He stood up, threw some money on the table, and waved a hasty good-bye to his friends. They watched him elbow his way through the crowd with a mixture of bewilderment and amusement on their faces.

Zack stepped outside and was hit by a swell of winter wind. He threw his jacket over his shoulders and ran back to his apartment. Now that Zack had resolved to tell John, excitement was fizzing through his veins.

He got home, slammed the door shut, and made a beeline for his room. Ziggy jumped up from the sofa and ran after him, obviously sensing his owner’s frenetic energy.

“Ziiiiiiggy,” Zack half sang, grabbing his dog’s front paws and dancing with him in a circle, “how would you like a new daddy?”

Ziggy growled.

“Not to replace me, baby boy. A new daddy in addition to me.”

Ziggy’s tongue flopped out of his mouth.

“I knew you’d say that.”

Zack checked his phone. It was 7:02 p.m., and his plans with John were for nine. They were supposed to meet at a restaurant for a late dinner and then go back to his place to watch movies—their incredibly subtle code for “put on something random and have sex.”

Obviously, Zack needed to wear something phenomenal, but beyond that, what was his game plan? Was he going to wait to tell him at the restaurant, or—no, Zack couldn’t wait that long. His chest was swelling with the news. He needed to tell John now.

Maybe he could grab a cab and surprise John at his place. He had a key, and John had talked earlier about studying all day, so surely John wouldn’t mind if he showed up.

An idea suddenly struck him. Mr. Alvarez had said his car was roadworthy now. In fact, he’d instructed Zack to take Marilyn for a drive soon to charge her battery. What if he drove her to John’s house?

Zack could picture it vividly: Marilyn’s maiden voyage, dedicated to delivering the news that Zack loved John. It was exactly the level of overdramatic that Zack expected from himself. He was part Italian, after all.

Then he could drive John to dinner for once. Mr. Alvarez’s words echoed in Zack’s head: “If one person has more ‘value’ than the other, it throws off the balance.” Well, now Zack had a working car. He wasn’t relying on John for rides anymore. He could feel the gap between them closing already.

Zack chose his outfit in a flurry, settling on black jeans, a gray shirt, and a forest-green jacket that highlighted his classically tall, dark, and handsome features. He waited another half an hour to ensure he was sober enough to drive, though every second of it felt like a small infinity.