During the following days things were actually going uphill. Reid did his best to be the kind of boyfriend Luke deserved and they finally managed to do some of the things couples usually do when they start dating.
They met for breakfast or dinner, played chess, took long walks, went to see a movie and Luke took Reid shopping. They also spent evenings with Katie at the apartment, watching TV or just talking and Luke even got Reid to sit through two family dinners with Luke's newly reunited parents and the kids.
During all those dates they kissed and held each other a lot, yet never got truly intimate again. For Reid, it was hard to tell for whether this was only because they just happened to hardly ever be alone with each other these days or whether Luke was avoiding any kind of situation in which the subject might come up again on purpose. Anyway, Reid felt relieved rather than disappointed.
After the different incidents when the topic had come up in the past – both before the accident and after – Reid was more than aware of how seriously Luke took sleeping with somebody and what a big step having sex with another man but Noah would be for him, and in his current mental condition Reid was not ready for this kind of commitment.
Still, they were getting closer. They spent hours talking about all kinds of things they had never got to know about each other before. Okay, most of the time it was Luke who did the talking and Reid who did the listening, but eventually Reid caught himself opening towards Luke more and more.
He even told him about his estranged relationship to his uncle Angus who back when he was a kid had tried to turn him into a boy wonder chess player and who as far as he knew was still living in New York. As was to be expected, Luke tried to talk him into contacting Angus, a suggestion which Reid pretended not to have heard.
And then there was Casey's and Allison's upcoming wedding which was keeping Luke and Katie busy. Luke was to be Casey's best man and therefore had to be part of the planning process and Katie was helping out Kim.
Of course, it had been agreed on the fact that the wedding was to be quiet and private due to Chris' all too recent death. Yet, Luke and Katie spent a lot of time discussing the wedding preparations while Reid just listened, not really taking too much of an interest.
Never once during their conversations did Luke and Reid touch on the subject of the future and, to be honest, Reid not only avoided talking about the future but also systematically repressed any thought about what would become of him now for the simple reason that he knew he wouldn't be able to cope with it without freaking out and he didn't want to do that to Luke again.
Instead, he focused on the present – on Luke and also on Katie and Jakob. With Chris gone, he was the only potential father figure for the little boy and he knew that knowing he was there and ready to do the job until one day a new candidate would come around was a great comfort to Katie.
So all in all, things were finally sort of working out for Luke and Reid and the time they spent together became more and more precious to Reid. Luke could talk for hours and Reid would never once get bored, he would always come up with new ways of making everyday life special and he even managed to make Reid laugh sometimes.
One night, after they had been to a movie, they went to Al's for Reid needed a late snack. They had seen The Social Network and throughout the meal Luke was making jokes about how the protagonist shared quite a few characteristics with Reid. Of course, Reid protested but he couldn't hide the fact that he was amused.
They had actually spent the whole day together. Breakfast at Java's, a visit to the Snyder farm, a long walk with Ethan and Nathalie who had annoyed Reid only a little by starting a fight over who was better at sports, dinner with Holden, Lily and the kids, a game of chess which of course was won by Reid although Luke argued that it was close this time, and finally the movie.
Later Luke walked Reid home, as had become a habit, and they were still laughing and flirting a lot. When they reached the house, Reid leaned in to kiss Luke goodnight, but instead of kissing him, Luke took his hand and looked him straight in the eyes. "I thought you might want to ask me in for another drink or so …", Luke's voice sounded suggestive.
Reid understood and started smiling. "Sure", he replied, trying to sound casual, and led Luke inside. When they entered the apartment, it was all dark. Katie had obviously gone to bed, but after all it was already around 11:30.
Reid turned on the lights. "So what's it gonna be for you then?", Reid inquired, opening the fridge. "Soda for me, please", Luke replied and sat down on the sofa. "Oh, here's a letter for you. Katie must have put it on the table." "What is it?", Reid returned with the soda and a beer for himself.
He sat down next to Luke, handed him the soda can, took a sip from his beer and picked up the letter. It carried the familiar logo belonging to the University of Harvard. Raising his eyebrows, Reid tore open the envelope, took out the letter and started reading.
At first he wasn't able to actually take in what it said, but then his heart seemed to miss a beat. Everything that he had been trying so hard to forget these past days was coming back in an instant and it hit him so hard he thought he was going to suffocate.
"What is it?", Luke, who had been watching him closely, sounded concerned. "What does it say? REID! Why don't you say anything? What is WRONG?"
