Art couldn’t wholly distance himself from their environment, but part of what made it so exciting was knowing it was so deviant, that it was likely there were those judging them, wanting them shamed. However, being with someone as confident as Wes made him let go of some of those inhibitions fostered by generations ofoppression.
As Wes pulled back, his infectious smile was so powerful, Art felt like it could have knocked himdown.
“Now look who has a beautiful smile,” Artnoted.
“Still you.” Wes rested his hand on Art’s shoulder and massaged it, and even such a subtle exchange kept the sensations Wes’s lips had awakened racing throughhim.
* * *
Wes and Artheaded down the street, away from the bowling alley, which they’d found in an outlet mall near the Mediterraneanrestaurant.
“That was a five-star experience,” Artsaid.
“Well, the date isn’t overyet.”
“Oh no? What do you have in mind?” Art checked hisphone.
“Worried about staying up past yourbedtime?”
“Maybe…”
“That just means you haven’t had enough to drink yet.” Wes noticed a line beside a building across from the bowling alley. An illuminated neon-pink sign over it read:Sparky’s. “Sparky’s? That sounds like a goodtime.”
He could have quit while he was ahead, but Wes had a good feeling about that night, and since Art wasn’t fighting him, he headed across the street and joined theline.
“Are you even going to look it up to see what this place is?” Artasked.
“It’s anadventure.”
He could tell Art was uneasy about being there, like he felt they didn’t belong—likely because the cluster of kids before them must’ve been in their twenties but looked liketeenagers.
“I swear, I thought that was what thirteen looked like,” Wes quipped before they reached thebouncer.
Art had his ID in hand, but the bouncer shook his head, smiled, and waved them bothin.
“Basically VIP,” Wes muttered to Art as he pushed through the main door, Art tailing right behind. The place was packed with a diverse crowd, yet there was no question Art and Wes were the oldest people there. Outside of Heathrow Estates, it was surely difficult to find a place where theyweren’t.
A partition divided the room into two distinct parts. On the right side, bars lined the two farthest walls. Mounted behind the bars, big-screen TVs displayed some music video, and overhead white and blue lights illuminated the space. On the opposite side of the partition, in the left half of the bar, a swarm of people danced in the space before another bar, which like the other room, had big-screen TVs behind it, playing the same video, the musicblasting.
They made their way to the bar on the far right wall, where the line appeared shortest. Standing behind some of the bar patrons, they waited patiently to place their drink orders. “They never carded as much when I was younger,” Art mentioned. “I don’t think I would have been able to get into some of the places I went. We could get into a lot of trouble when people weren’t constantly policingeveryone.”
“Did you get into a lot of trouble?” Wes asked, raising abrow.
“When I was eighteen, I was discovering who I was, so I’ll let you figure that one out.” Art winked, earning a laugh fromWes.
“Aren’t you a coy one, Art Cromley? When was the last time you went to a bar likethis?”
“A straight bar? It’s been a long time. I wouldn’t even know how far to goback.”
“Okay, a gay one,then?”
“Not too long ago. Well, maybe ten years. I’d met this man online. I was exploring some of those dating sites, and we met there and then, you know, went back to hisplace.”
“Ahookup?”
“Yes. As I told you before, I gave up on love, but company is stillnice.”
“Trust me, I more than understand,” Wes said, reflecting on his own situation. “I never really went looking for relationships or dating, but that, ohyes.”
