Autumn is a second spring

141. Email

Ohm stood in front of the full-length mirror, straightening the lapels of the dusty rose blazer. The color wasn't one he'd ever imagined wearing—it was too soft, too cheerful—but somehow, it didn't look half as bad as he had expected. The fabric caught the light from the window, and for a fleeting second, he caught his own reflection looking oddly composed. He sighed, muttering under his breath, "Looks better than I thought."

Beside him, Boun was buttoning up his own blazer, a slightly deeper shade—desert rose. He gave Ohm a small, triumphant smile. "Told you. I knew these would look good on us. Mae had them customized."

Ohm rolled his eyes. "Of course she did."

It wasn't the first time Boun had mentioned his mother today, and every time he did, something in Ohm tightened. After Jane refused to cooperate with the wedding planning, Mintra had handed most of the responsibility over to Ann. Ever since then, Ann had been buzzing around Kao and Earth's house like a second event planner.

Ohm pulled at the cuff of his sleeve, the fabric whispering against his skin. "Well, the fitting's right. Can I take this off now?"

Boun turned from the mirror, looking almost scandalized. "What? No! We haven't even shown Mae yet. Come on, let's take a selfie first."

Ohm let out a humorless laugh. "You can take a selfie and show her. Leave me out of it."

Boun frowned. "She will want to see both of us together—"

"I said no." Ohm's tone was sharper than intended, but he didn't take it back. He was tired of his mother trying to wedge her way into his life again, pretending that years of silence could be patched up with a few concerned texts and a tailored suit.

He started to shrug out of the blazer when a sharp scream echoed from downstairs. Both men froze.

"Was that Bew?" Ohm asked, his voice instantly alert.

Boun's eyes widened. "Yeah!"

They bolted out of the room, rushing down the stairs. But halfway down, Ohm's steps faltered. His stomach sank as his eyes landed on the scene below.

Fluke was kneeling on the living room rug, cradling a sobbing Bew in his arms. Boun ran forward immediately, dropping to his knees beside them, his voice tight with worry.

"Bew, are you hurt?"

The child's cries came in hiccups. "I—I fell..."

Ohm gripped the banister, his chest twisting. There was a dog bed on the floor where Bew must have landed, cushioning what could have been a dangerous fall. Bew's small hands clutched at Fluke's shirt, his face pressed against the man's shoulder. Fluke was murmuring softly, one hand on Bew's back, the other smoothing down his hair, his voice low and steady.

Ohm stayed where he was. Not because he didn't care—he did—but because the person holding Bew was the one he had been avoiding.

He stood rooted to the step, watching the three of them—Fluke's calm face, Boun's frantic one, Bew's tear-streaked cheeks. The sight made his throat feel tight. It should have been simple to walk down and help, but ever since that night, ever since their last conversation, Ohm had kept his distance. The silence between him and Fluke had grown into something heavy, like a wall neither of them dared to break.

He turned to leave, thinking it best to disappear before anyone noticed him, when something caught his eye.

Fluke's laptop sat open on the coffee table, the screen glowing faintly. The cursor blinked on an email tab.

Ohm hesitated, his gaze flickering between Fluke and the computer. Fluke was still focused on Bew, unaware.

It would take only a few seconds.