Chapter 35: Admit
(click the title to go to the chapter itself)

This chapter is not unlike the previous chapter in the way it progresses through a day describing the interactions among this family of friends plus one (Lhew), but mixes it up by allowing some of the characters to move the story forward from their own POV. We learn more through this process about the internal workings of these characters which expands and deepens them; helping to bring the story to life. This is a chapter about relationships between specific characters and among groups of characters. It is very dialogue intensive, meaning highly conversational. In fact the real beauty of the chapter is in the dialogue and how the characters speak in natural conversations, making them feel very familiar as if they are our friends too.

The study session at Card’s house is on and our family of friends is sitting around a table while Pete stares at the stack of cellphones piled in the center. He hears an incredulous female voice off in the distance trading conversation with and small squeaky one. Por looks up suddenly from his notebook and yells at Hack that he told the story Hack’s telling Lhew in confidence. Hack replies red faced that he’s sorry, but she’s very good a convincing him to talk. Por then asks Lhew not to tell Josie the confidence Hack just revealed. Earn chimes in telling him they’ve all been there and to just calm down. Por is unconvinced telling Earn that he’d recover from that easily, but the rest of them are normal men. Pete jumps in to agree with Por, explaining that getting caught n*ked when ‘unprepared’ is not good; adding that Earn was ‘blessed’ in this regard. Card cuts in telling them they’re too noisy since they were supposed to silent for 30 minutes to read and review, but Lhew, referring to Card as Ace, asks for clemency noting they were just having a little fun. Before Card can reply, the alarms on the cellphones ring indicating the 30 minutes of silence have come to an end and Por celebrates loudly. Pete asks why he’s so happy since he was the one who wanted the study group in the first place. Por tells Pete he did, but expected him and Card to help he and Earn. Lhew manages to lance Por and Earn’s egos when she concludes from Por’s statement that he and Earn must be the dummies in the group. This prompts Earn to ask to be reminded again why she’s there while Lhew sticks her tongue out at him. Pete reminds Earn that he told Lhew he’d be there for her, but Earn growls that he didn’t know it was going to be the very next day. Por cuts in asking what he missed the previous night, since Lhew seems to be back in Pete’s arms, but Lhew sets him straight that she’s not going back to “this boy-next-door” and that they’re just friends and she has no intention of repeating that process. Pete thanks her for calling their relationship a train wreck and she graciously responds smilingly, ‘You’re welcome. Don’t mention it.’ Earn asks again why she’s there, but Card states that she is a guest in his house, much to Earn’s frustration. Hack nervously suggests listening to some music to get their minds off studying and put everyone at ease. Earn volunteers (along with Pete) to get everyone some water and Card asks them to grab some of the snacks his housekeeper prepared as well. Earn readily agrees explaining his desire to get away from Lhew, but only gets her middle finger in return. Por calls out to them to hurry up and not to have any quickies in the guest rooms and laughs at his joke while Lhew just sort of smirks. Earn goes along with the joke, but Pete just tells Por and Earn that they’re both dumb.

In this opening sequence we are treated to another family gathering of bickering, joking, ranting and laughing. The sequence contains a lot of well-constructed dialogue which comes across as natural and realistic. This is a real scene played out in the lives of real friends is the message it sends (at least to me). I especially enjoyed the back and forth between Lhew and Earn. It is based on real subsurface tension, and it serves as a way for them to stake out their ground while simultaneously diffusing the situation with sarcasm. I think they will end up genuinely liking each other, but right now it’s too soon for that and Pete has to be the glue that holds it together which is role he plays in this family already – the peacemaker.

fter Pete and Earn head off get the snacks for the study group, the story cuts to Pete’s thoughts about the drama with Lhew and its aftermath. Apparently he and Earn had a passionate session after they got home focusing on oral over activities for the most part (although there was some ‘practice’ included). He then comments on some routine school events leading into the text he got from Lhew during lunch where she asked to hang out and then insisted on coming to the study session at Card’s house later, even calling Card herself to ask it she could come along. For his part Card asked the group and Por and Pete agreed, with only Earn being against it. Hack dropped by the lunch table asking Por for a computer lesson so Por invited him along to tutor him on his study session breaks. It occurs to Pete that everyone at the study session knows that he and Earn are dating except Por, and it starts eating at his conscience. Back to present at Card’s, Pete lets his Panda know that something is bothering him as they fill pitchers of water. Upon hearing this Earn immediately assumes it’s about Lhew and assures Pete that he’s really fine with her presence, just a bit irritated because of their past history together. Pete corrects him that his concern is about Por not knowing about their relationship and quickly corners Earn into being one to break it to him. Earn agrees and asks Pete to find a way for them to be alone together so he can tell Por, and Pete turns it into a s*xual joke, asking if Earn is already tired of him before being backed into a counter by Earn with the word ‘Never’ on his lips. Pete turns away from Earn uttering his unease at being intimate in Card’s house and urges they find the housekeeper to obtain the snacks they were asked to bring back. Earn snickers in response and they’re off to find the housekeeper and the snacks. Pete takes the large tray while Earn grabs the water and they return to Card’s room to find the curtains closed, the disco ball on, the music up at full tilt, and Lhew dancing with poor little Hack. Por berates the ‘waiters’ for not bringing him vodka (Russian for water he intones). Pete calls him an idiot since he had just been crazy drunk the night before while sitting on the bed because the floor has been an uncomfortable pain in the a*s (**cough**practice**cough**). Pete tells Card he’s surprised he’s letting all this take place, and while Card agrees that the lights and curtains a too much and the music could be lowered, he defends it as a good way to distract them from studying. After turning down the music they all sit and break into the spread provided.

Por teaches Hack some new programs on his laptop during the break while Hack happily stuffs Pot’s face with food. The rest of the group chat among themselves and Card and Lhew explain how they started hanging out together. Earn and Lhew continue to snipe at each other, but nothing serious ensues. After about an hour the study session picks up again. Pete comments to himself that teaching Por and Earn is not easy because they joke around a lot. After a couple of hours of pounding knowledge into their heads, a review session begins consisting of questions Card and Pete have compiled, 15 in total. After explaining that they’ll have 45 minutes to answer the questions, Pete uses a stopwatch to set the time. Lhew then asks Pete if he can take her home, and Pete reasons that it dovetails with his plans to go buy dinner for everyone. After getting a list of places and a wad of cash from Card, they head for the door with Pete stopping to put a hand on Earn’s shoulder before whispering to him that this is his chance to tell Por about their relationship. As they reach the door, Pete hears Card tell Hack that he’s not allowed to help Por and Earn before dragging him outside with him while Card smokes a cigarette. Pete admits to feeling nervous being with Lhew alone. He doesn’t feel the same toward her as he did before, but he feels awkward.

The story is now set to shift to the POV sections. We have seen more of the usual interactions among these familiar characters as well as the somewhat tense interactions between Earn and Lhew. The big reveal to Por regarding Pete and Earn’s relationship seems to be the major event coming up, but first there is an exchange in Hack’s POV with Card that must be read very intently.

Hack sets the scene with him sitting out by the backdoor with Card. He notes to himself that Card’s cold demeanor usually has people on edge, but that he feels Card seems to be able to read his mind and knows just what to say to put him at ease. Card offers Hack a cigarette, but he turns it down. As he smokes, Card asks Hack how he’s doing, a routine question he often asks, but Hack admits that he never knows how to answer exactly. Card clarifies, asking him how he feels about being a Cheer Head next year. Hack admits to having been a bit nervous, but that everyone’s encouragement had changed that to enthusiasm. Card then asks him how things are with Por, and Hack stumbles on his answer, not sure if he means their relationship or their computer lessons. Card rephrases his question with a snicker and asks Hack pointblank if he still harbors feelings for Por as more than a brother. In his head, Hack notes that they’ve patched over the issue, but that his heart still beats faster when Por is kind to him, noting it’s different than when Pete helps him, in spite of him being kind and handsome; same with Card because he’s straightforward and unapologetic. Earn is someone Hack aspires to emulate because he’s not only charming and good looking, but he’s inspirational to others. He admits to himself that it seems he’s still crushing on Por, and he admits this quietly to Card in response to his question. Card notes that he’s bringing up for Hack’s own good, noting that when Por trusts someone he warms up to them completely and that if Hack doesn’t quell his feelings he’ll end up getting hurt and end up hating himself.

Out of fear of what this might mean, Hack nervously asks Card how he knows this, and Card explains he thinks Hack is a good person and his meekness has influenced Por in a good way before admitting that he himself has grown fond of Hack’s presence in the group. While Hack squirms with embarrassment, Card continues, reminding Hack that they will not all be around in the next year and advises him to make friends in his own year who he can appreciate and trust to stick by him in years to come. Hack cautiously asks if Card is saying he doesn’t want him around anymore, but Card clarifies that he’s telling him to create a family of friends his own age. Card tells him sincerely that he’s always welcome to hang with them, but that they will all get absorbed with their senior year duties and won’t be able to hang out next year. He’s afraid Hack will feel like a nobody which strikes a chord in Hack. They’ve made him feel so much more than he thought he could be that not being around them fills him with fear, but he knows Card is right and is saying this to help him. In the next minute Hack is asking Card for a drag on his cigarette. Card talks him through it and he does okay, but breaks into a cough on the exhale. Card tells him he did well for a first try, but not to make a habit of it, then introduces the topic of Dirk, and how he not only likes girls and boys, but he seems to admire Hack for his intelligence and kindness. After Hack questions his meaning, Card tells him to take the hint that Dirk wants to be his friend while messing up Hack’s hair. Hack then realizes why Por and Card are best friends in spite of being such opposites; they both have the same heart. Suddenly the topic returns to the weekend at the rest house and Card tells Hack that he knows Por isn’t the one who threw up on the floor, forcing Hack to own his offense and apologize, followed by Card exacting at debt of repayment for Hack’s deception. Hack acknowledges that his mind is conflicted and scattered as the school year comes to a close and though change is scary he knows it’s necessary for growth. The feeling of nervousness reminds him of the lead up to the Live Concert. As he looks up into the sky, he wonders how Earn and Por are getting along with their work.

This POV opens up Hack’s character a little bit and lets us see some of his inner thoughts and fears, but what is really expanded in this narrative is our insight into Card. Through the eyes of this young innocent, Card’s personality is revealed from yet another angle. In this segment he starts off as his customarily stiff and impenetrable self, but is slowly revealed as a genuinely concerned mentor to the younger boy, offering both encouragement and support. Card also shares his feelings and concerns openly with Hack as the segment progresses to the degree that he actually touches on the younger boy’s s*xuality not only in relation to Por, but toward a potential future engagement with Dirk offering constructive and supportive advice in each case. Card is affirming of Hack as a person offers him insight into his relationship with the group in an effort to improve his future. It is somehow fitting though that he draws back into his usual persona at the close by becoming the strict and unbendable master bent on securing an advantage over Hack for his prior misconduct and deception, but considering the exchange they just shared, the transition doesn’t quite take (and that’s a good thing). Card’s normal demeanor is a protective shield he carries, and his raising it at the close of their heart-to-heart only reinforces the nature of the heart hidden beneath that it assiduously protects. This is a very kind and tender exchange that is carefully written to great effect.

The shift to Earn’s POV finds him sitting with Por busy answering their practice questions, with Earn carefully watching the time and planning to use any extra to tell Por about his relationship with Pete as promised. He laments that he just can’t say no to Pete’s handsome face. When Por grouses about the questions and begs for help, Earn reluctantly gives him a needed equation and reminds him to be sure to show his work. When Por balks and states that Pete and Card can’t really penalize him, Earn ruminates to himself that Pete withheld s*x for a month because he wasn’t sure he was ready and can’t even imagine what he’d do if Earn slacked off on his studies. He then deadpans to Por that Card would no doubt think of some way to punish him, invoking all the horror of such a circumstance. Earn tells himself to hurry through practice questions so he’ll have more time to talk with Por and admits to himself he’s a little anxious. Not only does he have to tell Por he’s gay, but that he and Pete are dating. After finishing with 13 minutes left he asks Por what he needs help with, but learns Por is almost done, then sees him slam his pencil on the table and declare he’s finished. As Por rises to get Card, Earn motions him to sit and with the hint of alarm in his voice suggests they check each other’s work, and openly questions if Por got any of them right. This prompts Por to sit back down and charge the same offense to Earn as they exchange papers and begin reviewing them.

Earn breaks the ice with a non-challenging question about what happened to Por and Josie the other night to which Por cracks he got lucky while wearing a vulgar expression. Earn laughs at him saying he heard that Por got sh*tfaced by way of correction, but Por brags that he still got laid. Before Earn can continue Por shoots back as to when Earn is going to lose his ity, stating he’s a good looking guy who flirts a lot and is very popular and ends up asking him what’s holding him back. As Earn begins to form an answer, Por immediately offers to find Earn a girl assuring him that all the ones he knows clearly all 10’s and volunteering to show him pictures as he pats his pockets. Again Earn attempts to speak but Por talks over him as he suddenly remembers that Card has their cell phones. Again Earn attempts to speak but Por cuts back to his talk of ‘the babes’ blabbering on and on until Earn just can’t tolerate another second and yells out Por’s name to get him to stop talking. When Por responds by halting and asking ‘what’ in return, Earn blurts out that he’s gay. Por’s face is filled with shock as they sit in silence and Earn’s fear surges as he waits to see how Por will react. Por says he must be going deaf because he thought he heard Earn say that he was gay, but Earn resolutely repeats his statement in earnest to show Por he heard it right the first time. For a moment Por seems lost in thought and then stammers as he thinks back in his mind and then begins to realize the connection between Earn’s declaration and his disapproval of his previous anti-gay remarks and starts apologizing all over again. Earn assures him that all is well and that he already apologized, and asks Por is he sees him differently now, like girly or less manly. Por responds with a resounding ‘Hell no’ followed by a rude joke about Earn beating anyone’s a*s (figuratively and literally) who said so.

Earn apologizes for not telling him sooner, but Por assures him that he understands his prior behavior prevented it. This is followed by Por asking Earn if he’s interested in Hack, but Earn declines, causing Por to lament how perfect if would have been for him to be able to set his little brother up with his bro. Por then jokingly begs Earn not to reveal that he has the hots for him by any chance because he’s off the market, but then crudely throws in that he might make an exception in jest. At this point Earn tells him he doesn’t need to get laid because he has a boyfriend prompting Por to beg him to tell him who, and if they’re already having s*x, the unlucky guy is, followed by a barrage of like questions. Eventually Earn finds his voice and tells Por his boyfriend is Pete, but again Por has a hard time processing it and acts as if Earn is just teasing him, and asks him to tell for real. Earn repeats that it’s Pete and again Por has to process it slowly as he recounts that Pete was with Lhew for a couple of months and he knows they had s*x because they told him and he questions if they lied to him. Earn explains that Pete is bis*xual and Por seems not to know that such a thing even exists, but once he absorbs the concept, he reasons Pete must be hard constantly, but Earn explains that Pete’s not a s*x addict. As the reality that Earn and Pete had s*x hits Por, he immediately demands Earn spill all the details. Earn suddenly “notices” the time and jumps up to get Card leaving Por shouting his pleas behind him. Earn realizes how terrified he was to tell Por, but now feels as if an enormous weight has been lifted. He rejoices that he’s out to all of his close friends and can’t wait to tell Pete how great everything went. As he looks forward to Pete returning soon with dinner, he remembers where Pete is and who he is with causing him to feel a small speck of annoyance.

Earn’s POV features the big development in the storyline of this chapter, and anyone who has had to have such a conversation in his or her own life knows the uncertainty, doubt and fear surging through Earn as he walks up to the edge of the cliff. Combine Por’s prior anti-gay rants after Hack’s misguided kiss, and Earn’s trepidation becomes even more understandable. He handles the matter quite well though. In fact in the past few chapters Earn has shown a significant amount of growth and maturity when confronted with situations that test his feelings for Pete and in this case, facing down his fears of coming out as gay. I might be mistaken, but I think this is the first instance where Earn has stated that he was gay without any hemming or hawing with maybe, might be and probably attached. To his credit, Por also rose to the occasion and showed that his prior resolution with Hack has moved him forward in his maturity as well, even though he still remains a crass immature loud mouth in so many loveable ways. With this milestone passed, Earn is relieved and energized, and his relationship with Pete is now absorbed into the reality of this family of friends on all fronts and they can move forward together from here.

Lhew’s POV opens with her cursing Ace under her breath for sending them off on a mission buy food from every restaurant in Bangkok. She and Pete have tried to share small talk, but she notices it’s awkward because Pete’s her ex, so she puts on some appropriately loud music (Same Old Love by Salena – must listen) and sings along. At the end Pete jokingly asks if gets angry much and tells her if she’s upset she can tell him instead of singing it. She just winks at him jokingly and says she pulling a Pete and they laugh together. Pete asks her how she’s been since they last met up and she tells him school has been pretty busy. The he asks Lhew what’s up with her and Card, noting that she’s gone so far as to give him a nickname. She remarks that she gives everyone a nickname like he’s Penguin, Por is Porky, Card is Ace and Earn is dumba*s. Pete immediately tells her not to call Earn that, and when he presses her again regarding Card, she can’t understand why he should care since he dumped her. Lhew shares that a freshman from Pete’s school gave her his phone number a few weeks back when the Music Club played at the convent, and that she kind of likes him. Pete can’t resist asking who it is and she tells him his name is Ngaw. At first Pete is at a loss, but then asks in disbelief, ‘Aw, you mean Ngoi? The freshman?’ Lhew is surprised at his reaction, and tells him it’s not nice to call a person by such a nickname, prompting Pete to point out the irony of her objection since she just called two of friends a pig and a dumba*s. He defends his friends by telling her that his club heads gave him the nickname anyway. Lhew comments that the nickname is actually an indirect insult to Pete since Ngaw reminds her of a younger version of him. Pete emphatically denies her comparison as she ticks off her checklist: same body type, can’t flirt, and cleans up well when he needs to just like Pete. Pete protests, but she teasingly points out that she’s following Card’s advice to keep Pete’s ego in check by not overpraising him. She observes in her head that it’s fun joking with Pete like this because she can be herself without fear of being judged.

They arrive at the next restaurant and Pete holds up the list and some cash explaining that there is no drive-up window and he needs to go refuel while she picks up the food. Lhew jokes she should just take the money and run, but Pete reminds her with a bob of his head that her bag is in the backseat, and she snatches the cash and heads inside. He calls after her to make is fast, and she yells ‘ you’ in response. Pete comes back with ‘I already have’ (not bad really, for Pete), but Lhew gets in the final word as she enters the restaurant calling back, ‘And it .’ Once inside she realizes that she has no idea where she and Pete are in this new phase of their relationship and questions if it’s really okay. She admits to feeling both uplifted and irritated when she sees him. She subconsciously fiddles with the bracelet Pete had given her which focuses and clears her mind and helps her to realize that Pete is her friend and worth the effort to banish her grudges. With food in hand she texts him to pick her up. As she waits outside she hears him approaching long before she sees him. He pulls up with music blaring and his hand slapping the outside of the car. She joyfully calls him a dork, throws the bags of food into the car, and jumps in wearing a huge smile. Pete immediately launches into any apology for letting her down, and while she’s internally touched, she tells him it’s too late. Pete reiterates his apology with sincerity, but this time Lhew tells him that she has already forgiven him.

As they drive on, Lhew muses to herself how clueless Pete can be sometimes, but that he’s good at getting his point across. She’s happy that the mood between them has reverted to what it used to be and she’s glad they are close again. With their mission accomplished, they head toward Lhew’s house, chatting and trading stories along the way. At a lull in the conversation Pete asks why she had nothing better to do than hang out with him and friends. Taken a bit by surprise, she tries to defer, but Pete points out that she wouldn’t be there if there wasn’t some reason behind it. Lhew realizes that he knows her too well so she gives in, explaining that the friends who saw her drinking in the bar spread it around and sullied her reputation at school and that folks are staring. She still has a couple of friends who talk to her, but she’s not convinced they are being authentic. Pete tells her that if her secret is out then she can either embrace it or feel like sh*t trying to control something that’s not in her hands, but she worries about not having any friends and how this might hurt her family and her future reputation. Pete assures her that she won’t die from this and reminds her that she has friends like Card, Por and Earn. Well, she has him, which means Earn is also her friend.

Lhew thanks him, and as they turn into her neighborhood she asks him what he means that since he’s her friend so is Earn. As Pete stammers on his answer, Lhew quickly figures it out and asks for confirmation that they are finally together. After getting Pete’s acknowledgement, she’s excited as hell and immediately wants to know the when and where of the matter, so Pete hesitantly tells her they got together on the night of his big fight with her. A wave of emotions passes through her, but eventually she centers herself and tells him how great that is, joking that she finally pushed his a*s into getting with that dumba*s. Pete clarifies that it was more like being kicked off a cliff, but then implores her not to call his boyfriend a dumba*s. Lhews teases him over the use of ‘boyfriend’ to describe Earn, and Pete tries to brush it off with confidence while also being embarrassed, all to Lhew’s amusement. As another light goes on, she comments that this explains why Earn gives her the stink eye when she opens . Pete starts to respond, but Lhew jumps in saying she already knows this means they can’t be all touchy feely when Earn’s around and they should just hang out separately. Pete assures her that he’ll come around eventually, but Lhew just acknowledges that Earn is Earn and Pete is Pete as she grabs her bag and steps out of the car, turning to say that the way Pete has always described Earn he seems like someone she would really like. Pete urges her to tell him that directly, but Lhew nominates him as her proxy on the matter. Pete reiterates his suggestion and Lhew agrees to do so…eventually, noting they should just keep their meet ups separate for now. Pete promises to text her later and she waves goodbye and watches him drive off. As Lhew walks to her door she reflects on the tumultuous day that just passed leaving her thoughts a bit scattered, but she is relieved to have good friends to rely on. She enters her house and greets her parents. As she cleans up for dinner she wonders if they will accept her for being her true self. Beyond that she acknowledges a small speck of negativity in the corner of her mind and decides to deal with her jealously head-on in order to banish it, knowing that with the support of her friends she will be successful. She closes with the unmistakable feeling that the day marks a new beginning for her authentic self.

Lhew’s POV covers a lot of ground. First things first though, Pete told her about his relationship with Earn. Yay! So now he and Earn are out to everyone in the room and best of all Lhew is genuinely happy for Pete. Her rhetoric at the break up was not just empty words after all. That aside, I was unsettled about her character in the chapter leading up to her POV narration. She seemed like a very different character from the confident and rebellious young lady she’d been in earlier chapters and I had a difficult time reconciling this vulnerable, insecure, defensive and unsure person with her prior personage. I had to keep reminding myself that this is the side of her we first saw in relation to her school friends and family. This side of her that dreads these groups discovering who she really is, the person Pete fell for and the person we first knew her to be. Her POV takes us through her journey and struggle to essentially recognize what is most important to her and then realign her emotions and attitudes to make it all congruent. In real life this process would not happen nearly so fast, in fact some pursue this path their entire lives and never attain the goal. But Lhew really is still a work in progress. By the end of her POV, she is, by her own estimation, only at the beginning.

Pete’s POV resumes at this point and he’s finally back at Card’s with all the food, calling aloud for his friends as he enters the house. Grumbling about not getting the help promised to carry in all the grub Pete searches in vain for his friends. He heads upstairs toward Card’s room he hears Por’s loud voice bellowing up ahead and he finds the door ajar when he finally gets there. He can clearly hear the Por pressuring Earn to spill some secret, and Hack injecting that he shouldn’t be asking for such details about Pete. When Card sides with Por the pressure on Earn goes to maximum and Pete can only yell the question at Earn in his mind as to why he is giving in to them. When he hears Earn confirm that they are only asking who gives and who receives, Pete can stand it no longer and kicks open the door shouting its none of their business. As Earn loudly claims the prize of 100 baht, Pete is confused until Por adds, speaking to Pete, that he thought he would wait until Earn actually started before entering the room. It’s at this point that Pete realized he’s been seriously pranked and calls them all d*cks and glares at Earn who apologizes as he collects money from the others. Confirming the terms of the bet, Pete smacks Earn on the back of the head and snatches one of the bills away as his share. Por seizes the chance to tease Earn for being whipped, but Pete turns on him telling him to go get the food from his car before he tells Josie about his past. Por clears the room in a heartbeat taking Hack with him. Cards follows after exchanging barbs with Pete, barbs with Card, leaving Earn and Pete alone. In an effort to cheer up and angry Pete, Earn pushes him down and starts covering him with kisses. Pete’s anger is indeed melted as he begs him to stop.

Pete wraps up thinking that he’s exhausted from all that’s happened but pleased that everything is all out in the open with his friends and believes that with their encouragement, the future for he and Earn looks bright.

Closing on such a hilarious prank on Pete is a terrific way to keep Penguin on his toes, as well as keep readers entertained and laughing after a rather serious chapter. So Por and Lhew now know Pete and Earn are dating, and this completes the couple’s coming out to the remainder of the family of friends. It seems Pete has reason to be optimistic about their future indeed. I wonder though how long it will be before our lovebirds discover that, newness and rush of feelings aside, relationships are complicated unions that require honesty, consideration and communication. My guess is that we won’t have to wait too long to find out. Thanks again for a great read. Cheers!