Page 47 of Should the Sky Fall

“It’s from a function I accompanied you to a few years back,” he explains as Cal takes the photo in. Rage bubbles inside him when he sees himself, and he focuses on Dawson instead.

He’s wearing a suit, similar to Ellis’, just simpler, and his hair is longer and slicked back. He’s beautiful as always, but something’s not right. He doesn’t look happy, even though they’re there together, Cal’s arm wound around his waist.

Slowly, Cal hazards another look at himself. Carrie wanted him to get used to seeing his face, so he might as well start now.

He hates it. There’s a smile on his face, but it looks twisted. Cold. Just as his eyes.

“You look bored,” Cal points out.

Dawson shrugs, licking his lips. “It’s not my area. I didn’t know how to act, and had no one to talk to.”

“I was there. Why didn’t you talk to me?”

Dawson scoffs. “You had better things to do than to hold my hand.”

Cal would hold his hand any day, whenever Dawson asked.

“Then why did you come with me?”

Dawson looks at him. “Because you were my husband and I wanted to spend time with you.”

So simple.

So why does it feel all wrong?

Swiping to the left, Cal finds another, similar photo. They’re still at the function, just standing somewhere else. There are a couple more photos like that before another series of buildings comes up.

“That’s all,” Cal says, disappointed and relieved equally. He was curious and excited to see the pictures of them, or even just those of Dawson. But all the pictures he’s seen have left an ugly, heavy feeling in his stomach.

“I might have some on my phone,” Dawson says, pulling it out, his thumb flying over the screen with practiced ease. “Here. There are a few from our wedding.”

Cal takes the phone from him, his mouth falling open at the sight of Dawson on their wedding day. He’s so young and radiant—but, most importantly of all, he’s smiling, wide and bright. His eyes sparkle with happiness and he looks at Cal like he’s the most amazing thing in the world.

For once, Cal is smiling too. Not much, but enough to make his eyes crinkle and a dimple appear in his left cheek. And again, it all looks so…wrong.

“You look beautiful,” Cal says, swiping through the photos. “Nothing more recent?” They’ve been together for six years. Surely, there must be more.

“You’re a busy man.”

“Who’s this?” It must be from a hospital. There is a woman lying in a bed, her hair sweaty and plastered to her face, holding a baby. She looks exhausted, but happy. And so does Dawson, holding another baby and grinning ear to ear.

“That’s Olivia, my sister.” A soft smile grows on Dawson’s lips. “That’s when she just had twins. They’re four now. Leia and Chloe.”

Cal finds himself smiling at the photo. “They’re very cute. Do we ever visit?”

Dawson’s smile slips. “I do, sometimes. But like I said, you’re busy and they live over two hours away.”

Right. Busy.

There are a few more photos of Olivia and the twins, followed by a photo of Dawson with another man, both flushed and grinning, arms thrown over each other’s shoulders.

Cal tilts his head, studying it. He’s seen the man before. “Your friend?”

“Yeah. That’s Kieran.” Dawson’s eyes flick to Cal’s face. He looks nervous. “He’s my best friend.”

“I think I know him.”

Dawson does a double-take. “Really? You’ve only seen him a couple of times.”