The dinner went much better than Zoran had expected. They'd talked. They'd laughed. Both Jacob and Khaled had teased. It had shocked him that things seemed so easy. They had been so tense at the meeting; he hadn't been sure the two were capable of getting along.

He hadn't even been aware that Khaled could appear so relaxed. He'd always seemed so tense, as though he were trying to hold the world together, as though he were carrying this great burden. It appeared that with Jacob, that burden was somewhat lessened, regardless of what other burdens Jacob brought with him.

The young man clearly brought some burdens to Khaled. Zoran witness him tense up only a couple of times. The first was when Jacob had mentioned his girlfriend, Rei he had called her, and his group of friends. Jacob reached over and gave Khaled a pat when he had tensed, proving that he was as aware of Khaled's changes in moods as Zoran was. He had been purposefully ignoring the signs earlier, which meant the conversation earlier about this she was as strain inducing to Jacob as it was for Khaled. Zoran thought the she might be Jacob's girlfriend. However, neither seemed to react quite as intensely as they had earlier.

The other change in Khaled's relaxed posture happened when Zoran had mentioned the girl who had brought him food, Ami. Even Jacob sat up a little straighter at the mention of the time she had spent sitting in his apartment, at the admission that she knew who he was, that she had refused to really tell him anything. Curiosity burned in their eyes. Curiosity and concern.

"Did she touch you?" Jacob finally asked and then flinched, "OUCH! I was only curious."

If Zoran hadn't been so busy flushing at just the idea of her touching him, and then berating himself for being so prudish, he would have paid closer attention to the exchange. As it was, she had discomfited enough without there being any physical touch. He remembered her standing close beside him, close enough to feel her warmth but not close enough for them to actually touch. He'd wanted to reach towards her, but that had left him even more unsteady than just her presence had.

He'd never before considered the fact that he didn't have much experience with women. He'd ended up in a coma at only 16. Of course, he'd flirted as a teen. He'd known even then that he was attractive and he'd taken pride in it, used it to his advantage. Saucy smiles and flirtatious winks went a long way when you relied on the kindness of others. There had been the one girl, another teen who had decided they were better off together than alone on streets. She had been the closest thing to a relationship he'd ever experienced, but survival had always been both of their main concerns. And, when he had awoken, he found he didn't care. No one was interesting. No one drew him in. Until he'd met her.

He frowned and shook his head.

"Good," Jacob breathed with a sharp nod. "Trust me, it's better that way."

Zoran tilted his head at his new friend. This time, he took note of the shuffle under the table. Clearly, Jacob moved in time, because he merely shot a glare at Khaled. That's when Zoran really noticed it, understood why Khaled had been so willing to come to this dinner. They were hiding something. Something was being left unsaid and Khaled had intended to ensure it stayed that way. The comfort he found in Jacob's company was a bonus. Protecting Zoran had been his main concern.

"What?" Zoran asked, glancing between the two men.

"Nothing," Khaled answered.

Jacob glanced away, avoiding Zoran's questing gaze. Zoran felt the muscles in his face tighten, his heart beat faster. Something in his head, some different part of himself that he'd never noticed before, pounded. It was as angry as he was, maybe even as frightened.

Zoran didn't make another comment. He allowed the conversation to stiltedly return to the casual atmosphere it had been before. The unsaid, the tension, was still there. Just under the surface. When they left, he saw Khaled lay a hand on Jacob's shoulder, stopping him from walking away as Zoran turned to leave. Khaled had wanted to talk to the other man. About him, Zoran sensed. About the conversation at the table.

The annoyance followed Zoran home. That other part, that different part, in his head continued to feel annoyed, as well. It was separate than his own feelings. He wasn't sure how he could tell, but he knew it wasn't just coming from him. He didn't know what it said about his mental state that he was separating a piece inside his head from himself. He wasn't sure he wanted to dwell on that either.

He understood why he was so angry. They were keeping something from him, keeping things about him from him. Ami had done it, Khaled had done it, and Jacob had done it. They knew something, more than what they were saying, even more than what they had hinted at. Ami had known him. She'd admitted that much but wouldn't tell him much else. Both Khaled and Jacob had known something that had to do with him. Zoran had a feeling that they knew him at least as well as Ami did.

He was less sure why this other part of him was so annoyed. He didn't feel like it was because they were hiding something from him. There was something different that was upsetting that piece of him.

Zoran stopped walking and began to prod at that piece, that place inside his head from which the feelings were steadily emanating. It held tight, seemed almost to push back at him. His head began to ache, and he winced. There was no way through whatever defense it had set up. It seemed to actually up its walls, fading away to nothing like before.

He sighed and continued walking, mumbling under his breath, "I must be losing it."

The stress from the return- from the secrets, from her- was getting to him.

When he turned the final corner and saw her standing in front of his apartment, he wasn't sure whether he was elated or terrified.