Lila is a grad school student trying to prepare her dissertation about “intrusions”. These intrusions are what occur when other worlds tear holes and appear into their current, future world. Lila is able to repair these holes and seal them to prevent further intrusions in that location. However, she needs a linguist present at these sites with her, according to a university mandate. Her chosen linguist, Bridger, is a massive, confident, looming man who is able to fight the beasts that appear from other worlds. He is gay but remains closeted because he would be arrested if anyone found out. One day, he’s in a rush to leave one of the sites and impatiently tells Lila to hurry up and seal the intrusion because he has to “go get a drink”. Later, Lila attends a pub where she sees Bridger pretending not to look at another man who is reciprocating the sexual tension. The two have been doing this routine for months. Lila needs Bridger’s help continuing to seal intrusions and she doesn’t trust any other linguist. Bridger declines, saying he’s busy. Lila goes over to the man giving him a dragonfly, a device used to send messages, and tells him to set a date with Bridger so they can stop this charade and she and Bridger can continue their work. Later, at another intrusion sight, Bridger is frustrated because he and Ashen (the name of his intended) were constructing a language, and now he may never see him again because he hasn’t heard from him. He’s frustrated with Lila for initiating something he wasn’t ready for. Bridger is then injured by a humanoid that appears out of the intrusion and spends some weeks in the hospital. This requires Lila to start walking home by herself. One night she’s stopped by a policeman who turns out to be Ashen. He gives Lila a note and asks her to relay a message to Bridger. He wants to meet him at a private club. When Bridger is healed and Lila tells him what happened, Lila sees fear in Bridger’s eyes for the first time ever.