Diplomacy

couldn’t get her to calm down, so I called Liz, who had just been left by her boyfriend while pregnant with baby two. She poured her heart out while we were waiting in the emergency room and so did I. She pretty much knows everything, Jack.”
    Jack wasn’t entirely sure how he felt about what Lucas had just told him.
    “She’s really great, and she only cares who a guy sleeps with if she has the smallest chance of it being her. So you’re safe. In fact she probably D i p l o m a c y | 175

    set us up that day I gave you the tour. I’m sure she knew who you were from your bio, because I never mentioned your name.” IN the supermarket, Jack realized they must sound like an old married couple, discussing what they were going to have for dinner and for breakfast the next morning. They hadn’t even discussed any kind of future together, but already shopped as if they lived in the same house.
    Normally this would have scared Jack, but oddly enough, it didn’t now.
    They were going to try and build a life together, and all the discussions that could flow from that were reserved for later.
    Now they were in the personal hygiene section and Lucas was waving around some ‘personal lubrication’.
    “Now there’s a dead giveaway,” Jack responded a little quietly.
    Lucas’s face turned serious. “Would you mind if the check out girl thought we were gay judging from our shopping basket?” Jack took some time to reflect on that question, but eventually answered, “No, I guess not. It just takes some adjusting, I suppose. I have to start thinking of myself differently.”
    A shy smile broke on Lucas’s face. “You are no different from when you were still married, Jack. Gay is not who you are or what you are. It doesn’t define you.”
    Jack looked around and then put his arm around Lucas to pull him close and kiss his temple. “I know. It’s just a little strange to be so open about it after denying it for most of my life.” Lucas chuckled. “You’re nuts, but I love you for it. Now tell me, do we need to buy condoms too?”
    Jack became a little shy again. “Well if I recall, the last person I had sex with was you, and I have been tested since then, so…” Lucas grabbed him and kissed him full on the mouth. “Same here, believe it or not. So no condoms.” He winked at Jack, who was looking at him a bit baffled.
    “What? I’m a single father with a two year old. But you surprise me. I thought you would have cruised around a bit, you know, tested this newfound interest a little?”

    176 | Z a h r a O w e n s

    Jack shook his head, his face soft. “I have to admit I thought about it, I just never… it wouldn’t have been the same.” Lucas felt himself go all warm as Jack made that confession. “I think we need to get to a private room somewhere quickly, don’t you think?”
    Jack chuckled. “Yeah. Why don’t I show you my apartment?” They got a nice smile from the check out girl as she scanned the lube.

    JACK’S apartment was the complete opposite of Lucas’s, located in the nice part of Manhattan, practically in walking distance from the U.N. Buildings. It had a doorman and nicely maintained elevators and hallways.
    Lucas let his eyes drink in the elegant, slightly overbearing opulence.
    “I inherited this apartment from my parents. When they died, my brothers got a horse farm in Argentina, and I settled for this,” he stated apologetically.
    “I’m sorry about your parents,” Lucas was quick to answer.
    “Yeah, you could say it was a shitty couple of years.” They set the groceries on the counter of the open kitchen and Jack took Lucas’s hand.
    “Come on, I’ll give you the grand tour.”
    The apartment was mostly empty, with white walls and very little furniture, just a comfortable leather couch in the living room and a huge painting on the wall. It was a colorful abstract, with barely legible words scribbled all over and pieces of printed paper glued into it and then painted over. Lucas moved a little closer to it, still not letting go of his lover’s hand and then realized the signature on the painting was Jack’s.
    He gave the American an astonished look. “Jack, did you paint that?”
    Jack raised his eyebrows, admitting it wordlessly.
    “Oh my God, it’s impressive!”
    “But do you like it?” Jack asked, clearly more than a little unsure.
    “Yeah, well, you have hidden talents, man. Like is not the word. I think it’s amazing.”

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