It wasn’t the middle of the night after all. It was nearly five in the morning. After I explained the vision, I tried to get him to go back to bed, but he wouldn’t listen, so I curled up on his sofa, and we drank coffee and talked and watched the sun come up, and whatever I’d felt earlier passed.

No, I’m lying. It didn’t pass. What I felt for Gabriel wasn’t a chimera of anxiety and exhaustion. What passed was that panic, that sense of needing to escape.

I had breakfast with Ricky. Actually, I picked up breakfast—by cab—and surprised him at his place. He’d been in bed. Which led to a cold breakfast. But it also did an excellent job of banishing any traces of last night’s mood and fears. It wasn’t just the sex. Okay, yes, sex with Ricky was pretty much guaranteed to banish anything. But more than that, it was just being with him; alone with him, I was happy, and any other longings seemed like madness.

“I haven’t quit the diner yet,” I said. I was nibbling my toast, thinking how much I missed Larry’s rye bread.

“Yep. You need to make a decision there. Which I think you already have, but you should let Larry know what it is.”

“I know.” I sighed. “I’m not going back, which I should have told him a week ago.”

“I’m sure he figured it out. It’s just tough to cut that tie. Throwing yourself financially at Gabriel’s mercy.”

I spread extra jam on my toast. “It’s more than that. I don’t think I can even wait on the elders again.”

“I get that, and I’d agree.” He rolled out of bed and headed for the front room. I watched him go. I watched him come back. Both views were equally fine.

He saw me watching and chuckled. “I’d be a lot more flattered by that look if I didn’t suspect you were hoping to distract me from insisting you make this call.” He waggled my phone. “If you still want to jump me afterward, I’ll be here. And if you don’t? That’s fine, too, but just remember that every time I see that look in future, I’ll think you’re only trying to avoid something. It’ll do irreparable damage to my ego.”

“I wouldn’t want that.”

“No, you would not. My ego is a fragile thing.” He handed me the phone. “Now call Larry, tell him you’ll come by later to talk, and then you can have me.”

“Should I hang up first?”

“Larry would probably prefer that.”