January 2026
The snow outside began to fall harder as the silence between Noah and Matthew stretched on in the diner. Their eyes flickered with walls built with a subtle warmth that only they could understand.
Matthew cleared his throat. There was something about the truth that didn’t rest well with his soul. Something was missing, and it begged for an answer.
“What was the phrase?” he asked.
“Phrase?”
“You said I…Matthew said something to you in Mandarin. Even in the book, you write about a phrase whispered between the two of you. What was it?”
Noah leaned back in the chair. He let out a deep sigh as his eyes lifted toward the ceiling. A safe but small smile formed across his ebony face. Images of all the times he and Matthew uttered that phrase to one another danced in his mind.
It was simple, but it carried so much weight and power. Every feeling and emotion was tied to those words in a way he hadn’t realized until that very moment.
“Was it just something that was between the two of you?” Matthew asked, breaking the long pause.
“Yes,” Noah answered softly, almost afraid to reveal the truth.
“If I’m him, shouldn’t I know?”
“If I tell you, then I have nothing of him that’s just mine.”
“I don’t understand.”
“You refer to him as if you aren’t him, and I get it; you don’t remember, but he was everything to me, and he still is. I’ll tell you everything, but I can’t give that up yet.”
Noah’s eyes watered. Every part of him wanted to scream and cry. Yet this small portion of himself refused to cry, and that small portion stood tall. There would be more time later to shed tears, he reasoned within himself.
“I think I understand your hesitation. I’d probably feel the same way if I were in your shoes.”
Their eyes locked in an intense stare.
“You are in my shoes. You sit across from the man who has answers to your past and loves you wholeheartedly, and you won’t tell me anything about who you are now.”
Matthew smirked. “Clever. Very clever. Tell me then what happened after Thanksgiving.”
Noah turned and glared out the window into the dark, snowy night.
“A whole lot of bullshit,” he mumbled.
CHRISTMAS EVE 2005
The Montgomery house sat on three acres of land. The three-story brick house glowed from end to end like something out of a winter wonderland. The driveway was lined with cars. The sound of Christmas carols echoed from inside. The Montgomery annual Christmas party was proving to be a success once again.
The house was full of people from all over the state. The sound of laughter and friendly political debate flowed everywhere you turned. For Noah, it was just a reminder of the life he had come to dread.
Noah found himself in the family room in the corner alone. His eyes were fixed on the world outside as he stared out the floor-to-ceiling window. Every year he’d attend the party his parents hosted, and every year he’d find himself isolated, dreaming of a different life and world.
“I thought the party was inside.” Matthew’s smooth, calm voice gripped him.
Noah spun around. His eyes lit up at the sight of Matthew. The two hadn’t seen each other since Thanksgiving. Their communication had suffered some. They had gone from texting daily to every few days.
“I almost thought you weren’t gonna come,” Noah admitted.
Matthew grinned.
“And miss the famous Montgomery Christmas party? I always wondered what happened here at these parties. Everyone in town wanted to get one of those fancy invitations.”
“Guess you can let all the locals know all about it.”
Silence. The party continued around them. The two of them held each other’s gaze.
“And who might this young man be?” The woman’s voice was soft, warm, and intimidating all at once.
Noah quickly turned his attention to the woman.
“This is Matthew. Matthew Liang. Matthew, this is my mother, Vivian Montgomery.”
That word…mother did something to Matthew Liang. It sent a jolt of energy through his young body. He quickly straightened up and turned toward Mrs. Montgomery.
The woman had the face of an angel. Her smooth butter-brown skin glowed as if it had absorbed the sun. Her shoulder-length black hair was full of volume. She had the most caring brown eyes.
“So, you’re the famous Matthew. It’s nice to finally meet you.”
“Thank you,” Matthew quickly responded. “It’s very nice to meet you as well, Mrs. Montgomery.”
“Please call me Vivian.”
Before Matthew could respond, a tall gentleman made his way over. The man was maybe a year or two older than Vivian. He had the same butter-brown skin tone. His shoulders were broad, and the button-down dress shirt did little to hide his muscles.
“There you two are,” his baritone danced.
“Sweetie, this is Noah’s friend, Matthew.”
The man turned his attention to Matthew. He looked him over once, but very carefully. He made sure to take in every detail.
“Now we have a face to go with the name. I’m Noah’s father, Winston Montgomery.”
“Pleasure to meet you, sir,” Matthew replied as he extended his hand.
Winston took hold of his hand. He gave him a firm handshake. Matthew could feel the power that the man held in that shake.
“I’m glad you could join us tonight. Hopefully, we’ll be seeing more of you,” Vivian added.
“I hope so. Noah is a great person to have in your life.”
“Yes, he is,” Winston agreed. He gave his son an eye wink.
Noah simply watched with a smile as his parents connected with Matthew. A few minutes later, Winston pulled his wife away to mingle with more guests.
“I missed you, Monty.”
“I thought you hated me after Emmy walked in on us.”
“No. I could never hate you. You jumped in the river after me.”
Noah shook his head. He turned and resumed staring out the window. Matthew moved closer. He stood on the side of Noah. He stared into the night with Noah at all the Christmas lights. The town looked brilliant.
“Is this how you spend every Christmas party?”
“Yeah. Isolated with my thoughts.”
“You don’t have to be isolated anymore. I’m here. I have so much to tell you. My sister seeing us was the best thing that could have happened. It forced me to live more than I had been. I was suddenly more courageous than ever.”
Noah briefly turned and looked at Matthew. He could see the joy in his eyes. That joy moved him on a deeper level. Matthew’s newfound courage practically leaped from Matthew onto Noah.
“You’re right. I need to be more courageous.”
Noah took hold of Matthew’s hand. Mat glanced down at their interlocked fingers and then back into Noah’s eyes. He didn’t pull away. He embraced it with a smile.
“Follow me,” Noah whispered.
He turned and ran through the crowd of people as he pulled Matthew along with him. They moved through the people like two young and carefree adolescents. Smiles and giggles erupted as they navigated through the maze of partygoers.
They ran up the stairs, down the long and quiet hall. Noah quickly opened the door and pushed Matthew inside the room.
The bedroom revealed everything Matthew could have ever wanted to know about Noah. It was clean and organized. A shelf on the far side of the room was filled with books. Each one was lined up perfectly. The topics ranged from beloved classics to modern-day suspense and critically acclaimed bestsellers.
The desk was set up with a PC and one photo of Noah and his parents. The king-size bed was perfectly made with fresh linen.
“This is your room,” Matthew stated firmly.
“That’s very perceptive of you, Matthew,” Noah teased.
Matthew slowly turned around. The look in Noah’s eyes charged him. He could feel the fine hairs on his smooth body stand up. A chill ran from his neck down his back to the soles of his feet. He’d never seen that look on another human before, but he completely understood it.
“Monty,” he breathed.
“Mateo,” Noah whispered.
Noah wanted to feel courageous. He thought about kissing Matthew for the last two months. His eyes zeroed in on those perfectly shaped pink lips that gave so much color and life to Matthew’s beautiful face. They called to him like the heat calls to a desert.
“I jumped after you, and I haven’t been able to stop jumping since,” Noah confessed as he moved across the room.
Matthew inhaled and exhaled deeply. His pulse quickened. He would have been lying if he said he hadn’t felt things for Noah. Even if his tongue had lied, the raging erection that had expanded across the front of his chinos would have betrayed the truth.
“We should talk about it.” Matthew’s voice was suddenly dry and raspy.
Noah closed the distance between them. The tremble in his body revealed how nervous he was inside. He refused to show it. Someone needed to make the first move, and it had to be him. He couldn’t deny the attraction. He wanted Matthew’s accidental coming out to Emmy to have been worth it. He wanted to be worth it for the man.
“I think we’ve talked enough and at times not enough. Maybe we should just be actionable.”
The heat from his body slowly invaded Matthew. It wrapped around the man and pulled him in close.
Noah’s eyes slowly drifted down his body. He wanted to see him before taking him. For someone so inexperienced, his body knew exactly what to do.
His eyes drifted further and further down Matthew’s body. Even under the layers of clothes, he could make out the definition of Matthew’s perfect, tight body. His grey eyes landed on the thick erection that pressed against the front of Matthew’s pants.
The sight made Noah’s heart race. It was beautiful. It was thick and long. The first time he’d ever seen a real-life erection, it absolutely commanded attention. His lust and desire suddenly felt amplified by the scene before his eyes.
Matthew watched with the most intense wandering eyes as Noah took in his manhood. His chest rose and fell at the most rewarding steady rate. Those enchanting, soul-stealing grey eyes met his powerful olive eyes.
“You make me excited as well,” Noah revealed
“Monty, I have to tell you something.” Matthew forced the words out of his mouth.
Noah silenced him. He placed his index finger against Matthew’s delicious lips. He dragged his finger downward, making the soft pink tissue bounce seductively. Noah leaned in. His intention was clear. He had had enough waiting for permission to live.
Their lips connected in a fiery explosion. Neither one held back.
It was everything.
It wasn’t enough.
It was desperate.
It was hungry.
It was wet.
Soft.
Passionate.
It was a kiss that said you’ll never forget me for as long as you live.
They quickly wrapped their arms around each other. Their hands began to explore one another.
Matthew’s tongue pushed against Noah’s lips.
Noah parted his lips, and the man’s tongue slid inside. Noah hungrily closed his lips around it, sucking every bit of Matthew’s taste and experiencing his texture.
Matthew rolled his tongue around the inside of Noah’s mouth. The flavors of the man’s life exploded against his taste buds. He could trace his life through history. The words of Cher sung in his head…it's in his kiss.
Everything was in their kiss.
Their lips finally parted at the same time. Their breaths collided in the non-existent space between them. Neither one of them stepped back. Neither one of them moved closer. They simply existed in the moment and the space that they had created.
Noah and Matthew were suspended in the glow of what they had done and the aftermath of what would come next.
They both had stopped.
They both wished they hadn’t.
Their heads came to rest together. Minutes passed without a single word uttered.
Noah moved in and kissed him again. It was softer this time, but with absolute perfect intention.
His hand slid to Matthew’s jaw. His thumb grazed his warm, golden skin as he leaned in for more. His hunger could only be tamed by Matthew Liang.
Matthew quickly caught his wrist. A spark flowed through the soft touch.
It wasn’t harsh.
It wasn’t even to push him away.
It was just enough to stop him.
“Noah…wait.”
Noah’s breathing stuttered beautifully.
“What? Am I doing it wrong?”
“God no.”
“Then what? I want this. Whatever this is, I want it, and I can feel how much you want it, Mateo.”
Matthew’s eyes searched the depths of Noah’s eyes and soul.
Conflict.
Want.
Guilt.
“There’s something I’ve been trying to tell you, Monty.”
Noah frowned.
“What?”
Matthew swallowed hard.
“I’m seeing someone.”
The words felt like a brutal slap to the face. Noah’s heart burned and ached with a plethora of emotions he’d never experienced before. His breath caught in his throat. Fear of speaking trapped him. Fear of sounding exposed and hurt welcomed him like kinfolk at the family reunion in the middle of the town square.
“Monty, please say something,” Matthew whispered.
Noah struggled to speak. He struggled to find the words, but the lesson taught by his mother held him. Never let them see you cry.
“I…I…I…have to get back to the party before anyone comes looking for me.”
He pulled away from Matthew. The heat that was once there between them quickly faded into the cold of the night.
Visible hurt flooded Noah’s eyes. Matthew wanted nothing more than to reach out and console him.
“Can we talk? Please?” he begged.
“I’m fine. We’re fine. You can let yourself out when you’re ready.”
Noah quickly turned and headed for the door. He needed to escape before the emotions flooded to the surface. Just as he reached for the doorknob…
“来日方长”
Matthew’s voice broke as he blurted the phrase out.
“The days ahead are long,” Noah repeated the phrase without looking back.
He opened the bedroom door and stepped out of the room. He had to escape before the break because to have such love but nowhere to put it was a burden much too heavy for a young heart.
TO BE CONTINUED
© Beckham G 2026. All rights reserved.
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