With another month of quarantine ahead, Dillon is depressed. Stuck with no one to talk to but the squirrel who visits his terrace for snacks, he's pretty sure June is going to suck. One morning, things start looking up when a pride flag appears on the terrace railing right across from his.<br><br>Kit is up from downstate for just a month. He and Dillon hit it off and find a way to make the best of social distancing and the clothesline that runs from one building to the other. They even celebrate Pride and other occasions with their neighbors and spend some intimate moments together, despite being so far apart.<br><br>As much fun as June turns out to be, what happens when Kit's short stay is over? Are the two only enjoying a brief summer fling? Will even more distance between them mean the end of everything?

Let's Hang Out

We broke out the dance club tunes again, and when my phone rang, when I saw the caller ID, I stepped in off my balcony, expecting Mr. Palos to lodge another complaint.


“I’m not calling to bitch,” he said right off. “I want to…” His voice was kind of shaky.


“Are you okay, Mr. Palos?” My heart skipped. “Do you need an ambulance?”


He managed a chuckle. “No, no. Nothing like that, Dillon. I’m sixty-four years old,” he went on to say. “And this is still difficult.”


“Okay. How can I help? Tell me what’s wrong.”


“Wrong?” Another chuckle came, this one slightly heartier. “Not wrong. Right. And you have helped. You have already. All of you. I’ve been scared my whole life to come out. Today, I’m ready.”


My breath caught. “Come out?” Did he mean what I thought he meant, I wondered.


Chapter 11