Page 20 of The Long Way Found

Jack laughed. "Definitely."

"I had no idea what I was doing back then."

"And we only really did that a few times. Mostly, we just…”

"Yeah." Jack's hand traced patterns across Luke's hip as their breathing returned to normal. "But we figured it out."

"We did," Luke smiled. "And now we have real beds and no curfew."

"Dangerous combination."

"The best kind."

Luke disentangled himself and sat up.

"You want some water or anything?"

They pulled on their underwear and wandered through the house together, still loose-limbed and warm. Luke pointed things out as they went, casual and unselfconscious. Framed photos of his mother, sister, niece, and nephew hung on the hall wall, along with photos of Mara, Julio, and their kids, and of Luke from a few vacation spots with other friends. The living room opened into a small dining area and a clean, modern kitchen with an orchid in the middle of the small table. A deck in the back.

"Two bedrooms," Luke said. "One's an office unless someone’s visiting. And that's pretty much it. Chez Luke."

Jack studied the space. It was warm and cozy. It felt lived-in, but not overpacked with stuff that had been needlessly accumulated. It looked like a blend of shabby-chic and Crate & Barrel aesthetics, with a few curios from estate sales and ordinary items from Target. There was a fireplace in the living room.

"It's nice," Jack said. "Feels like you."

"Yeah?" Luke grabbed two water bottles from the fridge. "How so?"

"Grounded. Safe." Jack accepted the water, their fingers brushing. "Not trying to prove anything, but still... I don’t know, somehow sexy."

Luke smiled. "Thanks. It’s comfortable."

They drank in easy silence.

A low shape rose from a rug in the living room and ambled over.

"Hey, buddy," Jack said, crouching to scratch Marley's back. The dog accepted the attention politely, then wandered off and curled up again, sighing heavily.

Luke smiled. "He approves."

"High praise," Jack said.

"So," Luke said, eyes dropping to Jack's boxers. "Round two?”

Jack crossed the space between them and kissed him. Slowly. Thoroughly.

"Definitely round two."

They went back to the bedroom at a slower pace this time, still reaching for each other, still wanting.

Luke put on jazzy instrumental music that Jack didn't recognize but liked. The room felt warmer now, softer, but still full of clear intention.

Jack would usually be out the door by now. But he wasn’t done yet, and he could tell Luke wasn’t either. Who could blame them after so much time apart and now realizing they were still blindingly attracted to each other?

Jack wasn’t trying to figure out what anything meant. He was enjoying himself and enjoying Luke.

And there was still one very specific gift he wanted from Luke first.

They lay still and silent for a while, the warm yellow light from a streetlamp pouring into the room, warming up the feel of its bookshelves, quilts, and paneled walls.