“So what did you think?” asked Luke as he and Hunter stepped out of the gallery and into the chilly air of early evening.

“Of Allen?” asked Hunter, glancing back through the glass doors of the gallery. “I liked him. You were right. He’s a nice person to spend time with.”

“I thought you might,” said Luke as they started down the sidewalk back towards home.

Hunter absently smiled to himself. He got the feeling Allen must have known him before the accident. It was something about the way he acted. But the art dealer’s mannerisms and style of talking were relaxed and easy. He never made Hunter feel as if he was trying to play catch up with events that had gone on before. Even when Hunter missed jokes or...idioms that were being used in playful banter.

“Are you going to take him up on his offer?” asked Luke.

“Probably,” said Hunter with a shrug. “If I’m going to work for him, then I should probably start learning the job as quickly as possible, right?” He absently dug into his pocket and retrieved his cell phone. He’d promised Vincent he’d text him as soon as the interview was over. Even though it had felt less like an interview and more like a coffee date with friends.

There were more than a dozen texts and missed phone calls, all from Vincent.

“Just checking in,” read one message.

“At lunch, thinking about you.”

“I hope you’re okay.”

“Haven’t heard from you all day. Is everything alright?”

The messages grew increasingly panicked as the day wore on, and Hunter felt a slight flare of annoyance. He growled to himself and started typing out a message.

“Problems?” asked Luke, in response to Hunter’s furious typing.

“Just...” Hunter sighed and switched off his phone without finishing the message. “Just my friend. I told him I’d text him after I was done with this interview, but he’s been messaging me all day.”

Hunter looked over at Luke who seemed to be staring at a fixed point dead ahead of them. Almost like he was trying to avoid Hunter’s gaze.

“He’s kind of been a bit clingy lately,” Hunter continued with a sigh. “I like spending time with him, but I honestly don’t know how to handle him sometimes.”

“He’s probably just worried about you,” said Luke at last.

“I know...” Hunter said, his voice trailed off however. All day long Luke had exuded this warm and inviting aura that put Hunter instantly at ease. In that moment, that aura turned cold and Hunter felt the chill of winter wrapping around him.

“I know you barely know me...” said Luke as they reached the apartment building. He stopped short and turned to face Hunter. There were scarce inches between them and Hunter could feel the warmth of Luke’s breath against his lips. “...but if you ever need anything at all, I’m right next door. Don’t worry about bothering me. It’s not a bother. You’re my friend, and I want to help you if I can. Okay?”

Hunter swallowed. He hadn’t realized how intense Luke’s eyes could be. His pulse quickened, and he felt short of breath. From this distance it felt as if he might lose himself in that endless gaze. What was this fluttery feeling in his stomach? “Y-yeah,” he managed at last, “I will.”

“Good,” said Luke, turning away from him so suddenly that Hunter nearly lost his balance. “I’ll see you tomorrow,” he said and retreated inside as Hunter stood unsteadily on the sidewalk.

For a moment, he wasn’t sure what to do. He hadn’t been able to keep up with Luke’s sudden shift in mood. It felt like he was reacting to the messages from Vincent, but why would that have caused him to turn so icy all of a sudden.

“Hunter!?” a voice shouted through the growing darkness. He turned and saw Vincent crossing the street towards him, his arms loaded down with bags from a dozen or more different restaurants.

“Vincent? What are you doing here? I told you I’d text you when I got home,” he said as Vincent reached his side.

“I’m sorry. I got worried.” Vincent looked completely miserable. His nose was tinged red from the cold, and he seemed to be struggling with the bags he was carrying.

“Can I help you with those?” offered Hunter. The smell of food wafted towards him. Were those all bags from takeout places?

“Just get the door for me, will you?”

***

FINALLY UPSTAIRS IN Hunter’s apartment, Vincent began unloading his packages onto the kitchen counter.

“What is all of this?” Hunter protested.

There was Chinese, Thai, Italian, burgers, fried chicken, tacos, and about half a dozen other options to choose from.

“I left the firm a couple hours ago, and I still hadn’t heard from you,” explained Vincent. “I knew you were excited about this interview, and I wanted to bring you something special for dinner. So I went and picked up Chinese. Then I called you again, but you still weren’t answering. Then I thought you might not like Chinese, so I went ahead and got Thai. I basically repeated that process over and over again. Then I ran out of places to go to. So I drove over and sat outside your apartment building until I saw you come home.”

The smell of all the foods wafted towards Hunter in what should have been an enticing aroma, but it only served to make his stomach clench. He was definitely hungry, and the food looked appetizing, why then did he want to run for the bathroom?

“I really appreciate the effort you went through.” Hunter forced back the initial wave of nausea and smiled brightly. “I just wish you hadn’t worried so much. I told you I didn’t know how long it would take and I’d text you when I was done.”

“I know,” said Vincent, looking away dejectedly. “I just couldn’t help myself, you know? I lost you once before, and I don’t know what I would do if I lost you again. The very thought sends me into a spiral and I can’t escape it. I don’t want to coddle you or seem overly clingy, but I can’t shake this feeling that something is going to happen and I’m going to lose you all over again. Or else I’m going to wake up and realize all of this has just been a dream.”

“That’s not going to happen,” Hunter assured him. “I’m here to stay.”

“You don’t know that though,” Vincent retorted. “What happened to you that day was just a freak accident. I know it’s not fair of me to act like this. I’m sorry. I don’t want you to feel obligated to deal with my emotional distress on top of everything else.”

Hunter shook his head slowly. He couldn’t fault Vincent for how he was feeling. The accident had far reaching effects on people other than himself. At least Vincent was admitting to being overly clingy. It showed he was aware of his actions but unsure of how to fix them. Communication was the foundation of any good relationship, right?

“I’ll try to text you more,” said Hunter slowly. “Or at least I’ll reply to the messages you send me. You’ve gotta give me time to reply though. I can’t always answer right away. Allen’s going to start training me soon, and I won’t be able to reply if we’re talking to potential customers.”

“Allen? Allen Geoffery? Isn’t that one of Luke’s friends?” Vincent turned to look at him with worry in his eyes. “You didn’t tell me that’s who this interview was with.”

“I don’t see how that matters,” said Hunter with a frown. “He’s offered me a job, and I’m going to take it.”

“You can’t,” said Vincent, stepping towards Hunter. “Luke’s circle of friends are toxic. They’ll just pull you into their web, and you’re not going to be able to escape.”

“Their web? Of what? Paintings?” Hunter laughed. “You’re overreacting, Vincent. Just try to calm down a little. I’ll be fine.”

“You don’t remember what they were like,” continued Vincent. “The way they manipulated you was disgusting. You know why Luke is famous? Because of you. Your job as a lawyer allowed you to cover the costs of his apartment. He mooched off of you until he became successful enough to support himself. But he never once offered to pay you back.”

Hunter shook his head slowly. Even if all of that was true, it was all from a lifetime he couldn’t remember. Besides, Allen was offering him a job. No one was getting manipulated into anything.

“Vincent, I’m taking this job. If I don’t, I won’t have money to pay my bills. Then I’ll have to rely on you and isn’t that the very thing you’re accusing him of doing?” Hunter was trying to remain calm and logical, but Vincent was making it difficult.

“I know you don’t understand where I’m coming from,” said Vincent in a much calmer tone as he approached Hunter and took both of his hands into his own. “I know he probably hasn’t given you any reason to think badly of him this time. He probably sees your amnesia as his chance for redemption in your eyes. I know you told me not to shelter you and I won’t. I just wouldn’t be a very good boyfriend if I didn’t warn you about him.”

“Are we boyfriends now?” asked Hunter, frowning slightly as Vincent returned to the pile of takeout food in the kitchen.

“It was a slip of the tongue.” Vincent waved his hand dismissively. “Old habits, old memories, still trying to get past them all.”

Hunter said nothing as Vincent began to fill one of the plates with food.

“Go ahead and help yourself,” invited Vincent, gesturing to the empty plate on the counter.

Hunter shifted his gaze back to the pile of food on Vincent’s plate. At another point in time, he knew he would have been excited to try all of the different dishes on display on his counter. Right now, however, his stomach sounded the trumpets of rebellion.

Spinning on his heel, Hunter ran towards the bathroom. Fear that he wouldn’t make it in time propelled him forward. He had barely reached the toilet when his stomach heaved.

***

“I CAN CALL IN SICK,” insisted Vincent, sitting on the edge of Hunter’s bed later that evening. “I’ve got plenty of sick leave saved up, it’ll be fine. I can stay here and take care of you.”

“I’m fine,” insisted Hunter as he tried to pull the blankets a little higher around himself. “It’s just a stomach bug. I’ll be fine.”

“Sure, sure. You’re probably right,” said Vincent, looking down at his feet. “I can sleep on the couch. I’ll be just a few feet away if you need anything at all. Just for tonight.”

Hunter was tempted to relent and give him what he wanted, but he wasn’t sure it was such a good idea. Something in the back of his head was warning him not to give in to Vincent’s demands, and he was inclined to listen to it, if only because he wasn’t sure he was going to get any sleep if he did.

“I’ll be fine,” insisted Hunter. “I’ll text you in the morning to let you know I’m not dead.” He laughed.

Vincent didn’t see the humor in his joke. “Please, don’t make light of things like that. I couldn’t bear to lose you again.”

Hunter sighed to himself. “Fine, I won’t. I promise. Now go on. I need to sleep if I’m going to get over this.”

“One last time,” said Vincent, rising to his feet. “I can take the day off. I’ll wait on you hand and foot.”

“Please, Vincent. Just let me sleep,” pleaded Hunter. “It’s just a stomach bug. There’s no reason for you to miss work over this. Okay?”

Reluctantly, Vincent withdrew from Hunter’s bedside. For a moment, Hunter thought he was going to camp out on the couch anyway, but in the end he left without another word.