Kieran glanced at me. “That’s a kinder way of putting it.”
“I’m not interested in unkind ones.”
He let out a breath. “I thought maybe I was bi.” He shrugged. “Maybe I still am. I don’t know.” He frowned. “But lately…”
We stood in the middle of the pavement, my hands on his shoulders, my eyes focused on his earnest face. “What matters is what you feelnow.”
Kieran stared at me. “And what I feel now is… complicated.”
I chuckled. “It doesn’t have to be. Stop thinking you’re going to get it wrong. You won’t.” Then I took his hand once more. “Not if you’re honest about what you’re feeling.”
Kieran’s gaze felt steadier, and the fact that his hand was still in mine told me everything I needed to know.
He glanced at the traffic, the tourists milling around us, then back at me. “I used to feel like I knew exactly where I was going. What I was meant to be doing.” He let out a gentle sigh. “Now it feels like I’ve been following something without really questioning it.”
I tilted my head. “And now you are.”
He glanced at me. “Yes. I think that’s why I came here.”
I smiled. “You came to see what else might be possible.”
He held my gaze for a moment, then nodded. “Something like that.”
The cathedral rose above us, its dome catching the light, green against the pale sky.
Kieran tipped his head back, taking it in. “That’s impressive.”
I got the message.Let’s change the subject.
“You can climb it,” I told him.
That got his attention. “Really?”
I pointed. “See the base of the dome? There’s a walkway that runs around it.”
He narrowed his eyes, following the line I traced. “Hey, I see people.”
“Well?” I asked.
He smiled. “Let’s do it.”
“Hey, this was easier at the start,” Kieran called back to me as we climbed the narrow staircase.
I laughed. The first staircase had been wide with smooth wooden balustrades. That had given way to progressively narrower spaces and steeper metal steps. The sound of footsteps echoed, voices drifting from above and below.
“How many steps did that sign say there were?”
“Two hundred and sixty-seven,” I replied.
The space tightened as we climbed higher, and at one point, he misjudged a step. My hand was at his back in a heartbeat, steadying him. He stilled for a fraction of a second before continuing.
I didn’t move my hand immediately, and he didn’t step away.
“So what number do you think we’re at now?”
I laughed again. “Sixteen.”
Kieran jerked his head to stare at me in horror, and then his gaze narrowed. “You’re evil.”