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Tristan looked down on hi like that for ourselves We have always been content just surviving before you You h Josiah’s chest "I think we all taught each other how to live, just in different ways"

Tristan nodded "Maybe This weekend, I’d like us all to go back to the beach house I want to discuss so the intensity in Tristan’s voice, Josiah nodded Talk Tristan wanted to talk That was big

"What are you guys whisperin’ about?"

"You," Josiah said as Tristan said, "Hihed, shook his head, and snapped a picture of therabbed his hand "You’re being strange" It wasn’t that he didn’t like it, but it was different

"I’m tryin’ to be like you Tryin’ to be happy" He looked at Tristan "You need to do that, too"

Teo turned and led the way again Josiah and Tristan followed him They went off the path they usually took It took a few , but when he saw the mural in the distance, he realized It was the wall Mateo had taken a picture of months and months before The one with the weathered hand and the battered heart inside of it It was the picture Josiah had entered in the contest, only it was different now Three hearts rested in the hand, two other hands reaching out for it

"Teo? When?" Josiah couldn’t get his full question out, but his ansas fairly obvious The paint was pretty new

"Don’t ht it was my heart Or maybe it was yours, Jay, and my hand was the fucked-up hand tryin’ to protect it Now, though, now that I have you both, I know it’s all our hearts, and fuckall our hands, too, cuz we take turns protecting each other It’s e do It’s what you do when you love someone"

Before either Josiah or Tristan could reply, Mateo turned and snapped a picture of the wall Then another one Next to it, the single heart still sat there, intact and alone, and he thought maybe they were a before and after

Out of all of them, Mateo had probably seen the most and done the worst, yet he had this beautiful soul, the very thing that first attracted Josiah to hiht thing, but his heart was always in the right place It hy Josiah loved hi the shape the three hands made "Full circle," he whispered "The hands, they make a circle It’s what I decided to name the coffeehouse, Full Circle, because it’s e need to be It’s e are e’re together"

"It’s beautiful," Tristan said, and Josiah knew heand the naht arrabbed Josiah The huddled together in their full circle and held each other