curb. When the rear door opened, he slid in next to Asbjorn, surprised to see Nell riding shotgun.
“Hi, guys. Hi, Nell. You’re coming too. That’s great!”
He noticed Asbjorn’s barely suppressed groan.
“Pull over at the store, Dud,” Nell said in a calm, motherly voice. He did, and Nell slid out of the cab and disappeared inside. A few minutes later, she returned with a case of Powerade and some bottled water. “Just something to supplement that case of beer you guys are bringing along.”
Dud cleared his throat. “You realize no spectators are allowed, right? You’ll have to play.”
“You bet.” Her expression was serious, with only a hint of glee in her eyes.
Asbjorn’s excitement for the outing wasn’t really dimmed by Nell’s presence. He was mostly confused about the way he felt when Sean’s knee accidentally brushed his in the back of the car. They avoided one another carefully since the time Asbjorn had attempted to study in Sean’s room. Attempted, and failed. Relentless in his pursuit for an answer to their bizarre dynamic, his mind flitted to what happened few days ago.
He watched Sean settle into a seiza with the sort of liquid grace he had seen in a teahouse entertainer in Japan. His tan, long-fingered hands moved with precision as he poured the coffee and tea with measured deliberation, and it was only after a long pause that he felt Sean’s rather heated look on his shoulders, searing its way down his back.
Their eyes met. Asbjorn had been unable to look away from the other man, basking in that warm, captivating gaze as Sean slowly bent toward him. He remembered tilting his head up in quiet fascination, and then their lips met, and he was glad he was laying on his front. Whenever the presence of another man affected him like this, he had suppressed it. Now the whole back of his neck tingled, and a shiver washed down his torso.
He enjoyed the very good coffee while thinking of cold, windy runs along the river, recollecting the shock of freezing ocean water through his wetsuit while diving, and the frigid morning showers in basic training. He finished his hot coffee along with his cold thoughts, and once he got himself under control, he made his excuses.
“I forgot some materials I really need. Thank you for the coffee, Sean, but I really cannot stay.” Their eyes met but briefly as he bade him good night.
And now Dud had suggested they include Sean in their outing, and he just couldn’t say no. They traveled south on Route 95 and took the second exit for Jamaica Plains. He surveyed the ill-lit streets, revealing houses in poor repair. The car swerved as Dud avoided the potholes, approaching a semi-industrial part of town, until they pulled into the bay of a large, run-down warehouse. Dud honked and the garage door scrolled up to let them in.
D UD TURNED to consider Sean with a lopsided grin. “There’s something you should know. You’ll be asked to throw some people around, but don’t worry about it. Asbjorn ’n’ I thought it would be good practice for you. You’re ready for this.”
“Where are we, exactly?” Sean asked, fighting to keep his voice sounding bored and nonchalant.
“We’re in gang land. This is a bad part of town. Don’t leave the Warehouse. The gangs and us have an agreement of sorts.” Asbjorn’s voice was a bit too clipped for Sean’s liking. Like he didn’t want him to be around people who could get rough.
“Whatever,” he said, running his hand through his hair. “What are we waiting for?”
Dud pulled a case of Duck-Rabbit Winter Ale from the trunk of his Jeep, Asbjorn quickly grabbed the water and sports drinks before Nell could get to them, and Nell reached deep under the backseat and extracted a flat, olive green shoulder bag. Sean had nothing to carry and extended his arm, offering to carry her gear.
“No thank you, Sean. I’m in charge of this one.”
“What is it, Nell?”
“The first-aid kit.”
They deposited
“Hi, guys. Hi, Nell. You’re coming too. That’s great!”
He noticed Asbjorn’s barely suppressed groan.
“Pull over at the store, Dud,” Nell said in a calm, motherly voice. He did, and Nell slid out of the cab and disappeared inside. A few minutes later, she returned with a case of Powerade and some bottled water. “Just something to supplement that case of beer you guys are bringing along.”
Dud cleared his throat. “You realize no spectators are allowed, right? You’ll have to play.”
“You bet.” Her expression was serious, with only a hint of glee in her eyes.
Asbjorn’s excitement for the outing wasn’t really dimmed by Nell’s presence. He was mostly confused about the way he felt when Sean’s knee accidentally brushed his in the back of the car. They avoided one another carefully since the time Asbjorn had attempted to study in Sean’s room. Attempted, and failed. Relentless in his pursuit for an answer to their bizarre dynamic, his mind flitted to what happened few days ago.
He watched Sean settle into a seiza with the sort of liquid grace he had seen in a teahouse entertainer in Japan. His tan, long-fingered hands moved with precision as he poured the coffee and tea with measured deliberation, and it was only after a long pause that he felt Sean’s rather heated look on his shoulders, searing its way down his back.
Their eyes met. Asbjorn had been unable to look away from the other man, basking in that warm, captivating gaze as Sean slowly bent toward him. He remembered tilting his head up in quiet fascination, and then their lips met, and he was glad he was laying on his front. Whenever the presence of another man affected him like this, he had suppressed it. Now the whole back of his neck tingled, and a shiver washed down his torso.
He enjoyed the very good coffee while thinking of cold, windy runs along the river, recollecting the shock of freezing ocean water through his wetsuit while diving, and the frigid morning showers in basic training. He finished his hot coffee along with his cold thoughts, and once he got himself under control, he made his excuses.
“I forgot some materials I really need. Thank you for the coffee, Sean, but I really cannot stay.” Their eyes met but briefly as he bade him good night.
And now Dud had suggested they include Sean in their outing, and he just couldn’t say no. They traveled south on Route 95 and took the second exit for Jamaica Plains. He surveyed the ill-lit streets, revealing houses in poor repair. The car swerved as Dud avoided the potholes, approaching a semi-industrial part of town, until they pulled into the bay of a large, run-down warehouse. Dud honked and the garage door scrolled up to let them in.
D UD TURNED to consider Sean with a lopsided grin. “There’s something you should know. You’ll be asked to throw some people around, but don’t worry about it. Asbjorn ’n’ I thought it would be good practice for you. You’re ready for this.”
“Where are we, exactly?” Sean asked, fighting to keep his voice sounding bored and nonchalant.
“We’re in gang land. This is a bad part of town. Don’t leave the Warehouse. The gangs and us have an agreement of sorts.” Asbjorn’s voice was a bit too clipped for Sean’s liking. Like he didn’t want him to be around people who could get rough.
“Whatever,” he said, running his hand through his hair. “What are we waiting for?”
Dud pulled a case of Duck-Rabbit Winter Ale from the trunk of his Jeep, Asbjorn quickly grabbed the water and sports drinks before Nell could get to them, and Nell reached deep under the backseat and extracted a flat, olive green shoulder bag. Sean had nothing to carry and extended his arm, offering to carry her gear.
“No thank you, Sean. I’m in charge of this one.”
“What is it, Nell?”
“The first-aid kit.”
They deposited
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