“Cayden,” Devon James said as she entered the kitchen, “why is there a man in your bed?” The question seemed to catch Cayden off-guard and he stopped chopping the carrot and turned toward the woman standing in his kitchen.

“There’s a man in my bed?” He replied with alarm, but paused when he remembered who it was. “Oh, that’s Elijah. His back is killing him for some reason, so he’s resting.” he confessed as he turned back to the carrot and picked up the knife.

“Elijah? Your friend from school?” Devon questioned with a hint of a smile on her face.

“A friend who sleeps in the same bed with him,” Mason Weber added as he finished peeling the last of the potatoes. He glanced over at Devon and gave her a suggestive wink. “But he’s just a friend,” Mason teased. “Nothing more. Forget the fact that they sleep in the same bed when Elijah comes over in the middle of the night.”

“He comes over? In the middle of the night?” Devon questioned, thoroughly intrigued. “For sex?”

“It’s not for sex,” Cayden responded. “His roommate gets lucky all the time and when he does, Elijah doesn’t have a place to crash, so he comes here. We just sleep in the same bed, that’s it.”

“Sure it is,” Devon said as she reached over and grabbed a piece of carrot and took a bite. “It’s a booty call.”

“It’s not a booty call,” Cayden groaned.

“Dude, it’s a booty call,” Mason concluded.

“How is it a booty call? He doesn’t get any booty. There’s no giving of the booty. There is no booty.”

“He’s hopeless,” Devon said as she glanced at Mason, “absolutely hopeless.”

“Now you see what I’ve been dealing with all these years,” Mason chided.

“What is that supposed to mean?” Cayden questioned as he reached for another carrot.

“I think what Mason is trying to say is that you’re a little naïve when it comes to these things,” Devon explained. “A cute, single, attractive man comes to your door in the middle of the night with a flimsy story about how he can’t go home because his roommate is having sex. He asks you if he can stay the night and you sleep in the same bed and do nothing?”

“Exactly,” Cayden responded. “Elijah and I are just friends. I give him a place to stay when he needs one. You should know all about that, Mason,” Cayden said as he glanced over at his friend.

“What about his other friends?” Devon interjected. “You just met this guy. I’m sure he has other, much closer friends that he can stay with. No,” she said as she shook her head and smiled. “Something else is going on here.”

“Oh yeah?” Cayden inquired. “Like what?”

“Dude, he’s already gotten into your bed. He wants to get into your pants now.”

“No he doesn’t,” Cayden said as he turned back to the cutting board. He glanced down at the carrot for a moment, then turned back toward Devon and Mason. “You think he’s really interested in me?” He questioned.

“Hopeless, I told you,” Mason said as he tied up the trash bag and lifted it out of the garbage can. “I’m going to toss this down the incinerator. Try to talk some sense into this guy. Hopefully, when I get back, he’ll have some kind of clue,” he said as he turned and exited the kitchen.

“I should kick him out,” Cayden muttered under his breath.

“Why? Because he’s right?” Devon questioned.

“No, because he doesn’t know how to peel potatoes,” Cayden replied, sarcastically as he glanced over at the sad, thin-looking potatoes on the counter.

“Look, we’re not trying to make you feel stupid,” Devon explained, “but you have to admit that maybe there’s something more going on here. God knows you need a little something more in your life right now.”

“What is that supposed to mean?”

“It means that we can all see that you’re upset about what happened between you and the detective. You hoped for something more and you didn’t get it. Maybe it wouldn’t be such a bad idea to see where things with this new guy might go. I think you might enjoy having a boyfriend.” Devon said as she reached for a bag of potato chips and opened it.

“I don’t need a boyfriend,” Cayden countered.

“Everybody needs something, Cayden, even you.” Devon explained as she poured the potato chips into a bowl. She set the bag on the counter and grabbed the bowl. “Putting aside the jokes for a second, I think you know what I’m talking about. You want to find love, but you’re not going to find it if you don’t look for it yourself, because one thing I’m sure of is that it’s not going to come looking for you. Seize the opportunity. Take a chance. Who knows, you might be surprised. Anyway, think about it,” she said as she turned and took the bowl of potato chips into the living room.

“Penny for your thoughts,” Kathryn Hayes said as she sat beside Jesse Martinez beside the window in the living room. She glanced out of the window for a moment as Jesse turned toward her and smiled weakly.

“You’re getting robbed. My shrinks charge a lot more than a penny just to hear what I’m thinking,” he replied and watched as Kathryn smiled. “Actually, I was just thinking about Thanksgiving last year,” he explained.

Kathryn smiled again. “We sure did have a great time,” she said.

“The best time,” Jesse agreed.

“Remember when Julia burned the turkey?” Kathryn laughed.

“And Gage spilled the wine all over the potato salad,” Jesse added.

“Then Julia said that it was okay because Devon made the worst potato salad anyway.”

“God, we had so much fun,” Jesse said as he glanced back out of the window. “And here we are now, one year later, all together . . . except for Julia.”

“I know,” Kathryn said as she placed her hand on Jesse’s back and rubbed it soothingly. “She may not be here physically, but she’s here in your heart . . . in all of our hearts,” Kathryn explained.

Jesse glanced into Kathryn’s eyes. “Thank you,” he said softly.

Kathryn nodded in response as she lifted her hand from Jesse’s back. “You’re my friend, it’s the least I could do.”

“I don’t think I should be here,” Jesse admitted. “I mean, it’s Thanksgiving. I have nothing to be thankful for. I’m just in the way.”

“No you’re not,” Kathryn responded.

“Yes I am. I’m the sad, depressed guy sitting in the corner that everyone stares at and feels sorry for,” he explained.

“Look around,” Kathryn said as she motioned to the others. “I don’t think anyone here is staring at you,” she said. “We all want you to be here. You’re our friend . . . you’re a part of our family.”

“Some family,” Jesse muttered.

“Yeah, well we all have our problems,” Kathryn smiled, “but we stick together when it really counts. We’re all here for you.”

“I should do something. I should help with the food or help set the table,” Jesse said as he reached up and wiped a tear from his eye. “But here I am sitting in the corner crying like a baby.”

“There’s nothing wrong with that,” Kathryn explained. “Everybody cries. If you need to cry right now, then do it. No one is going to think less of you for it. We care about you, Jesse, and we want you to feel better. We won’t give up on you because that’s not what family does,” Kathryn said, smiling warmly.

“Shit! Fuck!” Cayden yelped as he lifted his finger to his lips and stuck it inside of his mouth.

“Nice language,” Elijah Montessori said as he entered the kitchen. “You kiss your mother with that mouth?” He questioned.

“I cut myself,” Cayden said as he glanced down at his finger and saw the blood. “Damned carrots.”

“Oh sure, blame the poor carrots for your mistake,” Elijah said as he opened the refrigerator and peeked inside. “What happened to the milk?” He questioned.

“I used the rest of it to make the dessert,” Cayden explained.

“Well, aren’t you Susie Homemaker?” Elijah questioned. “Let me guess, you baked the cakes and pies from scratch, didn’t you?”

“Yeah? So what?” Cayden questioned as he glanced down at his finger again.

“Nothing, I just think that’s cute,” Elijah admitted.

“Yeah, well you won’t think it’s cute when you find my severed finger in your vegetables. I’m gonna need stitches or surgery,” Cayden groaned.

“Come here,” Elijah said as he reached for Cayden’s hand.

“Stay away from my finger, it hurts like hell,” he said as he backed away.

“Will you just let me look at it?” Elijah questioned as he caught Cayden’s arm and pulled it toward him. “Relax, you’re acting like a baby.”

“Let’s see how you act when you cut your finger off,” Cayden replied.

Elijah stepped over toward the sink and ran the water over Cayden’s finger.

“Oh my God, I’m going to bleed to death,” Cayden complained.

“Relax,” Elijah told him as he glanced down at the cut on Cayden’s finger. “It’s just a little blood. Cayden, you’re such a drama queen,” he smiled with disbelief.

“Well it hurts like hell.”

“All you need is some ointment and a band aid. Do you have any?” Elijah questioned.

“In the bathroom,” Cayden responded.

“Well then follow me,” Elijah said. “I’ll play doctor and stitch you up and make you feel all better,” he smiled.

Pausing, Cayden glanced down at his finger, then back at Elijah as he considered what Devon told him. “Fine,” he said, “but if you do anything wrong, I’m suing you for malpractice.” He followed Elijah out of the kitchen and into the bedroom.

Sitting on the bed, Cayden watched Elijah step into the bathroom and turn the light on. “They’re in the cabinet above the sink,” Cayden called out.

“I got ‘em,” Elijah responded as he stepped back into the bedroom and sat down beside Cayden. “Now close your eyes, reattachment surgery can be painful,” he joked.

“Shut up,” Cayden retorted as Elijah unscrewed the top of the antibiotic ointment.

“Just relax, I’ll have you all patched up and ready to attack more poor defenseless carrots in no time,” Elijah chided as he squeezed some ointment on Cayden’s finger.

“You’re full of all kinds of hilarious jokes, aren’t you?”

“It’s part of my charming bedside manner,” Elijah explained with a smirk as he wrapped the ban aid around Cayden’s finger. “There, see? All better,” he said with a smile as he lifted Cayden’s hand into view.

“You suck as a doctor, because it still hurts,” Cayden complained.

“Well now, I can fix that,” Elijah said as he moved Cayden’s bandaged finger to his lips and gave it a gentle kiss. How’s that?” He asked with a smile as he glanced up at Cayden.

“It’s working,” Cayden responded softly as he slowly pulled his hand away from Elijah’s grasp and glanced away.

Elijah noticed that Cayden’s cheeks flushed red. “I’m sorry,” he said, “I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.”

“No, it’s cool,” Cayden replied. “It’s all better now,” he said, managing a smile.

“Well good.” Elijah said as Cayden slowly got up from the bed. Reaching up, Elijah took his hand and stopped him. “Cayden,” he said softly. “Can we talk for a second?”

“Sure,” he replied. “What do you want to talk about?” He paused, hesitantly as he glanced down at Elijah.

At the door to the bedroom, Gage Matthews stepped in and glanced over at Cayden. “Do you have any good CDs?” He questioned as he motioned to the CDs in his hand. “This is all crap. Nobody listens to Cher but fags. No offense.”

Cayden turned toward Gage. “None taken, asshole. I have those CDs you left here last night. They’re on top of the refrigerator,” he responded.

“Sweet,” Gage said as he stepped out of the bedroom.

Glancing back at Elijah, Cayden smiled. “Sorry about that. What were you saying?”

Staring up into Cayden’s eyes, Elijah couldn’t bring himself to say the words that he wanted to say, not in front of Gage. He glanced away and let go of Cayden’s hand. “Nothing, it’s not important.”

“Okay,” Cayden said with a nod as he headed to the door.

“Cayden,” Elijah called out, causing the other man to pause. “You have some blood on your shirt,” he said as he pointed to the red spot.

Cayden glanced down. “Relax, it’s just a little blood. Everybody bleeds, you don’t have to be such a drama queen,” he teased with a smile.

Devon watched as Gage Matthews stepped over to the CD player and flipped through his case of CDs. “Wait a second,” she said as she got up from the couch and crossed over toward him. “Don’t play any of that women-hating garbage.”

“What women-hating garbage?” Gage questions.

“That rap music where all the girls are bitches and ho’s, I hate that shit.”

“Relax, it’s just music.”

“No it’s not. It’s just a bunch of men perpetrating the idea that woman are just objects.”

“So you don’t like rap?” Gage questioned.

“I like rap just fine, I just don’t like the kind where woman are portrayed as sluts and money-hungry whores.”

“That’s pretty much all rap music,” Gage responded.

“Then don’t play it. Play something that we can all enjoy,” Devon informed him.

“I agree with that,” Kathryn seconded.

“They’re ganging up on me, Jesse,” Gage said as he glanced at the man sitting by the window. “Help me out here.”

“I know better than to argue with women,” Jesse responded, “especially these two,” he added with a smile as he glanced at Devon and Kathryn.

“Three against one,” Devon said. “Now play something good.”

“Holy crap!” Mason Weber said as he stepped back into the apartment, garnering stares from everyone. Stepping out the bedroom glancing down at his bandaged finger, Cayden looked over at Mason.

“What happened?” He questioned as Elijah exited the room behind him. Cayden glanced over his shoulder at Elijah and smiled slightly.

“I just came from throwing the trash out,” Mason explained, “and there are a bunch of cops down the hall. That guy lives across the hall from Gage?” He questioned.

“James?” Devon inquired.

“Whatever his name is,” Mason went on, “well the dude’s dead.”

“What?” Kathryn said as she stood up from the couch.

“Are you serious?” Gage inquired.

“The cops are all over his apartment. It’s like CSI,” he explained.

Cayden crossed over to the door and opened it, peering outside. Stepping back into the apartment, he closed the door and turned toward the others. “He’s right. Jesus, what happened?”

“I heard one of them saying that the guy left a note behind. I think he killed himself.”

In the corner of the room, Jesse Martinez stood up and crossed over to the door and opened it. He peered down the hall at the police standing by James’ apartment. Kathryn crossed over and placed her hand on Jesse’s arm. “Come back inside,” she said softly.

Slowly, Jesse stepped into the apartment and shut the door, glancing at everyone standing there. “Relax,” he said softly. “I’m fine.”

“We didn’t . . .” Devon said softly, trailing off.

“No, it’s cool,” Jesse said. “I made a mistake, I know that. If Kathryn hadn’t found me, I’d be just like that guy,” he explained.

“But you’re not,” Devon informed him. “You’re not dead.”

“No, not yet,” Jesse responded.

“Jesse,” Cayden spoke up, “I hope you’re not going to . . .”

“Don’t worry,” Jesse interrupted. “I’m not going to try to kill myself again. I know it was a stupid thing to do. I won’t do it again.”

“Then what did you mean?” Devon questioned.

“Everybody dies, Devon,” Jesse said as he glanced over at her. “We all know that, and you and I know that better than anyone else, right? Sometimes people die for no reason. Sometimes they get killed and sometimes . . . sometimes they take their own lives,” he explained. “It’s just a part of life,” he explained.

“Yeah, it’s the part that sucks,” Devon responded.

“It’s just so sad,” Kathryn said softly.

“I didn’t really know him,” Cayden confessed, “but he seemed like a really nice guy. We had a conversation in the elevator once about the weather, but that’s all.”

“I know that he worked for a big company,” Gage explained. “Sales and Marketing, I think. He was always going away on business for something.”

“I wonder what happened that made him think he had nothing left to live for,” Kathryn voiced.

“A lot of things,” Jesse said.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to . . .”

“It’s okay,” Jesse said. “I have to deal with what I did, and I’m doing that. Lucky for me, I have something that James didn’t. I have friends,” he said as he glanced around the room. I have people in my life that love me.” He turned toward Kathryn. “I guess I do still have something to be thankful for,” he added with a smile.

“Need some help?” Kathryn questioned as she stepped into the kitchen.

Glancing over his shoulder, Cayden smiled. “Can you check on the turkey?” He questioned as he tossed the salad. “Everything else is pretty much all set.”

“Oh good, because I’m getting hungry,” she smiled as she reached for an oven mitt and opened the oven, peering inside. “It’s huge! Smells good,” she said.

“I hope so. Devon picked out but she didn’t want to cook it. It’s my first time cooking a turkey on my own. I don’t want to burn it,” Cayden said.

“Julia burned the turkey last year,” Kathryn informed him. “It was hilarious. We had this poor burnt up turkey on the table and Jesse tried to carve it but the knife wouldn’t even cut into the thing. He had to get a meat cleaver and almost broke the dinner table.”

“It sounds like you guys had a lot of fun,” Cayden responded.

“We did,” she said as she closed the oven. “A few more minutes, I think,” she said as she tossed to oven mitts on the counter. “I think you need some more tomato in that salad,” she said.

“Me too,” Cayden agreed.

“I got it,” Kathryn said as she reached for the knife and a fresh tomato.

Cayden watched her for a moment and glanced into the living room at Jesse. He thought about Julia’s diary entry in which she admitted to cheating on Jesse and turned back toward Kathryn. “Can I ask you a question?”

“Of course,” she said as she sliced the tomato.

“Jesse and Julia . . . what kind of relationship did they have?”

“What do you mean?” Kathryn questioned.

“I mean . . . was it the real thing?”

“Everybody dreams about a love like Jesse’s and Julia’s. They were inseparable. They were attached at the hip. I don’t think they ever spent a day apart. I mean, everyone could see that they were totally in love with each other. Even after they had that big argument and split up, we all knew that they’d get back together, and they did.” she added.

Cayden stepped forward. “They broke up?” He questioned.

“It was nothing big. A couple of months before she died, Julia and Jesse had this big fight in the hallway and everyone heard it.”

“What were they fighting about?” Cayden questioned.

“Stupid stuff, I guess,” Kathryn responded as she shrugged her shoulders and reached for another tomato. “Jesse accused her of cheating on him and she denied it.”

“He accused her of cheating on him?” Cayden asked, wondering if perhaps Jesse had found out about Julia’s affair.

“I guess someone wrote a letter and stuck it under Jesse’s door.”

“Who would do that?” Cayden questioned.

“I don’t know. The argument got so loud that Devon had to step in and tell Jesse to leave or she’d call the police. But I guess he didn’t trust whoever slipped that letter under his door because he and Julia were back together a week later,” she said as she finished slicing the tomato and turned back toward Cayden. “So you see, it was the real thing. Nothing could have kept Jesse and Julia apart for too long.”

“Nothing but death,” Cayden said to himself as he turned and stepped out of the kitchen glancing over at Jesse sitting on the couch. Cayden realized that someone else had known about Julia’s affair and tried to tell Jesse.

“But why send a letter?” Cayden said softly.

“What’s that?” Kathryn questioned as she tossed the freshly cut tomato in with the rest of the salad.

“Nothing, never mind,” Cayden said as he turned toward her. “We’re almost ready to eat,” he said as he stepped back into the kitchen.

“Thank God, I’ve been dreaming about turkey all week,” Kathryn said with a smile as she stepped out of the kitchen.

Devon reached for a towel as she turned off the sink in the bathroom and began to dry her hands. Turning toward the bathroom door, she tossed the towel on the hamper and reached for the doorknob. The door opened just before she could grasp it and she jumped back slightly.

“I’m sorry,” Kathryn said with surprise. “I didn’t know you were in there.”

“I’m just leaving,” Devon responded as she stepped out of the bathroom.

“The food is just about ready,” Kathryn said as she stepped into the bathroom. “Well be eating soon.”

“Kathryn,” Devon said just as the other woman was about to shut the door.

Kathryn paused and glanced at Devon. “Yes?” She questioned.

“Look, I wanted to talk to you about what happened in the hospital.”

“Oh, just forget about it,” Kathryn assured her, “I have.”

“No, I don’t know what came over me, I shouldn’t have said what I said to you.”

“You were upset, it’s understandable.”

“Yes, but I shouldn’t be making excuses for being such a bitch,” Devon said.

“It’s not an excuse, it’s a reason,” Kathryn said as she stepped out of the bathroom. “You and Jesse are close, I understand that.”

“I’m just concerned for him,” Devon explained. “He’s still so fragile, even though he sometimes acts like he isn’t.”

“I know,” Kathryn agreed.

“I just don’t want to see him get hurt again.”

“I’m not going to hurt him,” Kathryn assured her.

“I don’t think you are,” Devon said. “I just think that he needs time to sort through his feelings right now. I mean, the love of his life just died recently and he’s not dealing with it in the best way. When I saw you in the hospital, I assumed that you were trying to seduce him or something.”

“Wow, should I be offended?” Kathryn questioned.

“I’m not good with apologies,” Devon explained. “What I’m trying to say is that if I misinterpreted what was going on, I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay,” Kathryn replied. “You have nothing to be sorry for. You were just looking out for Jesse. I’m looking out for him too. We don’t have to be enemies because of it, we can look out for him together,” Kathryn explained.

“You’re right,” Devon agreed.

“And hey, after that moving speech he gave in the living room, I think Jesse’s a lot stronger than you and I think. He knows that what he did was a mistake. Maybe now he’ll be able to get his life back on track.”

“I hope so,” Devon sighed. “I really do. This whole thing has been like a nightmare. I always thought of Jesse and Julia as one of those couples you read about in all of the fairy tales. The princess and the valiant prince,” she said with a smile.

“That’s what they were,” Kathryn responded, “once upon a time.”

“I understand what he’s going through. Julia was like my sister. Losing her was one of the hardest things that I’ve ever had to go through. It must be ten times harder for him, though.”

“He’ll get through it,” Kathryn assured her. “We’ll all get through it. We’ll help each other. You’ll see, before you know it, this whole nightmare fairy tale that we’ve found ourselves in will be over.”

“And when everybody wakes up, we all live happily ever after,” Devon said, managing a smile.

“Or something close to it,” Kathryn added warmly.

“The turkey is ready,” Cayden said as he carried it out of the kitchen and set it on the table and stood back triumphantly.

“That looks great,” Gage said as he stepped up to the table.

“Thanks, it’s my first turkey,” Cayden said proudly.

“Everything looks amazing,” Jesse said as he joined them at the table.

“Great job, Cayden,” Kathryn said as she and Devon stepped out of the bedroom. “Everything is ready, I think it’s time to eat.”

“Just a minute,” Elijah Montessori said as he headed toward the bedroom. “I gotta take a piss.”

“Oh, nice,” Devon said, “we all want that mental picture while we’re getting ready to eat.” She rolled her eyes and pulled out a chair at the table and sat down.

“Not all of us, but maybe one of us,” Mason said as he gave Cayden a nudge with his elbow.

“Shut up,” Cayden whispered. “Just hurry up,” he called out, “or we’ll start without you.”

“Fine by me,” Gage said as he sat down and reached for the potatoes.”

Kathryn reached forward and slapped his hand away. “Stop that. We’re going to wait for him,” she informed Gage as he stuck his tongue out at her and tended to his injured hand.

“Let’s sit down,” Cayden said to the rest of them, “and wait for Elijah.” Jesse and Kathryn took their seats as someone knocked on the front door.

Gage hopped up from his chair and headed to the door, opening it. Szymon Skubisz glanced at Gage, then past him at everyone seated at the table. “Dude, you have the wrong apartment,” Gage informed him. “The dead guy is down the hall. No one here is dead. We’ll call you if someone dies,” he said as he closed the door in Szymon’s face.

Devon and Jesse broke out into a fit of laughter and Kathryn stifled a smile. Cayden sprang up from the table. “Gage!” He called out, chastising the other man for his rude behavior. Cayden walked over to the door and opened it. “I’m sorry about that,” he said to Szymon. “Come in.”

“It’s fine,” Szymon responded, “I won’t blame you for your friend’s lack of respect or a proper upbringing,” he added.

“Screw you, it was a joke,” Gage said.

“It was pretty funny,” Devon agreed.

“You have a strange sense of humor,” Szymon said as he glanced at Gage. “Good evening everyone, I’m sorry to interrupt your meal.” Glancing at Cayden, he smiled slightly. “Can I talk to you for a second?” He questioned.

“We’re busy,” Jesse Martinez spoke up. “We’re just about to have Thanksgiving dinner.”

“It’ll only take a moment,” Szymon assured everyone.

“Who’s got the improper upbringing now?” Gage questioned. “Interrupting people during dinner. How rude?” He chided.

“Gage, shut up,” Cayden said as he rolled his eyes. “Sure,” he said as he turned to Szymon. “What did you want to talk about?”

“I wanted to . . .” Szymon began, then glanced at the people at the table who were staring at the two of them. “Can we do this in private?” Szymon questioned.

“No,” Cayden said as he shook his head. “Gage is right, you’re interrupting dinner, so please just say whatever it is that you have to say. You had no problem saying what was on your mind in Jesse’s hospital room,” he reminded him.

“That’s the reason that I came over here tonight,” Szymon said. “I wanted to apologize to you for what happened.”

“You don’t have to apologize to me,” Cayden informed him, “you need to apologize to Jesse.”

“We really need to do this in private,” Szymon told him.

“Okay,” Cayden said with a nod when he realizes that Szymon had something else that he wanted to say, something he didn't want to say in front of everyone. “Let’s go to the kitchen.” He lead the older man into the kitchen. “So what is it?” He questioned.

“I’m hungry!” Gage called out. “I’m going to eat now!”

“You touch anything and I’m stabbing you with the carving knife!” Cayden yelled. He turned toward Szymon. “Tell me,” he said.

“When I saw how disappointed in me you were, I felt horrible,” Szymon explained. I didn’t mean to upset you,” he explained. “That wasn’t my intention. I’m investigating a murder case here and I need to examine every possible angle. I’m just sorry that I did it the way I did.”

“I know,” Cayden sighed. “Everybody makes mistakes. You were just doing your job, I get that, I really do. But Jesse is my friend and I was doing my job . . . as a friend. I won’t hold it against you for doing your job, but why come all the way down here to apologize to me?” He questioned.

“I just . . . I couldn’t go another day without telling you how sorry I am for upsetting you,” Szymon explained. “Cayden . . . there’s something about you, something that I don’t understand.”

“What are you trying to say?” Cayden questioned.

“What I’m trying to say is . . . I don’t know what I’m trying to say,” Szymon explained. “But I can show you,” he said as he reached for the back of Cayden’s head and pulled him into a kiss. The shock of Szymon’s actions took Cayden off-guard, but he found himself falling into Szymon’s arms and returning the kiss.

A moment later, Szymon pulled away and stepped back, glancing away. “I’m sorry,” he said softly.

“Don’t apologize,” Cayden responded as he slowly backed away. “I don’t . . . I just don’t know what to say.”

“Don’t say anything,” Szymon said to him. “Just think about it,” he added as he stepped out of the kitchen. Cayden followed him as they rejoined the others at the dinner table.

“Would you like to stay for dinner?” Cayden questioned despite the complaints from Devon and Jesse at the dinner table.

Stepping out of the bedroom, Elijah Montessori crossed over to the table. “Cayden,” he said, “look, I don’t care what you say, I’m sleeping on the right side of the bed tonight because my back is killing me.”

Everyone at the table glanced at Cayden and Szymon as Szymon’s eyes went wide with surprise. Cayden watched as an expression of embarrassment came over Szymon’s face and he took a step forward.

“Szymon,” he said softly.

“I’m sorry,” Szymon Skubisz said as he stepped away. “I didn’t mean to interrupt your dinner. I can’t . . . I can’t stay,” he said, “I have plans to spend the holiday with family.” Backing away from the table somberly, Szymon crossed over to the front door and opened it. He glanced back at Cayden sadly. “I’m sorry,” he said again as he slipped into the hall.

Cayden stepped toward the door and watched Szymon walk down the hall toward the elevator. He wanted to run after him and tell him that it was all a big misunderstanding.

“Can we eat now?” Gage questioned.

Cayden sighed and stepped back into the apartment. “Yes,” he said as he shut the door and turned toward his dinner party. “We can eat now.”

Cayden took his seat at the head of the table and glanced around at all of the faces of his friends. He smiled. “I was hoping that before we eat, each of us could say a few words about what we are thankful for, and since it was my idea,” Cayden continued, “I guess then I should be the one to go first, right?”

“That seems fair,” Kathryn said with a smile, and everyone else agreed.

“Okay, so everyone, grab your glass and raise them,” Cayden said as he reached for his own. “I guess I have a lot of things to be thankful for. I mean, I’m happy and healthy, but I think what I’m thankful for most this year is that when I moved here to New York, that I didn’t lose my way. I didn’t get lost in this big city because I made such great friends. I’m thankful for the friends in my life that took me in and didn’t let me get lost,” he said.

“You’re welcome,” Devon said with a smile.

“Anytime, Dude,” Gage added.

“Okay,” Cayden said as he turned toward Devon. “It’s your turn.”

“My turn?” Devon said with surprise. “Well, okay . . . I guess that what I’m most thankful for is that there are people out there who are willing to help others,” she said as she turned toward Cayden, “not because they have to, but because they want to.”

“I second that,” Jesse said as he held his glass higher.

Turning to her side, Devon turned to Kathryn. “Ms. Kathryn, you have the floor,” she smiled.

“I don’t know what to say,” Kathryn responded as she glanced around the table.

“Speak from your heart,” Jesse informed her.

“It may sound corny,” Kathryn said softly, “but I’m thankful that I have friends that I can spend the holidays with, but I guess it’s more than that. I’m thankful that I have people in my life that I can count on, and people who can count on me,” she added as she glanced over at Jesse.

“Here, here,” Cayden said with a smile.

“Gage?” Kathryn said as she glanced at him. “What are you thankful for?”

“I’m thankful that I remembered to get this bottle of wine,” Gage said as he motioned to his glass. Everyone at the table started laughing.

“Come on,” Devon said. “What are you really thankful for?” She questioned.

“Well,” Gage responded, “I’m not one of those sappy bleeding heart types, but I guess I’ll humor all of you. My family doesn’t really want me around,” he admitted. “But fuck them, because I have a better family,” he explained. “I have you, and I’m thankful for that.”

Kathryn reached over and rubbed Gage on the back. “We’re glad to have you,” she said with a smile.

“Speak for yourself,” Devon joked.

“It’s Elijah’s turn,” Cayden said.

“My turn?” Elijah questioned. “I’m just a guest, I’m not a part of your little family,” he added.

“You are,” Cayden assured him. “I mean, you can be,” he explained.

“Okay,” Elijah said as he lifted his glass. “I’m thankful that whatever happens, and wherever I am, that I always have a place to go,” he said as he glanced at Cayden.

“And you always will,” Cayden smiled.

“Yeah, Hotel Cayden,” Mason spoke up.

“At which you’re also a guest,” Cayden reminded him. “What about you, Mason? What are you thankful for?”

“Well unlike you, Cayden, when I got to New York, I did get lost. But a good friend of mine helped me find my way and that’s what I’m most thankful for,” he said. “Plus, I score more with the chicks now than I did back home,” he joked, which caused everyone to laugh.

“It’s Jesse’s turn,” Devon spoke up.

Everyone turned to Jesse and stared at him intently. Jesse nodded and glanced down at the table. “I guess you all know that I didn’t feel like I had a lot left to be thankful for,” he explained. “But then I realized that I have all of you, and as much as I’m thankful for that, I’m more thankful that I was able to experience love, at least for a short time.”

“I think that’s definitely something to be thankful for,” Kathryn Hayes said with a smile.

“Blah, blah, blah. So we all love one another, can we drink our wine now?” Gage laughed.

“Let’s lift our glasses higher,” Cayden said, “and drink to . . . friendship.”

“To friendship.”

“To friendship.”

“And to Julia,” Jesse added.

“To Julia,” they repeated.