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“Is that after someone?”
“Alexander after the founding father, Gabriel after the patron saint of diplomats.”
“That’s a bit on the nose.”
“Yeah, I didn’t have a chance. My sister got Catalina June after the place and the Carter Cash, but I got all the self-fulfilling prophecies.”
“I did get both of the gay kings,” Henry points out. “There’s a prophecy for you.”
Alex laughs and kicks his files for the campaign away. He’s not coming back to them tonight. “Three last names is just mean.”
Henry sighs. “In school, we all went by Wales. Philip is Lieutenant Windsor in the RAF now, though.”
“Henry Wales, then? That’s not too bad.”
“No, it’s not. Is this the reason you phoned?”
“Maybe,” Alex says. “Call it historical curiosity.” Except the truth is closer to the slight drag in Henry’s voice and the half step of hesitation before he speaks that’s been there all week. “Speaking of historical curiosity, here’s a fun fact: I’m sitting in the room Nancy Reagan was in when she found out Ronald Reagan got shot.”
“Good Lord.”
“And it’s also where ol’ Tricky Dick told his family he was gonna resign.”
“I’m sorry—who or what is aTricky Dick?”
“Nixon!Listen, you’re undoing everything this country’s crusty forefathers fought for and deflowering the darling of the republic. You at least need to knowbasicAmerican history.”
“I hardly think deflowering is the word,” Henry deadpans. “These arrangements are supposed to be with virgin brides, you know. That certainly didn’t seem to be the case.”
“Uh-huh, and I’m sure you picked up all those skills from books.”
“Well, I did go to uni. It just wasn’t necessarily the reading that did it.”
Alex hums in suggestive agreement and lets the rhythm of banter fall out. He looks across the room—the windows that were once only gauzy curtains on a sleeping room for Taft’s family on hot nights, the corner now stacked with Leo’s old comic book collectibles where Eisenhower used to play cards. The stuff underneath the surface. Alex has always sought those things out.
“Hey,” he says. “You sound weird. You good?”
Henry’s breath catches and he clears his throat. “I’m fine.”
Alex doesn’t say anything, letting the silence stretch in a thin thread between them before he cuts it. “You know, this whole arrangement we have… you can tell me stuff. I tell you stuff all the time. Politics stuff and school stuff and nutso family stuff. I know I’m, like, not the paragon of normal human communication, but. You know.”
Another pause.
“I’m not… historically great at talking about things,” Henry says.
“Well, I wasn’t historically great at blowjobs, but we all gotta learn and grow, sweetheart.”
“Wasn’t?”
“Hey,”Alex huffs. “Are you trying to say I’m still not good at them?”
“No, no, I wouldn’t dream of it,” Henry says, and Alex can hear the small smile in his voice. “It was just the first one that was… Well. It was enthusiastic, at least.”
“I don’t remember you complaining.”
“Yes, well, I’d only been fantasizing about it forages.”
“See, there’s a thing,” Alex points out. “You just told me that. You can tell me other stuff.”
