Any stress Demir was carrying from work disappeared, and I watched his shoulders loosen and his face relax in front of me. Grayson went to grab us a couple of sodas, and Demir took his linen jacket off, folding it and setting it on top of the picnic basket. It was to catch some sun on his bare arms, I knew, and I turned my face up to the sky to feel the warmth, too.
The football bounced in front of us, and Grayson’s friend yelled something we couldn’t hear before jogging off. Grayson laughed, then picked it up, bouncing it in hand.
And giving me the perfect opportunity to snatch it. Which I did, jogging away, then tossing him a perfect spiral.
“Save your tight end jokes,” I teased Demir, getting a little blush from Grayson, too. “I haven’t played in years, but I definitely spent my afternoons running drills as a kid.” Grayson tossed the ball back, and I spun, catching it in the cradle of my arms. “It’s actually graceful,” I said, extending my arm and then tossing it lightly to Demir. “If you let it be.”
Demir tossed the ball lightly between his hands. “I join a racquetball league in the winters,” he told Grayson. “But I don’t know the first thing about any other sports.”
“He goes out with his racquetball friends once a year,” I added.
“End of the season ritual,” he nodded. “We get drunk and argue about economics.”
“Your version of relaxing,” Grayson laughed.
“One of them,” I said and grabbed the football from Demir. “What do you all say? Catch or lunch?”
“Lunch,” a woman said, appearing by Grayson’s side, “cannot be overrated.” She lifted a plate in the air, overflowing with small portions of many, many different dishes.
I plucked a strawberry off her plate, then winked. “You must be Alyssa! Grayson showed me a picture with you in it.”
“And you’re Marco,” she said, smiling widely. “Nice to meet you. And don’t think I won’t be coming for some fruit off your plate later.”
Alyssa and I started chatting, and Demir and Grayson slipped off to get us some food. Soon, we found our way to a little picnic table, and other friends of theirs came and went. Grayson showed Demir the proper way to throw a football while Alyssa introduced me to two twin girls, just getting the hang of walking, who were the most expressive children I had seen in my entire life.
It felt good to be a person in that crowd. Working at the club, you rarely got outside, and people certainly didn’t bring children around. It was especially nice to relax outside and act as femme as I wanted, waving my hand in the air and throwing my head back while I laughed. People there expressed their genders in many different ways, and I realized very quickly that it didn’t actually matter at all.
I was just enjoying the company and enjoying myself in it, too.
When Grayson came back over with a fresh soda, I caught his eye. I held it while a smile filled my face, and then his.
Easy, I thought.Just like things should be.
GRAYSON
Marco’s eyes sparkled at me, and I remembered how content Demir had looked earlier, smiling up into the sun. I turned away from the table, forcing down the words that threatened to come out of my mouth.
Just keep your cool a little longer, I scolded myself. Don’t get ahead of things.
All of a sudden, my stomach exploded with a thudding pain. “FuckIloveyou,”I grunted, suddenly holding a football against my gut.
“Sorry!” Demir yelled, jogging over. “I thought you heard me.”
I laughed, then tossed the ball back to him, just glad no one had heard me cursing me under my breath. “No problem. I was off in my daydreams.”
Demir placed his hand against my stomach, and I stood there for a minute, breathing in the pleasure of his touch. When I looked up to the sky, I saw that clouds were finally starting to drift across the blue.
“Is it going to rain after all?” I asked.
“Maybe,” Marco said, joining us. “We should get going home, anyway.”
My heart drooped a little to hear it, even though I knew they had already stayed longer than I expected. “Next weekend? Did we say Friday during the day?”
The three of us figured out plans for another date, and I helped them carry their picnic basket and supplies to the car. The park was still filled with people, but as more and more clouds started to cross the sky, I could see everyone packing up their colorful blankets and elaborate spreads.
After sharing a very indulgent kiss with me, Marco and Demir took off. I watched their car drive away, I was sure with a goofy look on my face. When I finally started to walk toward my hybrid, my phone rang. It was a number I didn’t recognize, from the area code where I grew up.
I pushed a button on my phone, then held it to my ear. My hand was trembling, but I was so tired and happy from the day, I wasn’t really thinking. “Hello?”
