Elliot answered Adrian's question with a kiss, which Adrian considered encouraging but legally ambiguous.

"Was that a yes?" he asked when they parted.

"That was an invitation to keep trying."

"Excellent. I excel at long-term projects."

"You also abandon puzzles after ten minutes."

"Those pieces were deliberately misleading."

Two days later, an invitation arrived for the wedding of an old friend. Elliot had accepted months before the accident and wondered whether Adrian felt ready to attend.

"A wedding?" Adrian said. "Perfect. I can observe marriage in its natural habitat."

"You have one at home."

"Mine is unusually distracting."

Elliot checked with Adrian's doctor about travel and activity. The doctor confirmed that his recovery was progressing well, with instructions to rest if headaches returned.

Adrian promised to behave. Elliot didn't believe him for a second.

The wedding took place at a lakeside hotel outside Portland. The ceremony was small, full of flowers and laughter. Adrian recognized several guests from photographs but couldn't place their shared stories.

Elliot stayed close without hovering. When Adrian forgot someone's name, he supplied it discreetly. When a conversation became overwhelming, he found a quiet place for them to sit.

Adrian appreciated the kindness, though it also reminded him how much Elliot had been carrying since the accident.

During the reception, the bride asked them to dance. Adrian protested that he had no talent.

"You never did," Elliot assured him.

"Then my medical condition has preserved something important."

They joined the other couples. Adrian stepped on Elliot's shoe once and apologized three times.

"Relax," Elliot said. "We're not being graded."

"That's what people say before giving a grade."

Elliot rested his head briefly against Adrian's shoulder. Adrian stopped worrying about his feet.

For a few minutes, he forgot to feel like a stranger at his own marriage.

At the front desk afterward, however, the evening took a turn.

"I'm terribly sorry," the receptionist said. "There's been an error with your booking. We have only one room available, and it has a king bed."

Adrian stared. "One bed?"

Elliot looked at him. "We've been sharing a bed at home."

"Yes, but this is a hotel. Hotels have implications."

"They also have pillows."

The receptionist politely pretended not to hear. Elliot accepted the key before Adrian could ask about a second mattress.

Upstairs, the room was lovely: a wide bed, a balcony overlooking the lake, and a bowl of chocolates on the desk.

Adrian surveyed it as if inspecting a crime scene.

"We could build another pillow wall," he suggested.

"It didn't survive the last one."

"Stronger engineering."

"You can sleep on whichever side you like."

Elliot disappeared into the bathroom. Adrian loosened his tie and called Noah.

"There's one bed," he whispered.

"Congratulations," Noah said. "Most hotel rooms have furniture."

"I'm being serious."

"So am I. You're married. You've already shared a bed this week."

"It's different away from home."

"Why?"

Adrian looked toward the bathroom door. "Because I keep remembering things I haven't remembered yet."

Noah was quiet. "That makes no sense."

"I know."

"Then stop treating every feeling like an exam. Enjoy being with him."

Adrian hung up just as Elliot emerged wearing a white shirt Adrian recognized from their closet.

It hung loosely at his shoulders. His hair was still damp, and he looked entirely comfortable.

Adrian forgot the sentence he'd been preparing.

"What?" Elliot asked.

"Nothing. I was wondering whether you stole my shirt."

"You offered it to me. Three years ago."

"I apparently made excellent wardrobe decisions."

Elliot smiled and climbed into bed with a book. Adrian changed into pajamas and took the other side, leaving a respectful stretch of blanket between them.

They talked about the ceremony, the bride's nervous speech, and the strange way weddings made everyone sentimental.

"Were you nervous at ours?" Adrian asked.

"Terrified."

"Of marrying me?"

"Of crying in front of everyone."

"Did you?"

"You cried first. I felt much better."

Adrian laughed. Elliot set down his book and turned off the lamp.

The room grew quiet. Adrian listened to rain begin against the balcony doors and felt a flicker of familiarity.

For a moment he saw the outline of a different hotel window, a suitcase near the door, Elliot smiling at him through falling rain.

He sat up abruptly.

"Adrian?" Elliot whispered.

"I thought I remembered something."

Elliot switched on the bedside light. "A headache?"

"No. Just a glimpse. The honeymoon again, maybe."

"You don't have to chase it."

Adrian nodded, grateful for the permission. He lay down, and Elliot reached across the space between them.

"Would holding hands help?" Elliot asked.

"Probably more than the pillow wall."

Their fingers intertwined. Adrian fell asleep with the comforting pressure of Elliot's hand in his.

When morning arrived, he woke slowly to the sound of birds outside. Elliot lay against him, one leg draped across his, his face tucked near Adrian's shoulder.

Adrian's arm was around his back. The arrangement felt effortless, as though sleep had restored a map that daylight kept misplacing.

He didn't move. He studied the soft light on Elliot's hair and remembered their first night sharing a bed after the accident.

Then he'd been frightened of what closeness might mean. Now he was more frightened of losing these ordinary moments.

Elliot stirred. Adrian brushed a strand of hair away from his forehead.

"Good morning, husband," Elliot murmured.

Adrian bent to kiss his forehead. "Morning, baby."

They both went still.

Adrian stared at him, startled by the endearment that had emerged without thought. Elliot's eyes widened, then filled with tears he tried to blink away.

The evening before the wedding, Elliot had laid out two suits on their bed and asked Adrian which tie he preferred. Adrian chose the blue one.

"You wore that color at our wedding," Elliot said.

"Is that why you offered it?"

"Maybe. I didn't want to tell you what to wear."

Adrian examined the tie in the mirror. "I like it. Not because I used to. Because I like it now."

Elliot stepped behind him and adjusted the knot. Their reflections met in the glass. Adrian watched Elliot's hands, careful and familiar, and felt a sudden ache for the years between their first wedding and this quiet evening.

"Did we ever talk about renewing our vows?" Adrian asked.

"Once. You joked about throwing a second party so Noah could embarrass you twice."

"That sounds like a threat."

"He already has a speech prepared."

Adrian laughed, then turned to face Elliot. "If we ever do it, I want to remember every minute."

"You don't have to decide that now."

"I know. I'm just saying."

Elliot straightened his collar and stepped back. "Then let's start with attending someone else's wedding without causing a scandal."

"No promises."

At the reception, Adrian later caught Elliot quietly watching the couple exchange rings. He reached for Elliot's hand and felt the cool edge of their matching bands.

"I don't remember putting this on you," he whispered.

"You were shaking so badly I thought you'd drop it."

"I probably would have."

"You didn't."

Adrian kissed his knuckles. The gesture drew a fond smile from Elliot, and Adrian held onto that small success for the rest of the evening.

Neither spoke. Outside, the lake brightened under the rising sun.