Ash tried to remember if they’d ever seen signs for Whitney Point. “Is that on the way to Ithaca? I can’t place the direction.”
Luke nodded. “It’s the small town you pull into off I-81. Where you stop seeing highway and only see cows?”
Ash laughed. “Okay, yes. I think I remember driving through there. What was it like growing up in a small town?”
“It was boring. There is only so much you can do. There are only so many people. And when you’re queer…forget it. Folks up here aren’t the most accepting.”
Ash nodded. They didn’t know how Luke felt, as they had grown up in New York City, but they could empathize. “That must have been hard. I’m sorry you had to deal with that.”
Luke shrugged. “It’s all I know. Where are you from?”
“I grew up on the Lower East Side in Manhattan. Have you ever been to the city?” When Luke shook his head, Ash tried to think of a landmark he might know. “Have you heard of the Tenement Museum? My apartment was a ten-minute walk from there.”
“I don’t knowwherethat is, but I’ve heard of it. How far were you from, say, the Empire State Building?”
Ash laughed. “About an hour’s walk or a twenty-minute subway ride. It wasn’t somewhere I frequented.”
“I’d love to visit the city one day. Go to Pride. Visit Stonewall.”
Ash nodded. “You should go. Pride is…amazing.”
A quiet fell over Luke and Ash as they ate. Ash thought back to Pride and what it meant for them, what it meant for the LGBTQ+ community. They’d gone to Pride many times, every year since they came out as bi at fourteen. They loved it. The community. The joy. Being surrounded by people who knew what it was like to be queer in today’s world. Ash thought it was something every queer person should experience at least once.
As they ate, their eyes met every so often; Luke’s bright green eyes bore into Ash’s brown ones. Ash hadn’t realized just how piercing Luke’s eyes were in the dim light of the brewery. Now that they were in bright light, Ash could drink Luke in. His curly hair was a light brown, with dark streaks throughout. He had a slight tan to his skin, as if he had spent the day out in the sun. His jawline was sharp but strong. He was devastatingly handsome.
As they finished their food, a strange feeling coursed through Ash, one they couldn’t quite place, but they realized, with complete certainty, they didn’t want this night to end. Ash couldn’t remember the last time they connected with someone like this. Luke was smart. He was kind. He wasstupidlyhot. But was continuing the night the best thing to do? Could they entertain the idea of going home with someone they barely knew? Ash had a one-night stand exactly once and swore they would never do it again. That night had been filled with half-hearted, awkward sex that ended in Ash leaving unsatisfied. They hadn’t even stayed the night, instead sneaking out as soon as their partner had fallen asleep.
“Forgive me for being blunt,” Ash said suddenly, the words tumbling from their lips before they realized what they were saying. “But…I don’t want this night toend.”
Luke’s hand stopped moving, his last bite of food halfway to his mouth. He put his fork down and slowly leaned back in his chair. “Thank fuck,” Luke breathed.
Ash started to apologize, but then the words Luke had said processed. He didn’t want this night to end either.
“So what do we do now?” Ash asked, releasing a breath.
Luke scanned Ash’s face before he answered. “Would you like to come back to my place? I live a few blocks away.”
Ash hesitated for a moment. What if this was a repeat of their last one-night stand? But…what if it was the opposite?
Fuck it. “I would like that very much.”
Luke wasted no time gathering the garbage from the table and leading Ash out of the restaurant. When they were back into the chilled air, Luke wrapped an arm around Ash’s shoulders, once again pulling them to his body. Heat radiated off Luke’s torso, preventing the breeze from assaulting Ash’s bare arms.
Drunk college kids wandered down the street as they walked away from the bars. The night was young for the students and, from Ash’s memory, the bars would just be getting busy now. Back in undergrad, the pregame for the parties started at nine. They didn’t usually get downtown before eleven or twelve. These days, Ash was in bed watchingFriendsreruns by ten thirty. They couldn’t imagine going back to the life of an undergraduate. Ash risked a glance at their watch—it was already nearing midnight.
After three blocks, the flow of students thinned as they neared the outskirts of the city. Luke led Ash on a ten-minute walk off the main drag before slowing in front of a small house. Three steps led to a porch with a peeling white door and windows with spiderweb cracks. He removed his arm from Ash’s shoulders to dig his keys from hispocket, and Ash immediately missed the feeling of Luke’s arm pulling them to his side.
The inside of Luke’s house was much nicer than the outside. The dark wood floors and freshly painted off-white walls were warm and welcoming. Stairs to Ash’s left lined with a wood railing led upstairs. The entrance ended in a kitchen flanked on the right by a small living room with a tan suede couch.
Ash looked around, and when their gaze landed back on Luke, they found him watching them with rapt attention. “I know it’s not much, but it’s comfortable.”
“It’s very homey,” Ash said. “Inviting.”
Luke took a step towards Ash, his gaze flicking to Ash’s mouth. “I’m going to kiss you now.”
Ash’s breath caught in their throat. “It sounds like you’re trying to convince yourself.”
A slow smirk spread across Luke’s lips. “Maybe I am.”
