To Have Him and Hold Him
By Kieran Frank
I was lost in his embrace as his arms wrapped around me. We lounged in the hammock under the stars while the coquis croaked. Our Christmas vacation in Puerto Rico, which was where my parents grew up, couldn’t have come any sooner. Our rented casita was cute: off-white walls of stucco, a dark brown roof, and a studio apartment layout with a kitchenette and separate bathroom.
It was our first night here, and compared to Michigan, it was still very warm for December. Then again, that was the point of flying here this time of year. I imagined it would be the same in Mexico, where the love of my life had family roots, but I’d find out next year when we went.
Right now, we were close enough to each other for me to feel his body heat that made my body
