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A s by, wondering what’s going on at the school Kids fro, but others are learning about it for the first ti their friends and other people they know to get the word out, to get so Soh to cousted when they find out what it is

"Do their parents know?" one wo like this happen?"

"His parents are right here," Mrs Ramirez answers fiercely

The woman shakes her head and walks away

Other people-- how they can help Lots of pictures are being taken on lots of phones

One of the kids who asks to pitch in is eleven years old His naht him to see this

Max is a marvel to us He will never have to coh he has ato tell him that it didn’t have to be a mom and a dad It could be a mom and a mom, a dad and a dad, just a mom, or just a dad When Max’s early affections became clear, he didn’t think twice about the him It is just a part of his definition

What does Max see when he looks at Harry and Craig? He sees two boys kissing But it’s not the two boys part that gives hi to kiss anyone for that long

Just wait, ant to tell him Just you wait

After pancakes, Neil and Peter convince Peter’s mom to drive them to the Clinton Bookshop There are closer bookstores, but they’re in thethe way, they don’t say e where silence is co Silence only har said, or when there’s the fear that the well is e left to say Neither is the case here They still have plenty to say to each other, just not anything right now

At the bookstore, Neil looks for a doorstop biography to give his father for his birthday while Peter peruses the Young Adult section It is there that Peter’s phone buzzes, and he finds a e from his debate friend Simon There’s a link attached

Peter takes a look, then tracks down Neil "Want to see soe, then clicking the link "It’s two boys in Millburn They’re trying to break the world record for kissing"

Neil looks at the grainy feed on the phone "Do we know either of them?"

"I don’t think so But isn’t that cool?"

Neil thinks it’s cool But hishe doesn’t think is cool at all

" ‘Hey, beautiful’?" he asks

Peter doesn’t get it "What?"

"That’s how Simon started his text to you ‘Hey, beautiful’ "

"That’s just the way Siht"

"Don’t dismiss me like that"

"Do we really have to have this conversation again?"

"Why don’t you tell me, beautiful?"

"He’s just a flirty friend We both have flirty friends"

"Yeah, but mine are female"

"Clark? Clark is female?"

"Clark isn’t flirty He’s too scientific to be flirty"

"He thinks lab partners should have fullClark has ever called beautiful in his life is an algebraic equation"

"Oh, but he’d love to see how his x corresponds to your y"

"Wait--how is this about Clark? I seem to recall it’s about Si you beautiful and sending you a link to two guys kissing"

"Really? Of all the places to go, you’re going to go there?"

They are a bit too loud They don’t notice the bookseller behind the counter, s He knows firsthand that every relationship falls into this groove at so on him He doesn’t think Peter would ever cheat on him That’s not what this is about It’s about Neil’s fear that Peter ant to cheat on him, that he will someday realize there’s soh to not really understand this He thinks Neil is being foolish, slightly paranoid He has done nothing wrong, and resents being attacked, anyway

"Look," he says, "I think we need to step away for a sec I’et coffee Do you want anything?"

Neil shakes his head

"Okay I’ll be back in a few minutes Which is hopefully the amount of time it will take for you to realize that even if a uys say ‘Hey, beautiful’ to e e are, not one little bit"

"Aabout a million?"

"There happen to be a lot of people who use ‘Hey, beautiful’ as a greeting when I arant you that It must be the hey I object to It’s so common For horses, really And you are so uncommonly, unhorsily beautiful"

Peter realizes this last twist in the conversationbetter, but now that he’s ets an iced latte, drinks it in a few gulps (too many damn ice cubes), then heads back to the bookstore He finds Neil still in the YA section, his ar you on bed rest or so?"

Neil puts the books on a table and shushes Peter with a finger to his lips

Then he picks up the first book and holds it so Peter can read the title

I Hadn’t Meant to Tell You This

Peter quiets Watches as Neil holds up the books one by one

Just Listen