Quincy had done a lot of walking lately. It helped him to clear his mind. When he was inside, his counsellor had told him to dwell on the positive, the future. Don’t waste time on the past. You can’t change it. You can only move on. It was great advise. In fact, he paid lip service to it often with the ex-cons at the halfway house. If only there wasn’t something…or someone…he couldn’t let go of.

Today, his pep talk wasn’t doing him any good. Ever since he’d spotted Tyler Richmond’s name in the paper this morning, Quincy couldn’t think of much else.

Tyler had made detective, and more recently, he’d received a commendation for exhibiting exceptional bravery in the line of duty.

That didn’t surprise Quincy at all. Tyler had always been a risk taker, never one to shy away from a challenge. What did surprise him, however, was how deeply seeing that picture affected him. He hadn’t seen Tyler for almost eight years, two of which Quincy had spent behind bars. Although they lived in the same city, Quincy had never even run into Tyler by accident. Not to say, he hadn’t imagined what they’d say if he had. Would Tyler say he missed him? Can we get together for coffee, or…

No. Tyler was probably in a relationship with some fabulous guy. And he was sure many men had had the pleasure…the joy of sharing Tyler’s bed since their relationship ended.

Quincy closed his eyes for a moment. He still remembered their first time. They’d met in their final year in high school. He was strong, athletic and daring, and everyone loved him.

The first day in a new school in his senior year had been a real downer for Quincy. His parents had moved to a new house in a different neighbourhood, and there was no way Quincy could attend his old school. All his friends were there, and he’d wanted to graduate with them. But the first time he saw Tyler walking down the hallway, the sadness lifted. He was beautiful, and he actually smiled at him as he walked by. When Quincy noticed Tyler was in all his classes, he suddenly felt shy. Tyler was always surrounded by friends. He was articulate, smart, and all the girls adored him. And one boy. Quincy.

Tyler didn’t say anything to him until the second day. In the locker room, while Quincy held his breath watching Tyler strip off his shirt, Tyler glanced at him and asked, “You play football?”

Quincy just shook his head.

“Too bad. Team needs some new blood.”

“Ah…when is it…the practices?”

“After school today.”

It was a chance to get close to him, be friends. So Quincy went out to play football. He was horrible, but Tyler didn’t say anything. He was mainly there to warm the bench. The main thing was Quincy found out that Tyler lived next door to him. They walked home together. Sometimes Tyler drove his car. They became friends. Quincy wanted so much more. He was falling in love with a guy he thought for sure was straight.

Then one night in Tyler’s room, Quincy kissed him. He waited, expecting Tyler to punch him. But instead, Tyler pressed Quincy down to the bed and kissed him back.

You don’t want to kill me?

No. I don’t want to kill you. I want to fuck you.

Tears filled Quincy’s eyes now. They undressed each other, touching and kissing and…God, when Tyler took Quincy’s cock into his mouth, Quincy was sure he’d lose his mind. It was magic, incredible magic. He knew he wanted to be with Tyler forever, and when Tyler began to talk about their future, Quincy knew he felt the same.

I don’t care who knows it, Quince, I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I love you. I’ll never love any other.

I love you too, Tyler. I can’t believe it. All my dreams are coming true.

Quincy pushed those memories aside and came back to the present, looking out at the river. None of it mattered now. Tyler hated him.

The wind coming off the Hudson was unusually cold today for late September. Quincy turned up his collar. In the distance, he could see the Statue of Liberty. It had never meant much to him before he was sent away, but now, liberty was everything. It wasn’t a word to be taken lightly. He’d said that to Brian, the newest resident at the halfway house, the other day.

“I wish I was back inside,” Brian had said to Quincy. “This liberty shit, who needs it, man! No one will give me a job.”

Quincy had tried to tell him how important it was to be out, free.

Tears streaming down his face, Brian said, “You don’t know how it feels. I had everything at one time. Now I’ve lost it.”

But he knew how it felt to lose everything. He knew too well, and it wasn’t his liberty, his promising career in computer programming or even the loss of his older brother that caused him to cry his heart out on those long lonely prison nights. Tyler Richmond had been his everything, the only thing that had ever given his life true meaning and in one moment of stupidity, he’d lost him forever.

His cell phone rang. Quincy brushed the tears away, tears he was convinced were brought on by the cold wind. He took out his phone, swung it open and cleared his throat. “Hello.”

“Boss, it’s Alan, we just got a call from Sand and Fortuna, their system is down again. I sent Paul over. He says he could use a hand. You want me to close up, or…”

“No, I’ll swing by and join Paul. I told the CEO his system was outdated. It needs an upgrade. I’ll see if I can talk him into it this time. Can you do an installation tomorrow morning if Allan is booked?”