music started, Jamie stayed at the table. He had an itch to draw: he took out the small sketchbook that he brought with him everywhere from the inner pocket of his jacket, and sketched a face: high forehead, long jaw, square cheekbones, thick dark hair, amused dark eyes.
The caterer. Wedding-cake-guy.
That's who I should be with, he thought. A bloke like that. Somebody who's just real.
Micah was ambling around, hands in his pockets, smiling shy hellos to everyone he passed. He walked past Dune and Jamie's table a few times, and then finally flopped into the empty chair next to Jamie with a loud sigh. "Hello."
"Hey. Having fun?"
"It's okay," Micah said with a teenaged shrug. He leaned over and looked at the sketch. "Nice face."
"Yeah. Not bad."
"Somebody you know?"
"No. Just a face." Jamie turned to a blank page. "Shall I draw you?"
Micah posed, his chin on his hand like he was sitting for his senior portrait. "Like this?"
"No," Jamie said with a laugh. "No--just natural. Like if you went out to dance and you moved a certain way that struck me. Or if we just talked a bit and you hold your head a certain way. Sometimes it's all about shadows. You see?"
Micah blinked at him a time or two. "This is why you're an artist and I'm not. None of that makes sense to me."
Jamie laughed again. "I'll show you when it happens." He glanced out at the dance floor--Dune had found a friend, or at least someone he danced close to, arms around his neck. "Are you going to dance?"
"Maybe," Micah said, his shoulders twitching. "I danced with one of the bridesmaids. Carla's sister. Um. Miriam? I think? She was nice. I might ask her again."
"Yeah," Jamie said.
"I saw you. Um. Dancing. With that guy."
"My friend Dune."
"Dune," Micah said, drawing out the U. "Is he your boyfriend?"
Jamie shook his head. "Just a friend. My stand-by date for things like this."
Micah nodded, watching the dancers. "I don't have a stand-by date. I should. It'd be weird to dance with somebody from work and have to talk to them again on Monday."
"It's just dancing," said Jamie.
Micah shrugged again. "Still be weird."
"Hmm. Hey, I was surprised to see you. I thought you'd be with your family in Tahoe."
"Yeah, no. They went up without me. I wanted to come to the wedding, and there's all the stuff at work to deal with. I'll go on vacation by myself later in the summer or something, maybe. Disneyland, maybe." He glanced at Jamie. "I bet you go places like Paris."
"Why go to Paris when I live here?" Jamie said. "Besides, I've been--I lived in France in the summers during university, to see the museums."
"Wow," Micah said. "You just--lived there? By yourself? Do you speak French?"
"A little." He fidgeted with his pencil a moment, wondering how to answer the first part of the question, and decided just to say the truth. "I wasn't alone. My boyfriend at the time had a chateau about thirty kilometers away from Paris--spending the summer there was his idea, in fact. He was very--well--enthusiastic about my career."
"Oh, wow," Micah said in awe. "A boyfriend with a house in France. I'd be happy to date somebody who just has a car."
Jamie laughed, and was still laughing when Dune came off the dance floor and draped himself over Jamie's shoulders. He gave Jamie's cheek a noisy kiss. "Get up and dance with me already."
"I will. Imminently. Dune, this is Micah. Micah works in the programming department," he told Dune, who nodded and smiled at him.
"Nice to meet you. Jamie's told me a lot about you."
"Oh," said Micah and blushed. "Hi."
Jamie looked at Dune, eyebrows raised, and Dune smiled back, looking innocent. "Come dance with me."
"If you're going to be insistent." He put his notebook away in his pocket and got up to follow Dune onto the dance floor. It was yet another slow song, and they danced with arms around each other's necks.
"My gaydar is pinging for that kid," Dune said after a few minutes of swaying.
"So does mine but I suspect it's just wishful
The caterer. Wedding-cake-guy.
That's who I should be with, he thought. A bloke like that. Somebody who's just real.
Micah was ambling around, hands in his pockets, smiling shy hellos to everyone he passed. He walked past Dune and Jamie's table a few times, and then finally flopped into the empty chair next to Jamie with a loud sigh. "Hello."
"Hey. Having fun?"
"It's okay," Micah said with a teenaged shrug. He leaned over and looked at the sketch. "Nice face."
"Yeah. Not bad."
"Somebody you know?"
"No. Just a face." Jamie turned to a blank page. "Shall I draw you?"
Micah posed, his chin on his hand like he was sitting for his senior portrait. "Like this?"
"No," Jamie said with a laugh. "No--just natural. Like if you went out to dance and you moved a certain way that struck me. Or if we just talked a bit and you hold your head a certain way. Sometimes it's all about shadows. You see?"
Micah blinked at him a time or two. "This is why you're an artist and I'm not. None of that makes sense to me."
Jamie laughed again. "I'll show you when it happens." He glanced out at the dance floor--Dune had found a friend, or at least someone he danced close to, arms around his neck. "Are you going to dance?"
"Maybe," Micah said, his shoulders twitching. "I danced with one of the bridesmaids. Carla's sister. Um. Miriam? I think? She was nice. I might ask her again."
"Yeah," Jamie said.
"I saw you. Um. Dancing. With that guy."
"My friend Dune."
"Dune," Micah said, drawing out the U. "Is he your boyfriend?"
Jamie shook his head. "Just a friend. My stand-by date for things like this."
Micah nodded, watching the dancers. "I don't have a stand-by date. I should. It'd be weird to dance with somebody from work and have to talk to them again on Monday."
"It's just dancing," said Jamie.
Micah shrugged again. "Still be weird."
"Hmm. Hey, I was surprised to see you. I thought you'd be with your family in Tahoe."
"Yeah, no. They went up without me. I wanted to come to the wedding, and there's all the stuff at work to deal with. I'll go on vacation by myself later in the summer or something, maybe. Disneyland, maybe." He glanced at Jamie. "I bet you go places like Paris."
"Why go to Paris when I live here?" Jamie said. "Besides, I've been--I lived in France in the summers during university, to see the museums."
"Wow," Micah said. "You just--lived there? By yourself? Do you speak French?"
"A little." He fidgeted with his pencil a moment, wondering how to answer the first part of the question, and decided just to say the truth. "I wasn't alone. My boyfriend at the time had a chateau about thirty kilometers away from Paris--spending the summer there was his idea, in fact. He was very--well--enthusiastic about my career."
"Oh, wow," Micah said in awe. "A boyfriend with a house in France. I'd be happy to date somebody who just has a car."
Jamie laughed, and was still laughing when Dune came off the dance floor and draped himself over Jamie's shoulders. He gave Jamie's cheek a noisy kiss. "Get up and dance with me already."
"I will. Imminently. Dune, this is Micah. Micah works in the programming department," he told Dune, who nodded and smiled at him.
"Nice to meet you. Jamie's told me a lot about you."
"Oh," said Micah and blushed. "Hi."
Jamie looked at Dune, eyebrows raised, and Dune smiled back, looking innocent. "Come dance with me."
"If you're going to be insistent." He put his notebook away in his pocket and got up to follow Dune onto the dance floor. It was yet another slow song, and they danced with arms around each other's necks.
"My gaydar is pinging for that kid," Dune said after a few minutes of swaying.
"So does mine but I suspect it's just wishful
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