that and wait for me,” he called back before he stepped into the cent
