Chapter 27

Simon sipped from his coffee and listened to Alain in the kitchen. Their kitchen? Now, Simon supposed, it was. They were going to share the lives they had built separately, though Alain had been such a large part of the life Simon had always thought he was living alone. He suspected this change wasn’t going to be as earth-shattering as he had first feared.

A cupboard opened and closed. A moment later, Alain appeared in the doorway, wiping his hands on a tea towel.

“Do you want dessert? Or some wine, maybe.”

“Wine, please. There should still be a bottle in the fridge.”

Alain disappeared again, leaving Simon to stare out at the purples and oranges streaking across the horizon. The sun was almost all the way down. The village would start the fireworks as soon as it was dark enough, but this was the first time he’d given the celebrations much thought since they’d decided to stay in. Alain had consumed nearly every moment.