I could feel compassion for that and still wish he had trusted me.

For a few minutes, we spoke about Simon without making him either flawless or selfish in every memory.

He could be generous.

He could also avoid a hard conversation by making a joke.

He had always been uncomfortable asking for something he could not repay.

Illness had intensified that discomfort.

The search for Julian exposed a part of his childhood he had learned not to expect anyone else to understand.

Finding Leo gave him someone to help while he himself needed help every day.