“Zed!” says one of a pair of men riding by on a tandem bike, clad in nothing but metallic body paint.
“You’re here!” finishes the other. The Perkins, we call them, sort of like a unit. Two men who prefer, at camp, to be seen and spoken to as one single entity. They’re partners who are two parts of a whole. God only knows what’ll happen the day they break up.
“Let’s play tonight!” yells the light-skinned Perkins as they pedal by, not waiting for a reply. In the distance behind them, I catch a glimpse of a shape I know well, the movements familiar even while she’s wearing a mask.
Every nerve, every damn cell in my body comes alive, so fast it burns.
“Twyla!” I yell, anonymity forgotten. Goddamn it. She doesn’t hear me.
I set off at a run.
* * *
Twyla
I’ve had a whirlwind of a morning.
From the moment I got up, I’ve been fed and pampered, spoiled and fawned over. After the most restful night’s sleep I can remember having in years, Lamé served breakfast and told me to take a bubble bath if I wanted. Which I did.
“Aren’t you sick of me yet?” I asked them, feeling like I’d already started to outstay my welcome.
“No. I like having you here,” they said, settling across the kitchen table from me with coffee and a slice of toast. “You’re distracting me from my issues.”
My brows flew up at this mention of Lamé’s personal life. Up until that moment, I was the focus of things. “Well, I’m glad to provide distraction,” I told them. “And if you need to talk about it, I’d be happy to—”
“Oh, honey.” They buttered their toast and sighed, shaking their head. “Just…family crap. I’ve got a brother who’s just popped back into my life after a decade of pretending I didn’t exist and, you know, it’s a lot.”
“Do you want him back?”
They set down their toast and stared at something over my shoulder. “I wish he had done this, like ten years ago.” A glance my way and then a tight smile. “But you know. No point wishing for the impossible.” Their one-shouldered shrug was overly casual and it made me want to reach out and hug them. I kept myself still instead, and listened. “Anyway, one of my partners is also driving me up the wall right now with his requests to move in together. He wants…” They crunched into their toast, chomping hard. “He wants what he callsmore. And I frankly don’t know that I’m there yet.”
I nodded and thought about how Zion’s the closest I’d ever come to living with a partner. “So, is it a deal breaker for him? The not moving in together?”
“I hope not.” Their smile was bittersweet. “I like him a lot.”
“But you like your space, too.”
“I really do.”
“Hello?” Max called from the front of the house. “I come bearing gifts!”
Lamé reached out and squeezed me hand. “Come see me play tonight. He’s the blond.”
“Okay.”
“Look!” Max tromped in, holding my purse and a big bag from Target. “I’ll stick this in your room. Car key, too?”
“Yes! Thank you!”
I started to get up, but she shooed me back down. “Finish your breakfast. I’ve got to head over to the front gate for a shift.” She turned to Lamé. “Did you know the Primals are doing a movie?”
“Yep. The board voted on it. Gave them permission.”
I straightened up, instantly alert. “Are they filming here?”
“Yeah, but it’s very restricted. Just the Primal group.” Lamé shook their head. “We’ve had a documentary crew before. We review all footage. Just make sure you wear the yellow bracelet so the camp photographer knows you’re off-limits.”
“That still seems risky, right? With all the folks who don’t want to be in pictures?”
