“Dad, when will Joe be here?”

“While you’re at school, honey. He needs time to unpack. We’ll have lunch together when you’ll be back, okay?”

Komei and Joe had been dating for a few months now, and things were looking good. No more self-manipulation, no philandering, no weird stunts. Joe tried really hard, it seemed. And so it only felt natural to ask him to move back in with him, Komei thought. So he asked him. And he said yes.