Anthony smiles a little and tips his head. There is something terribly sad in Gabriel’s statement, but he can understand it. Anthony is inclined not to rely on people—so he tells himself—and in a slightly different world, he might have decided to rely on God, instead of scholarship, to keep him company.

“Well,” he says quietly, “thank you for bringing me along.” He knows it took a certain kind of courage for Gabriel to ask Anthony into this part of his life. Even if it doesn’t mean the same thing to him, he is honored, in his own very quiet way, that Gabriel has invited him in.