Chapter: THE ULTIMATUMCHAPTER FIVE:It happened on a Friday afternoon.Owen was leaving his last session of the day when his boss, Dr. Mercer, called him into his office. Mercer was a man in his sixties, someone Owen had always respected for his professionalism and dedication to the work.But there was something different about his expression today.Something cold."Close the door," Mercer said.Owen did, feeling his stomach drop. He'd done nothing wrong at work. His client reviews were strong. He showed up, did the job, and helped people navigate their grief.So what was this about?"I've noticed you've been spending a lot of time at a restaurant near here," Mercer said without preamble. "Roots, I think that's what it's called?"Owen was surprised. How could this have happened?"Yes. I eat lunch there sometimes," Owen said carefully."You eat lunch there frequently. I've seen you there twice this week alone. And I've seen you with the owner. A man."Owen didn't say anything. His mind was already running t
Última atualização: 2025-12-28
Chapter: THE WEIGHTCHAPTER FOURBy the following week, Owen and Lucas had fallen into an inseparable bond. Owen would find excuses to stop by Roots between clients. Lucas would have something waiting, a special he'd made, a coffee, sometimes just a few minutes to sit and talk in the quiet before the dinner rush.They talked about everything. Lucas told Owen about growing up in Central America, about the journey to the States with his siblings, about the early years when they had almost nothing. Owen talked about his work, about the heaviness of holding people's grief, about his family cutting him off when he came out.He'd never told anyone that before. Never let anyone see how much it still hurts.One evening, after Roots had closed, Lucas invited Owen upstairs to the apartment above the restaurant. It was small but lived-in, with photos on the walls and cookbooks everywhere. Lucas made tea and they sat on the couch, and for the first time, they weren't talking about work or food or loss.They were jus
Última atualização: 2025-12-28
Chapter: CAUGHTCHAPTER THREE: Owen's coworker Maria showed up at his desk the next morning with a container of meatballs. She was always doing things like bringing food from her mother's kitchen, her sister's bakery. Food was how Maria showed care."Try these," she said, setting the container down. "My mom made them yesterday."Owen opened the container. The meatballs sat in a rich red sauce, steam still rising. They smelled good.He took one and bit into it.It was fine. More than fine. Well-made, flavored with herbs and something he couldn't identify. But as he chewed, his mind went somewhere else.To Roots.The way that pasta tasted was like someone had put thought into every element."These are good," Owen said. "But you know what's better? This place I went to. Roots. The food there is different."Maria raised an eyebrow. "You've been there once and you're already comparing?""The pasta I had was the best thing I've eaten in months," Owen said. "The way everything was balanced, the freshness o
Última atualização: 2025-12-28
Chapter: THE COLLISIONCHAPTER TWOThree days later, Owen was running.His boss had called just as he was packing up to leave. A client had relapsed. Hospital. Crisis. Someone needed to meet him before the night shift changed over.Owen grabbed his coat and left without hesitation. That was the job. That was the commitment.The rain had started while he was in the meeting. Now it was coming down hard, and Owen's shoes were soaked through. He was trying to flag down a taxi, but it was rush hour. Everyone wanted one. The train station was three blocks away, but there was no guarantee the next train would come in time.He started walking faster, then jogging, his bag bouncing against his side.That's when he collided with someone stepping out of a doorway.Owen went flying forward. His bag dropped. Papers scattered everywhere. He caught himself against a wall, breathing hard, ready to apologize or curse or maybe both.A man was already on his knees picking up Owen's scattered papers, moving quickly despite the
Última atualização: 2025-12-28
Chapter: THE ORDERCHAPTER ONEOwen hadn't eaten a proper meal in three days.Between grief counseling sessions and the paperwork that came with the job, he'd survived on hospital cafeteria sandwiches and cold coffee. His life had become a series of other people's breakdowns clients sobbing across from him about parents, spouses, children they'd lost. And then he'd go home to silence. To an apartment that still felt like temporary housing even though he'd lived there five years.Since his family stopped calling after he came out, he'd learned to exist in a specific kind of quiet. Work filled most of the space. Therapy filled the rest. Everything else he'd learned to do without.A coworker named Marcus had sent him a text that morning: You need to eat something that isn't depressing. Trust me on this.The link took him to a restaurant called Roots. Italian-inspired, family-owned, great reviews. Fifteen minutes from his office. Perfect.Owen told himself he was just hungry.The restaurant was smaller than
Última atualização: 2025-12-28
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