After lying together for some time, they got up and took their shower. As they dried each other, Julian offered to make something for lunch.
“I think we should go out for lunch.”
Julian looked at him with eyebrows raised.
“Yeah, that’s what we should do,” Tate continued, as if trying to convince himself. “I’ve cooped myself up in here too long. I want to be done with playing the hermit.”
Julian hesitated to respond. Tate had just begun to gain an understanding of his emotional isolation—just made his first attempts at mastering his new leg. Would this be taking on too much? Julian didn’t want to see Tate set himself up for discouragement.
Tate misread his hesitancy. “Of course, if you’d rather not.” He glanced down at his leg. “I’d understand,” he said, his face losing its air of expe
