Lucas had had many wonderful sources of counsel in his life, but two he had valued were gone — Tom, his father, and Martin, Vi's farm manager. Now, as North and he rested the horses and themselves at the roadside, drinking water from Sigg bottles, he sorely missed both of them, especially Martin. He wondered what Martin might have taught him as Sam joined the family and grew to adolescence, or more important, what he might have taught Sam about his father.
This sort of rumination wasn't common for Lucas, and he was uncomfortable that he was wasting time on speculation. For one thing, his life seemed to him jumbled now. Usually, his contemplation of one of the mathematics problems that formed his professional life pulled him almost irresistibly away from all other aspects of his life. Since the assault on his son, the rest of his life irresistibly pulled him away from his professional concerns.
North observed, "I haven't seen you this agitated in a long while."
"I haven't been this agitated in a long while. I remember the feeling, and I don't like it."
North thought a while about the great doubt his brother had revealed to him. "You think Sam's a good kid?"
"Yeah, he's a great person."
"How do you think he got that way?"
"It's his nature."
"That's just horseshit, Luke. Part of how he became what he is involves his genes, but a lot of it is growing up with Jerry and you. You may think you aren't influential in his life, but I can tell you that he looks to you two as the measure of what he should be. Marshall and JT love you, too, and think you're a very cool uncle. Why do you think Marsh wanted to sing 'Modern Boys'? They all love you."
Lucas just sat across from his brother silently.
North finally exclaimed, "You're so fucking hard-headed, you know that? Do you remember what I told you when you asked if you and Jerry should adopt Sam?"
Lucas nodded.
"Did you think I was being polite, or worse, that I lied to you when I told you that Annie and I both thought you and Jerry would be great parents?"
"No. You've never lied to me."
"Jesus, Luke. You're a good man, a good brother, and a good father. You can't let yourself be trapped by your past. I thought you'd gotten over this crap."
"He thinks he's not important to me. I must have given him that message."
"More bullshit. You're wound pretty tight, but you're not unfeeling. Sam loves you and probably wishes that you were a bit more open, but he loves you just as you are. We all do. How do you think I felt when Dad would hole up in his office and write for hours on end or when Dad Squared was at OHSU doing rounds until after I was in bed? It didn't make me happy, but you know what? I always knew they loved me, and I could always talk to them if I needed to."
"Our fathers were special; I mean Jim still is. Everything I have — everything I am — is accident. I don't think I've worked hard enough."
"And you're not special? I've watched you with Sam for a long time now, and if you had been mistreating him, even emotionally, I'd have set you straight. You're a fucking genius. Sam admires you and he loves you, but more than that, he feels loved by you, so get your head out of your ass. Work harder, if you think you need to, but don't think you can work hard enough to do the impossible."
For the first time during their ride, Lucas smiled. "I'll try, paragon, but Jim and Tom never let us feel unsafe. I think Sam feels unsafe now."
"Apparently you've forgotten about Jason getting the shit kicked out of him for most of a football season. You think our fathers didn't sweat that?
"Sometimes I think Sam Marshall was a terrible influence on you, Luke. You aren't responsible for doing what no one can do. No one can make another person completely safe. The fact that you think you should says more than anything what kind of father you are. And, by the way, Sam Marshall would have been a horrible parent. He knew that, and that's why he never tried."
"Okay, okay. Seeing Sam lying there bleeding — fuck, I don't think I've ever felt helpless before."
North realized that Lucas was visualizing the scene again as he talked about it. "Well, Fry, welcome to being human. You should talk to Frank if you're having flashbacks."
"Don't call me Fry."
Lucas and North stood. Luke felt less uncertain, and he reached up to hug North. "Thanks, brother."
#
"Where's Jeff?" Sam asked his father.
"Up packing, I think."
Sam raced up the stairs and walked down the hall to Jeff's room. Through the doorway, he saw the agent packing his small bag. He was wondering if he should bother the man when Jeff, his back still turned to Sam, said, "Come in."
"You're leaving?"
"That shouldn't be a surprise." Jeff sensed the boy's subtle anxiety. "I wouldn't leave if I thought I still had work to do here."
"I know. I guess I just got used to you being here."
Chertov put his case on the floor and sat on the side of the bed, patting the bed beside him. "Sit."
Sam sat beside the young agent and waited.
"I'm sorry you had to go through what you did. These assholes want to frighten people."
Sam interrupted, "I don't think you can frighten someone by killing him."
Jeff put his arm around Sam and sighed. "You're right, of course. What I mean is that these people can't develop any real power by convincing ordinary people that what they want to do is acceptable, so they try to create power through fear. If you give in to that fear, you've let them win."
Sam started to remind Jeff that he had been the one who was shot, but then thought that maybe Jeff had been, too. "Did you ever get shot?"
"Yes, but not as badly as you were. But then, being in the line of fire is my job; it's not yours."
Now Sam sighed. "Do you think it's safe for us to go back to Pasadena?"
Turning to Sam, Jeff said, "Look at me, Sam." When the boy had, Jeff continued, "No one is absolutely safe anywhere. If you're asking me if Pasadena is as safe as Goldendale, then yes. If you're asking if I think people are still coming after you or your father, then no. I wouldn't leave if I thought that."
"Have you talked with OD about this?"
"Yes."
After he had waited for a few seconds, Sam became frustrated. "Well?"
"You should talk to him about that. I'll miss you, young man. You are a steely-eyed hero, my friend."
"Hero? I was just the target. You and Uncle Jon are the heroes."
Chertov frowned. "I didn't feel heroic. Prevention is everything in my business; having to recover is failure."
"That's so much bullshit, Jeff."
"That's my world."
"Can I have your email address?"
"Easy — jeff.chertov@dhs.gov. I'll always answer if I can." He handed Sam a card. "This has my personal email and cell phone in case you need to text me. I don't use it for voice calls. Sometimes I may not be able to get back to you for a while."
Sam stood as the young agent did, surprised at how sad he was both that Jeff was leaving and that he would be in danger while he worked. He hugged the man and whispered, "Thank you for everything you did." Then he walked out of the room with Chertov so that the agent could say goodbye to the others before he left for who-knew-where.
#
Before Sam talked with his parents about the trip to OHSU tomorrow to get the staples out of the now nearly healed surgical wound, he cornered them in the kitchen at Turing House. He still worried about what was on OD's mind, and he was determined to get an answer. "Do you know how Uncle North and Aunt Annie were able to live so far apart just after you ended up in Goldendale?"
Lucas knew what his son was getting at: that he was thinking about living in Goldendale when Markie was in Pasadena. "They managed, as I understand it, but I have to say they had a rough patch."
"I talked with Jeff before he left, and he said you and he had talked about whether or not Pasadena was safe for us."
Jerry asked, "He did?"
Lucas continued, "We asked him if he'd be willing to leave Homeland Security and work for us."
This revelation was so unexpected that Sam was truly speechless. He stood in the kitchen open-mouthed.
OD continued, "He told us that he didn't think we needed him except maybe as an emotional crutch. He said he didn't think we were in any more danger now than anyone else, either in Goldendale or in California. I think I know how you feel about where we should live, but it would help to know for sure."
Sam said without hesitation, "Pasadena. This is an okay place to visit, but living here would drive me crazy." Then he thought about his fathers' needs, and he didn't want to make himself a problem, especially for OD. "But, I'd give it a try if it's important to you."
OD thought, How like North, and told his son, "I know you would, but I also know how important Markie is to you. I wouldn't have been happy if your grandfathers had asked me to move a thousand miles away after I met your father. A hundred miles was hard enough."
"So, back to Pasadena?"
His fathers both nodded, and Sam smiled. OD finished, "We're not staying just because of Markie. Your father is more comfortable working in California, and I still have some work at Caltech I want to finish. The horses I can visit; I don't have to live with them, but maybe we can spend a longer time here next summer — with Markie visiting, of course. You two…" His eyes embraced both the men in his family, "I need to live with."
Sam was clearly relieved and started to leave his fathers when Lucas, after looking at Jerry for support, asked the boy, "Take a walk with me?" Sam nodded and Lucas grasped his son's hand and walked with him out the rear door of Turing House. "Let's take a ride."
Sam tried to hoist his saddle onto his mount with his left arm, but the pain in his right shoulder stopped him. His father started to glare at him but then understood and saddled both horses. They took off across the fallow field immediately to the east of the barn. Both were skilled riders, and they raced across the familiar ground until the house and outbuildings appeared small in the distance.
Lucas remembered the tribal officer who had ridden in his place, becoming the target for the attempted assassination earlier in the summer — another hero. Lucas and Sam rode out to the house where Martin had lived and where Rodrigo lived now. After they dismounted and tied the horses to the post in front of the house, Lucas led them to the front porch where he and Martin had spent many hours talking. As they sat on the rough porch steps, Sam leaned against his father.
Lucas looked at the old tree off to the side of the house, a tree that had a peculiar trunk. North had told him of a conversation that he and Martin had had about that tree. "See that elm?" A few feet above the ground, a large burl deformed the trunk that grew horizontally for a foot before bending back to grow upward. Sam nodded, still leaning against his father. "Martin told your Uncle North that the tree was like me — that something awful happened to it as it grew. Then before it could take off toward the sky again, it grew sideways for a while. Still, bend and all, it's a good tree."
Sam looked at his father. "It's beautiful."
"Okay, now something terrible has happened to you. You're going to have to figure out how to start growing toward the sky again. For me, your injury is another bend in my trunk, and I'm trying to get going skyward again, too. I intend to do just that."
Sam wiped his eyes with forearm. "You're pretty good at this father crap."
#
Before the expedition to OHSU left Goldendale, JT and Jamie appeared at Turing House, grins on their faces, snapping the jaws of staple removers they had borrowed from Jim's office, suggesting that they could save Sam a trip. Sam politely declined.
Sam's uncles Jason and Jonathan were up front in the Tribeca. He and Markie were in the second row, and Vee along with Marshall were in the back. Marshall had been so transparent when he had asked his cousin if he wanted company on the trip to Portland. Sam had reminded Marsh that Markie and Vee were going along but then after a few minutes suggested that if Marshall made the trip maybe he'd run into David. Marsh had shrugged and smiled. Sam waited long enough with no response till Marshall felt uncomfortable and then put his cousin out of his misery by saying that he'd appreciate the company.
Markie asked the boys and Vee, "What would you think about going dancing tomorrow night? Vee, you're old enough now to get in, right?"
Marshall said, "Barely." He thought taking his sister dancing would be good for her.
Vee replied, "I guess so." She wasn't at all certain that she wanted to go. The alternative was to sit in her grandfather's office and read, something she loved.
Sam thought a moment and then asked his Uncle Jon, "Will I have any restrictions after the staples come out?"
Jon replied, "Not really, but you need to continue your OT until your range of motion improves."
"So, dancing tomorrow night is okay?"
Jonathan looked at his husband, who nodded, and told his nephew, "Don't see why not."
They were now driving west on the Banfield Expressway, the portion of I-84 between suburban Troutdale and Portland, headed to their grandfather's condo across the Willamette River in the Pearl District.
Sam turned around and whispered to Marshall, "Ask them if David can spend the night tomorrow after we go to the club."
Marshall hesitated until his Uncle Jason turned and said, "That's a great idea, Marsh. Then we won't have to worry about getting David home after you're finished at the club."
Marshall responded, "Thanks, Uncle Jason. Are you sure there's room?" He had no idea what sleeping arrangements they were contemplating.
"Well, I think Markie will bunk in with Sam, and we just assumed that David would do the same with you."
Markie didn't react to Jason's assumptions at all, and Marshall realized that the other five in the car had already discussed the issue. He'd have to see how David felt about that arrangement, but he thought he knew what his answer would be. He took his phone out and began texting. He and David had already planned to meet tomorrow sometime, and now he proposed dancing and David sleeping over. He waited distractedly until his phone vibrated. He read David's reply and smiled. Markie nodded to Sam and gave him a little thumbs-up.
The apartment had been home to Marshall's and Sam's grandfathers since before North and Lucas had been adopted. Their grandfather Tom had written the Gyres Chronicles here mostly — stories that had always filled Sam's dreams. Sam had listened to stories about Tom from both his father and Uncle North.
The Tribeca crossed the Willamette River into Northwest Portland, pulling up to the condo high-rise where Jason parked it. The sun was dropping behind the West Hills but was some time away from setting when the little troupe opened the condo up and got settled. Vee commented with a little snark, "I guess I get the sofa. Unless I bunk with Markie, and Sam takes it."
Sam laughed and told his cousin, "No chance. You could go over to your house and sleep in your own bed, you know."
"No chance," Vee said.
The boys and Markie put their bags in their rooms, and Vee went out onto the deck while the uncles tossed around plans for dinner.
While the kids were getting settled, Jon pulled his husband into an embrace, kissing him deeply. After the kiss and the smiles, he told Jason, "Let's suggest Natural Selections — Markie will love it."
Jason nodded and, sliding his hand from Jon's waist to his ass, whispered, "You saved my life, Jon."
Jon laughed quietly. "I read you The King of the Golden River; you did the rest."
"You read to me and you taught me to be happy with myself. But, you never jerked off to 'Casta Diva' next to me in bed."
"Unlike fucking North. That boy never knew how he tortured us."
"I still get a boner when I hear Caballé." Laughing, they broke apart as they heard the kids come back to the living room.
Marshall smiled, wondering what his uncles had been doing. "We can't leave you two alone for even a little while."
"Smart ass," Jason answered. "Just for that, we're eating at Natural Selections tonight." The boys groaned, and Vee smiled.
"What?" Markie asked.
Sam tried to recover. "No, it's fine. It's a vegetarian/vegan restaurant on the east side." Markie stepped over and kissed Jason on the cheek.
Jon suggested, "Marsh, why don't you see if David wants to eat with us tonight. He could stay over tonight as well as tomorrow."
Marshall smiled and stepped over to kiss Jon on the cheek. The others cracked up.
At 6:30, David's father came up to meet Jon and Jason before dropping his son off. Both Sam's uncles could see much of David in his father: a tall, slender man with rich, dark skin. He was obviously impressed with the condo and the location, but Jonathan realized that he was a little uncomfortable leaving his son with a group of men he thought gay. Marshall had warned them that David's father's feelings were still raw over his father-in-law's coming out following his mother-in-law's death. He was, nonetheless, civil and seemed satisfied that David wouldn't be in danger with the crew from Goldendale. David was barely patient, although not confrontational, at his father's behavior.
Marshall was showing David around the condo. David saw Tom's old office and inclined his head toward the door with a question in his eyes. Marsh nodded, and the boys walked in. When David spotted volumes of Sam Marshall's poetry on the shelves, he pointed to them and looked at Marshall. "Your grandfather had a lot of his poetry."
"Yeah, I was named after him. So was Sam. Tom and he hung out a lot together."
"Wow, there's a really nice, full set of the Gyres Chronicles here?"
"That's because my grandfather wrote them."
That stopped David for a full minute, and then had an 'aha' moment as he spotted a picture of North as a teenager in his running gear. "Your father is Kendall, then. He was hot — I mean he still is." Trying to extricate himself but getting himself in deeper, he continued, "I mean Kendall was a major player in my jerkoff fantasies…" He stopped and if blushing could have shown in his dark face, Marshall would have seen deep red.
Marshall laughed at David's discomfort. "Don't ever tell my father that he's Kendall, and don't ever tell my mom that you jerked off imagining Dad."
"I wasn't imagining your father; I was imagining Kendall. Besides, his son is the current resident of those fantasies."
Now Marshall blushed, and the reddening skin on his face was perfectly obvious. "Glad I can help out."
David wanted desperately to change the subject. "I never connected the name Jansen with you, and I never would have connected Tom Jansen with Lucas."
"Just Google Uncle Lucas, and you'll see."
"I don't like to Google people I know. It seems weird somehow."
"So, you haven't Googled me?"
"No!"
The more Marshall discovered about David, the more he liked him. Physical attraction was a
given.
The boys looked around Tom's office for a few more minutes. David was treating the room as he would a museum exhibit. Finally, Marshall took his hand and, leading him out of the room, said, "Before you leave you can look around in here again, and you don't have to be afraid to touch anything. I think Grampa Tom would have liked people using the room. Vee uses it a lot."
"Your sister is very cool and very smart. If I were straight and a little younger…"
"First my father and now my sister. Down, boy!"
As they left the room, David shook his head from side to side slowly. "Goldendale? How the fuck did your grandfathers end up in Goldendale?"
"I think they were hiding. It didn't work. I don't think anyone can hide in Goldendale. Let's get ready for dinner."
As they changed in their room, they watched each other with abundant curiosity. Neither of them was disappointed. "A couple of my friends are coming to the club."
Marshall wondered what that meant. "Oh?"
"Well, I want to show you off, and they're curious."
"You mean I'm strictly an ornament?"
They had yet to find one another's acceptable limit of teasing. "I guess that sounded obnoxious."
Marshall walked to stand in front of David and put his hands on the boy's waist. Looking into David's eyes, he said, "No. It sounded like you were ragging on me. If I thought I was going to be a notch on a bedpost, you wouldn't be here."
"The reason my friends are curious is that I haven't really had a serious relationship, and they can tell that my feelings for you aren't exactly casual."
#
From the living room, Jonathan's voice called them, "How long does it take two guys to get ready? The rest of us are hungry."
Markie was in her element at the restaurant. If she had her way, this is the way she would eat every meal. She appreciated that Sam didn't grouch at the absence of beef. She watched Marshall and David as they ate, and she thought they were as cute as any boy-girl couple she had seen falling in love. She dearly hoped that she and Sam didn't act that way. David, she thought, was very polite. He had remembered that her parents were divorced and that her mother was a businesswoman. He had asked about how Sam's and her relationship had begun, and his questions weren't perfunctory. She hoped that Sam's cousin found what he was looking for.
Although a four-course prix-fixe menu was available, all the items were also available à la carte, allowing them to eat family style. The group shared roasted peaches with chickpeas and chard and fava gnocchi as the main courses. After the meal, Markie glowed with satisfaction while the boys held their tongues. On the way out, Jonathan told Marshall with a smile, "Serves you right, smart ass."
Later, while Vee camped on the pullout sofa in the living room, in the bedrooms, the three couples were in different stages of intimacy. Jon and Jason followed a well-tended path to comfort and bliss. Markie helped Sam undress before removing her own clothes. Before changing his dressing a last time, she knelt at the bedside and gently touched one of the staples.
"I'll miss these," she commented facetiously.
"I'll bring one back so you can make a staple pendant. I won't miss them a bit."
"I know. I think, in some way, I'll miss helping to take care of you."
"There are other ways for you to take care of me."
She looked down. "Is that thing always hard?"
"Around you, most of the time."
In the third bedroom, Marshall and David, not bothering with sleeping clothes, were lying in twin beds. "Are you going with Sam tomorrow when he gets the staples out?"
Marshall had already discussed that matter with Sam. "No. I thought we could hang out together. Markie and Vee will be with him. I'm pretty sure he invited me along so that I could see you."
"Remind me to thank him. Would you play something for me tomorrow?"
"Sure. Think about what you want to hear. Warning though — my repertoire is limited."
"I want you to choose."
Marshall thought he'd take a chance. "Want to push the beds together?" David's silence worried Sam. "I didn't mean that we had to do anything. I just like looking at you when we talk, and that would be easier if we were closer."
"I'd like that, too, but you know what I'd really like?"
Marshall's heart rate accelerated. "What?"
"An autographed Outliers T-shirt. Groupies should be rewarded." Even through the darkness, Marshall could hear the laughter in David's request.
"I'll see what I can do. Get your fine ass out of bed so we can push them together."
Being naked with David in itself wasn't a big deal to Marshall because his family had a relaxed attitude about nudity. Being naked with David, however, was in another way a big deal to Marshall because of the confusion of hormones attending his feelings for his new friend. They worked as quietly as they could to get the beds together and smiled at one another. They lay on their sides facing each other without sliding under the covers.
"You're the first boy I've ever been in bed naked with," Marshall commented.
David surprised Marshall when he said, "You're my first, too."
Marshall's face must have betrayed disbelief.
"What? You think I'm bullshitting you?" David asked.
"No. You're just so beautiful. I can't imagine you've made it this far without —you know."
"Well, I have. I've played doctor with some of my friends; we've jerked off together but no being naked in bed. How about you?"
Marshall decided to be honest. "I've played around a bit with Sam and JT. And, I've had sex with a couple of girls."
David's silence filled Marshall with anxiety. "David?"
"No, it's okay. I mean, you told me you're bi. Our agreement still goes, right?"
"Oh, yes, absolutely. No one else while we're seeing each other."
"What was it like? No gory details, please."
"Spectacular."
"Enough of that. Tell me more about your family."
Marshall recounted everything he thought important about his family. David's interest in Marsh's Uncle Lucas was unabated, and Marshall entertained his friend with stories he had heard from his father about his eccentric uncle.
"Your turn. You told me your father isn't happy with your grandfather coming out."
"That's a mild description of how he feels. See, I think my grandma knew. How could you hide something like that? And, she loved him until the day she died; I know that. My parents think he played her for forty years."
"I think you're right."
"Then, they'd already had to go through my coming out, which, let me tell you, was a little bumpy. They love me, and they're accepting, but they aren't exactly joyful."
"If it helps, I am."
"Thanks. That's really nice," David said with a catch in his voice.
As they lay on their backs waiting for sleep, David reached for Marshall's hand. Marshall thought that this sleepover was much different than the one he had shared with Armin —equally as intimate but without the portent of an abrupt end.
#
In his sleep, Marshall, now prone on the bed, had thrown his arm over David's midsection as David slept on his back. As he awakened, his arm moved lower and bumped against his bedmate's hard-on. At first his sleepy brain only registered pleasure, and then he started, realizing what he was touching. He quickly moved his arm up to David's chest.
"You won't break it."
Marshall laughed. "It feels like I might."
David moved his left arm so that his palm rested on Marshall's ass. "This doesn't feel as if it will break. You must run a lot."
"My father's a serious runner; my mom runs a lot, too, so I started early. I'm glad you approve of the result. Maybe when we get back home to Portland, you could join me."
David looked at the clock on Marshall's dresser. "I'd like that because it's you, but we should get up so we can wish Sam good luck. Want to share a shower?"
Sam and Markie, along with Vee, were already in the dining room when Marsh and David drifted down the hall. Vee looked at them and shook her head slowly, causing both of them to blush, a reaction visible only on Marshall's face. Jon and Jason joined them shortly, and everyone pitched in to make breakfast, which they ate at a leisurely pace. Jason noted that David acted like another member of the family now, not a guest.
Vee asked her cousin, "Are you nervous?"
Sam looked up from the few bits of food remaining on his plate and answered, "No. Uncle Jon says it won't really hurt, and then I can get back to normal."
Vee asked, "How's the feeling in your right hand?"
"Still not normal, but it's getting better. I guess I'll have to learn to play all over again."
Vee, with a deadpan expression, observed, "You needed more practice anyway."
After breakfast, the contingent going to OHSU readied itself and at 10:30 left for the hospital. Jason stayed behind, saying that too many physicians were never a good thing. "What are you two up to this morning?"
David answered for the couple, "We're going to the Japanese Garden for a while."
"Want some company?" Sam's uncle asked with a smile.
Marshall tried to think of a polite way to decline the offer; he couldn't. "Sure, Uncle Jason."
"Marsh, you are too easy. I have some reading to do and a couple of calls to return. Have fun."
As they were almost out the door, the boys heard Jason ask, "You have your membership cards?"
Both the boys answered, "Yes," Marshall adding, "Mother" to his reply. They took the number 20 bus from the Pearl District along Burnside to the Macleay Blvd. stop and then walked east on Tichner Drive and then south on Kingston Avenue to the Garden. Attendance was light on weekday mornings, and this Friday was no exception. After climbing a hundred or so feet from the bus stop, the boys showed their membership cards at the entrance and walked in past the gift shop toward the pavilion. On the veranda of the pavilion, they sat on a bench holding hands and quietly looking out over a modest karesansui, a modern take on the traditional sand and stone garden. Occasionally, an employee of the garden would walk by and smile at the couple without disturbing their contemplation.
After walking through all five gardens, stopping occasionally for quiet conversation or a quick kiss, they left the garden a little before one and retraced their journey to the bus stop and back to the Pearl. Before returning to the condo, they grabbed a quick lunch. Sam and the rest of the crew were back from the hospital, and Sam found his cousin on the balcony with Markie. He sat across from Sam and silently asked the question with his eyes —how'd it go?
"No problem," Sam answered. "Some of the staples adhered to the scar tissue a bit. They were the only ones that stung coming out. The surgeon was happy. Unless there's a problem, I don't have to see him again, and as soon as the staple holes stop oozing, no more dressings."
Sam was touched at the plain relief on Marshall's smiling face. His cousin asked, "You still up for the club tonight?"
"Sure. Markie wants to dance with girls again." Markie lightly slapped Sam's left shoulder.
#
The club was by now familiar to everyone on their group except Vee, who had heard a lot of stories about the place but before her birthday had been too young to get in. As it had been when Sam's and Marshall's uncles had met here and when Sam's fathers had also, the music was basically electro-pop and alternative music that was danceable. It was Vee's turn to keep her hand in her brother's as they flowed through the crowd. Vee had also heard stories about how people here reacted to her brother and now saw the reactions for herself: desire and wonder. If anything, the reaction to David and Marshall together was amplified.
Marshall spent most of his time dancing with David, sometimes with Vee as a third party in their dance. He didn't have to encourage Vee to find other dance partners and managed to keep an eye on her when she was with others. She had a good time, but Vee decided that this would probably be her last visit until she was older. Sam and Markie were having a great time, and despite her earlier slap at her boyfriend, Markie did dance with a few girls, leaving Sam to dance with boys. David was no stranger to the place, and he wondered that he couldn't remember seeing Marsh here before. He certainly would have remembered him.
After a couple of hours, two of David's friends found the group drinking water near one of the club's walls. Marshall wondered whether or not he would pass inspection. "Marshall, Sam, Vee, Markie, these guys are Desi and Juan."
Juan was wonderfully flamboyant in dress and mannerism. He took Marshall's hand and kissed the back of it in a courtly fashion. "I see why our David is captivated. You are a golden boy." Marshall had no idea how to respond to that, but he didn't sense any dissatisfaction in Juan with his presence in David's life.
Desi was another story. When introduced, Desi had barely nodded to Marshall. Vee caught Marsh's eye and seemed to be warning him about this one. Then, Desi grabbed David's hand and without a word pulled him back toward the middle of the dance floor. Marshall didn't mind that the friends were going to dance, but he didn't like Desi's aggressive approach. David looked over his shoulder at Marshall with a look both unhappy and apologetic.
Markie asked Marshall, "What the hell was that about?"
Juan answered, "Green, green, green monster, sister."
Sam touched Marshall's arm, and reminded him, "Think of how I felt when I thought Markie was interested in you."
Sam's comment quieted Marshall's anxiety a little. He kept his eyes on Desi and David who instead of dancing were in animated discussion. David did not look happy, and Desi looked angry and frustrated. At first, Marsh wondered why David didn't just tell the guy off. Then, he thought about Sam's comment. Friendships were hard to manage sometimes, and he couldn't blame David for trying to honor a friendship that meant a lot to him. He felt bad for David, who had wanted to show him off to his friends and who clearly hadn't expected this result.
"Should I go get him?" Marshall asked no one in particular.
Juan advised, "Oh, David can take care of himself. Desi has always hoped that David would fall for him even though David said he wasn't interested in that way."
Shortly, David returned, almost pushing his friend ahead of him. Desi made some insincere apology but was clearly unhappy with the situation. For the rest of the evening Desi almost made a point of not talking to Marshall or replying to anything he said. Juan tactfully tried to get him to ease up, but Desi was having none of it. He finally said, "Golden boy? Pasty white, more like it. He should find a nice, white girl."
David immediately grabbed Marshall and kissed him deeply, surprising everyone, but most of all Marshall. The kiss was more than nice, and Marshall did enjoy seeing Desi fume when it ended. "Look, Des. This is the way it is. Marshall is my boyfriend, and if you can't find peace with that, then you need to hit the road. I'm not going to listen to you badmouth him, and he's too polite to tell you where to stick it."