Page 66 of In This Iron Ground
“How’d you meet him, anyway?” Hakan asked, taking a bite of his burger.
“Party.”
“You go to parties?”
“Excuseme. What are you implying? But…yeah, no, not really,” Damien laughed. “I went to this one, though. It was like fate,” Damien said in fake dreaminess.
Hakan didn’t laugh. “So, what, he approached you…?”
“No, I approached him. Why are we getting so detailed?”
“Just wondering. You approached him?”
“Yeah.”
“Why?”
“I don’t know! He was just sitting there and I was feeling weird and…I don’t know, I guess there was just something about him.”
Hakan took another bite of his burger. “Well…I’m glad that he’s, you know, that you’ve made a friend.”
“Thanks, Mom.” Damien rolled his eyes. “There is no way you’re eating that many fries. You got like three portions!” Damien said, pointing at the extra plates.
“I’m hungry.”
“I want some.”
“You literally have some on your own plate!”
“But yours are crispier. I like them crispy.”
“Urgh.” Hakan slid the crispy fry plate towards Damien.
“Score!” Damien picked up a few, sliding them through the ketchup before stuffing them in his face. Hakan shook his head, but his smile was back.
Damien watched Hakan for a moment, framed by the gaudy purple booths, the psychedelic carpet, the tinny sounds of the old games, the highlight of neon on his dark hair and skin. He’d started growing stubble on his jaw and it made him look a little wilder.
Damien looked away. How he had ever thought he could have that just for himself was a mystery, but being there was enough.
**********
The scorching day had chased Damien and Gonzalo out of the sun and into Gonzalo’s room. The house was quiet and empty, his parents at work. There was no air conditioning, and they’d opened the windows and turned on the fan to move the heavy air around.
Gonzalo was at his desk, looking for something to watch as Damien lay on his front on the bed, elbows propped up as he tried to eat the popsicle they had bought when an ice cream van stopped right outside. It was melting quicker than Damien could eat it though, the saturated red dripping down his hand and wrist. Damien tried to catch the drops, his tongue licking broad strokes over his skin.
“Man, this thing…” Damien trailed off as he looked at Gonzalo. The other boy was looking at him with a flush high on his cheeks. Damien had never seen that look directed at him before, but there was no mistaking it. “Dude…do you have a boner right now?” Damien blurted out.
The flush on Gonzalo’s face turned deeper and he turned away to face his laptop. “Shut up.”
“Oh. My God.”
“Shut up! You’re on my bed doing…that, like. Give me a break!”
“Doingwhat?”
“Oh, God. God. You are so clueless. You are so—”
“Hey! I’m just eating! I—wait,” Damien slurped loudly at the popsicle to stop it from dripping on the bedspread. Gonzalo banged his elbows onto the desk, covering his ears with his hands.
