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“And I hope you do, darlings!” Robert clapped slowly. “Bravo.”
“Jesus, guys. Heartbreaker, you don’t have to suck him off right here to prove your love, you know,” Minty said, sipping his Coke and giving me a half-hearted glare. He seemed in better spirits than he’d been in recent days at school, at least. Though that wasn’t saying much. He still seemed crabby. “No one needs to see that.”
“I need to see it,” Robert said with a giggle. He dropped into a green lawn chair that was set out next to Barry’s. “I’ve heard rumors. I want them confirmed by my very own eyes.”
“It’s big,” Minty said. He was wearing boy-drag tonight, including some cowboy boots. He almost looked like the country boy that drove a pickup truck, but he still had his hip thrown out, and wore a sparkling headband in his short hair. “I’m talking about his dick, in case I need to be clearer. Seriously. Really big.”
Daniel elbowed him.
“What? It’s not a secret.”
Daniel ignored him and turned to Barry, “I’m getting another soda from the cooler. Do you want one?”
“Caffeinated,” Barry said. “I’ve got a long way to drive home tonight.”
I could see Daniel opening his mouth to offer to let them stay, but then his eyes swerved to me, and he clamped his lips shut again.
If he wanted time alone with me in his huge empty house more than he wanted to be a good host, I agreed one-hundred-percent with his priorities.
“There’s news, darlings,” Robert called out, when Daniel returned with colas for me, Barry, and for himself. “Come over here,” he yelled across the bonfire to Windy and Antonio. “I’ve got big news.”
“What news?” Minty asked.
“Patience is a virtue,” Robert said, and Dr. Landry came to mind for the first time in months. His voice rang in my head, and I remembered everything about him from the way he stared out the window at odd times, to the way he’d been so kind to me and Adam.
I wondered what he’d think of how that had all turned out. “Inevitable,” I guessed he’d say. I wondered what he’d think of Daniel. “Does he light up the poetry in your soul?” I thought he’d ask.
I gazed at Daniel’s face, shining in the light of the bonfire. Yes. He did.
Antonio whapped me on the back of my head as he passed by.
I winced. “Hey!”
He huddled up with us. “Hey, Heartbreaker.”
Windy draped his arm around my shoulders and pressed his cheek to mine. “Bonswa,” he murmured. Then he slid away to cuddle up with Minty, who kissed his cheek and whispered, “Bon sugar.”
“So?” I asked, eager to hear what Robert had to say. “Did you get an even better contract with the Slide?”
“No,” Robert said with a preening smile. “Guess again!”
“The building has started on the house?”
“No.”
Barry interrupted. “Let’s not get distracted with guesses. Tell the people the news, woman.”
Robert stood and twirled around flapping his arms. “My baby bird has left the nest! Now we just have to see if she can fly!”
We stared at him and then at each other, the glow of the fire licking our skin, hair, and clothing, trying to process what he’d said.
“For fuck’s sake,” Barry barked. “Don’t speak gibberish.” He turned to us. “The documentary is done and dusted. We submittedDrag Dollsto the Atlanta film festival yesterday.”
We all smashed our cans against Robert’s with cheers and congratulations, drinking to the film. I hadn’t seen the final cut yet, but based on what I’d worked on this summer, I thought it had a strong chance of being accepted.
“I missed the deadline for a lot of the others,” Robert said. “But I can submitDrag Dollselsewhere next year. It’s Atlanta that I wanted most. If my film does well there, it could open all kinds of opportunities for Outrageous Video. God only knows where we could go from there!”
“To the stars!” Minty exclaimed.
