“Well,” James quipped, barely able to hide his grin. “I’m not as flexible as you. Shall we call ourselves even?”

James will teach him all manner of things and happily. Eli will probably end up knowing more about poetry than a first-year grad student in a very short amount of time. And that’s just to start! In turn, he’s sure there’s so much Eli can teach. James knew very little about dance, so that was a start. And he’s never been the sort of person who dismisses the wisdom of younger people simply because they were younger.

“I know you will. A relationship without mutual learning isn’t the kind I think either of us would be interested in maintaining.”