Page 148 of The Bartender Special

Another hand got the paper first, from the other direction.

Benny, expecting it to be one of the venue staff members, readied a smile.

“Oh, thanks,” he said.

However, when he straightened, the man wasn’t wearing a collared shirt with the estate emblem on it and pressed slacks. Instead, he was dressed down in jeans and a Star Trek T-shirt.

“Marcus?”

Marcus Robertson’s smile outshined his by a sun’s worth.

“We never really got a chance to talk the other day, so why not do it now?”

Benny’s brow furrowed in so hard that he could see the tops of his own eyebrows in his periphery.

Marcus held up his hand to stop any incoming questions.

“I remember that day, the one at the fountain where you came out to me,” he said, a rare quickness to his words. “And I think it’s important that I remind you of something I feel like you left out of the story.”

Benny felt like he was in the Twilight Zone.

Up was down, down was up, Marcus Robertson was in Nashville, and Benny had no idea what he could have possibly left out of what had become the origin story for Guy.

Marcus continued, that rare quickness became something even more unusual.

Arbor Bay’s Golden Boy became serious.

“What I remember most about that whole conversation wasn’t the fact that you were upset, or gay, or that you talked faster than I’d ever heard someone talk before,” he started. “What I remember is how impressed I was.”

Benny had to question that.

“Impressed? With what? Me?”

Marcus nodded.

“You weren’t scared,” he said, simply. “You were crying, yeah, sad and worried, sure. But scared?” Marcus shrugged. “Well, I just never felt that from you. Instead, you said what you needed to and then you went to school the next day. Then the day after that. Then you went to prom, and graduated, and came back to Arbor Bay for holidays.”

He took a seat in the chair next to him, angled so he could still see Benny’s no doubt bewildered expression.

It gave him the appearance of being incredibly casual.

Which made the whole situation even more bizarre to Benny.

“I know I haven’t had to deal with anything like that in my life, but still, watching you live yours has always been kind of inspiring. I’m the one who should be grateful you trusted me with that moment. And, well, I’m sorry that Carol messed up your chance with Jack.”

Benny felt like he was sixteen again, staring at sunshine personified.

Now, he knew he preferred the rain.

Still, he smiled at his Guy.

“You really are a good person, Marcus Robertson,” Benny said. “I hope you know that.”

The easy humor that usually existed around the man came back with a laugh.

“Hold onto those feelings while I ask you to hear her out now.”

He stood and swept a glance toward a new sound echoing throughout the main hall.