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Thank you for the lasagna."
    Dune got to his feet and leaned over to kiss Leo's forehead. "Good night, Daddy-Daddy," he said softly, and stood back as Micah bent over Leo to hug him.
    "Good night," Micah said and kissed his cheek, and the boys let themselves out.
    Leo ate the last of the lasagna and drank his Coke, put his dish in the washer and the bottle in the recycle bin. This was the worst time of the night, when he missed Adam the most, felt his absence most strongly. There were too many years of memories in this apartment.
    "Shit," he muttered and rubbed his hand over his eyes -- and then looked up with a smile when the phone rang.
    "Stuart," he said when he answered it.
    "Leo," Stuart said. "Did I wake you?"
    "No," Leo said. "I was awake. What time is it there?"
    "It's a little after ten. I'd be in church if I were the church-going sort. But as it is, I am eating a late breakfast in the back garden and enjoying an astonishingly beautiful morning. The fog has burned off and the sun is up, and it's warm enough for people to swim in the Thames."
    "I didn't know you could swim in the Thames."
    "You can. You can from my house, in fact -- you climb down some steps from the garden and you're in the river."
    "That sounds nice," Leo said quietly.
    "It's very nice. Are you all right?"
    Leo hesitated a moment. "No. My friend Malcolm died today."
    "Oh, my God -- Leo, I'm so sorry. Why didn't you say? You let me babble on about the weather."
    "I wanted to hear about the weather," Leo said. "I wanted to hear about something beautiful. It's been a hard day."
    "I imagine so," Stuart said. "When is the funeral?"
    "Wednesday."
    "Shall I fly out for it?"
    Leo ran his fingers along the grout lines in the counter. "I think that's above and beyond the call of friendship. You barely knew him."
    "True. But I can still come to the funeral if you need a friend."
    I do, Leo thought, I do need a friend. "It's not necessary. Thank you."
    "Oh. All right." He heard Stuart take a sip of his tea. "I suppose it's time for you to sleep. Good night, Leo."
    "Good night," Leo said and then said, "Wait. Stuart. I'd love for you to come."
    There was a slight pause, and he could hear Stuart's smile in his voice. "Then I'll be there as soon as I can. I'll take a cab from the airport so you don't have to worry about fetching me."
    "Thank you," Leo said. "I mean, for that, but for coming, too. Thank you for coming."
    "It's no bother," Stuart said. "It's better than not seeing you until fall. I'll call you when I'm in the city. Good night, Leo."
    "Good morning, Stuart," Leo said, and hung up as Stuart was chuckling. He leaned against the kitchen counter, his arms folded, and wondered how the hell that had happened. He loved company, and he loved Stuart's company in particular, but Malcolm and Stuart hadn't known each other well and there was no real reason for Stuart to come to his funeral.
    Unless, Leo thought as he was getting ready for bed, it's not about Malcolm at all. "It's better than not seeing you until fall," were Stuart's exact words, but surely he meant all of his friends here in the city. He was rebuilding his friendship with Jamie, he was close to Micah, and of course he usually stayed with Leo rather than at an impersonal hotel. They usually ended up spending a lot of time together anyway, since their tastes were more in tune than either of them with the boys. Leo would go with Stuart to galleries or to meet artists, or take him to restaurants the boys found too unfashionable -- Ben was particular about where he would eat -- or to movies and clubs not to the boys' taste. He could always count on Stuart to join him for a jazz trio or a documentary, or to lounge with him on the sofa watching Star Trek reruns while the boys went dancing.
    It would be lovely to have Stuart here, as it always was, even if the circumstances were sorrowful. He had always been a generous and supportive friend.
    The lights off, the apartment quiet, Leo lay in his bed and