Page 51 of Fish Out of Water

“I know you’ve been dying to find out more, Jake. I can tell. You really believe I’m that stupid?”

“Of course not. But since Ihavemet them now, can I ask you one question about them?”

“Sure.” Robbie sounded exhausted.

“Do they know you’re gay?”

“That’s a question about me.”

“No, it’s a question about all of you. Semantics, Robbie.”

“Do you even know what that means?” Robbie pulled out of the long drive and back onto the quiet country road.

“Will you please just answer the question?”

Robbie kept his gaze steady on the road, never so much as stealing the briefest of glances at Jake, even when Jake’s eyes were boring into the side of his face. “Of course they know I’m gay.”

“Notof course. They seem like they would be… less than supportive. And the way you talked about keeping our thing secret, I don’t know, it just seemed closet-y.”

Robbie shrugged and raised his eyebrows slightly. “They know. It complicates my continuing the bloodline a little, so theytend not to acknowledge it to make their own lives easier, but they know, and I doubt they care that much.”

“Bloodline? Like, children?”

Robbie sighed a sigh that was heavy with the weight of unfulfilled responsibility. “My parents have always had an unspoken agreement that at some point, I’ll take one for the team, as it were. I imagine they would accept a surrogate if it came to it, but I’ve never asked. It’s not really a question I want answered.”

“No adopting, though.”

“It would be out of the question.”

“Jesus. So,areyou planning on having any kids someday?”

Robbie shook his head resolutely. “I could never bestow that curse on an innocent child.” Then, perhaps to lighten to conversation, or maybe just to level out the playing field, he asked, “What about you? Do you want children?”

“Fuck no. I mean, nah, that’s not really for me. Neither of us—my sister or I—wants kids. My parents are fine with it, though.”

“Lucky you.”

Jake couldn’t help the little snort he made, cruel as it might have sounded to Robbie. “I guess so.”

They madeit back into town in good time, but Robbie drove straight past the bookstore where Jake’s car was still parked.

“You missed your turn,” Jake said.

“I’m taking a detour. I can drop you off here if you want, though.”

“No,” Jake said quickly. “No, I’ll go with you to… wherever you’re going.”

As he should have expected, Robbie went directly to the beach, parking his car in the lot and walking down toward the water. The moon was half-obscured by a thin layer of clouds, but he didn’t need light to see where he was going.

Jake ran behind him, struggling to keep up as the sand dipped beneath his feet. Robbie’s long strides were purposeful and quick, and he was already at the water when Jake hobbled up beside him, shaking sand off his pant legs.

“What are you doing?” he asked.

“Thinking.” Robbie tucked his hands into his pockets.

“About what? Your parents?”

“Us. What would happen if… when…”