Hephaestion, Diordorus tells us, was “the most valued of his friends”, in addition to being taller and more handsome than Alexander. When Queen Sisygambis mistakenly bows before Hephaestion, Alexander tells her not to worry, “for actually he too is Alexander” (XVII, 37).
(ancientheroes.net)
After some years, Hephaestion and Alexander had less of a sexual interest in each other in place of an extremely loyal and deep friendship. Around that time, at a large gathering, Alexander what presented with a “gift” of an extremely beautiful 13-year-old boy. The boy came to be known as “The Persian Boy” and a book was written about their relationship under the same name. I read it many years ago, and it is a wonderfully written. Alexander loved the boy with all his heart and they always slept together. And Hephaestion was happy that Alexander had this boy he loved so much. Throughout the book, Hephaestion enters the scene frequently, taking on a much more mature role with Alexander, a companion sharing subjects, ideas, and interests more sophisticated than those of the boy; and most importantly, a fierce loyalty. The boy was still quite young when Alexander died, but there’s no information about what happened to him from that point on.