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Seth

"Have you made friends yet? I mean, in real life?" Figureoth/Jenna had stayed on the line after the Monday night game to chat. Seth liked Jenna and thought Figureoth, a Dragonborn warrior with impulse control problems, was a very cool character. But she could be, they both could be, confrontational.

"It's not like I've been here that long." Seth wasn't great at reading emotions but even he could hear the defensiveness in his voice. It had, in fact, been three months and five days since he moved to this small town. "And besides, I have you guys. I don't need IRL friends."

In the pause that followed, he could almost see her shaking her head at him, even though, to be honest, he'd never actually seen her shake her head. "I love you, Tordek, Seth, whatever, but I don't LOVE you. Don't you want to find true love?"

"If by true love you mean someone who's compatible with me physically, emotionally and spiritually, of course I do. But what's the probability I'll find that in such a small population?"

"Don't be a fopdoodle. You won't know the probability until you take a chance. So, roll the dice, silly."

Seth fingered his regular dice. "It doesn't work that way in real life."

"I meant metaphorically. Come on. Promise me you'll find one thing to do this week that gets you out of the house and helps you meet people."

Seth tossed the dice anyway, telling himself he'd follow her advice if he rolled over six. It came up double 6's. So he was going out. The only question was, where?

***

He pulled the red, white and blue flyer out of his mailbox. The headline read GAY NINETIES NIGHT AT THE PICK AND GRAB . He stared at it. Was this little town really progressive enough to send a flyer for a gay event around to everyone in the neighborhood? Maybe he needed to check his prejudices.

From what he could tell, the Pick and Grab was a grocery store, and the Gay Nineties event advertised itself as a meet and greet from five to seven every Tuesday night. Plus, there were coupons for discounts on eggs, bacon and toilet paper rolls.

It sounded perfect. He could pick up some cheap groceries while getting an introduction to the gay community. Because there must be a gay community if there was a weekly event just for them. Plus, he could report back to Jenna that he'd left home and socialized with flesh and blood humans.

That's how he found himself outside the grocery store at six pm, dressed in a shirt that matched his eyes, his best fitting jeans and the gray felt fedora that always made him feel cool. The parking lot was full, mainly SUVs, convertibles and a couple of vintage cars. It was weirdly empty, though. Usually, grocery stores had lots of people coming in and out, but Seth was pretty much alone as he crossed the parking lot to the store.

A blond man in a red "Pick and Grab" shirt straightened flowerpots by the front door. His nametag said Dakota, Manager . He looked up as Seth approached, and Seth was struck by how his smile lit up his whole face.

The smile started to fade as he considered Seth. "If you're here for groceries, it might be better to come back after seven. The lines will be shorter then."

Oh boy, had Seth encountered this before. Just because he was a D and D guy and a little, okay, maybe a lot nerdy, didn't mean he wasn't gay. He had as much right as anyone else to be here on Gay night.

"I may not look it, but I'm gay, okay? I've been out since I was thirteen. Not every gay guy has to look the same way. We're a diverse group, and diversity is good. I have as much right to be here as anyone else," Seth blurted.

Dakota took a step back. "Of course you do. And you look great. It's just that—"

Before he could finish, Seth boldly swept by him. He wasn't going to let anyone, even a guy who was capable, even briefly, of a smile like that, tell him he didn't look gay enough to attend a gay event.

The second pair of glass doors slid open, and Seth paused, surveying the scene. He didn't know what he'd expected, but it wasn't an ordinary supermarket with bright fluorescent lighting, a teenager with thick black eyeliner scowling as she looked up from the cash register, and a long row of discounted dry goods to pass by on the way to the produce section.

It was just a grocery store. He took a deep breath. Maybe people hung out by the fruits. That thought made him giggle just a little, which made him regret being rude to the nice manager. But here he was, and there was nothing to do but keep going.

As he passed through the tunnel of canned goods, an old woman came up behind him, engulfing him in a cloud of perfume. She leaned against her cart and peered toward the produce section. "Are you here with someone?"

He blinked at her. "Excuse me?"

"Oh no, I didn't mean it like that." She patted his arm. "I just thought maybe you'd brought your father or grandfather. I'm terrible at this sort of thing and would love to be introduced to someone interesting. For instance, do you know him?" She pointed at a distinguished-looking man in a gray suit.

It was only then that Seth registered what he was seeing, a crowd of old men and women dressed in their best clothes, milling around the vegetables. That was weird. Why were they shopping on the gay night? And where were the gay people? Not that old people couldn't be gay, but these old people didn't seem to be gay, and where were the young ones?

The man in the gray suit glanced at them. The woman beside Seth gave him a little wave. She patted Seth's arm again. "Don't worry, dear, I'll take it from here."

Seth stared after her, confused.

"It's kind of sweet, don't you think?"

Seth turned to see Dakota, the manager, standing beside him. He shook his head. "I don't understand. Isn't this gay nineties night?"

Dakota looked embarrassed. "This whole thing was the owner's idea. She thinks retired people have more disposable income and are likely to buy expensive items to impress other people. She's very proud of the marketing strategy, and I haven't had the heart to tell her it's confusing."

Seth's face was hot. "So gay nineties isn't for gay people?"

Dakota shook his head. "The emphasis is on nineties, not gay."

He put his hand on Seth's arm, and Seth felt it like an electric shock. He glanced quickly at Dakota, who held his gaze for a few long seconds.

"I'm Tor.. I'm Seth." If Seth had been hoping to use introducing himself as a conversation starter, he was disappointed because they were interrupted almost immediately.