Denver

Denver, Colorado, holds a singular place in the life of Alexander Gabriel Claremont-Diaz as the city where his political coming-of-age and his most formative mentorship took root. It was the summer of 2018, and Alex spent it working on Rafael Luna's campaign for the Senate. This was not a detached internship but a total immersion that built what Alex himself describes as a dysfunctional relationship, forged in the shared rituals of tropical-flavored Skittles bought from gas stations and all-nighters spent drafting press releases. The memory of that time is so physically ingrained in him that he sometimes feels the ghost of carpal tunnel syndrome creeping back into his hands, a fond ache that testifies to the intensity of the work and the bond it created.

The Making of a Political Mentorship

The Denver summer was the crucible of Alex's admiration for Luna, whom he considers his favorite senator. Luna, an Independent from Colorado and, at only thirty-nine, the newest rising star in national politics, had been taken under the wing of Alex's father, Senator Oscar Diaz, back when Luna was merely a promising attorney. By the time Alex arrived in Denver, Luna had already become the darling of national politics, having won a special election and a general election in consecutive upsets for his Senate seat, and dominating The Hill's 50 Most Beautiful list. For Alex, Luna represented the ideal of a public figure: a man who was both Latino and openly gay, whose soulful brown eyes, perfectly groomed stubble, and dramatic cheekbones seemed to win back any votes his identity might have cost him. The city itself became synonymous with this vision of brave, principled politics.

The Denver Memory as a Moral Touchstone

The significance of Denver is most powerfully revealed not in the summer itself but in how Alex later wields the memory of it. In a tense confrontation with Luna, Alex recalls a specific night in Denver when they ordered pizza and Luna showed him pictures of all the children he had fought for in court, while they drank a nice bottle of scotch from the mayor of Boulder. Alex remembers lying on the floor of Luna's office, on the ugly carpet, drunk, thinking, "God, I hope I can be like him." For Alex, that night crystallized everything he admired: Luna's bravery, his willingness to stand up for things, and his nerve to do his work every day with everyone knowing what they know about him. This memory becomes Alex's moral touchstone, the standard against which he measures political courage and authenticity.

The Shattering of the Ideal

The Denver ideal is brutally shattered when Alex invokes this memory in an attempt to persuade Luna to help him. Instead of being moved, Luna closes his eyes and braces himself against the sill, and when he faces Alex again, his stare is hard. He tells Alex that people don't know a damn thing about him, that they don't know the half of it, and that neither does Alex. His plea is devastating: "Jesus, Alex, please, don't be like me. Find another fucking role model." The city that once represented the pinnacle of brave, open politics becomes the site of its disillusionment, revealing that Luna's public bravery was itself a performance, and that the cost of his closeted life was far higher than Alex had ever imagined. This moment forces Alex to confront the possibility that the path he idolized is not the one he should follow.

A Place of Future and Family

Beyond its role in Alex's political formation, Denver is also woven into his imagined future with Henry George Edward James Fox-Mountchristen-Windsor. In a moment of hopeful planning, Alex tells Henry that after the inauguration, he wants to take him back out to the lake house, just the two of them, to sit under the moon and not stress about anything. He paints a vivid picture of their life there: cooking migas in the mornings, swimming all day, never putting clothes on, and making out on the pier without caring if the neighbors see. This vision of Denver represents the private, unburdened life Alex craves, a stark contrast to the public scrutiny of their relationship. The city thus holds both his public political awakening and his private dreams of a future with Henry, making it a place where his two worlds—the political and the personal—are meant to converge.

The City's Enduring Significance

Denver's legacy in Alex's life is ultimately one of transformation. It is where he learned the mechanics of politics, where he found a role model, and where he discovered that even his heroes are flawed. The city's memory propels him toward a different kind of future, one that involves law school and a life with Henry, rather than the rushed, unconsidered path he had always assumed he would take. Denver is not just a location in Alex's past; it is the emotional and political foundation upon which he builds his adult identity, and the place whose ideals he must ultimately redefine for himself.