"The original statue was hated by the family, they had it removed... in the '20s, I believe. This one was created and carved by the same designers of the Lincoln memorial."
"I'm impressed," Jack said. "But it still doesn't look very Navy to me."
"The female with the dolphin under her foot and the small ship in her hand represents the water. The woman with the globe in her hands looking down represents the stars."
Jack looked at Demarco with budding admiration. "OK," he said. "I follow."
"That naked dude with the cape—a sail actually—is the wind."
"That so?"
"Yeah... I saw you checking him out."
Jack grinned big and, with the sun reflecting in his hair, Demarco visualized past incarnations of a lanky blond teenager, less muscled and filled with vibrant youth. He returned Jack's grin and raised him a wink.
"You're right," Jack said. "Not about the statue, but about my needing to indulge more in our surroundings... and life in general. I've been a littleremoved."
"We all have our periods of hibernation, Jack."
"Yeah. Mine's been going on for a while."
"Nothing wrong with that. I'm a little surprised no one has pulled you out already though... or at least tried to. You're a very handsome man, you know."
Jack dismissed Demarco's compliment with a wave. "I meant relationships... dating. Hookups are a dime a dozen. If I—"
He stopped, realizing that he had stumbled inadvertently into another intimate conversation.
"It's OK, Jack," said Demarco. "I'm used to it. There's very little you can say that will shock me."
"You asked for it."
"I promise I won't charge you."
He grinned again. "OK. Here goes... I don't date a lot. I've been in this city for close to two decades and could probably count myrealdates on one hand. My experience with men here has not been great."
Demarco nodded. Jack continued, "I don't mean this to sound vain or egotistical, but most guys just want to get into my pants, nothing more—there's no chemistry other thanphysical, especially after we... do it."
"Maybe—" Demarco began.
"—I just haven't met the right man?" Jack finished.
"I know. It's cliché... but clichés and stereotypes exist for a reason."
"Exactly," Jack said. "And I'm beginning to attribute it to either Washingtonians... or gays... or gay Washingtonians."
Demarco laughed. "I can definitely relate to that."
"You're different though. I can't put my finger on it, but... you make me feel at ease. Most men don't. Maybe it's because we both have unconventional jobs, and we just click from that perspective."
Demarco wondered to himself how longthatwould last.
"Well, Agent Keegan," he said. "I'm pleased to be your pacifier. Wait. That's not how I meant that to sound."
Jack gave him a fierce, almost hungry glance. "I want to go there with you too, D... believe me. I'm just a little apprehensive that the magic will wear off. So, in the meantime, I'm quite content with your local history lesson... and your appreciation of our surroundings. I find it charming."
"Well, I—" Demarco began, but something caught his attention. He looked left of the fountain and beyond. "Here he comes."
Abir approached them from the opposite side, the one with the Dupont Circle Hotel on the corner. He was wearing a red hoodie and would have easily blended into the barrage of other tourists had Demarco not recognized him. Both men stood to greet him.
