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always open, saying everything on her mind, being honest, at times to a fault, even if other friends were around. Sometimes the two of them would talk over each other, practically carrying on two conversations at once, with no shortage of humor sprinkled in at random places. But those were the things that made their friendship work. Now, he watched her restrain herself, keeping back snarky comments she would usually let fly.
    They’d been best friends for fifteen years, living across the hall from each other in ratty apartments near the University of Minnesota’s Minneapolis campus. She had knocked on his door past midnight looking for some brandy so she could finish her gruyère cheese fondue. Hugo had answered the door in a daze after falling asleep on the couch watching a movie, taking a few minutes to catch on to what this stranger was asking.
    “Need a stiff drink, huh?” he’d taunted the cute girl with bright-blue eyes and a turned up nose, not believing her recipe needs.
    “No. I’m really making fondue. So do you have brandy? I don’t need a lot, and I’m more than willing to pay you back by sharing in a feast of cheese, fruit, and more. I’m Summer, by the way,” she said as she tore the binding from her ratty, blonde ponytail rather than offering him her tiny hand. She shook out light-blonde waves and finger-combed her hair before putting it back up in a much neater topknot. Then she gave Hugo a sweet smile, leaning her thin frame against the wall as she waited for Hugo’s answer to slip through his sleepy stupor.
    “I’m not a brandy drinker, but I think Jet bought some once. Let me check.”
    Hugo dug deep in his kitchen cupboard and found a forgotten bottle of brandy his old roommate had left behind because he hadn’t liked it and then followed Summer to her apartment. They talked and ate until the sun came up and hadn’t gone more than a few days without talking since. She would tell people cheese brought them together, so nothing would ever tear them apart.
    As she told the story of their meeting to her friends at the lake, Hugo smiled, pulling her close so he could press his lips to her temple and breathe her in. Hugo believed her. Nothing would part them. Looking around the circle of old friends Summer had remained close to, Hugo was reminded of how few friends he still had from high school.

CHAPTER TWO
    Everyone Has Regrets
     
     
     
    D ESPITE living in one place until he graduated from high school, Hugo kept in contact with only two people from Austin, Minnesota. Both of those people were just barely Facebook acquaintances, having access to only the meager information Hugo shared with them—basically his name, his alma mater, his current city, and his job. One was Becca, the girl he grew up next door to, and the other was his drama coach.
    None of his family were in Austin anymore either. When Hugo had left for the University of Minnesota, his mom and sister left Austin too. His sister Charisse found a job in Minneapolis so she could continue to baby her younger brother, which Hugo was glad about but would never admit to anyone, least of all to Charisse.
    Charisse had cared for Hugo during the three-year battle their father had with cancer. It was a tough time for them, Hugo only thirteen and Charisse just nineteen. While his parents spent weeks at a time driving up to Mayo Clinic for tests, biopsies, treatments, and surgeries, looking for any way to treat the cancer that had luckily been found early, Charisse cooked for Hugo, helped him with his homework, and made sure he got up in time for school. She did all that while being a full-time college student herself and holding down a job waitressing.
    She was the one who was there during Hugo’s emotional realization that he was gay too.
    Eighth grade gym class was where he fully discovered what turned him on, barely dressing fast enough to keep the other boys from noticing what showering with them had done to him. Hugo had always known