“It’s stunning. Are you doing a full science sleeve? What else do you want to add?”
Luke nodded. “I plan to. I want to do a couple of planets, or maybe some moon phases. I want to represent all the different branches of science. I struggled to decide on biology—I was interested in so many different branches of science. The first two years of undergrad, I didn’t pick a major and took different science classes. Eventually, I decided on biology, but astronomy was a very close second.”
Ash wanted to say they understood, but in truth, they didn’t. They had been drawn to chemistry since they were sixteen. Their high school teacher purposefully lit her desk on fire on the first day of school, and Ash was hooked. "I took one astronomy class my freshman year. Itdefinitelywas not for me.”
Luke opened his mouth to respond just as the bar quieted for a second, and Ash’s stomach decided that was an appropriate time to grumble loudly. The red flush of embarrassment crept up Ash’s neck, burning their cheeks. It was almost worse than their stomach grumbling during class. Almost.
Luke gave Ash a smile. “Do you want to get something to eat? I know a great place around the corner with the best drunk food.”
Ash nodded. “Absolutely I do.”
Luke stood and offered Ash his hand. Ash slipped their hand into Luke’s large one, and Luke’s hand completely enveloped Ash’s as he closed it. Ash stood slowly and took one last long sip from their drink, emptying it before following Luke out of the bar.
Luke didn’t let go of Ash’s hand even as they weaved through tables and past their friends, who stared at Ash and made obscene gestures with their hands. Sage hollered at them, egging them on. Michael signed to call him if they needed him. Ash flipped off Sage before signing thank you to Michael.
The chill in the night air was one Ash wasn’t expecting. It was early May, but it had been almost fall-like the past two weeks, the nights cold. Ash had been wearing a sweatshirt if they had to leave their apartment after dark, and now, even with a slight buzz, they felt goosebumps prick at their arms.
College kids and recent grads were out tonight in droves, celebrating the end of the semester. Four bars lined Main Street, the most popular being the Rathskeller, more commonly known as The Rat, an underground basement where the floor was sticker than glue. Drunk students meandered the street, lining up outside the bars. Loud music pumped out into the street every time a door opened. High-pitched giggles filled Ash’s ears as they walked past groups of friends talking about their fake IDs or how cute the bouncer was. Crude conversations about hookups flitted through the brief moments of silence.
An unexpected shiver went through Ash as they walked hand-in-hand with Luke down the busy street.
“Are you cold?” Luke asked, slowing his pace.
Ash shook their head. “I’m fine.”
Luke shook his head and released Ash’s hand. Ash immediately missed the feeling of Luke’s hand in theirs, but that feeling lasted only a moment. Luke looped an arm around Ash’s shoulders, resting on their upper arm, and pulled them into his side. The first thing Ash noticed was the way Luke smelled: like campfire and whiskey. Fuck, it was the best combination of smells ever. Luke was so casual with his touch, as if it didn’t affect him the way it did Ash. Ash’s heart thrummed in their chest, and they were afraid it was going to jump right out. After a moment’s hesitation, Ash snaked their arm around Luke’s waist.
What the fuck was happening? Ash never got hit on in bars. They never left bars with strangers. And they most certainly didn’t get warmed up by sexy men on a cool spring night. After months of not leaving their lab…had Ash’s friends set them up? No, they seemed just as surprised as Ash. They couldn’t have set this up. Could Luke be playing a joke on them? Was he going to leave them stranded in town without a safe ride home after pretending to be interested? Ash wanted to smack themself—no, that couldn’t happen twice. Luke seemed genuinely interested in them. For fuck’s sake, he traced Ash’s tattoo with his fingertips. If that wasn’t genuine intimacy, Ash wasn’t sure what was.
Ash shook away their thoughts as Luke released Ash from his grasp and opened the door of a squat brick building. The warm air of the restaurant was a welcome change from the brisk night air. The scent of fried food filled Ash’s nose as Luke led them to the counter. Four metal tables holding two groups of students sat in the center of the room before a large counter, behind which stood a sour-looking teenager.
“What can I get for you?” the kid asked with a sigh. Ash could barely hear them over sizzling food in the kitchen.
Luke turned his gaze to Ash. “Dietary restrictions?” Ash shook their head no. “Two garbage plates with buffalo chicken fingers, fries, and mac salad.”
Ash let out a laugh. “What the fuck did you just order?”
Luke smirked as he handed his card to the kid. “Just trust me.” Luke grabbed two cups for sodas and handed one to Ash. “You’re going to love it.”
Ash poured themself a Coke, and Luke, a Sprite. The pair claimed a table by the door, the metal chairs screeching as they pulled them from under the table. Ash’s stomach grumbled again, and they didn’t care what this garbage plate was—they would eat it no matter what.
Within minutes, the kid called Luke’s name, and Luke brought two round, aluminum containers back to the table, placing one in front of Ash. Topping perfectly golden fries were three chicken tenders tossed in buffalo sauce and a hearty scoop of pale macaroni salad. A pinch of ground beef, three pieces of diced onion, and a drizzle of yellow mustard covered part of the tenders.
Luke held a plastic fork and knife out to Ash. “Dig in.” Luke attacked his garbage plate, collecting a little bit of everything onto his fork.
Ash tentatively followed suit, grabbing some of each component onto their fork. They slowly lifted the fork to their lips, unsure. All these things were delicious individually, so how bad could they be together? Ash was immediately rewarded as the flavors mixed on their tongue. The fries and tenders were perfectly crispy despite being tossed in buffalo sauce. The macaroni salad complemented the flavors by cutting some of the spice. Even the mustard, which Ash normally hated, was a nice addition.
“You’re right. This is the best drunk food,” Ash said between bites. It was so good, they barely wanted to stop to breathe.
Luke laughed. “I told you!”
“Is this place new?” Ash asked. “I don’t want to think I’ve missed this place for eight years.”
Luke shook his head, holding up a finger as he chewed. “It’s been here as long as I can remember. I want to say they opened in 2011? 2012? It was definitely after I graduated high school.”
“Did you go to undergrad at Binghamton?” Ash asked.
Luke nodded. “I started at Broome Community College and transferred for my sophomore year. I grew up here, over in Whitney Point.”
