Page 21 of Nights Without Night
“Why the fuck didn’t you tell me? He was hot as hell!” I burst out suddenly. I look at him, flapping my arms. He just looks straight ahead for a long moment as we walk.
“It was so obvious I thought you were letting him down gently, I guess,” he says eventually. I huff.
“Some friend you are. I could have been getting tail all that time.”
“Youweregetting tail,” he reminds me and oh, yeah, that was when we had started fooling around
“Well, more tail,” I say, and the words are barely out of my mouth when Isadoro grabs the front of my coat, pulling me toward him. Startled, I stumble into him.
“You needed more tail?” he says. The teasing is soft, but it’s hiding a structure of iron.
I blink at him and he leans down. Our cheeks and lips are cold, but the inside of his mouth is warm and wet.
I don’t think we’ve ever kissed in public before.
When we part, I’m a little dazed. He pulls me with him as we start walking again, his arm over my shoulder. I don’t push him off. He’s always been tactile with me.
“You know,” he starts after we’ve walked almost half-around the lake, “I thought for sure you’d be hitched by the time I was out.” He says it softly like he’s sharing a secret. I snort.
“First of all, that makes you sound like you’ve been in prison. Second of all, I’m only twenty-six, what the hell.”
“Yeah, but…I don’t know.”
“I’m such a catch you thought someone would have snatched me up by now?” I say with a teasing grin, but his expression remains serious.
“Yeah,” he says simply. I narrow my eyes at him.
“You’re being fucking weird today,” I tell him, but I wrap an arm around his middle. Isadoro laughs.
“This is what I’m always like.”
When we’ve walked around enough to tire ourselves into hunger, we go to a nearby hotdog stand and order two with everything. We have to take off our gloves to eat and by the time I've finished the tips of my fingers are aching.
“I need to wash my hands,” I say, but Isadoro is busy buying some plain buns.
“What’s that for?” I ask as we head to the toilets.
“To feed the geese,” he explains. I wrinkle my nose.
“Geese are evil and don’t deserve hotdog buns,” I say. Isadoro looks at me with judgey eyes.
“Are you serious?”
“…No,” I say, even though I totally was.
“I thought you liked animals?”
“I love animals! But geese aren’t animals. They’re demons. Everybody knows this Isadoro, wake up!”
“Oh my God.”
After going to the bathroom, we head to another lake, this one with a natural shore where a gaggle of geese are bunched together, squawking at each other and being a general nuisance.
I accept one of the hot dog buns and start throwing pieces at the birds reluctantly. Meanwhile, Isadoro is tossing pieces at them carefully, making sure everybody gets some even though they’re fighting over the scraps like the vicious animals they are.
Isadoro catches me looking at him and my expression must be a little more than mocking because he raises his eyebrows at me.
“What!” I say, throwing my last piece of bread. It hits one of the birds on the head and I giggle a little. Isadoro shakes his head.
