Page 25 of The Long Way Found

Still nothing.

He started to send a text for the umpteenth time, but stopped himself. Again.

He told himself, It’s his first day at a new job… Don’t bug him. Be cool.

“What about you, Amir? You dating anyone these days? You haven’t mentioned anyone in a while.”

“Well,” Amir started. “I don’t know. I met somebody I like, but I don’t know… It’s hard to say for sure because it’s a guy.”

“A guy? OK. Cool.”

“Is it? I don’t know. I’ve never dated a guy before.”

“Have you been out with him yet?”

“No, but I think I’m gonna ask him to hang out sometime. I met him at a party. We were both, like, the only people not getting wasted, and we just talked and talked for hours.”

“Sounds nice, Amir. Go for it.”

“What if I’m not gay?”

“You’ll figure it out. Just be honest. You don’t need to have everything figured out yet.”

“You did.”

“Yeah… couldn’t help it, man. Guy came along and knocked me off my feet.”

“You mean swept you off your feet.”

“No, I meant what I said. Trust me. You’ll know. You don’t have to pick an identity just because you like this person or that person.”

It felt good to help Amir with his problem, which reminded him he hadn’t heard from his AA sponsee in about a week. Luke called the man and left a short message. “Hey, it’s Luke, saying hi. I’m doing all right. Here if you need me.”

That worked, too, reaching out to help someone else. Always.

JACK

The faculty lunch was pleasant enough, just burgers and salmon Caesar salads at a bistro across from campus. Jack learned names, made small talk, and sized people up the way he’d been trained.

One of the women—Irene? Eileen?—kept catching his eye, lingering in her smile too long. Jack filed that away under “complications to avoid.”

Back in his office, he closed the door, sat at his desk, and pulled out his phone.

No messages.

He told himself it was fine. Luke wasn’t the type to blow up his phone. They’d had a great night. No need to overcomplicate it with constant contact.

Last night was fantastic, but that didn’t mean they were a couple, or even friends, really. It wouldn’t help for Jack to let anyone rush him from Point A to Point E… or to Point M… There’d be time to figure things out later if that became necessary.

He turned on his new laptop to watch the orientation videos HR required all new staff members to view. The usual boilerplate on sexual harassment, employee benefits, and PTO.

Process. Procedure. All good and orderly, like Jack preferred things to be.

He already knew Luke didn’t share his fascination with order. Luke led with his heart. He said so himself.

Jack wasn’t afraid of his emotions, exactly. His pace and actions were more deliberate, guided by his intellect and analysis. For now, in Calder Ridge, he had committed to six months before having to figure out his next move. He wasn’t comparing options or weighing factors. Not yet. He was just… observing from a secure position. Gathering information. Keeping his options open.

He wondered if he was “supposed” to text Luke today? He honestly didn’t know the rules and expectations.