Pablo opened the door leading to his balcony, with a cup of coffee being held tightly on each hand. His peppy godmother had finally returned from her visit to America, and had brought various kinds of coffee popular from that place along the way. The first thought that came across his mind was to share some with his neighbour at their usual meeting spot, something which he was about to do just now.

     Despite it being two in the morning, Santiago was already out at the balcony, with a stained, empty coffee cup being his companion. He was staring at the road in front of their homes, which had the rare vehicle traveling by it. Everything was quiet, and due to the rainy day before, many coquí sang their high-pitched melody, whilst some pesky, winged termites fluttered wildly around the balcony's only source of light, which was a small, solar powered bulb standing next to the door.

      Arriving at the right edge of the balcony, Pablo called out for the tall man standing by, as he brought the cup of coffee closer to the neighbouring home. Santiago greeted him with the small wave of his hand, and after sending him an inquisitive look, Pablo realized his neighbour was looking for an explanation.

      "Didn't you want me to stop drinking so much?"

      Pablo's eyes lit up in recognition, as a grin took over his dark features. He placed the cups down on the metal railings, being cautious enough to maintain them balanced. He crossed his arms over his chest afterwards, as he decided to defend his actions with a light-hearted argument.

     "Madrina brought a lotta coffee from America, and she gave me more so I could share some with you." He explained, observing Santiago's reaction towards this. Noticing he was being attentive to his words, he carried on speaking. "I told her about you, and how you were gonna visit them one day."

      "And what did she say?" Santiago questioned, trying to hide the worry from his tone.

      "She says you look handsome."

      "But she's never seen me in person."

      "I showed her a picture of you."

      Santiago's lips turned into a small 'o' shape, as he nodded his head once he processed those words.

      "Wait. . . What picture did you show her?"

      Pablo chuckled at his companion's question. He stuffed his hand inside his back pocket, taking out a folded picture seconds after. He brought it to Santiago's eye level, and waited for him to take hold of it.

      Almost instantly, the tall man's eyes widened at the sight of the photo now resting in his hands. It was of him and Pablo smiling at the camera, a moment which had been captured last week when their bet until sunrise came to an end. A soft, tangerine light belonging to the approaching sun served as the lighting for the shot, and behind them, a well-know scenery of trees and flowers were bathed in the same light. Pablo had his arm hung around Santiago's shoulders, his lips being inches away from touching his companion's left cheek, while Santiago carried a bashful smile sculpted on his light features.

     "Does your aunt. . . accept this?" Santiago inquired, his words coming off reluctant due to the fear he felt over the possible response.

     "Yup." The short man replied, with a calmed tone and firm posture. "She's a lesbian, so I guess that has to do with something, no?"

     Santiago's lips curved downwards, catching on to what his neighbour's words meant. "Is. . . Is the rest of your family against homosexuality, then?"

     "Well. . ." Pablo trailed off, as he heaved out a sigh. "My grandparents, mostly. They're pretty into their religion and its beliefs, which is why they never listen to this stuff." He took a pause, as he rubbed the back of his head in a reserved fashion. "Still. . . I told them you were coming over, and since I didn't show them the picture, well. . ."

      "I understand." A saddened smile tugged on the taller man's lips, as he lowered his head in defeat. "I'm. . . not really in place to tell my tía about this either."

      The two young men stood silent after that last statement, as they both rested their arms over the frigid, metallic rails of their balconies. They dawned upon the situation, and began to realize all the cons this sole factor could cause over their future lives.

     "I guess we were living our own dream, weren't we?" Santiago asked, with a thoughtful hum emerging from his vocal chords. "We've been up here, talking the day away in our balconies, yet if we were to leave. . ."

     "We wouldn't be able to be ourselves." Pablo finished, as a pained smile took over his face and his thick  eyebrows furrowed in sympathy.

      Santiago could only nod slowly to those words. He reached out for the short man's hand, and squeezed it tightly in his own. Pablo's gazed still remained down at his feet, with his curly locks falling down to his nose. He continuously tried to not meet with his neighbour's face, though those ideals were shattered when Santiago leaned in over the railings, and brought Pablo's body close to him.

      Santiago embraced him tightly, not wanting to let go, as a chuckle escaped his mouth when coming in contact with his scent. Pablo smelled like coffee today, which was something rare of him to experience. He decided to tease him about this by whispering a comment into his right ear.

      "You smell like a latte."

      "I'm guessing that's a compliment considering your tastes."

      "It sure is." Both of them chortled at those words, as relief began to appear inside their chests.