Contradictions by Eviant

Chapter 1
    “Lucas, get in here.”
    Luke Small wrinkled his nose at the cigarette
smoke wafting from his father's office and steeled himself for the
inevitable confrontation. His father, Bruce, had opened the diner,
Small's Landing, or just the Landing for short, soon after being
discharged from the Marine's.
    “Good morning, Dad.”
    “Did you get the silverware rolled last night
like I asked?” Bruce never bothered with pleasantries, or really,
to say anything pleasant at all.
    “You know I didn't. You had me doing
inventory of the freezer until midnight and then kicked me out so
you could go to the bar.” Manny, the chef, had offered to do the
freezer inventory since that was part of his job, but Bruce would
have none of it.
    “How the hell do you think you're going to
run this place one day if you can't even roll the damn silverware?
I've always known you were a good for nothing little fag. Thank God
I didn't fork out the money for you to go to college.” Bruce's
speech was punctuated by streams of smoke coming out of his nose.
With his red, angry face, it likened him to a cartoon
character.
    “For the last time, Dad, I'm not gay. And if
you would give me a key, this wouldn't be an issue.” Luke tried not
to let his father see how the constant rejection stung. His father
had made the 'fag' accusation since he was a teen; so much so that
Luke started to believe it and experimented with guys. While he
enjoyed men, he was definitely preferential to women.
Unfortunately, despite his deep baritone voice, his height, dimples
and baby face made him look like a stereotypical twink. This made
finding a man's company easy, but women tended to assume that he
was friend material only. Not that he had many friends.
    “Anyone that looks like you has to be gay. I
always told your mother that letting you cry when you broke your
arm was going to make you a wimp. And until you show me that you're
management material, you're not getting a fucking key.”
    “I was four for goodness sakes! And I've been
managing this diner for the last six years.”
    “Bullshit. Once you're man enough to move out
on your own, I'll think about giving you a key.”
    Luke took a deep breath. He was 26 years old
and stuck under his father's thumb. Because Bruce wouldn't pay for
college and Luke couldn't get student loans because of the
profitability of the diner, he didn't have a degree. Since he had
always worked for the diner and his father damn well wasn't going
to give a reference, he had no job history for a resume. No one
wanted to hire a 26-year-old with no degree and no resume. At
least, not for anything that would pay enough to pay for an
apartment. His father barely paid him enough to get by, forcing him
to continue living at home.
    Luke decided to concede so he could walk
away. “You're right, Dad. I'm going to roll the silverware now.” He
rolled his eyes as he turned and walked out of the smoke-filled
office, ignoring the satisfied grunt that he heard behind him.
    *
    Amy Rice put the finishing touches on the
spreadsheet she was working on, saved it and emailed it to her
boss. She was an administrative assistant for TradeLend, a large
corporation employing more than 1000 people in her area. She was
just a number, but she was good at what she did, so she felt fairly
secure in her position.
    Her computer locked and e-reader securely
tucked into her purse, she took the long elevator ride down to the
lobby and walked the two blocks to her favorite diner. She was
looking forward to a Cobb Salad, sweet tea and losing herself in
the historical romance she was reading.
    A sweet tea appeared in front of her as soon
as her butt hit the chair and she smiled appreciatively at Luke,
her favorite server. She'd harbored a crush on him for the longest
time, until her best friend, Alice, had laughed and informed her
that he was most definitely gay. Oh well, at least she didn't have
to worry about sucking in her stomach or making sure her top