ALEX LETS PAUL CLEAN both of them up, declaring that it’s his mess anyway. Paul does it willingly. He’s happy to keep touching Alex, even when he’s merely running a warm washcloth over his skin. When Paul tosses aside the towel and pulls the blanket up over them, Alex rolls onto his side and presses his forehead to Paul’s.
“We should probably talk,” Paul says.
“I don’t want to stop doing this,” Alex says. His voice is quiet, and he sounds almost afraid.
Paul finds Alex’s hand and holds it tightly. “No. Me neither.”
“The dating is good, though.”
“The dating is very good. So is the sex.”
Alex snorts gently. “Understatement. We’re not moving back in together, though.”
“No.”
It’s scary to lie there with Alex in the bed that used to be theirs and work out the terms of their new arrangem
