Ray tilted his head. "You saying you lied to your parents about me, Fraser?"

"No, of course not!" Fraser turned back to face Ray. "Just that . . . I may have gone on a bit longer than . . . ." He sighed. "It's been a long time since I've been able to speak with my mother, Ray."

Ray wasn't sure what suddenly happened to the air supply in his apartment. All he knew was that when he put his arm around his partner and held him, the tightness in his chest started to ease again.

Aw, this part was really lovely between Ray and Benton. And I loved the idea of the leftovers!

Wonderful story - thank you.