It’s not easy being a gay man in Utah, but it’s even more difficult when you’re young and overweight. Jay has never fit in with the general “club culture” and he knows he’d never be attractive enough to catch a one-night stand, much less a boyfriend. Losing himself in books and school alleviates his loneliness, and he doesn’t waste time dreaming about what he can’t have. Until he meets the new director of the GLBT Center on campus and promptly falls in love -- against all common sense and logic.<br><br>Hoping to catch a few glimpses of Stephen outside of the Center, Jay decides to start working out at the university gym. The plan turns out to be too successful as Stephen volunteers to be his workout buddy, then invites Jay out to lunch, and finally, kisses him. Jay wants Stephen more than anything, but he can’t bring himself to trust Stephen’s intentions. Not when he knows he’s disgusting and Stephen is so perfect ...

From Behind that Locked Door

“About a year to get there. Unknown amount of time on the planet. And then the same trip back. How long we spend on the planet depends on whether or not we find life. If we do, we will want to categorize it and learn from it. If it is intelligent, we will want to speak to it, which will require learning the language.”


The Monks were surprisingly good at absorbing human languages. English was high on their list, but they studied everything from Mandarin and Arabic to Romanian and Jamaican patois. Many individuals also spoke a couple alien languages that were not their own.


“If we don’t find life, we will take a survey of the planet’s natural resources and then quickly return to Earth. I can’t promise you’ll be freed when we come back, but I think working toward our cause will likely turn things in your favor.”


Cillian turned to Jack with a more genuine smile on his face. “What do you think?”


Chapter 7