He didn’t want to lose Cole, and there were so many ways he could. But he always feared he’d do something to drive Cole away, he’d be the one who screwed up and who made Cole second-guess forever and their love story. Forever, so certain only a short time ago, seemed precarious now. He could feel a looming shadow, something that made his heart race and his lungs seize, but he couldn’t see what was coming out of the darkness. Cole had left out pieces of the story he’d told, gaping holes Noah could feel but not see. Tears in his lover’s soul, places where Cole had been emptied.
