inspiration, idiot. Your websites? Those are amazing—they’re user-friendly, you have a great sense of graphic placement, and your prose should win you advertising awards. Seriously—you have so much more to offer than just teaching—”
“Well, thank you,” Will said, trying to find the reason for his hurt. “I just thought that teaching was important.”
Kenny sighed. “It is important—”
“Besides,” Will interrupted because he didn’t want to hear the “but” he sensed coming, “we’re talking about your future. And maybe before you go out and start looking for your future in another Gif, you might want to figure out why Gif wasn’t the right guy.”
“I know why Gif wasn’t the right guy,” Kenny sighed, and some of the fight went out of him. “Gif wasn’t the right guy because I was looking for the wrong things in him.”
“Yeah? What were you looking for?” Will wanted to take notes.
“I was looking for sparkly,” Kenny said, staring out over the bright bay. “I should have been looking for warm and real.”
Oh, that was encouraging. Those were two qualities Will could do .
“I think that’s a great start,” Will said with fervor, and Kenny was standing close enough for Will to drape an arm over his back and pretend it was all in the name of being a buddy.
“A ND YOU didn’t kiss him?” Cara asked bluntly.
Nina sat by her side with an almost identical expression of disbelief. “Yeah, seriously. Nobody made a move? You were in San Francisco, for sweet Christ’s sake!”
“He wasn’t ready yet,” Will said, at the same time Kenny said, “I wasn’t ready yet.”
Will grinned at him, and Kenny looked embarrassed.
“Are we getting to the part where one of you was ready?” Cara asked. “Because seriously—it’s a nice story and all, but I want to dance at my wedding!”
“We’re getting there,” Will promised. “I swear.”
Almost Ready
K ENNY GOT the results of his HIV test e-mailed to him, which meant he was at work when he saw the result.
His first impulse was to stand up and Safety Dance all over his little cubicle with its Firefly posters and Harry Pottermemorabilia. (Gif hated that shit, which was why it lived in Kenny’s cubicle.)
Kenny looked up and saw Cam, the guy on the other side of his cubicle, working steadily on the pamphlet he was designing for an in-house change of policy. Kenny got to design the packaging graphics for the new product, which was a definite improvement when it came to job assignments, and he was never sure how to act around Cam. Cam—fiftyish, jowly, and on his third wife—got there early and left early, using the flex time with interest so he could coach his kids’ sports teams and spend time with them in spite of the fucked-up family situation. Kenny’s dad had always been too busy running his own business, and his mom taught high school, so they’d never been able to do that. Kenny sort of admired the guy for his dedication, but he felt bad shooting over his head like that.
“What’s up?” Cam noticed him wiggling in his chair, and Kenny fought a brief battle for candor. No one at work even knew he was gay yet—he’d spent his first few months trying so hard to be a wunderkind that he’d sort of pretended he didn’t have a personal life.
“Got some good news,” he said vaguely.
Cam raised his eyebrows, but Kenny was so not spilling the whole story, not right now.
Cam sighed and then shrugged. “Well, you know. Find someone you want to talk to and celebrate.”
Kenny felt bad for a minute. “It’s no big deal, really,” he lied. God, the big negative—it was what every sexually active boy wanted to hear, wasn’t it? “But thanks, I’ll take your advice.”
Cam grunted. “Great. I’ll dispense it when needed.” And then he turned back to his project, leaving Kenny feeling more than a little guilty. Okay, now that he’d proved he was a wunderkind—and sacrificed his
“Well, thank you,” Will said, trying to find the reason for his hurt. “I just thought that teaching was important.”
Kenny sighed. “It is important—”
“Besides,” Will interrupted because he didn’t want to hear the “but” he sensed coming, “we’re talking about your future. And maybe before you go out and start looking for your future in another Gif, you might want to figure out why Gif wasn’t the right guy.”
“I know why Gif wasn’t the right guy,” Kenny sighed, and some of the fight went out of him. “Gif wasn’t the right guy because I was looking for the wrong things in him.”
“Yeah? What were you looking for?” Will wanted to take notes.
“I was looking for sparkly,” Kenny said, staring out over the bright bay. “I should have been looking for warm and real.”
Oh, that was encouraging. Those were two qualities Will could do .
“I think that’s a great start,” Will said with fervor, and Kenny was standing close enough for Will to drape an arm over his back and pretend it was all in the name of being a buddy.
“A ND YOU didn’t kiss him?” Cara asked bluntly.
Nina sat by her side with an almost identical expression of disbelief. “Yeah, seriously. Nobody made a move? You were in San Francisco, for sweet Christ’s sake!”
“He wasn’t ready yet,” Will said, at the same time Kenny said, “I wasn’t ready yet.”
Will grinned at him, and Kenny looked embarrassed.
“Are we getting to the part where one of you was ready?” Cara asked. “Because seriously—it’s a nice story and all, but I want to dance at my wedding!”
“We’re getting there,” Will promised. “I swear.”
Almost Ready
K ENNY GOT the results of his HIV test e-mailed to him, which meant he was at work when he saw the result.
His first impulse was to stand up and Safety Dance all over his little cubicle with its Firefly posters and Harry Pottermemorabilia. (Gif hated that shit, which was why it lived in Kenny’s cubicle.)
Kenny looked up and saw Cam, the guy on the other side of his cubicle, working steadily on the pamphlet he was designing for an in-house change of policy. Kenny got to design the packaging graphics for the new product, which was a definite improvement when it came to job assignments, and he was never sure how to act around Cam. Cam—fiftyish, jowly, and on his third wife—got there early and left early, using the flex time with interest so he could coach his kids’ sports teams and spend time with them in spite of the fucked-up family situation. Kenny’s dad had always been too busy running his own business, and his mom taught high school, so they’d never been able to do that. Kenny sort of admired the guy for his dedication, but he felt bad shooting over his head like that.
“What’s up?” Cam noticed him wiggling in his chair, and Kenny fought a brief battle for candor. No one at work even knew he was gay yet—he’d spent his first few months trying so hard to be a wunderkind that he’d sort of pretended he didn’t have a personal life.
“Got some good news,” he said vaguely.
Cam raised his eyebrows, but Kenny was so not spilling the whole story, not right now.
Cam sighed and then shrugged. “Well, you know. Find someone you want to talk to and celebrate.”
Kenny felt bad for a minute. “It’s no big deal, really,” he lied. God, the big negative—it was what every sexually active boy wanted to hear, wasn’t it? “But thanks, I’ll take your advice.”
Cam grunted. “Great. I’ll dispense it when needed.” And then he turned back to his project, leaving Kenny feeling more than a little guilty. Okay, now that he’d proved he was a wunderkind—and sacrificed his
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