Overnight••√•• a foreign omega”

chapitre : 6

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Waking was a slow emergence into a bath of warmth. No anxiety came to pull Smith from his sleep. No weight on his chest, no knot in his stomach at the thought of the day to come. For the first time perhaps in his entire existence, he opened his eyes with a feeling of quiet expectancy, like a child on Christmas Eve.

The light filtering through the shutters drew golden patterns on the bedspread. He stretched, a silly smile on his lips, and the first thought that sprang into his clear mind was of Day. The memory of his hand on his cheek, the softness of his voice, had accompanied him all night, filling his dreams with serene landscapes.

Going down for breakfast was not a social chore, but an anticipated pleasure. Mrs. Croft Mom was already in the kitchen, cutting fruit. She smiled at him when she saw him.

"You look well-rested, darling. Your walk last night did you good."

"Yes, Mom," he replied naturally, without the word burning his tongue. "A lot of good."

He helped her set the table, a simple gesture that, in his old life, would have been heavy, laden with his mother's disapproving silence. Here, it was a peaceful ritual, a moment of communion. Nam came down next, his hair a mess, and gave him a little pat on the back as he passed.

"So, the groom-to-be? Ready for your last week of freedom?"

"It's not freedom I need," Smith retorted with an ease that surprised even himself. "It's a head start."

Nam looked at him, surprised and delighted, then burst out laughing.

"Touché! Julien must have really cheered you up."

Julien. His best friend. And, by the happiest of coincidences, his brother's partner. The thought made him smile. Their little world was so wonderfully intertwined, so solid.

As if summoned by the thought, Julien appeared at the kitchen door, slightly out of breath.

"Am I late? I brought pastries!" he announced, brandishing a paper bag.

"You're always late, Julien," Nam grumbled, but his gaze was so tender the remark became a caress.

"But I make up for it with the quality of the carbohydrates!" Julien retorted, planting a quick kiss on Nam's cheek before turning to Smith. "Come on, drink your coffee, Smith. We have a busy day."

The day was a succession of perfect moments, strung like precise pearls on the golden thread of this new destiny. Julien seemed to have made it his personal mission to fill Smith with all the simple joys he had missed.

They started with a pottery workshop. Smith, clumsy and nervous at first, soon found his hands covered in clay, laughing out loud as he tried to shape a vase that looked more like a misshapen garden gnome. Julien, beside him, was creating an elegant cup with natural grace.

"It's not a competition," Julien reminded him, seeing his fierce concentration. "It's just… feeling the earth between your fingers. Existing in the present moment."

Smith forced himself to release the tension in his shoulders. He closed his eyes for a moment, feeling the coolness of the clay, its pliable texture under his fingers. He listened to the sound of the wheel, the laughter of the other participants. Existing in the present moment. That was all. There were no stakes, no judgment. Just him, the earth, and his friend's laughter. When he opened his eyes again, he began to shape the form without an objective, for the simple pleasure of the gesture. And it was liberating.

In the afternoon, they went to a small independent cinema showing a black-and-white film. In the darkness, sharing a bag of popcorn, Smith felt incredibly normal. It was a mundane scene from life, but for him, it was a revelation. To be able to share a silent, complicit moment with a friend, without having to monitor his gestures or his words, without fear of being "found out." He was simply Smith, watching a movie with Julien.

As they left, the daylight hit them, and Julien gave him a sidelong glance.

"So? Did you have a good time?"

"Yes," Smith answered, sincerely. "It was… perfect."

"See? Sometimes, happiness is just that. A good film, bad popcorn, and a presence you appreciate."

It was then that the day shifted from "good" to "magical." As they walked towards the car, a familiar figure was leaning against a lamppost in front of the cinema. Day.

"What a coincidence!" exclaimed Julien with a feigned look of surprise so exaggerated it was comical. "I wonder how he knew we were here!"

Smith ignored the obvious joke, his heart leaping in his chest. Day was wearing a simple blazer and jeans, and he was so handsome it took Smith's breath away. He straightened up, a shy but radiant smile on his lips.

"I was hoping to run into you," Day said, approaching, his eyes never leaving Smith. "Julien vaguely mentioned your plans. I thought I might steal you for dinner?"

"Us? No, no, I have… things. Very important things to do," Julien declared, backing away. "Socks, remember? Smith, I entrust you to this man. Take care of him."

He winked and ran off, leaving Smith and Day alone on the sidewalk.

"He's… very subtle," Day commented, laughing.

"That's why we love him," Smith replied.

Dinner wasn't at a fancy restaurant, but at a small food truck run by an old man, which served the best burgers in the city. They ate sitting on a public bench, their knees brushing, their fingers greasy and happy.

"I thought of you this morning," Day said between bites. "About what you said yesterday. About all this feeling unreal to you."

Smith felt a slight pinch in his heart. The lie.

"And… is it any better?" Day asked, genuinely concerned.

Smith looked at him. He saw the kindness in his eyes, the depth of his affection. And he didn't want to spoil this moment with a lie. He opted for a truth, just a part of it.

"Today, yes," he said softly. "Today, with Julien… and now with you, it no longer seems unreal. It seems… miraculous, but true. As if I'd finally found the right frequency on a radio that kept crackling."

Day placed his hand over Smith's on the bench. The contact was warm, firm, reassuring.

"I'm glad, Smith. I want you to be happy. More than anything."

They stayed like that for a long time, watching people pass by, sharing a silence that spoke volumes more than any words. Then Day stood up and held out his hand to him.

"Come. I want to show you something."

He took him to a secret little park, known only to the locals, which offered a stunning view of the city. The sun was beginning to set, tingeing the sky pink and orange. Below, the city lights were coming on one by one, like terrestrial stars.

"I come here when I need to think, or when I just want to feel good," Day confided in a low voice. "I've never brought anyone here before."

The confession, whispered, was an immense gift. Smith felt his eyes fill with tears, not of sadness, but of gratitude. He was the chosen one. The only one.

"It's… beautiful," he whispered.

"Not as beautiful as you are right now," Day replied, not taking his eyes off him.

He turned to him, taking his other hand. They stood facing each other, bathed in the twilight glow.

"Smith, I don't know what happened these last few days. You seemed so far away, so frightened. It scared me. But seeing you like this today, so light, so present… it reassures me. I love you. You know that, don't you?"

The words, spoken with such simplicity and conviction, shattered the last remnants of the shell around Smith's heart. It was the first time someone had said "I love you" to him without expectation, without condition, without ulterior motive. It wasn't "I love you if…", it was "I love you," period.

A tear rolled down Smith's cheek, followed by another. But it was a storm of happiness.

"I know that now," he managed to say, his voice broken with emotion. "And I… I love you too, Day."

It was the truth. The purest he had ever spoken. He loved this man, this world, this life. He loved the person he had become here.

Day wiped his tears with infinite gentleness, then, leaning in, he brushed his lips against Smith's. It was their first kiss. A slow, tender, exploratory kiss that tasted of salt from the tears and the sugar of happiness. A kiss that sealed a promise. For Smith, it was like landing after a long fall. Like coming home after an endless exile. It was peace. It was certainty.

When they parted, the world around them had changed. It was sharper, more vibrant, more real than ever.

"Come home with me?" Smith proposed, daring for the first time to be the one who invites, who desires.

The joy that illuminated Day's face was his answer.

Back at the house, the evening continued in the living room with Nam and Julien, as if nothing had happened, and yet, everything was different. Smith sat next to Day, their shoulders touching, and he didn't try to hide the happiness that illuminated him from within. He joined the conversation, he laughed at Julien's jokes, he debated trivial topics with Nam. He was fully integrated. He belonged.

Later, after Day and Julien had left and the house had fallen silent again, Smith went up to bed. He passed his parents' room and heard a murmur of voices. He stopped for a moment.

"…he looked so happy today," his mother's voice said, filled with deep satisfaction. "Truly happy."

"Day is good for him," replied the deep voice of his father. "We couldn't wish for more for our son."

Our son. The words resonated within him like a blessing. He wasn't a stranger, an anomaly. He was their son, loved and accepted.

In his room, he felt no urgency to check the hidden phone. Fear had been replaced by a gentle determination. He lay down, his body and mind at peace, his lips still warm from Day's kiss.

He had tasted happiness. He had savored the pure friendship of Julien, the unconditional love of Day, the pride of his family. And he knew, with a certainty that flowed in his veins like new blood, that he could never do without it again. The trial month had barely begun, but Smith already knew, in the deepest part of his being, that there would be no going back.

The battle wasn't over, the echoes could still be heard, but tonight, lying in the darkness, Smith was no longer a frightened visitor. He was home. And he was ready to fight to protect this shadowless sky he had finally found.