“It’s very fitting,” Jesse replied in a singsong tone.
Arthur placed a hand over his heart, pretending to be wounded. “Oh, Jesse, why must you vilify me so?”
“I’m not vilifying you!” Jesse said through a laugh. “You were the one to reference it first. God, you’re so ridiculous.”
“I know,” Arthur said, chuckling. He leaned in close. “But you like it.”
“Yes, for some reason, though sometimes it’s hard to know why,” Jesse confirmed, heat starting to color his cheeks. He nodded toward the bakery’s entrance. “Come on. It’s time to buy us peasants some cake so that we can ride the railway.”
Bellowing a laugh, Arthur placed a hand on Jesse’s shoulder and led him into the shop.
***
Forty minutes later, once everyone had eaten their bakery treats, the group stood at the closest station, waiting for the Columbian Intramural Railway to pick them up. Standing beside Jesse, Arthur was the perfect picture of excitement—his smile wide and eager, his eyes shimmering with what looked like tears of enthusiasm. He was fidgeting constantly, like a simmering pot ready to boil over with elation. Now that Jesse had reassured Arthur that his wealth—or his blatant showing of it, rather—didn’t bother him, Arthur seemed to have shaken off every last bit of unease and sadness that he’d been feeling earlier. In fact, Arthur currently looked happier than he had every other time that the two of them had visited the fair. During previous visits, Arthurhadseemed happy, sure, but his happiness had seemed somewhat tempered, too, likely from the lingering sting of rejection (from the fair’s organizers, maybe, but probably from his parents as well). Now, however—
Jesse’s thoughts were interrupted by the combination of tinny and wooden sounds made by the railway cars as the train neared the station. Jesse turned to watch Arthur’s reaction to seeing the long-awaited train. Unsurprisingly, Arthur was far from shy when showing his childlike wonder. Hopping once on the balls of his feet, Arthur let out a boisterous chuckle.
“Jesse, it’s here!” he proclaimed.
Jesse smiled fondly. Yes, Arthur certainly seemed happier this visit.
“I can see that,” Jesse replied, trying to sound a touch exasperated, though he was too enamored with Arthur right then to manage it well.
Arthur took Jesse by the sleeve. He pulled Jesse toward the train cars as they rolled to a stop. After a small number of passengers exited, Jesse and Arthur boarded one of the cars. Almost everyone else in their little troop squeezed in with them, except for Emma and Lizzie, who seemed eager to be on their own in the car behind the rest of the group, separated from both of their chaperones.
Jesse took the seat closest to the outside, knowing he’d have the best view of the exhibit halls from there, and Arthur sat next to him. The railway car’s seats were more like benches, extending from one side of the car to the other and facing the entrance aisle, and so, as more and more people piled into the car, Arthur slid closer to Jesse. Amidst the commotion, Arthur even briefly rested his hand on Jesse’s thigh, and Jesse’s face warmed in response. Arthur’s brazenness still stunned him sometimes, exciting him and embarrassing him and worrying him all at once.
After the sliding entry panels shut, Arthur removed his hand, and the train started to move.
“Did you know that this is thefirstandonlyelevated electric railway in the whole world?” Arthur paused to wiggle his eyebrows in a playful manner. “Isn’t that incredible?”
Jesse huffed a laugh. “Yes, I know. I heard you telling Charlotte while we were in the bakery. And yes, it is incredible.”
“Sorry,” Arthur said. “I’m just excited to be here.”
Jesse’s smile broadened. He loved seeing Arthur so happy. He wanted Arthur to enjoy the wonders of the World’s Fair without even a hint of either self-reproach or sorrow.
“Good,” Jesse said. “I am, too.”
Arthur and Jesse fell into contented silence as the train circled the south loop tracks before it then headed back to the stationfrom where they came. Over the next twenty minutes, the two men watched the passing scenery, the first notable landmarks of which were the Mines and Machinery Buildings, both of which looked more like statues than exhibit halls with their white painted exteriors. The train then traveled over the roof of the Annex to the Transportation Building, which made Jesse’s heart thud from the thrilling realization of how high up they were as they moved through the fairgrounds. Later, the train passed both the Horticultural and Woman’s Buildings as well as a portion of the Lagoon, and Jesse couldn’t help but smile as the memories of his and Arthur’s recent trips to the fair flitted into his mind. He hoped that the two of them could come back by themselves soon and share another one of those impossibly scrumptious ciders before the fair closed in October. Arthur may have been remembering their past excursions, too, because he bumped Jesse’s leg with his own as the train flew past the spot where they had shared the treats.
Even though their group intended to visit the Midway Plaisance, they stayed on the train for the entire length of its track, riding the north loop over the waters of the Lagoon. By the time they were closing in on the stop for the Midway the second time, Jesse was more than ready to hop off and explore. Arthur must have been as well. He stood up before the train even came to a stop, resting a firm hand on Jesse’s shoulder, probably in part for balance, but more likely so that he could take the opportunity to touch Jesse more intimately. Once the train stopped, Arthur squeezed Jesse’s shoulder, silently reminding Jesse to stand up too.
“Well, wasn’t that thrilling?” Arthur said as everyone congregated around both him and Jesse on the platform.
“Yeah, not too bad,” Giuseppe said.
Patrick let out a loud chortle. “Not bad?” he echoed. “You were oscillating between being thunderstruck and petrified the entire time!”
“No, I wasn’t!”
Patrick smirked at him. “‘Do you think there’s a chance the train might hop the tracks?! Right into the water!? I can’t hardly swim!’” He paused to laugh, and Jesse had to purse his lips to keep himself from chuckling at Patrick’s terrible-but-still-somehow-practically-perfect Giuseppe impression. “But then, two minutes later, the man was marveling at the cluster of state buildings, saying that it felt like we were flying over a little white city.”
Jesse snorted, and Giuseppe threw him a threatening look.
Charlotte spoke up. “If it helps, Mr. Caputo, I felt the same as you while we were on the train. I was frightened when we were making the second loop over the Lagoon. I never learned how to swim either.”
“Goodness, Charlotte, is that true?” Claire said, one hand flying up to cover her heart. “You really can’t swim?” Charlotte shook her head. “Oh, I wish I could teach you! Iloveto swim!”
