Watching all six of his friends file out of a minibus in the yard felt like a miracle. Francis hadn’t actually realized how much he’d missed them before an exhausted Zinnia with her dark pink hair sticking in every which direction stumbled out of the car and into his arms.
“Hey, Fran-fran, we missed you,” she murmured, squeezing him.
“Missed you too, Zin.” He felt tears well up and then roll onto his cheeks as he hugged each and every one of his little band of misfits.
As he let go of Aiden after their hug, he heard chatter and turned to see the Minnie and Zinnia talking to Mark who seemed a bit shell-shocked at their tired enthusiasm.
“That your guy?” Aiden asked, nudging his shoulder. “Hot.”
Francis looked at his lover objectively. Jeans and a flannel shirt over a T-shirt to keep hi
