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He supposedly didn’t know about my once-a-month job. “Sure. Why?”
“You look…happier? I don’t know.”
“I’m fine, Chandler. I saw some friends, danced a little. I had fun.”
“Meet anyone?”
More suspicious, I asked, “Why?”
“Because, okay! You’re…you’re my teacher or whatever, but I’m not blind. You’re hot.”
“Thanks…I think.”
After a roll of his eyes, Chandler said, “If you can’t get a guy, what chance do I have?”
Feeling like he’d made it up, I simply laughed. “You’re…very handsome, Chandler. I don’t think you’ll have a bit of trouble. Just be careful when you do get out there. The city is fun, there are a million beautiful guys in every club on every corner. But…a lot of those guys, they only want a night, not a boyfriend. Men are men, Chan. Straight or gay, they’re men. Never forget that.”
“I get it, Kanan. You have to remember, though, I was raised by a dad that believes with his entire being that it’s supposed to be two people and two alone. So, you’re saying men are men, that’s my role model.”
“He’s not the norm.”
“Oh, that’s true. That’s truer than you know!” He got up and started to the door. “See you tomorrow. Thanks for the help.”
“Chandler! What the hell?”
He left without another word. With everyone acting crazy, and cryptic, I was going to lose it. Suddenly, the run the next morning would be more than welcomed.
In fact, when I met Rick on the trail he’d chosen for the day, I expressed it. “I need this run. Badly.”
“Rough weekend? I mean…past whatever you do there…”
There was a blush across his nose that was terribly endearing. And he was right. He turned a fine magenta. “Mayor. You’re blushing.”
“I’m a mayor, not a priest. Things…pictures go through my head, too, ya know.”
“I’m sure. No, it was fine, just strange. My friends, I think, are trying to hook me up with someone.”
“Oh?” He looked away while he stretched. “That’s…not a bad thing.”
“No, it’s not. But they’re all being really weird about it.”
Suddenly smiling over to me brightly, Rick asked, “Want to run?”
“Yes. Yes, I do,” I said, laughing.
We started out and right off, Rick took us running up a steep incline that had me struggling for breath, but he turned around, running up the hill backward while cheering, “You can do it, Kanan. I have, what? Eighteen years on you?”
“That’s all?” I teased.
“Oh! This from the one sucking in air like he’s about to keel over.”
I mustered up the energy from somewhere and started running again, passing him right by, even if my lungs felt like they were on fire.
His laughter echoed in the valley that was to our left as we ran up the hill. The valley, green and peaceful, a flock of birds taking off in flight from a group of birch and willow next to the stream.
I felt like I was flying up in the air like we were. Sure, there was solid earth under our footfalls, but the closer to the top we got, the more I felt free.
We stopped for a much-needed breather at the top. There was a log five feet from the cliff, and we both took a seat on it, watching the clouds roll along across the valley from us.
