Page 56 of The Long Way Found

JACK

By the second week of April, the high-altitude spring had turned the town into a slushy, unpredictable mess. For Jack and Luke, their rhythm had settled into something that felt either dangerously or deliciously like a routine. They saw each other three or four times a week: a gym session, a quick coffee at Mara's, and usually one night at either house.

It happened first on a Tuesday at the gym. Jack was finishing a set of deadlifts when he caught sight of Luke across the gym floor. Luke wasn't doing anything spectacular, just spotting a man about twenty-five on the bench press. But the way he moved was effortless and centered.

Jack stopped, the heavy iron still in his hands. Usually, watching Luke triggered a hunger, a desire to pin him down and mark him.

But this was different. It was a focused, sharp ache that had nothing to do with sex. He watched the way Luke laughed at something the kid said, and for a moment, Jack imagined what it would be like to just... ease into that. To let go of the next mission, the next move, the next defensive wall. To simply belong with him.

Was the unfamiliar ache want or fear? Was he being drawn here—or warned?

Either way, it threatened to distract him from tactical planning in favor of wrapping his arms around Luke and holding him tenderly.

He turned away and closed his eyes for a moment.

Then, on Wednesday afternoon, they somehow began to seem like an obvious couple to those around them. That raised the stakes uncomfortably for Jack, who thought Luke took it as applause.

First, at The Ridge, Jack stopped by to drop off a book for Luke, a biography of Marcus Aurelius that Jack admired. A group of local veterans gathered around the communal table in the back, with smoothies and coffee.

"Colonel! Over here," called Miller, the leader of the Veterans of Foreign Wars chapter.

Jack felt Luke's eyes on him from behind the espresso machine. There was no retreat. He navigated the crowded shop, shaking hands and nodding, slipping into the role of the "admired leader with a common touch" with practiced ease.

"We were just talking about the fundraiser," Miller said. "Luke says you're helping out with the auction logistics."

"A little organizational support," Jack said, cringing a bit at being seen as part of a "we" in public.

"He's being modest," Luke said, stepping away from the machine to set a tray of water on the table. "The Colonel's got us running like a Swiss watch. We'd be lost without him."

The men laughed, but Jack caught Mara watching from the register. She leaned on her elbows, her expression unreadable yet focused.

About six, as Jack and Luke were leaving The Ridge and walking to their cars, they bumped into Luke’s friend Alex.

"Girl, you've gotta come join us at Lucy's," Alex said. "Everybody's coming. It's Michael's birthday, and you know how he is about getting older."

Luke smiled. “What is he now, 27? Please.”

He turned to Jack. "Want to go? It's just a few blocks away."

Jack knew Lucy's, a bar on the edge of downtown that drew a younger, louder crowd. He'd driven past it a dozen times but had never gone inside. Alex seemed okay, and it was still early in the evening. If Luke wanted to, why not?

"Sure," Jack said.

Alex and Michael were two of the four gay ski instructors Luke sometimes hung out with. At this point, Jack had only heard about them.

Lucy's wasn't packed, but it buzzed with ski-town happy-hour energy. Lots of young people, bass-heavy music pumping through the speakers, colored lights strobing across the bar. It would be drunk-thirty in no time.

Jack felt instantly out of place, though he had been in countless more challenging situations.

Luke made the introductions. Tyler, Brad, and the birthday boy, Michael—all in their twenties and thirties, fit, stylish, and confident. Also a little over the top, Jack thought, as if they were performing for unseen reality-TV cameras.

"Luke, where have you been hiding this snack?" Tyler asked, looking Jack up and down.

Luke laughed it off. "Don't start, Tyler."

"I'm just saying." Tyler leaned in closer to Jack. "Military, right? I have a thing for men in uniform."

"Good luck with that," Jack said, glancing at Luke, who rolled his eyes but didn't seem bothered. "I need a beer. Anyone else want anything?"