“We only have the one two-top left, over by the window. Will that be alright?” she asked, already picking up a menu.

“It’s perfect,” James assured her as he slipped out of his coat and took in the room as he followed her to his table. Dark cherrywood floors, ornate crown moldings, and simple but thoughtful furniture adorned the space. As he settled into his chair, a handsome gentleman sitting opposite him at the next two-top table caught his eye. Two chairs sat vacant between them. The man smiled and James couldn’t help but notice his green eyes light up. He smiled back and felt something stir inside him, something he hadn’t felt for a very long time.

James’s phone vibrated on the table and he saw there was a new message on Grindr. It was from Robbie. He instantly felt guilty and turned away slightly from the man to read the message.

Why do you think you’re here?

I’ve stayed to make sure you were okay.

You’re okay now. I love you very much.

As you know, I can’t make it tonight, not physically.

So I’ve made sure there was someone good to step in.

It’s time for me to say good-bye.

And it’s time for you to move forward.

Now go say hello.

James placed his phone in his pocket and turned back. The handsome man smiled and then looked down shyly into his drink. James took a deep breath and steeled his nerves.

“Excuse me? My name’s James. I noticed we’re both dining alone tonight. Would you like to join me?”

The man laughed a little as he got to his feet. “Yeah, I’d like that. Nice to meet you, James. I’m Ryan.”

Witch’s Brew

Leather and Lace

A spit in the face

An insult, a boot

Hook-ups a hoot

THE CLUB was tired that night and so were the queens. Jonny always felt the place should have been introduced to an undertaker long ago. He sat on a cracked pleather stool spewing foam padding and watched a fiftyish CPA mince across the stage in a Dolly getup that would have any true Parton fan praying for his sins.

He leaned into his whiskey coke and onto the sticky black bar top, casting yet another hopeful glance around the hopeless joint. But there was nothing. He’d entered a strange no-man’s-land of the single thirties. He was no longer in the mood for a scrappy and mentally unstable youth and not quite ready to join the newly wed and nearly dead. Fortunately, one never knew who might swagger into a watering hole such as this.