That gets a little laugh from him, soon quieted by a kiss. Gabriel moves closer, until their bodies are touching. Some part of him doesn't want to let it die - the words nearly spoken and then abandoned. But neither does he want to ruin this sweetness between them.

Both of them had stubborn pride. Gabriel brushes his fingers over Anthony's chest. The question he couldn't bring himself to ask earlier finds life now.

"Did you miss me, Anthony?"

He thinks he knows, but some part of him, some silly part, feels desperate to hear it given breath. It can't all be just in his head.