He nodded.
“I understand.”
He cried harder.
Noah had been silent until then.
Finally, he stood.
“What about me?”
Michael turned.
“Noah…”
“You knew I had an aunt.”
“Yes.”
“A cousin.”
“Yes.”
“And you never told me?”
“I didn’t know how.”
Noah laughed bitterly.
“You didn’t know how?”
He pointed toward Tyler.
“I brought my boyfriend home to meet his mother, and she turned out to be my aunt.”
Tyler closed his eyes.
Noah continued, “Do you understand how messed up that is?”
“I’m sorry.”
“Stop saying that.”
Michael went quiet.
Noah grabbed his jacket.
“I’m leaving.”
Tyler stood.
“I’ll drive you.”
Noah hesitated.
Then nodded.
Before he left, he looked at me.
I said, “Noah.”
He stopped.
“I owe you an apology.”
His eyebrows rose.
“For which part?”
Despite everything, I almost laughed.
“The basement would be a good place to start.”
He didn’t smile.
Not then.
“I shouldn’t have locked you in there. You hadn’t done anything wrong.”
