Page 31 of Changes on Ice

Cross had eaten some hummus too and acted like he enjoyed the flavor. Rusty’s couch was nothing like Cross’s cushy one but it wasn’t bad. The dip in the middle cushions tilted them toward each other and Rusty didn’t hate that.

We really should talk.But Cross was looking calm and relaxed, smiling a little, leaning Rusty’s way. He wanted to enjoy that for a few more minutes.

“How about a movie?” He reached for the remote. “My TV lowkey sucks.” The screen was small and the clunky box was so old he sometimes wondered if it’d once had those rabbit-ear antennae like in the sixties. But Mrs. Murinko let him use her cable, and the thing worked. He flipped through the channels and hit a familiar sight. “Oh, this one. Robot Man. This movie’s so bad it’s hysterical.” He turned up the sound as Ro-Man lurched into view. “We’re about ten minutes in but you haven’t missed anything. I promise.”

Cross made an inarticulate sound, and Rusty paused. “Unless you don’t want to? I could look for a game or something.” Mrs. Murinko’s package didn’t include any premium sports channels but sometimes he got lucky.

“No, that’s fine. That looks… interesting.”

Rusty laughed. “I wouldn’t go that far.” He leaned closer to Cross, not quite touching. “So there’s that robot, the gorilla thing with the TV-head. It’s just finished exterminating almost everyone on the planet.”

“Why?”

“For shits and giggles? I don’t know. Its big boss in the sky told it to. Anyhow, there’s just a few people left, and one of them is a pretty girl, right?”

“Can I guess where this is going?”

“Probably. But the fun part is riffing on it.” Rusty made the robot sounds Kris usually did. “Beep, whee, beep, whee, wheeeere are the hoooomans?” Cross snorted so that was a win.

Rusty wasn’t sure if Cross was really into the movie or playing along. He didn’t contribute a lot of commentary or sound effects of his own, but he chuckled at some of Rusty’s and made mind-boggled huffs at some of the best worst lines. Cross didn’t take the cue to join Rusty’s shout of, “Look out! Aww, too late!” when Ro-Man threw Roy off the cliff. For a second, Rusty missed Kris enough to hurt.

He grabbed his phone and texted her,~Watching Ro-Man. Doing worse sound effects than yours.

He realized it might be past bedtime for her, but she responded,~By yourself? Pathos.

~With a friend.

~Who? Date?

~Nah. Another hockey player.

~Team bonding?

~Not exactly.

~Cross???

Rusty blinked and hedged,~What makes you say that?

~Hockey player not teammate? Guy you talk about a lot and have a huge crush on?

~I don’t.

~You do. Now quit texting me and pay attention to your man.

Rusty almost texted back, “I wish,” but that was too much encouragement to give Kris. He put the phone away and found Cross watching him rather than the screen.

“Who was that?”

“Oh, Kris. We’ve watched this movie together. She’s the one who invented all the robot noises.” He repeated “Whee, beep,”and then his face heated.Way to be a dork.

Cross chewed on his lower lip. “Did you ever date her?”

“Kris? Hell, no.” Rusty tapped his chest. “Gay, remember, not bi? Plus, it’d be like dating my sister.” He seized the chance to get more info, though. “You’ve gone out with women, right?”

“Some, yeah. A few.”

“And guys?”

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