Huh.
On the one hand, Sasha, I appreciate having a piece in this anthology that has a sad endng, and seeing a story of yours that doesn't end with the boys riding into the sunset --- because sometimes things don't work out and it's good to be able to tell those stories too.
On the other, well, it's a bit sudden. One minute Tommie's sleeping over on the first date and the next he's moved to New York. We barely have time to register the loss, let alone understand what conflict would drive him away, if that's what's meant to have happened. I'd love to see another couple/three chapters about what happened in the relationship and whether it was supposed to trigger a change in Mal (tee hee, by the way, I was visualizing something very specific).