Page 29 of Paint Eater
Jay laughed. “Sure, Mama Lucy.”
“Don’t ‘sure’ me, kid, or I’ll breakyourkneecaps. My uncle Luca does that for a living.”
“I thought he sold houses.”
“It’s all a front. I can tell.”
Jay laughed.
“All right, what you kids want?”
Jay looked at Logan to order first.
“I’ll just have a plain slice,” Logan said.
Lucy nodded. “A Grandma slice, or…”
“Just the normal one.”
“All right. What about you?”
Jay tilted his head. “Hawaiian,” he said, ignoring Logan’s face of disgust.
“Coming right up.”
Jay paid for the slices, countering Logan’s protests with an, “Iinvitedyou,” and they took them outside once they’d been heated up, sitting on the curb with their paper plates and a water bottle.
Logan shook his head when Jay bit into his slice. “I don’t know how you can eat that.”
“Don’t hate,” Jay said around his mouthful. Logan just wrinkled his nose again.
They ate in silence, watching cars drive by, people walking and laughing and shouting at each other joyfully. Jay loved summer in the city—it was smelly and hot and overwhelming, but it wasalive.
“So,” Jay said when they’d finished eating, hands greasy, paper plates discarding into the trash. “You get into too much trouble for staying late?”
Logan sighed. “I told them I was with Nisha. She’d already covered for me, but they weren’t happy. It wasn’t too bad, though.”
“Oh. I thought maybe you were grounded.”
“No, I. Sorry. I should have replied to more of your texts. I just…freaked.”
“Do your parents know…I mean, are they, you know. Homophobic?”
Logan laughed. “No. They don’t care about that. They just like to control my schedule.”
“Wow. That’s gotta be…a lot to handle.” Jay tangled their greasy fingers together.
Logan grimaced. “Gross,” he complained, but he squeezed their hands together, smiling.
Jay felt a surge of warmth go through him. This wasn’t the same Logan from a few weeks ago. This Logan he could actuallysee.
Logan sighed. “I have to go now, though.”
Jay pouted but stood up without protest.
Jay only let go of Logan’s hand when they reached the car, getting his stuff out of the trunk and letting it rest on the curb.
“So, like…” Jay trailed off for a moment. “We can hang out soon?”
