I was thankful for Noah's buoyant presence at the dinner table. After the incident in the bathroom, I didn't know how I  could have faced Brian  alone. I managed to hide myself-consciousness under a distant, polite manner and struggled to avoid meeting his dark, knowing gaze.

If Brian was thinking of their most recent romantic encounter, he didn't show it. He engaged Noah in an avid conversation about starting baseball pitchers and Noah explained the physics of different trick pitches. Brian listed with interest and dug into his food with relish, pausing to lavishly praise my cooking. Too lavishly, I thought, since I knew a man like.

Brian probably dined...