by Troy Hunter
“Only nice?” Nate growls.
“Better than nice. Exemplary,” I reply. “Ten out of ten. Would fuck again.”
Nate rolls onto his side and lays on the bed beside me.
I try to steady my breath and my racing heart. “Hey,” I say.
“Yeah?”
“I think the sitter might be a good option,” I say.
“All new parents need time to themselves,” Nate replies. “That’s what all the parenting books say.”
“Yeah,” I say, “Although I don’t know if we can call you Uncle Nate if we’re going to be together. You know how kids mess things up sometimes.”
“True,” Nate replies, “But I think we’ve got a few years before we have to worry about that.”
“For sure.”
“So do you want to go back to Christmas dinner?”
“Not yet,” I reply. “I’m still trying to catch my breath.”
“You’re going to have to invest in some cardio to keep up,” Nate jokes. “With me and with your daughter.”
I laugh. “Yeah,” I say, “That’s probably true.”
“You know, Felix. We didn’t work last time, but this time? I really think we’ve got it. We’re going to be really good together.”
“What makes you so sure?” I ask.
“Well, I think we’re more experienced now,” Nate says, “And maybe…Selene thought we might be together.”
“Is that why you didn’t want to have lunch with us?”
“No. I really did think you might want some time alone to talk with her. But when she asked me if we were, I started thinking. Maybe we haven’t really been friends for a while, and neither of us realized it. I mean, I’ve never felt about any of my dates the way I feel about you. I’ve never spent us much time with them as you, and I think this feels right. It isn’t awkward like last time.”
I turn my head towards his and Nate plants a quick kiss on my lips.
“Better than good,” I say. “We’re going to be the best.”
Nate pats my thigh and sits upright. “Yes. Unfortunately, we do eventually have to go back to the party,” he says. “If not, we’ll be found out. After all, guests do occasionally expect to see their host.”
I sigh and sit upright. Nate crosses the room and tosses my shirt to me. I wrinkle my nose at it but only because I would be fine with staying up here with Nate all night. Still, it’s thankfully wrinkle-free. I flip the collar down and button it back up. Nate is ready before I am, but he waits, watching me.
“Merry Christmas,” Nate says.
“You, too,” I reply. “Was this my other present?”
He wraps an arm around me as we head out the door. “Was it that good, huh?” Nate asks, grinning.
“Well…”
“Hold on,” Nate says.
He begins trying to fix my hair, and I close my eyes, enjoying the feel of his hands brushing through the strands. “Is that better?” I ask, opening my eyes.
“So-so,” Nate replies. “You don’t look like you’ve just been fucked, at least.”
Well, that’s good. I guess.
“Now that we’re going to try dating, though, you realize it’ll be even harder to keep me away from your apartment, right?” Nate asks, leading the way down the steps.
“Oh, that’ll be terrible,” I say. “I’ll have someone to help take care of Opal.”
“Okay, but just so you know, I’m not changing Opal’s diapers,” Nate warns.
I suppose that’s fair.
“I’ll feed her, rock her, give her medicine, do everything except the diapers,” Nate says.
“Okay.”
“You don’t have demands?” Nate asks.
“Give me some time, and I’m sure I can think of a few,” I say. “You do realize that, just because we’re together, doesn’t mean I’m going to let you coddle me, though, don’t you? I’m still going to work.”
“I don’t doubt it,” Nate replies.
As we return to the party, his hand brushes against the underside of my wrist. We’re finally on the same page.
Epilogue
FELIX
There’s something inherently uplifting about the beginning of a new year. I think it’s because everything feels bright, fresh, and new. That’s why we make resolutions for the new year, though really, there’s nothing at the beginning of the year that makes it especially good for making resolutions. It’s the new year, though, and I already have all my resolutions fulfilled. I have a budding business that’s going strong. I have my daughter, who is healthy and growing. And of course, I have Nate, who I’m officially calling my boyfriend. No more uncertainty. No more awkward labels of friends with benefits. I’m looking for a bigger apartment and possibly a bigger bed. I might even have money now for both a sofa and a bed.
I sit in the front row of the theater and wait for Nate to join me. Eleanor is watching Opal, so we have the evening to ourselves. Well, ourselves and the hundreds of other people packed into this theater to watch Nate’s first movie. I glow with pride as the lights dim. I grasp Nate’s hand and squeeze it. I don’t watch horror movies, but I will for him. I’m sure whatever he’s created is magnificent.
The movie begins with shots of the forest and the clouds. I recognize some of them. There’s the shot he took of the ants running over the opossum. All those little shots that I didn’t understand work here together in perfect harmony, all the puzzle pieces fit together. Then, the film settles on the house. The camera travels inside, lingering on the portrait of Sigmund Freud and sweeping around to the parlor and the piano. A light, lilting song plays.
The plot revolves around a young woman, Joan, who has inherited a massive house that is, of course, haunted. There’s also a serial killer and a heated romance with a police officer that involves the heroine and the officer having sex in one of the bedrooms. Sadly, not the one with Freud, although that portrait does appear transposed over the screen as Joan orgasms. It’s a weird movie, but I don’t know if that’s because it’s meant to be weird. It might just be that I’m very ignorant of the horror genre.
Nothing about the setting looks cheesy or like it belongs to someone’s grandmother. All the crocheted afghans and the porcelain dolls take on new lives beneath the expert direction of Nate and his team. The house is uncanny and frightening. It looks like the sort of place that would be haunted and the difference takes my breath away. While I only saw pink walls and gaudy curtains, Nate saw inspiration and made art with his inspiration. Nate is so brilliant and his movie ends to a thunderous applause. I leap to my feet with everyone else and grin at him, as the screen fades and makes way for the credits.
Nate smiles back, absolutely glowing. “Did you like it?” he asks quietly.
“It was great,” I say. “The best horror film I’ve ever seen.”
“So I beat out—what? One other film.”
“Two,” I joke, kissing him on the cheek. “I actually watched The Silence of the Lambs twice. That counts, right?”
Then, we make our way to the after-party. I mill about, never straying far from Nate. Most of the people here are his cast and crew. I recognize them, although I don’t know them by name. There is one person I recognize, though, Selene. She looks radiant, with her hair pinned into an elaborate updo and a silky violet dress that shows how good her figure is. I pat Nate’s arm and point her out.
“I know,” he says. “I figured I should…expand my social group. Besides, she’s your friend and that makes her my friend.”
“You’ve really grown,” I say.
“Is my erection that obvious?” Nate teases quietly.
“I meant as a person,” I say. “Way to kill the romance.”
“I know what you meant,” Nate replies. “It helps that I have the encouragement and love of someone who’s kind and patient.”
“Well, if we’re keeping score, I suppose I should thank you for convincing me to quit my throwaway retail job,” I say. “I’d never imagined everyth
ing would work out so well.”
“You just never know,” Nate replies, squeezing my hand. “Here’s to the new year and to everything else working out for us.”
I turn my head to look at the clock on the wall, quickly ticking down to the new year. Yes, this will be a year of even more new and wonderful things, and I can’t wait to see what those are.
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