The Stars Over Bittergate Bay

Chapter 13

13

B eing invited out to dinner was more than Sidney had thought to hope for. He combed his hair in the hall bathroom and tried not to think too hard about why it had felt more likely that he and Jonas would have had a tryst in the garden shed than share a meal together. Sidney tried to slick back his hair with a handful of water and frowned as the strands immediately flopped back down over his forehead. He hadn’t been at the cottage for many days at all, and he’d already misplaced his hat somewhere, and even though this wasn’t a date—it just wasn’t, it couldn’t have been—Sidney had been trained by his brother that appearances were an important part of making a good impression.

Sidney didn’t date much before college, but the few times he had, he’d always gone to Leo for help. Leo was four years older than Sidney, and he knew everything. He knew how to dress and flirt and talk to people in a way that made them feel like they were the most interesting person Leo had ever met.

“What do I say?” Sidney was suddenly vividly sixteen again, more stick than teenager, staring into their bathroom mirror, smearing a handful of pomade against his hair while Leo adjusted his bowtie.

“Why don’t you talk about your new telescope?” Leo offered, half choking Sidney as he tried to adjust the knot at the base of Sidney’s neck.

“The telescope?” Sidney pulled a face. Even the people who already loved him, Leo included, could only listen to him talk for so long about the telescope. “Leo… he’s not going to care about the telescope.”

“Where did you meet this boy again?” Years later, Sidney could barely remember the boy’s name, but he’d never forget that tattoo of a naked girl on his arm. Or that they’d met behind the library, where the boy had been smoking by the trash cans.

“School,” Sidney lied. Leo knew it was a lie, Sidney could tell by the scowl that briefly crossed his handsome face. That was the trouble about having a lawyer for a brother. Even before he’d been accepted into school for it, Leo had been very good at seeing through people.

“Well, the right person will want to hear about what interests you. They don’t need to be fed lines.” It was a difficult idea, even if it was easy enough for Leo to say. And Sidney wasn’t sure he’d learned it then.

Or now.

Sidney’s passions were strange, and people, he’d learned, often preferred the comfort of knowing rather than the danger of exploring. And he couldn’t fault them for that. But Sidney just couldn't manage settling for comfortable, or comfortable lies. There was a vast universe, multiple universes as it so happened, of things out there, and Sidney wanted to know about them all, no matter what that really meant.

Was there anyone out there like Sidney? He’d thought Mark was, but Mark had only found him tedious in the end. To Mark, things were only worthwhile if they came with clout and admirers and fame. Sidney’s father was the same. Pursuit of understanding, of learning for learning’s sake, was a waste of time, no matter the subject. And Sidney had vowed to himself he could never be with someone like that. Not again.

So, he didn’t know where things were with Jonas. Because, well, Sidney couldn’t put a finger on it.It was easy to be with him, yes. They had similar interests, sure. And Sidney enjoyed the way they’d talked in the garden; the honesty of it, and the frankness. Jonas had told Sidney what he really felt about magic, and Sidney believed him and wanted to know more. And if Jonas was going to let Sidney keep asking him questions and giving him honest answers, well, that was something Sidney had never experienced before.

And Jonas didn’t seem to find Sidney tedious at all.

The urge to be taken bodily by Jonas in a garden shed was also somewhat unique. For better or worse, Jonas was all the things Sidney liked to fantasize about in one massive package. The dirt-flecked work clothes and the heat that radiated off him had only unlocked new arousal in Sidney, which was sort of unfortunate, as Sidney had vowed that if anything else was going to occur between them, Jonas was going to have to start it.

Sidney thought about all this as they got into the truck and drove down into Hindry. It was a small town, wrapped in a crescent shape around the bay, where all roads lead to the harbor eventually. Clapboard houses hung ships’ lanterns on their front stoops, golden lights swayed in the October wind, like stars that had dropped down out of the dark blue sky.

The main street had all the things that Sidney’s hometown had: a bank, a hardware store, a corner market. But Jonas drove them toward the north side of town, closer to the docks. Residential began to mix in with the last remaining storefronts, and on a small hill was a silver-sided lunch car, with a red neon sign mounted on top. The words ‘The Silver Platter’ glowed down over them as they pulled into a half-full parking lot.

A bell jangled as they walked in, the smell of burnt coffee and bacon grease hitting Sidney in a delicious wall. The seats were worn and the sign beside the door which told them to seat themselves was precariously tilted. Exactly the way a good diner should be.

Jonas walked over to a vacant corner booth, only drawing brief glances from the other patrons, who seemed to recognize him. Instead of staring at the very tall, tattooed hulk of a man, people’s gazes, if they lingered at all, sat on Sidney. Arched eyebrows. Quiet murmurs. Sidney did his best to ignore the sensation of being watched, even though it was making the hair on the back of his neck stand up. He settled himself on the cracked seat of the booth, and Jonas handed him one of two long laminated menus that were tucked between the condiments.

“Do you come here often?” Sidney asked. Jonas shrugged.

“What’s often?”

“People seem to know you,” Sidney hedged. Jonas rolled his eyes.

“I stick out. A bit. If that bothers you, we can leave.” Jonas glanced around as though he was seeing the place for the first time, and when he looked at Sidney there was a flush on his cheekbones. “I suppose we could have gone somewhere else.”

“This is fine with me.”

“Nicer, I meant.”

“I don’t mind a change from fish stew,” Sidney teased. Jonas chuckled, shaking his head, and Sidney dropped his gaze to the menu for something to look at besides the crooked smile that lingered on Jonas’s mouth. The menu was the same as every other diner menu in the world. He put it back with the salt and pepper. Jonas followed suit.

“The food here is the best in town. Even if it’s not what you’re used to from the Holyworth dining hall?—”

“Oh God, I never eat at the dining hall. Usually it’s just a block of cheese and cheap scotch, hunched over my desk.” Jonas snorted. Sidney grinned. “I doubt everyone you dine with has such a refined palate.”

“Delilah doesn’t eat,” Jonas said. Sidney reminded himself how very casual this all was before he spoke again.

“So there’s no one else?” All his thoughts of Mark and what’s-his-name with the bad tattoo had made him wonder. Jonas blushed as he looked over the counter, suddenly very interested in the ‘Specials’ board.

“No.”

“There are some decent restaurants near Holyworth,” Sidney said, as though that was the normal next beat of the conversation. As though he wasn’t extremely pleased by Jonas’s response. “Karolina likes this seafood place?—”

“Belle Vie?” Jonas grinned. “I can’t believe she still goes there. It’s horribly overpriced.”

“And the drinks are weaker than a newborn calf. Barely better than sugar water.” Jonas laughed, and Sidney was so enchanted by the sound of it and the look of Jonas smiling broadly, that he entirely missed the arrival of their waiter.

“I can do better than sugar water, if you like,” the man said. He was handsome, with a massive pile of curls tied in a knot at the crown of his head. Gold spectacles stood out against his olive skin, and his apron was well-dusted with flour. “Good to see you, Jonas.”

“You too, Dom,” Jonas was still smiling. “This is Sidney. A friend of mine, visiting for a few days. I thought I’d show him the sights.”

“These are the sights?” Dom asked.

“I don’t get out much,” Jonas conceded with a smile. “We’ll be dining in.”

“Well,” Dom arched an eyebrow in Sidney’s direction. “He really is giving you the five-star treatment. Usually he takes his order to-go and eats it all before he’s pulled out of the parking lot.” Jonas rolled his eyes, as Sidney chuckled behind his hands.

“Thanks, Dom.”

“I try not to take it personally,” Dom said to Sidney. Then he winked at Jonas. “Your usual?”

“Please.”

“And for you, Sidney?”

“How are your flapjacks?”

“I keep my trophy cabinet in the kitchen,” Dom gestured to the swinging door behind the counter.

“Alright, you’ve sold me,” Sidney grinned. “I’ll have a short stack with strawberries and whipped cream. And a coffee. Two sugars.”

“Whiskey?” Dom offered with a smirk.

“Dry, thanks.”

“Coming right up,” Dom tapped the tabletop with his knuckles before vanishing as quickly as he’d appeared.

“He seems nice.”

“I had no idea he was such a flirt.” Jonas commented, aridly. Sidney tried not to smile.

“Well, how could he resist?” Sidney joked. Jonas sniffed but didn’t comment.

“He’s the owner. With his uncle over there,” Jonas nodded to a man who was helping a customer at the counter. “Family business. Used to be his dad’s.”

“You really are a regular.”

“I don’t order to-go and then eat in my truck,” Jonas grumbled.

“Maybe if you’d hang around a bit more, he’d flirt with you too.”

“I think he’s got better sense than that,” Jonas said. Sidney pursed his lips.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“This,” Jonas gestured to himself, “isn’t exactly a package you can bring home to your parents.”

“I don’t think my mom would mind,” Sidney countered. “And I don’t get along with my father, so no worries there.”

“Ah, good. Family talk,” Jonas grinned.

“Yes. Excellent date conversation,” Sidney straightened up, wishing he hadn’t just said the word ‘date.’ Jonas was still smiling broadly. “I walked out on dinner with my father earlier this very week, as a matter of fact.”

“Rebel.”

“Absolutely not. I’m just the disappointment. Not living up to my full potential, you see.” Jonas snorted.

“I absolutely don’t see. At all.”

“My dad wanted me to talk to the dean. To see if Holyworth would award him an honorary degree.” Jonas arched an eyebrow.

“A degree in what?” Sidney laughed.

“Oh, Jonas, that could not possibly matter less to him.”

“Why does he want it?”

“He’s running for senate, and he’s weak on education. It’ll look good in a newspaper. And it irritates me. Those are all his favorite reasons to do anything.”

“He sounds like a treat.”

“Then I’ve done a horrible job at describing him,” Sidney could taste the bitterness in the back of his throat. His gaze dropped to the table as he realized with dread that he’d probably just fucked things up quite badly. When Leo had told him to talk about himself, he certainly hadn’t meant like that.

Jonas nudged the side of Sidney’s shoe with the toe of his boot, and Sidney looked up.

“He sounds like an asshole,” Jonas said sincerely. “You’re living up to the potential of at least five people. Possibly ten.” Sidney shook his head.

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t apologize. We all have families. Family bullshit. I grew up with Karolina. How do you think that was?” He smiled and when their eyes met, Sidney felt something unfamiliar slot in beside lust in his chest. He tapped the toe of his shoe against the side of Jonas’s foot. A silent thanks, as their food arrived.

The food, however, brought the lust roaring back. Particularly the meticulous way that Jonas licked the whipped cream off the top of his chocolate milkshake. White cream speckled Jonas’s stubble and Sidney bit down on his fork when he noticed it. And when it was nearly gone, Jonas sucked so hard on his straw that his cheeks hollowed, and Sidney had to pretend there was something extremely interesting going on in the parking lot before he came in his trousers.

“Sidney?”

“Hmm?” Sidney looked back, blushing when he realized Dom was at the end of the table. “Oh, sorry!”

“Dessert?” Jonas asked. Sidney frowned.

“You just had a milkshake.”

“I think he means for you,” Dom said, smiling. “You seem like an ice cream sort of guy.”

“I can go for a cone now and then.”

“Hard ice cream or soft serve?” Hard. Extremely.

“Oh, soft serve,” Sidney said. “Vanilla.”

“And the check,” Jonas said. Dom nodded and walked off as Hector, the other owner, arrived with the bill, and to chat with Jonas. Sidney was still struggling with his wallet, when Dom returned with a towering cone of vanilla ice cream.

Jonas handed Hector a wad of cash, as Sidney scrambled to take a lick from the already tipping cone.

“Not fair,” Sidney protested, as Dom and Hector walked away. “Also, he made it this big to embarrass me.”

“I think he likes you,” Jonas teased. Sidney glared at Jonas over the top of his ice cream before he attempted to take a bite off the top. He could feel the vanilla slip down against his chin. Jonas’s eyes widened for the briefest of moments, before he suddenly became very preoccupied putting his wallet away.

Which was undeniably interesting. Maybe Jonas was just embarrassed to be seen with Sidney, as Sidney was making an absolute mess. Only one way to find out, he supposed.

When Jonas looked back up at him, Sidney took a long, slow lick of his ice cream from the top of the cone to the tip, his eyes fixed on Jonas. Jonas cleared his throat and arched an eyebrow.

“Are you ready to go?”

“Back home?”

“Not necessarily, but I don’t want to keep you from the stars.” It was so considerate that Sidney felt like a real ass for trying to be seductive with his ice cream. Which hadn’t even been working anyway. To hide his blush, Sidney leaned over and looked up at the sky through the speckled tint of the window.

“I’ve got a little time yet. Did you have somewhere in mind?”