"I don't know how I feel," Adam said as he came back from the burial, brushing some dirt off his sleeve like it might distract him from everything else.
"You don't have to know," Melanie replied. "You don't need to put a name on it. If you're sad, be sad. If you're relieved, feel that. You don't have to explain anything—not even to yourself."
Adam scratched his chin and tilted his head. "What if I'm feeling horny?"
Melanie had been walking toward him, maybe to offer a hug or just stand nearby, but she stopped dead in her tracks. Then, with an almost comic snap, she backed up a full step like the floor had turned hot.
Adam started laughing. "You're too easy, Melon. That was too easy."
Adam was still chuckling to himself when the front door banged open. A pair of sneakers thudded rapidly down the hallway, and before either of them could fully register the sound, Adir skidded into the room like he'd been running from a storm.
