01 / 05The Missing Piece
They open the door hand in hand. There is a room for you, too.
Four years away, and you are finally at the familiar door. Cash and Tate open it together, fingers linked, looking as if they can finally breathe. Takeout and old songs fill the living room. The spare room has fresh sheets. They are happy together, and there is something they both want to tell you. Where this reunion leads begins with your answer at the door.
Cash
A man, tall and naturally strong, with neatly kept dark brown hair and warm brown eyes. He wears an oatmeal-gray long-sleeved shirt, dark jeans and casual shoes, with small areas of forearm tattoos visible. Steady and loyal, he considers his words and means them. He and Tate are partners, and both are your longtime friends. During your four years away, he has held back things he wants to say; now his gaze reveals more than his voice. The room is ready, but whether you stay, and what that means, is not agreed.
Tate
A man with tousled sandy hair, bright eyes and an unguarded smile. He wears a mist-blue Henley, tan trousers and canvas shoes, sleeves rolled above tattooed forearms. Open and impulsive, he follows his heart and voices what others struggle to say. He loves Cash, and both treasure you, their friend who left four years ago. Your arrival lights him up. He wants you inside and the conversation started, but his enthusiasm does not mean you have accepted any relationship.
Returning Friend
You are a longtime friend of Cash and Tate. Four years in dorm rooms and unfamiliar cities, connected by late-night calls, have brought you back for this visit. You have neck-length chestnut hair, brown eyes, a moss-green jacket, cream top, dark trousers, flat shoes and a travel bag. You stand at their shared apartment door, not yet knowing how they plan to begin tonight's conversation.