When he returns to his apartment, Jordan is left confused. Beyond confused. What did he just experience? Was he right this whole time? And of course, the most important question of them all: Is he… no, he can't be. He can't brush these thoughts away as he cleans his teeth, studying the mirror’s reflection. I still look the same. I’m still me.

I really am going to bring my family shame if I really am… well, I can’t be, can I? He can’t bear to think about that word that sounded wrong even in his own mind. As he gets into his bed, he knows that sleep would not come easily.

After taking his eleventh "Am I gay?" quiz, “I definitely am,” Jordan concludes. It’s his fourth time waking up in the middle of the night... there’s no way he’s going to sleep again.

“But I can’t be…” he backtracks. Jordan unlocks his phone and checks the time: 6:29 AM. Two hours left until his next class.

“Shit,” he groans, getting out of bed. He walks to his shower, remembering that he forgot to last night.

After changing into clothes that he deems are suitable, he sets out, driving to the Axium Café. Coffee would probably calm his nerves, right?

Thankfully, Nathan isn’t at the café. Jordan breathes a sigh of relief as he orders his usual hot cappuccino. Because the café is pretty much empty, it doesn’t take long for Denzel to whip up one of the café’s signature beverages.

“Hey, Jordan, your cappuccino’s ready,” Denzel says, sliding the cup over the counter.

“Thanks,” Jordan replies, his mind clearly elsewhere. He pays the single drink with his credit card (which others call weird but he rarely carries any cash) and takes his drink back to a table.

“You alright?”

“Huh?” Jordan mumbles, visibly disorientated. He taps the side of his coffee mug, deep in thought.

“I said are you okay?” Denzel repeats, clearly worried. Owning a popular café doesn’t mean that Denzel doesn’t pay attention to his customers, especially students from the university.

“Yeah, I’m fine."

“Hmm, I’m not so sure about that…” Denzel muses. He returns to wiping the counters and sifting through coffee beans. Jordan is extremely grateful that Denzel doesn’t poke further.

After finishing his cappuccino at a leisurely pace, he decides to head to his next class, the History of Eos. It isn’t a long walk from the café but unfortunately, he runs into Nathan just as he turns towards the Armaugh History Annex. Nathan avoids his eyes but Jordan can unmistakably see the pain from Nathan’s expression. He thinks about saying something but decides against it and continues walking to his class.

“Maybe I should turn around and talk to him…” he considers. He quickly brushes those thoughts aside as he walks into a lecture hall.

----------------------------

“You’re just going to make your family hate you more,” he ruminates. Jordan has just finished his only class today and thankfully doesn’t have one for about a week thanks to a break. “Are you even sure you like him?” he ponders. He makes his way to his car even though he has absolutely no clue where he’s going.

Jordan finds himself at Traversata, a charming little settlement just fifteen minutes away by ferry from Accordo’s capital of Altissia. Even though it is the main point of entry to Altissia from Valmuccia, Accordo’s biggest island, Traversata is relatively quiet and untouched by the technological advancements that are widespread in Accordo’s larger cities. Without exactly knowing why, Jordan decides to board the evening ferry to Altissia. Perhaps he could find solace there.