if he followed suit. Realizing the hall was almost deserted, he practically ran in the direction where he had seen Jack disappear. Once inside the hallway he only just saw Jack slip into the men’s room. There were more people standing around here, and he noticed some of them looking in his direction. He tried to look inconspicuous and took a deep breath to calm himself while he walked over to the side where the toilets were.
As he stepped inside, Jack was washing his hands.
“Now can you tell me why you’re avoiding me?” Jack looked up, giving the young man a stern look. He took a paper towel, dried his hands and then proceeded to open all the stall doors to check if anyone was inside. Luckily they were all empty. Lucas understood he had been careless, and his shoulders slumped.
“I’m sorry…”
“No, you’re not,” Jack answered, with clear amusement in his voice.
When Lucas looked at the older man he saw Jack was smiling.
“Why do I feel like we’ve had this conversation before?”
“Well, if you stop apologizing for things you’re clearly not sorry for, then we can stop having this conversation.” Lucas took a step closer to the American. Come on, you’re both adults, can’t you have an adult conversation about this? “I tried to contact you, talk about…” Lucas’s voice was unsteady all of a sudden, “…things.”
“I’ve had a very busy week, Lucas. First time I was at the office for longer than it took me to change my jacket was this afternoon. I…”
“You had my cell phone number. Gertje did give it to you?” 48 | Z a h r a O w e n s
Jack nodded, but since Lucas was still looking at the wall over his shoulder rather than at him, he added, “Yes, but not until a few hours ago.
I was going to…”
“You were going to call me on Monday, right?” Lucas sighed and then looked defiantly straight into Jack’s eyes. “You probably figured this was business?”
Jack shook his head, taken aback a bit by Lucas’s aggressive tone.
“Fine, let’s treat this as a negotiation. Negotiations always work best when both parties are open and honest towards each other. So why don’t we call a spade a spade, then. Why don’t you explain to me what happened in your kitchen?”
Jack shushed him “Keep your voice down, we are in a public place.”
“Is this what you and Maria get off on?” Lucas answered now in a much lower tone. “You seduce young men in front of her and then she needs to win you back?”
“I wasn’t seducing you!” Jack rebutted, also trying not to talk too loud. He pointed at Lucas, “ You put your hand on my hand. You made the first move.” The American stepped back and leaned against the partition between two stalls.
Lucas, having regained a bit of his composure, was a lot calmer now. “I couldn’t help myself. I wanted to show you that you mean a lot to me.” He averted his eyes and slightly shook his head. “I wanted to tell you that I couldn’t stop thinking about you. I didn’t have any hope that you would return the feelings. I mean you being married and all… But then you didn’t take your hand away and you looked at me with those eyes of yours and…”
Lucas looked up at Jack, who was now looking at him, his face soft and his eyes wide, his hand reaching out. He took a tentative step forward and then slowly lifted his hand to touch Jack’s.
Jack cleared his throat. “When you were finishing the dessert, I couldn’t help but touch you. You were so close to me, smelling of peppermint and wine and… I was glad there was a counter in front of us, because I would have given away some things our women wouldn’t have understood. It wasn’t until later that I realized that if you had reacted to my touch, we would both have been in a lot of trouble.” D i p l o m a c y | 49
Lucas could feel Jack’s hand pulling him closer. Instead he turned into the cubicle and pulled Jack along with him, pushing the older man with his back against
As he stepped inside, Jack was washing his hands.
“Now can you tell me why you’re avoiding me?” Jack looked up, giving the young man a stern look. He took a paper towel, dried his hands and then proceeded to open all the stall doors to check if anyone was inside. Luckily they were all empty. Lucas understood he had been careless, and his shoulders slumped.
“I’m sorry…”
“No, you’re not,” Jack answered, with clear amusement in his voice.
When Lucas looked at the older man he saw Jack was smiling.
“Why do I feel like we’ve had this conversation before?”
“Well, if you stop apologizing for things you’re clearly not sorry for, then we can stop having this conversation.” Lucas took a step closer to the American. Come on, you’re both adults, can’t you have an adult conversation about this? “I tried to contact you, talk about…” Lucas’s voice was unsteady all of a sudden, “…things.”
“I’ve had a very busy week, Lucas. First time I was at the office for longer than it took me to change my jacket was this afternoon. I…”
“You had my cell phone number. Gertje did give it to you?” 48 | Z a h r a O w e n s
Jack nodded, but since Lucas was still looking at the wall over his shoulder rather than at him, he added, “Yes, but not until a few hours ago.
I was going to…”
“You were going to call me on Monday, right?” Lucas sighed and then looked defiantly straight into Jack’s eyes. “You probably figured this was business?”
Jack shook his head, taken aback a bit by Lucas’s aggressive tone.
“Fine, let’s treat this as a negotiation. Negotiations always work best when both parties are open and honest towards each other. So why don’t we call a spade a spade, then. Why don’t you explain to me what happened in your kitchen?”
Jack shushed him “Keep your voice down, we are in a public place.”
“Is this what you and Maria get off on?” Lucas answered now in a much lower tone. “You seduce young men in front of her and then she needs to win you back?”
“I wasn’t seducing you!” Jack rebutted, also trying not to talk too loud. He pointed at Lucas, “ You put your hand on my hand. You made the first move.” The American stepped back and leaned against the partition between two stalls.
Lucas, having regained a bit of his composure, was a lot calmer now. “I couldn’t help myself. I wanted to show you that you mean a lot to me.” He averted his eyes and slightly shook his head. “I wanted to tell you that I couldn’t stop thinking about you. I didn’t have any hope that you would return the feelings. I mean you being married and all… But then you didn’t take your hand away and you looked at me with those eyes of yours and…”
Lucas looked up at Jack, who was now looking at him, his face soft and his eyes wide, his hand reaching out. He took a tentative step forward and then slowly lifted his hand to touch Jack’s.
Jack cleared his throat. “When you were finishing the dessert, I couldn’t help but touch you. You were so close to me, smelling of peppermint and wine and… I was glad there was a counter in front of us, because I would have given away some things our women wouldn’t have understood. It wasn’t until later that I realized that if you had reacted to my touch, we would both have been in a lot of trouble.” D i p l o m a c y | 49
Lucas could feel Jack’s hand pulling him closer. Instead he turned into the cubicle and pulled Jack along with him, pushing the older man with his back against
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