“Yes, itdoesmean that,” Arthur argued. “Jesse, the night I sent you home, look what happened between us.”
Jesse took a step forward and took hold of Arthur’s tie to straighten it. Or, most likely, to pretend to straighten it so that they could be close.
“Ridiculous man,” he said softly as he tugged on Arthur’s tie. “It’s not the same. Not even a little. You won’t be sending me away. I’m sending myself away. And I want you to have fun. I know how much you love the fair. I know you’d enjoy showing those people how much knowledge you have about the printing presses in the Machinery Building. Most of all, though, I know how important it is to you that you make your parents happy.”
Furrowing his brow, Arthur studied Jesse’s face, scrutinizing the man’s expression for insincerity. Jesse only stared back with unbridled fondness, not a trace of hurt in his beautiful eyes. After a moment, Jesse’s lips curled into a half-smile.
“Please, Arthur. I want you to be happy.”
“Alright,” Arthur said through an exhale, his own lips curling into a warm but somewhat reluctant smile in return. “I want tocome back here with you one evening in the future, though. I think we ought to experience the fair together at night.”
“We will. I promise.”
Finally, Jesse removed his hand, letting it fall to his side. Arthur’s chest pinched from the sudden loss of contact. Grimacing, Arthur shut his eyes and tried to push away the worry that Jesse might feel rejected by this. Because Jesse was right. The two of them were from separate worlds. No matter how in love they were, Arthur was still a Hughes. He couldn’t simply bring his friend from the print shop with him to every single event where he’d be expected to make an appearance. And, God, there would be a lot of them in the future. Most more tedious than this one.
Jesse nodded toward the entry booth.
“Go on, Arthur. If you’d like, you can still come to my place later. I’ll try to stay up.”
Arthur smiled. What a wonderful man Jesse was.
“I’ll be there,” Arthur promised.
Inhaling a breath to steady his nerves, Arthur turned and headed back toward the fair. He forced himself not to look over his shoulder on the way to the booth, lest he regret his choice and hurry back to Jesse, regardless of what Jesse had told him.
After the fellow manning the booth let Arthur inside, Arthur headed to the Administration Building, working his way toward the electric fountain, which was where everyone had been scheduled to meet. Entering the Court of Honor, Arthur’s eyes went wide with wonderment the moment the Great Basin came into view. Its water sparkled magnificently, shimmering in the beautiful bright lights of the moon and the stars and the thousands of lightbulbs that were illuminating every building surrounding it. Goodness, it was beautiful.
All of the buildings looked incredible, too, their white façades now possessing an ethereal glow. Approaching the band stand,Arthur spun in a circle, thunderstruck by the fair’s splendor. Why hadn’t he come here with Jesse this late in the night before? At this hour, the fair was nothing short of breathtaking.
When Arthur whirled back around, he slammed into someone and nearly fell backward onto his rear end. Thankfully, his potentially embarrassing fall was prevented as that same someone caught him. Arthur mumbled an apology as he righted himself. Once Arthur was steady on his feet, he realized with whom he had collided.
Percy Verne.
“Good evening, Arthur,” Percy said merrily. “I was wondering if you’d come.”
Arthur forced a smile. “Good evening, Percy. I nearly stayed home, but...” He trailed off and shrugged.
“But we never can miss these things, can we?” Percy said.
Arthur’s stomach soured, the sensation causing his smile to falter. Percy began walking toward the fountain. And Arthur found himself thinking back on the story that Jesse had shared with him about Percy. He and Percy were alike in some ways, weren’t they? Both of them needed to take care to follow certain rules. Both of them were expected to walk a specific path in life, whether they liked it or not.
After a moment, Arthur hurried to catch up to Jesse’s former beau.
Glancing over at Percy, Arthur felt a twinge of pain in his chest. He hadn’t noticed the lines on Percy’s face before—ones carved from what looked to be a persistent scowl—or the faraway look in the man’s eyes. He hadn’t noticed the stiffness in Percy’s walk before, either, his rigid movements practiced but perhaps pained.
In the light from both the heavens and the meticulously placed lightbulbs, Percy looked the same as Arthur had felt for much of his life: miserable.
Cautiously, Arthur asked, “Are you happy, Percy?”
Percy crooked an eyebrow. “Am I happy?” he asked.
“Yes.”
Percy’s brows knitted together as he seemed to think it over.
Finally, he clicked his tongue once and said, “I try to be.”
Arthur’s stomach roiled as Percy’s words settled in his brain.
