“Collin and I met in a class our first year of college. We hit it off immediately and started dating pretty much right away. We were really happy for a while.”
Drew touched his arm gently. “What happened?”
“Collin died several years ago now. He had AIDS.”
The other man stared at him, his dark eyes going wide. He shook his head. “I don’t know what to say. I’m sorry.”
Mark nodded. “I always knew he had AIDS. He was very upfront about it and we were always very careful when we were together. He got it from his mother when he was just a baby. Still, I guess I’d hoped…wished we’d have more time.”
“There’s never enough time,” Drew said softly. “I’m sorry. Sounds like you guys really loved each other.”
“We did. After his death, I guess I pretty much shut down. Took extra classes in college, made sure I was top of the class in law school.” Mark shook his head. “Anything I could do to pretend it didn’t matter.”