At the end of the naked-eye portion of the evening, I clap my hands together and then rub them.
“Who’s ready for telescopes?”I ask.
A couple of kids run for the telescopes set up at the opposite end of the field, each manned by a volunteer.Most of the kids just walk.It’s probably not very cool to get excited for telescopes.
Hunter waits until they’re gone, hands in the pockets of his Carhartt jacket, then walks to meet me.
“You picked stars over beers?”I ask.
“I can drink beers anywhere,” he says.“I don’t get many stargazing invitations.”
“You could just look up.”
He smiles.
“Smartass,” he says.“Fine.I see too much of those guys and figured I’d spend time with an old friend instead.Happy now?”
There it is again:old friend.He came all the way here, away from a pub crawl to see me.An old friend.
“Cool!”I hear areallyenthusiastic kid shout.
“Happy that I dragged the truth out of you?”I tease.
“Kicking and screaming,” he says.
Be sincere for one second, I think.I swallow and look straight into his eyes.
“Thanks,” I say.“It’s good to see you again.”
“It’s good to see you too,” he says softly.
I can’t help but smile.I almost sayI didn’t think it would be, because the last time we talked, over video chat, I alternated between sobbing and shouting for two hours.
But there’s no point bringing that up now: he’s here for a couple of days, and it’s nice to see him again.As friends.The past is past.
“I’ve gotta go monitor the telescope situation,” I say, nodding my head toward the circle where people are gathered.“But you’re welcome to hang out if you want.”
“I CAN SEE THE RINGS!”shouts the same kid, who sounds almosttooexcited.
“Thatiswhy I came,” Hunter says, his drawl dusky, his blue eyes sparkling even in the dark.
“C’mon,” I say.“I’ll show you some cool planets,” I say.
Instantly, Hunter grins a huge, shit-eating grin, and I sigh.I know what he’s going to say.I roll my eyes.
“Don’t,” I say, trying not to laugh.
“Don’t what?”
“Don’t say the thing you’re about to say.”
His eyes glitter.
“Am I gonna get to see...”he says, still grinning.“...Uranus?”
He looks so pleased with himself that I have to bite my lips together so I don’t laugh.
“What isit I’m looking at again?”Hunter says, looking carefully through the telescope.It’s set up for someone about two-thirds his height, so he’s crouched down and looking up, which is a pretty awkward position.
