Insomniac Sean Diaz spends his nights riding the subway around Manhattan, ignoring the people he might encounter, getting lost in the rhythms of the train so he’s exhausted enough to sleep once he gets home. A hallucination about his dead high school boyfriend turns it into an obsession, but when Sean sees him a second time, he nearly falls apart.<br><br>That’s how Judah Morey finds him. Concern prompts conversation, which in turn sparks friendship. When Judah invites Sean back to his place, Sean decides to take a chance for the first time in nearly a decade. Dating is new territory for him, but he thinks he’s ready for it. He just needs to figure out how to let go of the past so he can take that step into his future.

The Unbeaten Track

The idea came when I heard him roll over. I’d promised him a cooking lesson, even if that really had been a euphemism for sex. One way or another, I’d give him one.


His refrigerator was as pathetic as he’d claimed, limiting my options. The cupboard was only mildly better. Ten minutes later, I had measured and set out the ingredients he was going to need, chopped up the peppers and onions, and turned on the oven to heat up. It took another five to write out the instructions for an easy version of huevos rancheroslegibly enough for him to be able to read.


My stomach growled as I let myself out. Too bad I couldn’t stick around to share it with him, but it wasn’t worth it for both of us to be sleep-deprived.


Chapter 12