We were quiet a long time and then he said, “I love you.” 
I wondered if I’d misunderstood him. The discomfort of the idea must have shown on my face because he added, “I don’t mean I love you that way. Not like I love Ross. Not like you love Harker. I mean, I care about you, Nick. You’re my friend. With all the things that are happening in the world, shouldn’t it be okay? Just to say I love you?”
“Yes, it should be okay.”
And it was.

Some great new characters and relationships here. But damn the heart. 

“What made you want to be a priest?”

He looked at me uncomfortably. Then glanced away again. “I wanted to love people.”

“Is that working out the way you hoped it would?”

“Sometimes,” he said. 

He gave me a broken smile and walked off into the night.

I glanced up at one to see two guys stacked on top of each other while a third guy fucked them one then the other, then back again. It looked fun, but it also seemed like there’d have to be a long discussion about choreography beforehand. I hated long discussions before sex.

My favorite in the series so far...but man, my heart takes another beating.