as being youngish.
Then came some serious speeches, but they were short and mercifully oblique. And finally a couple of stupid jokes ("Speak now or forever hold your–peace—no, just hold your peace"), right when Rob had decided that nobody up here had a sense of humor about anything. Charles and Constance were declared husband and wife, and Baxter's guys started playing again, and the chairs were whisked away to the side and whoops, Charles and Constance, and George and Sera, and a handful more, were dancing on the grass. The onlookers seemed to think this was the most entertaining thing ever, and this was before the champagne was opened.
"Isn't the dancing supposed to happen after lunch?" Stanny asked.
"I don't know," Rob said. "I'm pretty sure they're just doing whatever they want, here."
The caterers came and got them and the other younger members of the audience to help set up, which cheered Stanny up immensely because "this means lunch is going to happen sometime this century." Rob looked for Jack, but he was never anywhere near. After a while he figured Jack was doing it on purpose, which was a depressing thought. It was just too bad if Jack regretted kissing Rob. It wasn't that big a deal. It wasn't like they'd fucked or anything.
What if they had? Back in middle school? It wasn't impossible, though according to Rob's memory, his first sexual encounter had been the summer after high school.
He needed to talk to Jack. And this might be his last chance. He kept his eye on Jack, and as soon as the last tablecloth was secured with the last clip, and the last bowl of flowers was set on the last table, he made a beeline for Jack, keeping him in his sight as Jack wandered away seemingly oblivious to his follower.
Jack Remembers
Whether Jack really didn't know that Rob was following him was questionable, because why would he be leading Rob on such a circuitous path away from the festivities? He didn't know what lay in this direction. It wasn't where they had gone on the hike, it wasn't towards the hot springs, and it wasn't towards the restrooms or the office. Rob almost missed the grandeur of the surroundings through keeping his eye on Jack. By now it was pretty hard to be subtle about the fact that he was following Jack. The path they were on was not one that he would have even discovered on his own, and there was nothing to hide behind here, no trees and no steep slopes.
The gravel crunched loudly beneath Rob's feet and he let it. He wasn't hiding and Jack wasn't apparently trying very hard to run away from him anyway. Jack stopped and gazed out over a wide vista. Snowy patches as white and blinding as the shirt Jack still wore from the ceremony persisted still on the saw tooth ridges that ran across the horizon. A couple of hawks were circling together lazily in the clear sky.
"Hi," Rob said. He had so much he wanted to ask, but words were not coming.
Jack gave him only a brief glance before looking away again. Rob didn't blame him. The mountain valley below them was a hundred times more appealing than Rob was. "You followed me up here."
"Yeah."
"Why?"
"I wanted to talk."
"About last night?"
Rob shrugged. "Not really," he said. "I get that you were drunk and everybody was being kind of emotional, and anyway it wasn't like a really groundbreaking kiss. No, wait, I don't mean it wasn't nice or I didn't like it but it was like a peck on the ear and it doesn't have to count."
Jack turned to him again. "It didn't count?"
So this was going to be one of those situations, where it was impossible to say the right thing. Rob said, "It doesn't have to count."
"So what did you come up here to talk about?"
"Your dad said all those things. And I have no real memories of us as kids. And you've been kind of pissed off at me since we first met. Or second, whatever. Since the first time I remembered meeting you. Though I guess I have some vague memories of you, but I didn't know it. But yeah. All of that."
"All of
Then came some serious speeches, but they were short and mercifully oblique. And finally a couple of stupid jokes ("Speak now or forever hold your–peace—no, just hold your peace"), right when Rob had decided that nobody up here had a sense of humor about anything. Charles and Constance were declared husband and wife, and Baxter's guys started playing again, and the chairs were whisked away to the side and whoops, Charles and Constance, and George and Sera, and a handful more, were dancing on the grass. The onlookers seemed to think this was the most entertaining thing ever, and this was before the champagne was opened.
"Isn't the dancing supposed to happen after lunch?" Stanny asked.
"I don't know," Rob said. "I'm pretty sure they're just doing whatever they want, here."
The caterers came and got them and the other younger members of the audience to help set up, which cheered Stanny up immensely because "this means lunch is going to happen sometime this century." Rob looked for Jack, but he was never anywhere near. After a while he figured Jack was doing it on purpose, which was a depressing thought. It was just too bad if Jack regretted kissing Rob. It wasn't that big a deal. It wasn't like they'd fucked or anything.
What if they had? Back in middle school? It wasn't impossible, though according to Rob's memory, his first sexual encounter had been the summer after high school.
He needed to talk to Jack. And this might be his last chance. He kept his eye on Jack, and as soon as the last tablecloth was secured with the last clip, and the last bowl of flowers was set on the last table, he made a beeline for Jack, keeping him in his sight as Jack wandered away seemingly oblivious to his follower.
Jack Remembers
Whether Jack really didn't know that Rob was following him was questionable, because why would he be leading Rob on such a circuitous path away from the festivities? He didn't know what lay in this direction. It wasn't where they had gone on the hike, it wasn't towards the hot springs, and it wasn't towards the restrooms or the office. Rob almost missed the grandeur of the surroundings through keeping his eye on Jack. By now it was pretty hard to be subtle about the fact that he was following Jack. The path they were on was not one that he would have even discovered on his own, and there was nothing to hide behind here, no trees and no steep slopes.
The gravel crunched loudly beneath Rob's feet and he let it. He wasn't hiding and Jack wasn't apparently trying very hard to run away from him anyway. Jack stopped and gazed out over a wide vista. Snowy patches as white and blinding as the shirt Jack still wore from the ceremony persisted still on the saw tooth ridges that ran across the horizon. A couple of hawks were circling together lazily in the clear sky.
"Hi," Rob said. He had so much he wanted to ask, but words were not coming.
Jack gave him only a brief glance before looking away again. Rob didn't blame him. The mountain valley below them was a hundred times more appealing than Rob was. "You followed me up here."
"Yeah."
"Why?"
"I wanted to talk."
"About last night?"
Rob shrugged. "Not really," he said. "I get that you were drunk and everybody was being kind of emotional, and anyway it wasn't like a really groundbreaking kiss. No, wait, I don't mean it wasn't nice or I didn't like it but it was like a peck on the ear and it doesn't have to count."
Jack turned to him again. "It didn't count?"
So this was going to be one of those situations, where it was impossible to say the right thing. Rob said, "It doesn't have to count."
"So what did you come up here to talk about?"
"Your dad said all those things. And I have no real memories of us as kids. And you've been kind of pissed off at me since we first met. Or second, whatever. Since the first time I remembered meeting you. Though I guess I have some vague memories of you, but I didn't know it. But yeah. All of that."
"All of
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