Atticus has OCD. Isaac is his co-worker. They hate each other but work well together. One day Isaac decides to shake Atticus out of his calm demeanor by throwing coffee on him. As Atticus changes his shirt to begin the work day Isaac is the one who is shaken when he sees Atticus' piercings. Isaac then tries to get Atticus to go out with him through blackmail. Atticus succumbs but he is not happy nor comfortable with it.

I don't know what I feel about this story. I liked Atticus a lot. Isaac is a jerk. The story focuses on Isaac and his behavior. It is a character study of Isaac. I am not sure Isaac feels anything for Atticus other than he is able to control him. Atticus has issues that Isaac does not ask about. I could tell that Isaac's behavior triggers these issues in Atticus. I don't know what all the issues are but abuse and fear of someone seem to be behind Atticus' issues. Isaac treats Atticus as less than human. I just wanted to grab Atticus and run away with him where no one could ever hurt him again. I am unsettled by the ending. ( )