It Starts with Us by Colleen Hoover

movie. He told me he said it because of Finding Nemo. I waited for someone
to say it through the entire movie.”
I’m sure I’ll have to get used to a lot of things now that I live with Atlas,
but knowing he talks to this kid about our relationship is probably not one of
the things I’ll ever get used to.
The confusion in Theo’s eyes flips like a light switch. “Oh. Oh. Because
when life gets them down, they keep swimming, so Atlas was saying life will
no longer… okay.” His mind is still going a mile a minute behind those eyes.
He starts to shake his head as he pushes himself off the floor. “I still think it’s
cheesy,” he mutters. Theo’s phone buzzes right as he stands. “I gotta go—my
dad’s here.”
Josh is back in the living room. “You aren’t staying over?”
“I can’t tonight; my parents are taking me to a thing in the morning.”
“I want to go to a thing,” Josh says.
Theo is pulling on his shoes when he hesitates. “Yeah, I don’t know.”
“Where are you going?”
Theo’s eyes flash briefly to mine, and then back to Josh. “It’s a parade.”
He says it quietly, but also like it’s a warning.
“A parade?” Josh tilts his head. “Why are you being weird? What kind of
parade is it? A pride parade?”
Theo swallows like maybe him and Josh haven’t had this conversation, so
I’m nervous on Theo’s behalf. But I’ve been around Josh enough over the
last several months to know that he values his friendship with Theo.
Josh grabs his shoes and sits next to me on the couch and starts putting
them on. “What are you saying? I’m not allowed to go to a pride thing
because I like girls?”
Theo shifts from one foot to the other. “You can go. I just… I didn’t know
if you knew.”
Josh rolls his eyes. “You can tell a lot about a person by their taste in
manga, Theo. I’m not a dumbass.”
“Josh,” I say.
“Sorry.” He grabs a jacket from the closet. “Can I stay over at Theo’s
tonight?”
Josh’s casual attitude about this monumental moment between the two of
them reminds me so much of Atlas.
Considerate Josh.