Kieran had clasped his hand. Jude grinned at him, indulgent. We did it, Jude almost wanted to say, no matter that he had just lost the election. I can’t believe it. More people had voted for him than for the most conservative candidates. There was an almost tangible appetite for progress. This was more than a win to them; he hadn’t expected half as much.
“Thank you,” Jude said suddenly, still beaming. He loosed their hands to take Kieran’s face between his instead, careening across the bed to kiss him. It was the elation of it or the sheer delirious gratitude, a resurgence of everything he had felt last night and this morning. (It was a little bit just because he could.) But, in all earnest – he pulled back a fraction to look at him – “Thank you for letting me do this.” Anything for you, Kieran might have said, but Jude knew what he had risked by it. And he couldn’t have done it without him.
“Thank you,” Jude said suddenly, still beaming. He loosed their hands to take Kieran’s face between his instead, careening across the bed to kiss him. It was the elation of it or the sheer delirious gratitude, a resurgence of everything he had felt last night and this morning. (It was a little bit just because he could.) But, in all earnest – he pulled back a fraction to look at him – “Thank you for letting me do this.” Anything for you, Kieran might have said, but Jude knew what he had risked by it. And he couldn’t have done it without him.
