Marin shook himself before smiling over at Blake.“Yeah, sorry… your phone’s a little bright.I…”
Marin paused, sucking his lower lip in-between his teeth.“Where is that?”
“This?”Blake cocked his head, gesturing towards his phone’s background.“It’s an art piece that’s on display at the Japan Center in San Francisco.I used to hang out there a lot to get my hands on obscure JRPGs.It was made by one of my favorite underground artists, a guy that went by ‘Watatsumi’.He did a lot of public art installations around the Bay Area in the 90’s.”
“Watatsumi,” Marin whispered, reaching out to tap the side of Blake’s phone.The art piece was a fitting one for the artist’s pseudonym.A bronze sculpture of an octopus emerged from a painted sea-life background; beneath the protective shelter of its arms were tucked two cuttlefish on either side, their eyes inset with glass gems.
Marin’s expression clouded further, eyes glazing over.
“You sure you’re fine?”Blake pressed.
Marin shook himself, replacing the vacant expression with a smile.“Yeah, I really like it.”
Blake didn’t exactly buy that, but he wasn’t about to press Marin for details.He’d been frustrated enough earlier in the night.Besides, after telling Marin about his past he was a little worn himself.
“Sorry to dump all of that on you, especially when you were upset,” Blake apologized as he opened up his Instagram and went to search for the requested picture of his old piercings.“I know you only asked why I wanted to study psychology, not for a life story.Do you feel any better from earlier?”
“I do.”Marin nodded.As he moved, Blake realized that he had unconsciously rested his hand on Marin’s knee again.“Thank you for changing the subject, it helped—and please don’t apologize for talking about yourself.I asked you.Besides.”He smiled, eyes scrunching with warmth.“I know it must be painful to recount your past, but I feel closer to you now.”
“I feel closer to you, too,” Blake admitted.“Thanks for listening—ah, here’s the picture.”
“Oh wow!”Marin grinned, taking the phone from Blake and peering down at the college-era photo.He was crouching below the iconic Haight-Ashbury sign, his side-cut gelled up into a proper deathhawk, and his face glittering with the aforementioned piercings.“Damn, you look good!”
Blake turned his head and laughed, a little flustered.Most people who saw his high school and college photos tended to tease him for looking like such a punk rather than praise his looks.
He was about to reply to Marin, but Celeste chose that moment to materialize out of the crowd next to them.
“Thereyou guys are.”They huffed.“I’ve been texting you for the past fifteen minutes!I thought you ditched us so I stole your drinks.Hope that’s okay.”
“You’re fine,” Blake told them, glancing back down at his phone to see the text notifications.“Shit, I’m sorry.I was showing Marin something so I didn’t even notice.”
“Ugh, fine, whatever.”Celeste scoffed, folding their arms over their chest.They jerked their chin up at Marin, “You feeling any better?”
“Yeah.”He nodded, smiling over at Celeste.“I think I’m ready to go back in.”
“Sorry, you’re too late,” Celeste declared with a dramatic fling of their arm.“I’m ready to dance so we’re headed over to Star Lounge.I already sent Ryan over to go stand in line.”
“You know,” Blake told them, standing up from the bench.“Heisyour boyfriend—you ought to try bossing him around a little less.”
Celeste stared back at him blank-faced, only to rear back a moment later, cheeks bright pink as their brain caught up with Blake’s words.“W-whatever!”They turned away from the pair and started stomping down the street.“Ugh!”
Marin and Blake exchanged pained expressions before following along.
16
Day Three
(Wednesday, August 3)
The lights hanging over the Star Lounge dance floor pulsed in time with the music, special-effects lamps sending spiraling kaleidoscopes of rainbows and laser-pointer squiggles cascading over the hot bodies that crowded the room.A star map was projected on the domed ceiling, twirling like a disco ball.The atmosphere was completed with a suspended statue of a spaceman in assless chaps straddling a rocket ship, a pride flag raised triumphantly in one hand.
Upon setting foot in the club, Celeste rolled up onto their tiptoes to look for a space on the dance floor.Finding the prime location, they snatched Ryan’s wrist and began to tug him through the crowd.Blake smiled and rolled his eyes, setting a hand on Marin’s shoulder.
“We should catch up with them,” he told Marin.
“What?”Marin shouted.Blake pulled him in close, speaking directly into his ear.Marin’s hair brushed against his cheek.
“Do you wanna go dance with them?”Blake asked.Under the weight of his palm, Marin shrugged.
