First Time for Everything (16 page)

The boys watched the colorful creatures swimming in their makeshift home. A.J. thought he’d feel the kind of happiness he used to feel when he admired his fish in Colorado. But he didn’t.

Cory sensed something was wrong. “What’s the matter?”

“They’re gonna die after I go back to Arizona. My dad will neglect them.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll move the tank to my house and take care of them until you come back.”

“Awesome, they’ll belong to us both.”

Something chimed. Cory pulled a smartphone from his pocket and fingered the screen. “Shit, my boss needs me to open the theater. I have to get going.”

Bummed, A.J. followed Cory as he headed downstairs and out the front door.

A.J. held up the baggie. “Thanks for the fish.”

“You’re welcome. See you tomorrow at the reception.”

As he watched Cory leave the courtyard, he wondered if maybe he
should
reveal the truth about his feelings. He was certain of what he’d seen in Cory’s eyes, wasn’t he? But what if he was dead wrong? What if Cory turned against him and told Marybeth his secret? What would his dad do when he found out? What would his mom and Bill do when he got back to Arizona? It was all too scary to think about, so he retreated to the townhouse and closed the door.

F
RIDAY
,
HIS
dad didn’t go into the office. But taking calls and answering e-mails got in the way of their plans to hit Universal Studios. His dad promised they’d go tomorrow and take Cory if he wanted to tag along. That satisfied A.J. just fine. He killed the afternoon by walking up to Orange Grove Boulevard and shopping for plants and food at Angel’s Tropical Fish Store. The sun was on the horizon when he returned with his purchases. As he let himself into the townhouse, his dad called from the kitchen. “Hey, buddy, Marybeth’s people dropped off your suit. I hung everything in your closet. Better start getting ready.”

A.J. headed upstairs. First things first. He planted the aquarium and fed the fish. Then he went to his dad’s bathroom and showered and shaved. As he dried and combed his hair, his anticipation grew. What was the suit going to look like on him? Would it actually fit? Would he look as nice as Cory?

Back in his room, he dropped his towel and put on clean white briefs. Then he opened his closet door. Inside hung the new outfit.

His dad rapped on the bedroom door. “Chop, chop, A.J.! I mean it. We gotta leave. Traffic’s horrendous on Fridays.”

“Okay,” he answered. His dad sounded anxious, so he wasted no time getting dressed. Not until he’d tied his shiny new oxfords did he examine himself in the mirror. Then he couldn’t believe what he saw. The gorgeous blue fabrics he wore were tapered and flared in exactly the right places, and the suit’s subtle sheen made him almost glow. Marybeth had styled him to look better than Ren, Willard, and everyone else in
Footloose
.

He hurried downstairs, where his dad was waiting in a dark gray business suit with keys in hand. “Holy cow, buddy, the girls from Cory’s class are gonna throw themselves at you. Marybeth’s turned you into Mr. Hollywood!”

He grinned and followed his dad outside to his Pathfinder. He felt a tinge of excitement as they cruised down Colorado Boulevard. Romantic sidewalk cafés, bars, and bistros bustled with nightlife. When they stopped at a red light, he froze, not believing his eyes. Right on the corner, two young guys held hands. It was the first time he’d ever seen such a thing in person—real-life gays, open about their love in public. Then he gripped the Pathfinder’s armrest. Men as big as Denver Broncos hoofed toward them. His heart thumped hard in his chest. How bad would they hurt the guys? Would anyone try to help them? As they neared striking distance, he gasped, “Dad.”

“Huh?” His dad was fooling with his Bluetooth.

The men passed, not caring at all that the youths were holding hands. The blond playfully tugged his companion into a restaurant, and A.J.’s fears changed to astonishment. If you were gay here, maybe you didn’t have to hide your love from the world. Maybe that’s why they shot unrealistic TV shows like
Glee
and
Modern Family
here. Maybe here they
were
realistic. He was suddenly thankful his dad had moved. He wanted to stay in Southern California forever.

His dad plugged the Bluetooth into his ear. “What is it, A.J.?”

Searching for something to say, A.J. picked out the light ahead. “It’s green.”

“Oh, okay.”

When they reached the giant trench of the 134 Freeway, they descended into a slow, hellish lava flow of red-hot taillights. A call came through on his dad’s Bluetooth. He tapped the earpiece. “Hello…? What…? Jerry, don’t give me that shit…. We’re not going to lose Yamamoto as a client.”

A.J. tensed. Yamamoto was the man who’d demanded his dad fly to Tokyo and ruined their Christmas trip to Disney World. He glanced at his father. His jaw was clenched. He slowly shook his head and glared at backed up traffic. “I can’t leave in the morning. Book it for afternoon.”

He tapped the Bluetooth, yanked it out of his ear, and tossed it on the dashboard. “Morons.”

“What’s wrong?”

“Work’s sending me to Tokyo tomorrow.”

“What about your vacation?”

“I have to reschedule it.”

“Can I stay here while you’re gone?”

“No, buddy, you can’t. I’m so sorry. I’ll take time off in August for you. I promise.”

“Shit,” A.J. muttered.

“C’mon, you’ll be back here in no time. Let’s not ruin everyone’s night, okay?”

A.J. grudgingly nodded. He knew come August his dad would likely break his promise, but he did not want to wreck the wedding reception for Marybeth and Cory.

T
HANKS
TO
a Mercedes and Prius fender bender on the freeway, they arrived late to the Castaway, a chalet that sat atop a mountain and overlooked LA’s wondrous grid of lights. His dad guided him down a corridor toward the banquet hall where Jamie’s reception was under way. “Go find our table. I’ll meet you inside after I hit the can.”

A.J. entered a cavernous room that echoed with laughter and loud, happy voices. Most guests already sat at round tables, but a few sipped wine and chatted on a large parquet surface that would become a dance floor when music played. Marybeth and Cory were nowhere to be seen, so he scanned tented name cards and found his group’s at a table near the back of the hall. He sat next to a pretty girl in a pink floral dress.

“A.J.,” she said, shaking his hand, “I’m Stacy.”

“Nice to meet you. Where’s Cory and Marybeth?”

“Outside with Jamie’s brother, Ian.” She leaned toward him and lowered her voice. “He’s offering Cory a publishing internship. He gave me one too, because we helped Jamie convert our yearbook to an e-book. We’re spending next summer in New York. Isn’t that exciting?”

“Wow… yeah,” A.J. stammered, feeling as though he’d been slapped. He could see nothing in his own future but searing heat, choking dust, and horse dung.

Servers in white shirts and black vests set plates of salmon, asparagus, and roasted potatoes in front of them. Stacy nibbled salmon. “Cory said you want to be a marine biologist?”

“It’s a silly dream. I’m stuck going to college in Arizona, and there’s no program in Tempe or Tucson.”

“Why not go to UCLA like Cory and me?”

He shrugged. He wasn’t going to tell her his dad had said no to moving in with him to get residency. That was the only way his family could afford UCLA. Instead he asked, “How long has Cory been outside?”

“He should be back soon.” She glanced around and pointed. “Here he comes.”

Cory crossed the room alone, gorgeous and graceful in his
Gatsby
suit. Something extraordinary must have happened outside because he looked genuinely happy. He approached the table smiling.

“Well?” Stacy asked.

“Ian wants me too. I get to stay in Manhattan with him and his—” Noticing A.J., he cut himself off. “Wow, you look nice. I’m glad you’re finally here. Your dad said traffic was hell.”

“Where is he?”

“With Marybeth. They went for a walk to talk about something happening with his work.” He sat on A.J.’s other side, and when A.J. didn’t say anything, he sampled the asparagus. “You haven’t touched your food. Is everything okay?”

“I guess I’m not hungry tonight.”

Cory looked into his eyes, and A.J. felt his honest concern. “Are you sure you’re all right?”

He nodded and sort of smiled, trying to hide a growing sadness that plagued him. Tomorrow his dad would put him on a plane, and the sadness would swell. He’d spend his empty days in the stables thinking of Cory. Nights would be worse. He’d do nothing but lie still in his bed and wish Cory were beside him.

From loudspeakers Elvis suddenly crooned “Can’t Help Falling in Love.”

“Aw,” Stacy mooned as Jamie led his bride to the dance floor. “They’re so cute.”

The three of them watched the couple dance. Soon, others headed for the parquet floor, and A.J. was stunned for a second time that night when two handsome men in tuxes embraced and swayed to the music. He glanced at Cory, who was eyeing them almost in awe.

“Who are those guys?” he asked.

“Ian and his husband,” Stacy piped, sounding proud to know them. “They got legally married in New York.” She exchanged a glance with Cory and smiled, looking proud to know him too.

Cory leaned toward him and whispered, “Why don’t you ask her to dance?”

The warm breath in his ear made him shudder. He stared at Ian and his husband, wondering how they’d met. Which one first confessed his love to the other? What had he risked to make his love known? They looked so happy dancing together that A.J. wanted his world to be like theirs. But it wouldn’t be if he got up and danced with Stacy. His world could only be like theirs if he risked everything. He carefully placed a trembling hand on Cory’s knee and answered: “Because I want to dance with you.”

Cory tensed and glanced around the room nervously, looking as though he didn’t want anyone to see A.J. touching him. He shook his head no.

A.J. jerked his hand away as though he’d been singed. His face burned when Stacy rose. He knew she was getting up to save Cory. She was going to rescue him by leading him to the dance floor. She crossed behind him and gently placed her hands on Cory’s shoulders. She leaned between them and said, “Don’t be afraid, Cory. No one’s going to hurt you here. Go dance with A.J.”

A tear rolled down Cory’s cheek, and she wiped it away.

“Okay,” he sniffled. “A.J., do you still want to dance with me?”

“More than anything.”

His heart soared when Cory stood and took his hand. He’d never been happier in his whole life. But as they walked toward the dance floor, he saw his dad and Marybeth enter the hall. Shit. They were going to see everything. When Marybeth spotted them, his panic grew. Had he seen her flinch? He squeezed Cory’s hand, afraid something terrible was about to happen. But her shock vanished, and she smiled at him, beautiful in her sapphire evening dress, and nodded to them to proceed. She clutched his dad’s arm, stopping him in his tracks, and whispered something in his ear. A.J. braced himself for his dad’s reaction. But he did not look their way. Instead he nodded and led her back out of the hall. Right then, A.J. wished more than anything that she would become his stepmom.

On the dance floor, he weaved them through couples until they were near Ian and his husband. Then, never having danced with anyone, let alone with another boy, he hesitated. Who put his hands where? When Elvis’s crooning gave way to the first notes of Madonna’s “Crazy for You,” Cory shyly put his arms around A.J. Suddenly, his hands knew exactly what to do. He pulled Cory close, their bodies touched, and he gazed into Cory’s blue eyes. Then he could stand it no longer. He closed his eyes and let their lips meet. His very first kiss was short and sweet. But when his lips parted from Cory’s, he was enchanted. He knew in his heart that Cory was the boy for him.

H
E
TIGHTENED
his seat belt as the plane taxied down a runway. LAX was huge, but thanks to Marybeth’s instructions, he’d known exactly how to get to the right departure gate. She’d first dropped his dad off at the international terminal. A.J. thanked Tokyo for distracting his dad because he’d been surprisingly okay with the news about him and Cory. He promised to let A.J. break the news to his mom whenever he was ready. Marybeth left her Beetle in a parking garage and waited with A.J. in a domestic terminal until he needed to get in the security line. She’d surprised him with a going-away present. His own smartphone. “Your mom’s okay with this. Your dad spoke to her last night and told her you need one for emergencies. I programmed in numbers for Cory and me. I know you’ll be talking to him. But I want to hear from you too.”

Roaring, the plane lurched forward and picked up speed. The force of it pressed A.J. to his seat. He gripped his armrest and swore he would call Marybeth. Often. Maybe she could help convince his dad to let him move in with him. The plane went airborne and the force receded. He gazed out his window. Below, the vast Pacific rippled, and in the distance, a ferry jetted toward a rugged island’s harbor. The plane tilted, and California’s coastline came into view. Bays met cities, waves lapped white sand, and A.J. vowed that one day this would be his world.

E
RIC
G
OBER
won three Reader Views literary awards in 2014 for his YA novel,
Secrets of the Other Side
, including Best Fiction Book of the Year. His short fiction has appeared in various publications, including
Best Gay Romance 2014
, and is forthcoming in the anthology
Stranded
. He earned his MFA in creative writing from Wichita State University.

Eric grew up in Las Vegas, Nevada, the setting for his award-winning YA novel. He has lived in Arizona, Kansas, and the San Francisco Bay Area. Today he makes his home in Los Angeles, where he is at work on a new novel. For more information about Eric or to contact him, please visit www.ericgober.com.