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Authors: Jenna Jones
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were sticking out into the street. Micah bumped down beside him and looked at him, patient.
"He's Gavin Marcus," Dune said. "Laird's brother. My first serious boyfriend."
"Oh." Micah reached over to take his hand. Dune looked away, but didn't resist.
"We dated in college, for three years. I met him when I was freshman, and -- damn, Micah, you should have seen him when he was nineteen. You think he's good-looking now -- when he was nineteen he was just beautiful. And at first it was amazing, being with him. At first I thought I'd found the love of my life. I thought we'd be together forever, like Adam with Leo."
"So what happened?"
Dune inhaled slowly. "And then it wasn't so good. It got pretty bad, in fact. So when he left for grad school, I didn't go with him."
"Oh, Dunie." Micah put an arm around him and pulled him close, and Dune rested his head on Micah's shoulder a moment.
"I'm fine," he said, straightening up again. "I'm just fine. I'm over it. I just didn't expect to see him today and it threw me."
Micah removed his arm from Dune's shoulders. He pulled up one knee and rested his chin on it. "I get it, though. I mean, every time I look at Jamie I think, that's somebody I used to love, and it's not always easy. And we weren't even together that long."
"I'm fine, Micah."
"You don't have to be strong for me, you know," Micah said. "It's okay if you want to freak out a little."
"I don't want to freak out. I don't need to freak out."
"Okay." He got to his feet. "I'm going to go back to the party, then. I mean, if you need me to stay I'll stay, but if you don't --"
"I'm fine," Dune said with a sigh, and rubbed his forehead with his palm. "Go back to the party. Everybody wants to hear about Europe. Go on. I'm fine."
Micah touched his shoulder and went back through the garden gate. Dune stared at the houses on the other side of the street until he felt he could breathe again and then followed him.
"There you are!" Tristan said when she saw him. "Okay, now that we're all here, I have an announcement to make. Everybody," she said and got up onto one of the picnic table benches to get everyone's attention. Laird, standing on the ground behind her, put a hand on her back to steady her. "There are a few reasons we asked you all here today. First of all, of course, to celebrate the holiday with people we love and adore." She laughed and Laird got up on the bench behind her to embrace her from behind and kiss her cheek. "And the second thing is --" She smiled back at Laird and he squeezed her. "Our families know this already. You guys are next. Laird and I are going to be parents in March."
There were squeals from Tristan's friends and Jamie cheered, clapping his hands over his head, and Dune couldn't help but notice the pleased, resigned look on Ben's face. It can't be easy, he thought, to see the life you could have had lived by someone else. "Did you know?" he asked Ben quietly.
Ben nodded. "Yeah. She called me a couple days ago. I fall somewhere between family and friends."
Jamie put an arm around Ben's neck and kissed him, and they were quiet a moment, foreheads leaning together. Dune sipped his Coke and looked away from them, picking Gavin out from the crowd. Gavin was smiling and had an arm around Laird's shoulders, but his gaze was wandering around the party as if he was bored. His gaze landed on Dune, and his smile grew genuine if no wider.
Dune looked away, feeling like a coward.
What a weird week this has been, he thought, and felt Micah's foot slowly rubbing against his own. That helped.
***
Dune's arm was slung over Micah's shoulders as they walked down the block from the Marcuses' house to their cars. "You feeling okay, Dune?" Micah said, hand on Dune's chest. He hated it when Dune got that faraway look on his face.
"I feel fine, honey. Just fine. I just want to cuddle you."
"Aw, Dunie." Micah hugged
"He's Gavin Marcus," Dune said. "Laird's brother. My first serious boyfriend."
"Oh." Micah reached over to take his hand. Dune looked away, but didn't resist.
"We dated in college, for three years. I met him when I was freshman, and -- damn, Micah, you should have seen him when he was nineteen. You think he's good-looking now -- when he was nineteen he was just beautiful. And at first it was amazing, being with him. At first I thought I'd found the love of my life. I thought we'd be together forever, like Adam with Leo."
"So what happened?"
Dune inhaled slowly. "And then it wasn't so good. It got pretty bad, in fact. So when he left for grad school, I didn't go with him."
"Oh, Dunie." Micah put an arm around him and pulled him close, and Dune rested his head on Micah's shoulder a moment.
"I'm fine," he said, straightening up again. "I'm just fine. I'm over it. I just didn't expect to see him today and it threw me."
Micah removed his arm from Dune's shoulders. He pulled up one knee and rested his chin on it. "I get it, though. I mean, every time I look at Jamie I think, that's somebody I used to love, and it's not always easy. And we weren't even together that long."
"I'm fine, Micah."
"You don't have to be strong for me, you know," Micah said. "It's okay if you want to freak out a little."
"I don't want to freak out. I don't need to freak out."
"Okay." He got to his feet. "I'm going to go back to the party, then. I mean, if you need me to stay I'll stay, but if you don't --"
"I'm fine," Dune said with a sigh, and rubbed his forehead with his palm. "Go back to the party. Everybody wants to hear about Europe. Go on. I'm fine."
Micah touched his shoulder and went back through the garden gate. Dune stared at the houses on the other side of the street until he felt he could breathe again and then followed him.
"There you are!" Tristan said when she saw him. "Okay, now that we're all here, I have an announcement to make. Everybody," she said and got up onto one of the picnic table benches to get everyone's attention. Laird, standing on the ground behind her, put a hand on her back to steady her. "There are a few reasons we asked you all here today. First of all, of course, to celebrate the holiday with people we love and adore." She laughed and Laird got up on the bench behind her to embrace her from behind and kiss her cheek. "And the second thing is --" She smiled back at Laird and he squeezed her. "Our families know this already. You guys are next. Laird and I are going to be parents in March."
There were squeals from Tristan's friends and Jamie cheered, clapping his hands over his head, and Dune couldn't help but notice the pleased, resigned look on Ben's face. It can't be easy, he thought, to see the life you could have had lived by someone else. "Did you know?" he asked Ben quietly.
Ben nodded. "Yeah. She called me a couple days ago. I fall somewhere between family and friends."
Jamie put an arm around Ben's neck and kissed him, and they were quiet a moment, foreheads leaning together. Dune sipped his Coke and looked away from them, picking Gavin out from the crowd. Gavin was smiling and had an arm around Laird's shoulders, but his gaze was wandering around the party as if he was bored. His gaze landed on Dune, and his smile grew genuine if no wider.
Dune looked away, feeling like a coward.
What a weird week this has been, he thought, and felt Micah's foot slowly rubbing against his own. That helped.
***
Dune's arm was slung over Micah's shoulders as they walked down the block from the Marcuses' house to their cars. "You feeling okay, Dune?" Micah said, hand on Dune's chest. He hated it when Dune got that faraway look on his face.
"I feel fine, honey. Just fine. I just want to cuddle you."
"Aw, Dunie." Micah hugged
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