Chapter 2 #2
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.”
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 know where that 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 was stupidly hot.
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 to end.”
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 watching Friends reruns 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 his pocket, 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.”
Luke took one more step towards Ash, and suddenly, they were a breath apart.
Ash looked up at Luke, pulled in by his gaze.
Although they had walked beside him, Ash didn’t internalize just how much taller Luke was.
Luke reached a hand up to Ash’s face and brushed the back of his knuckles down their right cheek, grazing his fingers across Ash’s throat and around to the opposite side of their jaw.
With his fingers gripping the back of Ash’s neck, Luke leaned down and pulled Ash’s lips to his.
Ash was on fire. They had never been kissed like this.
Ash melted into Luke’s touch and looped their fingers through Luke’s belt loops, pulling Luke’s hips to theirs, not wanting a single space between their bodies.
Luke let out a soft moan into Ash’s lips at the sudden movement.
And then, Luke was pushing Ash back against the door, one hand on the back of their head and the other resting on their hip.
Ash ran their hands down Luke’s chiseled torso and up his back, digging their nails in as they made their way down to his hips.
Ash began slowly pulling Luke’s shirt up, exposing the muscles of his stomach, until Luke removed his hand from Ash’s hip and tugged the shirt over his head.
Ash took advantage of the momentary break in the kiss to admire Luke’s body.
God, he was gorgeous. Luke toyed with the hem of Ash’s shirt, as if asking for permission to remove it.
Ash nodded slightly as their chest heaved with rapid breaths.
Luke wasted no time ripping Ash’s shirt from their torso, tossing it over his shoulder before grabbing Ash’s hand.
Luke led Ash up the stairs into the room at the top. Ash didn’t have time to take in the details of the room before Luke captured their lips again and closed the door behind them.