Seeking refuge, Lucas headed to one of the bars still open. The warm, festive environment and the incandescent lights were a welcome contrast to the cold, sterile atmosphere of the metro station, and he felt a wave of relief wash over him as he stepped inside. The warmth of the bar enveloped him, and the lively chatter and clinking glasses provided a much-needed respite from his worries.

He ordered a beer and was about to take his first sip when someone tapped him on the shoulder. Turning around, he recognized Professor Ortiz, with whom he had classes the past semester. Seeing a familiar face amidst the vastness of Madrid was a comforting experience for the solitary Lucas. Professor Ortiz, with his warm smile and a few more gray hairs than Lucas remembered, seemed genuinely pleased to see him.

"What have you been doing with yourself, Lucas?" he asked in undisguised wonder as they found a corner of the bar to share a drink.

Lucas fidgeted with the paper in his hands, but the bar's ambiance—filled with the murmur of conversation and occasional laughter—put him at ease. He decided not to hold back his worries any longer.

"I'm searching for accommodation and aiming to find comfortable rooms at a fair price," Lucas responded, showing his newspaper full of marked ads.

Professor Ortiz furrowed his eyebrows. "Unfortunately, classes are about to start on campus, and many apartments nearby have already been rented. But, honestly, you're the second person who's mentioned that to me today."

"And who was the first?" Lucas probed, leaning in slightly.

"A man from the neuroscience lab," Ortiz replied, sipping his beer. "He complained this morning because he couldn't find someone to share the cost of some nice rooms he had found, which were too expensive for his budget."

"Amazing!" Lucas cried. "If he's looking for a roommate to split the rent and costs, I might be the right person."

Professor Ortiz peered strangely at Lucas over his beer glass. "You don't know Kyle Estelmati yet," he said, scratching his nonexistent beard. "Perhaps you would not care for him as a constant companion."

"Why, what is there against him?" Lucas wondered, his curiosity piqued.

The professor tapped his fingers on the table. "Ah, I didn't imply any criticism of him. He's just a bit eccentric in his thinking and quite passionate about certain areas of science. From what I gather, he's perfectly decent."

"A medical student, I suppose?" Lucas asked, trying to piece together a picture of this potential roommate.

Ortiz shook his head. "No, I have no idea what Kyle intends to go in for. I think his background is related to psychology or something like that, and he's good with numbers and calculations. But as far as I know, he's not enrolled in any medical programs. His topics are unconventional, but he's acquired substantial knowledge in cognitive sciences, which might unsettle some professors."

"Did you never ask him what he was going in for?" Lucas queried, intrigued.

"No, he's not someone who readily opens up, although he can be quite talkative when he wants to," Ortiz replied with a slight smile.

"I would like to meet him," Lucas said enthusiastically. "If I were to stay with someone, I'd prefer peace. I've had enough excitement for now, and I'd rather not endure a lot of noise or commotion. I feel I've had my fill of it for the rest of my life. How can I meet this guy?"

"I think I have his number somewhere," Ortiz said, searching on his phone. After a moment, he showed it to Lucas with glee. "You might like to text him tomorrow. He seems to be a morning person because he's always early in the lab."

"Certainly," Lucas replied, and the conversation drifted into other channels.

As they were about to part ways, Professor Ortiz warned him, "Don't hold me responsible if you don't get along with him. I only know what I've gathered from occasional encounters with him in the laboratory."

"If we don't get along, we can easily go our separate ways," Lucas answered. He scrutinized his companion, sensing there was more to the story. "It appears to me, professor, that you have some motive for wanting to distance yourself from this situation. Is this individual's temperament so challenging, or is there another reason? Don't beat around the bush about it."

"It's hard to put into words," Ortiz frowned. "Kyle is too scientific for me. Everything is an experiment for him. I could picture him giving a friend a small dose of his latest concoction, not out of malice, mind you, but merely out of curiosity to understand its effects accurately. I believe he would take it himself just as willingly. He seems to have a strong desire for knowledge."

"That's not too bad," Lucas thought, recalling times he had tried new recipes with his friends and roommates.

"Yes, but he can push it to excess. You might get it one day," said Ortiz. "Well, time to go; my wife won't be happy if I appear too late at home."

They shook hands and bid farewell. Lucas stayed in the bar, gazing at the number and pondering what Professor Ortiz had meant. He guessed that Kyle couldn't be any worse than the guy in the gang.

The advantage of a big city is that there is always something open at night—a bar, a disco, or a burger stall. Lucas managed to stay in a safe place until dawn. His first task that morning was to reach out to the number he received. He decided to send a text message first.

"Hello, my name is Lucas Miravalle. I am a medical student searching for a place to stay. Prof. Ortiz gave me your number. I want to contact you about sharing the expenses of your home. Is it possible to contact you?"

The phone rang five minutes later.

After chatting, Kyle laughed. "We can consider everything settled, assuming the rooms suit you."

Lucas's heart raced, realizing he might have found a place to call home. He couldn't hide his excitement. "When can I see them?"

"There might be some competition. Other potential tenants might be interested in the same place. So, let's go soon. We could meet at the campus entrance at dusk, and we'll go together to finalize everything," Kyle suggested.

"Agreed—dusk it is," Lucas affirmed.

"Until then, Lucas, I am looking forward to meeting you in person," said Kyle in a raspy voice.

"Until then," replied Lucas and hung up.

Maybe it was his imagination, but this Kyle fellow seemed charming. He might also make a good roommate.

The medicine faculty's light gray granite columns glowed with orange and pink hues as the sun dipped below the horizon. The fading light cast long shadows across the campus grounds, creating a serene yet melancholic atmosphere. After classes, Lucas finally caught up with his classmates to explain his situation.

"That's rough, man. Sorry to hear it," Manuel said sympathetically, his brow furrowed in concern.

"Yeah, why didn't you call?" Victor asked, visibly annoyed, crossing his arms.

Lucas shrugged, trying to look nonchalant. "I was worried I'd cause drama with Tatiana."

Victor scratched his head and nodded. "True, she's pretty jealous, especially with you being... well, you know."

Lucas shook his head, a hint of regret in his eyes. "Don't worry; in the end, I got into trouble for marrying and moving abroad without ensuring my economic independence first."

Manuel placed a reassuring hand on Lucas's shoulder. "He bombarded you with romantic gestures and promised to support you. You didn't know the marriage would end. Life sometimes throws you a curveball. My family is going through a similar thing. My sister swore she was going to be independent with her husband, but her baby was born a bit earlier than expected and gets sick easily as a result. The bills are too much for them, and they ended up back home."

Lucas patted his friend's back. "Don't worry. I hope things go well with this man I have an appointment with. He seems familiar, but I can't recall where and when I met him."

When he showed them the profile picture, the man in the black-and-white photograph looked familiar. Lucas couldn't guess the color; he had a strong jawline, chiseled cheekbones, perfect lips, and curly dark hair. Had he not been assured Kyle was a student, Lucas might have thought the man was a model.

The men looked at each other dumbfounded.

"I have no idea who he is, but he is making me question if Tatiana is right and I am bi," said Victor, earning a playful punch from Manuel.

Manuel, cheeks slightly red with anger and embarrassment, started to pull his friend by the forearm. "Well, we should leave now. Hopefully, things will go well. Good luck, man."

Victor waved at Lucas. "Yeah, bye."

Lucas waved back at the disappearing figures until they were out of sight. He wished he could have stayed with them, but life had different plans, and it was better to focus on them.

By the time he sat on the stairs, the last rays of light had cast long shadows across the campus grounds of the Complutense University of Madrid; the cold had started to sweep in as the wind blew leaves from the nearby trees. Lucas had time during the day to reflect on his decision to leave his home and its consequences.

Lucas lamented, "Why did I marry Jacob? And come to live so far away?"

As Manuel said, Jacob traveled to his house in Ecuador to ask him to marry him. He took him on a vacation to beautiful white sand beaches and promised that Lucas would be cherished and adored if they married. Months later, when Lucas started to feel homesick and depressed, he didn't want to have sex, and Jacob became distant. After Lucas got better, Jacob pulled away and ignored Lucas's playful advances. Lucas had become suspicious of his husband, so he rushed home when his teacher didn't arrive at classes.

The door was closed, but Lucas could hear the moans and whispers from outside. As soon as he entered, the scent of sweat permeated the air and penetrated his nostrils. Lucas closed his mind to the sight he saw, knowing that the pain in his heart would shatter him if he let it stay.

Lucas opted to focus his mind on the task at hand: finding a place to live. He didn't know Kyle, though they seemed to click.

"What if Kyle is very homophobic?" Lucas thought.

Lucas remembered the first time he told a roommate he was gay back when he lived in his home country. His roommate chased him out of the apartment a few weeks later, and that was his first time couch surfing. However, it ended well because afterward, he met Andres, and the two became inseparable until he met Jacob.

Lucas acknowledged it would be difficult to find a place to sleep if things with Kyle failed. For instance, he would rather keep his sexuality and reason for looking for a room a secret until he knew he could tell Kyle the truth. Also, if he ever came out, Lucas would rather not lose the only place he had to sleep. Lucas decided he might befriend Kyle but would avoid harboring something else. He looked at the picture again. The man was among the most handsome men he had ever seen.

Complutense de Madrid. Entrance of Medicine School