Their first social gathering was not the last. Sarah latched onto Tristan, and his peaceful sofa time at home was reduced to a fifth of what it had been. It wasn't all bad though; he was grateful to have found a friend, even if they didn't really like the same things. Tristan liked quiet, while Sarah loved to be the life of the party. There were lots of parties that Tristan simply 'had to' attend. And sure enough, wherever Sarah was, so was her husband Carl, and invariably, Jed would come with them like a promotional deal. For a frugal shopper like Tristan, '2+1' was a little overwhelming.

Although they'd only ever met in the company of a group, Jed was always attentive, and had evidently been coached in how he should behave to make the best impression. If he wasn't filling Tristan's glass, he was paying for his drinks or hanging up his jacket so it wouldn't get wrinkled. 

"What a gentleman!" Sarah would say, eyeing Tristan's reaction to the moves she'd prepared. 

It wasn't long before Jed started to pick him up when he finished work, and drove him to Carl and Sarah's place on the weekends. Slowly, surely... and without Tristan even noticing it, he and Jed had become a couple. 

They were invited as a pair, went shopping together, went home together... The first time Jed stayed over was neither passionate nor particularly terrible, it was like a perfunctory action that was ready to be performed. Tristan was satisfied by his own hand, and Jed completed the task that was expected of him as considerately as he could. It was as though they'd been together for years, and the spark had long since left them. 

"Well, well!" said Sarah, catching up with them the following day, "I hear things are finally heating up between you lovebirds!" 

Tristan blushed and sipped his drink while Jed laughed it off and changed the subject. If anything, there was barely a simmer between them, but it didn't seem to stop Jed's progress. He was keen for them to make things official, and it wasn't long before they were living together as boyfriends. Everything seemed to happen in the way that Sarah had laid out for them... every suggestion followed, and every milestone hit when the time was deemed appropriate. 

"What do you mean you haven't been on vacation together yet?! That's it! You're coming with me and Carl to rent a villa down the coast. It'll be fun with the four of us!" 

'The four of us' became a familiar term. Tristan wouldn't have minded seeing a little less of his boss outside the office, but there was always some kind of social activity he couldn't escape from; his coveted alone time all but disappeared in a haze of barbecues, boat parties, and get-togethers. Tristan had tried to explain to Jed several times that he didn't have the money to always go, that he wouldn't mind staying home every once in a while and watching a movie. After word of this reached Sarah, Tristan found himself with an unexpected bonus at work. 

"Don't worry!" she'd said with a wink, "Your efforts won't go unappreciated! We can't have our Tris missing out because my hubby doesn't pay him enough!" 

Tristan had been mortified. Not only had Jed spoken to them on his behalf, but Sarah had taken to calling him 'Tris'. It didn't seem to matter what he said in confidence, there were no secrets that went unshared. As time wore on, Tristan learned it was better not to say anything at all. Life kept on happening, and he was too afraid of the alternative for it to stop. It finally felt like he was building something tangible, even if the foundations weren't laid on solid ground.

It was shortly after the bonus that a mysterious word started floating around at the edges of conversations. 

'Modesh...' 

Occasionally, Tristan would catch the end of some secret discussion, or notice it written within the pages of company emails that he never had the time to sift through. 

"I mean, really it wouldn't be such a bad idea" Sarah had said over dinner one night; "Modesh wouldn't be too different. There'd just be less familiar faces... though I think enough of us would go that we could still have some fun."

Jed seemed to consider her words very carefully, glancing at Tristan to see if he could gauge any kind of reaction. How could he react? He didn't know what they were talking about. 

"What about you, Tris?" Sarah had thankfully thought to include him. "Would you move to Modesh with Jed if they agreed to take dependents..?" 

Tristan had never thought of himself as a 'dependent' before. He had his own salary and paid his own bills. There were times when Jed would encourage him to spend beyond his means, but he was still somewhat in control of his finances. 

"What do you mean?" he asked her, "Why would I have to go as his dependent..?"

Jed scratched the back of his neck and stared at his plate.

"Haven't you talked about it?" she asked; "Jed! Such huge news and you haven't discussed it?! Honestly, if I wasn't here you'd never get anything done!" Having scolded her friend, she turned her attention back to the nonplussed Tristan. 

"You must have heard by now about the new branch they're opening in Modesh?" 

He hadn't. 

"Well they've made an offer to Carl, and they want Jed and a lot of the sales team. As to your position... well, it's not exactly considered a 'vital role'. But I'm sure you could find something similiar over there at another company. It would really be great for Jed! Such a big opportunity!"

So that was it. No-one had mentioned it to Tristan because it didn't concern him. There was no opportunity for someone as low-level and unimportant as he was; only the 'vital' members had been invited to transition to the new offices in Modesh. 

"I'll be going with Carl of course. I've been encouraging him to take it what with the raise and the house they've found for us. It has a bigger pool than our place in Cabi. But we couldn't bear to be there without you both! Please say you're coming too - We couldn't exactly have Jed without Tris, now could we?!" 

Tristan looked to his boyfriend; he'd remained sullen and silent throughout, and even now, continued to look away from him.

"Jed would have to ask me first..." he said defeatedly. 

Sarah refused to stand for her best friend's inaction when it was putting a halt to her well-crafted plans, and promptly elbowed him in the ribs. 

"What?!" he laughed, his demeanor switching as soon as Sarah's eyes were on him; "Of course I'm going to ask him! There just hasn't been a suitable time is all. Tristan's been flat-out trying to catch up to the other analysts in the office. You know he struggles with the workload." He wasn't wrong. And yet it hurt to hear it out loud. 

"Well there's probably something a bit easier we can find for you then" suggested Sarah; "since it's pretty much decided we're going, I can ask around about what's available. Carl!" she called, catching her husband's attention, "Tris is in for Modesh - any thoughts about a job for him over there..?" 

Carl grimaced. "For Tris..? No, not really... I mean, nothing with us of course; but even then I wouldn't know where to send him. Can't the pay raise cover you both while you figure it out?" he asked Jed. 

The reluctant nod from Jed was enough of an agreement that the problem was deemed settled. 

"We should toast!" said Sarah, "Oh I'm actually quite excited, you know? I've no idea what the food will be like, but there's nothing you can't order online. Let me show you the photos they sent over of mine and Carl's new place!"

Somehow it happened. Tristan's future had been mapped out by unseen hands. When they got home, Jed finally chose to speak about it. 

"The raise isn't huge... but I can cover us for a few months. I'd say you could live off the deposit you get back from this place, but you'll need it to put towards the new apartment in Modesh. It hasn't got a pool but the view's not bad." 

Tristan stared at him. 

"I was going to tell you about it... but I felt bad because I knew they hadn't offered you anything. It hasn't exactly been easy for me. Once we get settled over there you can find another job. Take your time... but, you know, I can't support you like Carl does with Sarah... you'll still need to pay your share."

Tristan's chest felt numb. "What if I wanted to stay..?" he asked in a small voice. 

Jed sighed and rolled his eyes. 

"Do you really want me to say it..?" he asked, "When Carl leaves you're not going to find another boss that will have his patience with you. We both know you're in over your head at work; just be thankful that Carl let you stay on and try for as long as he did. Sarah, too. She was advocating for you, you know? If she hadn't spoken up for you, you might have had to quit ages ago." 

There was a stinging sensation in Tristan's cheeks. "I know I'm a little slow... I'm still getting used to it. It's not like I slack off."

"I'm not saying that" said Jed, "You're twisting my words again. Speed is important in this industry; it's not a question of how hard you try, it's whether you can actually do the job or not. And the bottom line, is that you can't." 

Tristan wondered if there could have been another way for Jed to tell him as such and have it hurt a little less. 

"Maybe we can find something you're better suited for in Modesh. You don't even need to start looking until we get there. That should be enough time for you to get your head around the change, and it'll be better if there's someone at home to handle the move. You like being organized, right? You can sort the boxes and unpack stuff while I'm at work. It'll give you something to do while you look for another job."

"So we're moving there... just like that?" asked Tristan. "No discussion, no plan. I just quit my job and follow you over there?" 

Jed sighed again. 

"You don't have all that many options... and it's like Sarah said; they're counting on us going with them. They want us there." 

In his itchy heart, a question scratched at his chest. But do you want me there..? The worry lingered while Jed went to take a shower. In his few moments of peace; Tristan curled up on the sofa and held a cushion over his head. He wanted to wriggle within its folds and disappear completely. There'd be so much he'd have to do, so much he would have to think about. If he got lost in the couch like a discarded sock, he wouldn't have to think at all.

"Just because you're going to be unemployed soon doesn't mean you can lie around doing nothing all day" Jed chided him, walking into the living room with a towel about his waist.

Tristan sat up; his dark eyes pleading for a comforting touch, or a sweet word to allay his fears. Any crumb of affection would be gratefully devoured, something to show that Jed wanted him; to show that he was right to trust him. 

"Do you want to..?" he began. 

Jed cleared his throat. "Maybe on the weekend. Things are going to get busier for me for a while. Don't be surprised if I don't have much time to be... romantic." 

Inside his head there was a sinister laugh. What was his excuse the rest of the time then? For the time they had been together, the only romance that Tristan had witnessed had been shared between Sarah and Carl. It wasn't like their bed was scattered with rose petals.

"Why don't you get an early night then?" Tristan suggested, "I'm going to stop by the convenience store before I come back and shower." Jed gave his boyfriend a curious look. 

"You're not buying junk food again are you?" he questioned, "I already told you not to eat so much."

"We're out of milk" said Tristan, hiding his motive to sneak a pack of cookies and finish them before he made it back to their apartment; "Is there anything else you need while I'm out?"

Jed dismissed him with a perfunctory 'no' and closed the bedroom door behind him. Slipping his cozy hoodie on over his t-shirt, Tristan walked out into the warm, Cabi night. As he took a breath on the sidewalk, his body sank down to the ground, and the tears that had been threatening to fall sank down into the mire with him.