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day, was slow, and in between answering idiotic questions from callers, he learned about the Maccabees, and how their victory led to the fabled miracle and subsequent traditions. But the holiday also had some associations with the Book of Judith, and he read a gruesome story about the death of Holofernes, graphically illustrated on one Web site with a painting by a woman named Artemisia Gentileschi. Chris was glad he had no desire to sleep with women, because that image would be seared behind his eyeballs for a while.
    He wondered why he didn’t remember any of these stories from Bible study. More research revealed they were part of something called the Apocrypha that wasn’t accepted by most Protestant churches. Apparently he’d missed some good tales by not being born Jewish or Catholic.
    He moved on to sites explaining how the holiday was celebrated. He snickered at many of the menorahs he found for sale. Dan hadn’t been kidding about the availability of kitsch. Some were shaped like cats, dogs, whales, dinosaurs, and all sorts of other wildlife. Others represented fictional characters from Winnie the Pooh to Harry Potter.
    There were also some beautiful menorahs and other items. Chris liked a decorative enamel dreidel so much he ordered it. It should arrive in time for him to give it to Dan on the last night of Hanukkah.
    But he already knew how to play dreidel, at least in a version that should come with a Not Safe for Work warning on the Internet. So he skipped over more detailed information about the toys and started scanning recipes. He was amused to learn dairy products were often served to commemorate Holofernes’s last meal. With the association made, Chris would probably think of beheadings whenever he was invited to a wine-and-cheese party.
    Latkes were mentioned over and over. He’d expected some complicated dish, but when he clicked on a recipe, he found they were just potato pancakes. So he’d invited Dan over with the goal of showing he had some cooking skills to make up for his complete lack of style in other areas. He hadn’t expected them to mean so much to Dan.
    Dan’s pleasure had been more than worth the effort, and not just because of the way things had gone later that night. Being with Dan made Chris feel vulnerable and powerful at the same time, more open to possibilities than ever before.
    He told himself that was a dangerous feeling.
     
    Once Dan woke up on Saturday, Chris tried to follow up on the success of the previous night’s dinner by making a big breakfast. Dan ate the eggs and bacon with flattering eagerness, although he seemed to find something funny about the menu. He was sitting at Chris’s small dining room table, his hair tousled, wearing nothing but jeans, his chest bare. He still looked a bit sleepy. Or perhaps he was just relaxed and satisfied? Whatever the reason, he certainly improved the pallid decor.
    “You keep feeding me. I should take you out for dinner tonight to reciprocate.” Dan sipped his coffee. “Or do you have plans?”
    Chris had to think a moment. The past three days felt stolen, as if he’d fallen out of the normal time stream. Foolish to think of that as magical. It was probably just the mild disorientation caused by the Thanksgiving holiday interrupting the workweek and throwing him out of his routine. “I was going to get together with some friends and see a movie. There’s always some crazy new release Thanksgiving weekend.”
    “I think the new Hunger Games is supposed to be out.” Dan sounded doubtful.
    Chris poured himself more coffee, then topped up Dan’s cup. “We were talking about the new Marvel flick instead. It’s been out a few weeks, but none of us have seen it.”
    “ Thor ?” Dan looked more interested now. “I haven’t seen that either. Not that I’m fishing for an invitation,” he added quickly, before laughing at himself. “Except I totally am.”
    “You’re invited. Warren and Terry would have been happy if I