Taer heard the laughter again as he struggled awake. Memories like dreams threatened to drown him, and it would be welcome, after all this time, to give in to them. It would be welcome to become one again, to become whole, to see Nis’s sunshine grin and chase his laughter, to love him and never let him go.
But it was morning. Nis was gone and, without opening his eyes, Taer knew it would still be raining, a steady drizzle that drenched the world beyond the hovel, tamping the beach into a color like sodden ashes. He was gone, and Taer’s arms ached to hold him again. His fingers burned where he could still feel the brief press of skin before Nis had slipped away on the wind and the waves and the storm. In his empty bed Taer clenched his fists as he hugged himself tight, but the storm had le
