Page 152 of College Town

Dana and Tommy share a look.

“I hate that there’s two of you now,” he laments, but he doesn’t hate it at all, and the shit-eating grins they both don say they know it.

~*~

The doctors wanted Tommy to practice with his walker, up and down the halls of the hospital. He was shaking with effort by the time they reached the chapel, but his head was up, and his gaze was determined, and the hospital chaplain smiled kindly at him.

Frank, and Noah and Nat stood arm in arm on one side of the modest wooden podium at the head of the aisle, Dana and Leo and Mom on the other. Dad had come, in his chair, and the sight of him there forced Lawson to close his eyes for a minute, until he had himself together again. Tommy rubbed at his arm while he leaned on his walker and told him it was alright, and it was.

“Are we ready?” the chaplain asked, when Lawson blinked his damp eyes open again.

Tommy answered for both of them. “We are.”

~*~

An hour in, Lawson can safely sat the reunion is a success.

“Lawson!” someone says too loud right behind him, and he turns, slowly enough that Tommy can keep pace and keep using his right arm as a support. Lawson doesn’t mind that he tries not to lean on his cane so much, because it means he leans onhim, and that’s something he’ll never discourage. “Lawson Granger!”

Lawson stares at the petite man with the thinning hair and the too-short pants for a long moment, and can’t place him. “Yeah, yeah, that’s me. Hi…” He doesn’t offer a shake, because Tommy’s got his right arm. But he checks the guy’s nametag and does a double-take. “Wait…Corey? Corey Martin?” There’s no way the boy he once thought was cute grew up like this, is there?

“Yeah, yeah, that’s me.” Corey’s face colors and he rubs self-consciously at the back of his neck, forcing a little laugh. “Guess I don’t look like I used to.” Gone is the pink-cheeked, cherubic middle schooler Lawson remembers, and in his place is a rundown librarian. “You look great, though.”

You didn’t think so when we were kids, he thinks, but not with bitterness. Corey’s rejection stung in the moment, because any rejection would have. But Lawson hasn’t spared him a thought in the past twenty years.

“This is my husband,” he says, sliding his arm free of Tommy’s grip so he can put it around his waist. “Tommy. He went to school with us, too.”

Corey frowns, and then blinks, and then his brows fly up as he remembers. “Shit. Yeah. Yeah, cool.” He shakes Tommy’s hand. “We had history together. Tommy…something with a C, right?”

“It’s Granger, now,” Tommy says, note of pride in his voice.

“Right. Of course. Good to see you both.”

When Corey’s gone, Tommy says, “I always hated him.”

Lawson laughs, startled. “Why?”

Tommy’s hand slips under his jacket again, like it’s been doing all night, and fists at the back of his shirt. It must be hopelessly wrinkled there, by now. “He had a big, fat crush on you.”

“What? No he didn’t. He turned me down.”

Tommy tips a withering look up at him. “You’re oblivious, you know.”

Lawson shrugs. “I think you’re wrong, but I don’t cate if you’re right:Ionly had a crush on one person.”

Tommy’s look turns smug. “Damn right.”

Lawson squeezes his side. “You wanna dance?”

The smug look disappears, replaced with nervousness. “I don’t have any moves any more.”

“You think I do?”

“I might…” He sighs. “I might trip.”

“Then I’ll catch you.”

Tommy smiles, and it goes all the way up to his eyes, sweet and fond. “Yeah. Okay.”

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