Jesse let out an intentionally weary-sounding sigh to tease him.
“Alright,” he said. “If we must.”
Arthur and Jesse only needed to wait for five minutes before it was their turn. Once they reached the front of the line, Arthur climbed onto the nearest sleigh, and Jesse sat in front of him. One of the men working the exhibit took the reins and pulled them to the hill’s edge before then handing them to Jesse. Arthur snaked his arms around Jesse’s midsection, resting his hands on Jesse’s stomach, and Jesse’s heart stuttered from their being so close in a public space.
“Ready, Mr. O’Connor?” Arthur whispered into Jesse’s ear in a voice that was oh-so-flirtatious.
“Stop it,” Jesse scolded before taking a long breath. “Yes, I’m ready.”
Simultaneously, the two men leaned forward, tipping the front of their sleigh over the track’s high point and sending them flying toward the bottom. Small chunks of snow were kicked up by their sleigh’s runners, and the snowflakes wet their faces as they rode. Arthur erupted with laughter. Jesse couldn’t help but laugh, too, his face catching fire from the show of childlike exuberance, even as it was pelted with snow.
Once they reached the bottom, their sleigh slowed and then finally came to a stop several feet from the exit. Arthur squeezed Jesse once before scooting backward to stand.
“Good God, that was incredible,” he said as he climbed off.
“It really was,” Jesse said as he staggered to his feet.
Arthur rocked back on his heels. “It was only ten cents. Shall we try it a few more times before we find something to eat?”
“I’d like that,” Jesse said. “Surprisingly.”
“Isn’t it wonderful, Mr. O’Connor, that the two of us are finally able to play in the snow together after all?” Arthur teased.
Jesse shoved him.
Over the next half hour, Arthur and Jesse rode the sleighs together three more times. Afterward, they ventured back to the main part of the fair and purchased two more orange ciders from a little booth along the way. Even though they weren’tastasty as the ciders that they’d previously purchased from the Illinois Building (it seemed as though the main ingredients of the cider had been swapped for other, cheaper ones, robbing the beverage of its perfectly balanced sweet-yet-tangy flavor), Jesse was still content. Because he and Arthur were together.
Walking with Arthur through the fairgrounds, slowly sipping their ciders while people pushed past and the same music played on a loop from the nearby bandstands was really, truly fun. Because it wasn’t the specifics of the fair that made it special for Jesse. Not the fair’s oddities, like the tower of oranges or the chocolate statues. Not the newly unveiled inventions, like the clasp locker shoe fastener or the kinetoscope. Not even the picturesque buildings that made up the Court of Honor.
No, what made it special, each and every time, was the simple fact that he was experiencing it with Arthur.
Arthur had made room for Jesse in his life. He had kept his word in that respect. Not even one more time had Arthur madeJesse feel as though he was small. Consequently, Jesse was finally starting to believe that what they had could last.
On their way to the fair’s exit, Arthur asked if they could stop at Machinery Hall, where the printing press exhibits were.
“Are you sure it won’t upset you to see them?” Jesse asked.
“Don’t worry about me,” Arthur said with a smile. “I’d like to see them. And I’d never forgive myself if you missed out on the splendors of Machinery Hall because of me. You’re an engineer, Jesse. Of course I need to bring you there!”
He looked sincere.
Arthur and Jesse walked to the Grand Plaza, where Machinery Hall (or the Palace of Mechanical Arts, as it was officially called) was located. Out front, Arthur stared up at the huge structure—one of the largest at the fair—with obvious awe. Jesse could certainly see why Arthur liked it so much. It was large and beautiful and impressive. Jesus, no wonder Arthur had wanted to exhibit there.
Jesse touched Arthur’s shoulder.
“Are you ready?” he asked.
Arthur sucked in a big breath. “Ready.”
Jesse and Arthur went inside. And the space wasincredible. All around them, there were engineering marvels to be seen, the hall sectioned into smaller spaces, each of them featuring a variety of wonders in competition with each other for greatness. In one area, there was a huge steam engine, weighing over one hundred thirty thousand pounds, and in another, machines that worked stone, clay, and minerals. In addition to those, there was also machinery for food production and bookmaking and, holy hell, just about everything else that Jesse could imagine. Jesse only wished that he had the time to study every single one of the machines to figure out how they worked.
“Arthur, this is fantastic,” he blurted out in wonderment.
Arthur chuckled happily. “Iknewyou’d love it here!”
Soon, Arthur and Jesse reached one of the printing press exhibits. Arthur’s previously elated expression faltered a little, and Jesse’s heart sank. Mustering up every scrap of foolishness and courage that he possessed, he inched his hand toward Arthur’s. After a pause, Jesse lightly caressed the back of Arthur’s hand with his fingertips to try to comfort him a bit. How intensely he wished that he could hold it instead.
Then, out of the corner of his eye, Jesse caught sight of someone he recognized, and his heart stuttered. He took hold of Arthur’s fingers and pulled once, trying to catch Arthur’s attention.
