“I’m fine,” Lo says. “So fine that I can hug you?” I ask skeptically. He’s putting on a good front. “Go ahead, Lil,” he nods. I gently wrap my arms around him, keeping distance between our bodies. His warm breath touches my temple as he whispers, “That’s not how we hug.” “I’m not hurting you,” I tell him adamantly. “I know you’re in pai—” He squeezes me to his chest, a common embrace for us, one where our bodies meld together with no beginning and end. It’s like we’re one. I feel his heart thud, thud, thud against my skin.
