Something Beautiful

by Jenna Jones

  Dune laughed. "Your sister's cute, but not my type. She's dating somebody, anyway."

  "Who? Anybody I know?"

  "Aidan, one of Jamie's friends from Virtuoso. He's working for some design firm now."

  "I remember him," Micah said. They were approaching his neighborhood now -- sights familiar to him as his earliest memories: his elementary school, the park where he'd played pee-wee soccer, the Safeway, his father's church. He sighed. "She could do worse, I guess. He's a nice guy, even if he did always call me Squirt."

  "He's a very nice guy. He's been hanging out with us a lot over the summer. Hey," Dune added, "we're all invited to a Labor Day barbeque Monday at Laird and Tristan's. Do you think you can make it?"

  "Probably. I don't know if Mom and Dad have anything planned. I can probably get away even if they do, though." Dune glanced at him skeptically, and Micah said, "What?"

  "I've heard that before. Your batting average for 'getting away' isn't so good."

  "Oh," Micah said. "Okay. I'll definitely come on Monday. What time does it start?"

  "Six. Do you need directions?"

  "No, I've been there before."

  "Good. I'll expect to see you, then." Dune pulled the car into Micah's driveway and turned off the engine. "There you go. Home sweet home." They kissed briefly, and Dune smiled as he touched Micah's cheek. "Call me when you're recovered from the trip, okay?"

  "I will. Good night, Dunie." He got out of the car, took his backpack from the back seat, and climbed up the steps to the front door. It took a few minutes for him to find his keys, but he finally managed to unlock the door and put his backpack inside. He turned to wave good night to Dune, who blinked his high-beams and pulled out of the driveway.

  Micah went into the house and locked the doors again, picked up his backpack and climbed the stairs to his room. There was a Post-It note stuck to the door: "Wake us up when you get home. Love, Mother." He smiled and put his bags away, then went to his parents' room and knocked softly on the door before he opened it.

  "Mom? Dad? It's Micah. I'm home."

  There was a muffled, confused sound, and his father said, "Micah?"

  "Yeah. I'm home. Dune met me at the airport and gave me a ride."

  "Who?" his mother said sleepily.

  "Dune Bellamy, Mom. You've met him. Anyway, I was just letting you know I'm home. Go back to sleep."

  "Tell us about your trip," his mother said, already sounding like she was asleep again.

  "In the morning, Mom," Micah said, and gently shut the door. He went back to his bedroom and pulled off the clothes he'd been wearing for almost two days, dropping them into the hamper. He'd finish unpacking in the morning, he decided, and took fresh sleep pants and a T-shirt from the bureau. He went to the bathroom to wash up and brush his teeth, and jumped when he came back to his bedroom and saw his sister Shiloh yawning on his bed.

  "Shiloh! You scared me."

  "Sorry." She yawned again. "So how was Europe?"

  "Old," Micah said and shut the bedroom door. He flopped onto the bed beside Shiloh and wadded a pillow under his chin. "But beautiful."

  Shiloh laughed sleepily. "You saw castles and art and things most people have only read about in history books, and all you can say is 'old'?"

  "I did say beautiful," he pointed out. "It was beautiful. It was amazing. I mean, I can't even, you know, sum it up in a word. It was incredible. It was a life goal realized."

  "Life goal," she murmured, and lightly batted his head. "You sound like you've been reading a lot of self-help books."

  Micah said dryly, "Many people I know are determined I improve myself."

  "Improve yourself how? You're perfect the way you are."

  Micah scowled and muttered, "Thanks."

  "Darn tootin'. Anybody who says my big brother isn't wonderful needs to have their head examined."

  Micah rolled his head to look up at her. "Are you planning to borrow money? 'Cause I don't have any. Not a lot, anyway."

  "I don't want to borrow money. I've just missed you. It's been a long summer." Shiloh combed her fingers through his hair a few minutes, and Micah closed his eyes, soothed. "Hey. Guess what?"

  "What?"

  "Rebecca's back." He opened his eyes and looked at her. She was smiling, her gaze distant. "She came into the store in July. I knew her the second I saw her -- it took her a little longer to recognize me. But she looks fantastic and she's so happy. They've just moved -- Justin has a new job at UC Santa Cruz. They just had a baby and she misses us."

  "Wow," Micah said. "That's amazing. So she's okay?"

  "Yeah. She's okay. She's been reading your blog, by the way. I gave her the URL. She's glad you got to take your trip."

  "Oh," Micah said, smiling, and propped himself up on his elbows. "What did they name the baby?"

  "Katherine. Kitty. She's adorable -- she looks so much like Mom. And Micah, Justin's awesome. He's not anything like what Aunt Olivia led us to believe."

  "You've met him, too, huh?" Micah said quietly.

  "Yeah. He and Rebecca have come out to the city a few times, and I've been out to their place in Santa Cruz." Shiloh paused and said, "I don't know how to tell Mom and Dad. I don't know how they'll react. I'd like to think they'll want to know about Kitty, but --" She shook her head again. "Maybe it'll just make them angry all over again."

  She looked like she was going to cry, so Micah sat up and hugged her. "Maybe we should feel them out a little before we say anything. Like, do you ever think about Rebecca, do you miss her?"

  "I've missed her," Shiloh said and sniffled. "I've missed her a lot."

  "Me, too," Micah said. "Me, too."

  "Can I tell her it's okay for her to email you?"

  Micah looked at her thoughtfully, then nodded. "Yeah. I want to hear from her."

  "Okay. I will."

  Micah traced the stitching in his quilt. "Do you work tomorrow?"

  "Yeah, but just until two o'clock. Mrs. Rigby is closing up early so we can do what we like tomorrow night." She added after a moment, "Hey. Do you remember Aidan Reznik?"

  Micah tried to keep his tone neutral. "From Virtuoso? Yeah."

  "We've been seeing each other all summer. He kept coming into the store -- he'd buy a book, chat a little and then leave, and then he's back a couple days later, and finally he asked me out to for coffee and we've been dating ever since."

  "Do Mom and Dad know?"

  "Are you kidding?" she said, opening her eyes wide. "They'd have a heart attack apiece if I said I was dating an older man. I've just told them I'm working late."

  "We shouldn't lie to them," Micah said, feeling a guilty twinge. They thought he didn't date girls because he was shy.

  "I wouldn't lie to them if they didn't make telling them the truth so impossible. Besides, nothing's happened that they'd need to worry about. "

  Micah plugged his fingers in his ears and said, "La la la I don't want to know that status of your virginity la la la."

  Shiloh laughed and pulled his hands away. "Wimp. Anyway. That's my life this summer. It's not half as exciting as yours, so I understand if it bores you."

  Too late, he remembered to cover his yawn. "I'm not bored. Just sleepy. Traveling and jet lag and everything."

  "Okay. Good night. You can tell me everything tomorrow."

  "Okay," he mumbled, and she moved away so he could lie down. She patted his cheek and then left the room, shutting the door behind her. Micah snuggled into the blankets -- which smelled like the fabric softener his mother had been using for as long as he could remember -- and slept.

  Chapter Four

  Dune took a long time to fall asleep. He didn't mind staying up late to fetch Micah, didn't mind driving him out to Walnut Creek, didn't mind the drive home. He did mind that he hadn't stopped thinking about Micah since the door to his parents' house closed behind him.

  Ever since Dune had first seen him three years ago, he'd thought Micah was a pretty boy -- but something had happened to Mic
ah over the summer, something Dune couldn't put a finger on. For instance, Micah's hands had always seemed too big for his body, like they belonged to a much taller and broader man; today, they seemed just right. His face seemed leaner, too, and it wasn't just that he'd let his sideburns grow long or that he hadn't shaved for a few days. He wasn't merely pretty anymore. He wasn't merely slim and delicate. Though his mouth was as full as ever and his laugh as light, Micah was different.

  Somehow, Dune thought as he lay awake, Micah got hot.

  Stop thinking about your friend like this, he scolded himself and turned his pillow over for the cool side. Things are complicated enough.

  Thinking about Micah was much more pleasant than thinking about Gavin, though. Tristan had mentioned, the last time they spoke on the phone that Gavin had moved back to the city but Dune hadn't seen him yet. He thought about asking her to warn him before he ran into Gavin at someone's house or at a party, but decided that would be cowardly -- and would require more explanation than he cared to give.

  The phone rang after eleven, which was a decent enough time, Dune supposed -- but he didn't bother to hide the weariness in his voice, either, when he answered. "'Lo?"

  "You sound tired," his father said.

  "I am tired." He rubbed his face. "Micah's flight was late. I didn't get home until five."

  "Aw," Leo said. "You're such a good friend to that boy. Anyway, I was calling to make sure he got in okay and that you got home, and it sounds like he did and you are."

  "Yes to both." Dune stretched out an arm and yawned, enjoying the feel of his muscles waking up.

  "Did he tell you anything more about what happened with his boyfriend?"

  "More or less. Lucas was pushing commitment and -- well. You know Micah. What really amazes me is that Stuart took care of him after."

  Leo's voice was gentle. "Stuart's not as bad as everyone thinks he is."

  "You say that about everybody." He smiled with affection. "He was horrible to Jamie, Dad."

  "He was good to Jamie for a long time first, Dunie. And everybody makes mistakes. Micah did and you like him just fine. Breaking someone's heart doesn't make a person evil."

  "I've never broken a heart," Dune muttered. It was time for a subject change. "You're going to the barbeque at the Laird and Tristan’s Monday, right?"

  "Yes, I am. We are, if I can get Adam away from his desk. Your mothers are still in Key West, I think."

  "Yeah, Frances said they won't be back until later in the week in her last email. They really like it there -- their vacation gets longer every year."

  "Yes." Leo paused a moment. "They're thinking of moving there."

  "They've been talking about it for years, I'm sure they'll do it someday."

  "I mean, after this year is over. Frances didn't get tenure."

  Dune sat up and said, "Oh."

  "She's put off telling you," Leo said with a sigh.

  "Yeah, she has." That didn't surprise him, actually: he usually was the last person to find out anything in his family. "Well, they like Key West. They'll be happy there. And now I'll have an excuse to visit out there more often. I haven't been since I was thirteen, I think."

  "That infamous summer," said Leo. "Though I sometimes think I'd worry more if you'd never rebelled at all. I'd wonder what kind of Stepford child we were raising."

  "But aren't I practically perfect in every way, Daddy-daddy?" Dune said dramatically, and Leo chuckled.

  "Yes, you are, my son. I'll let you sleep. Or whatever you intend to do this beautiful Sunday. Love you."

  "Love you, too," said Dune and hung up the phone. He pulled up his knees and wrapped his arms around them, looking at the sliver of half-hearted sunshine that shone beneath the heavy curtains over his window. It would probably be a lovely day once the fog burned off.

  That did, of course, raise the question of who to spend the day with. Jamie and Ben, possibly -- they were always good company. If he didn't think Micah was at least as exhausted now as he'd looked last night, Dune would be happy to go kidnap him for a day of debauchery in the city, but Micah was probably still sound asleep. If Frances and Ocean were home he'd be happy to go to Berkeley and spend the day with them: his mothers would spoil him senseless and send him home with homemade pomegranate jam or a canister of oolong tea. But they were still on vacation -- and, apparently, he'd have to get used to them being on the other side of the country eventually. He might as well start now.

  Dune was not a solitary creature by nature. He did not consider this a failing on his part -- he just liked people, preferred to be around them rather than not. Friends, lovers, strangers -- it was all the same to him. He could, for example, go to the coffee shop on the corner for a late breakfast and find somebody who'd like to tell him their life story -- that would be a pleasant way to pass an hour or two.

  Or he could stay home. Putter. Do some laundry, start next week's column, and if he wanted company he had a PDA full of phone numbers of people who'd say "Me please!" if he asked them, "Who wants some sex?"

  Hell of a way to live, he thought with a chuckle and threw back his sheets. The old floorboards creaked under his feet as he crossed to the kitchen, but they wouldn't be too cold to walk on barefoot until at least, oh, November.

  Dune picked up the phone and dialed Daniel's number: he was also always good for a laugh, he'd eat whatever Dune put in front of him and tell him honestly if it was any good or not, and there was a ninety-nine percent possibility of what Jamie liked to refer to as beautiful, long-legged sex later.

  Daniel was very beautiful. And his legs were very, very long.

  "Hey," Dune said cheerfully when Daniel picked up the phone. "I'm bored and want company. Want to play with me?"

  There was a pause, and Daniel said, "I'm pretty busy today, Dunie."

  "Oh -- okay. That's cool. Are you going to the Marcuses' barbeque tomorrow?" He leaned against the wall, pulling his pajama sleeves over his hands against the morning chill.

  "I can't -- the deadline for the next comic is Friday and I've still got fifteen pages to do."

  "Oh," Dune said again. "Well, work's important. Talk to you later, then?"

  "Dune," Daniel said, "look. Here's the thing. You're really fun to be with and everything, but it's just that -- you're -- well --"

  "What?" Dune said when Daniel paused.

  Daniel sighed. "Do you have any idea how many of our conversations have started with you saying you're bored? Eight of the last ten, including this one. It's like I exist only to amuse you."

  "Daniel," Dune said in surprise. "You don't. I know you don't. I don't only call you when I'm bored, do I?"

  "You also call me when you're horny."

  There was no denying that. Dune pressed his lips together. "So what are you saying?" he said finally.

  "I'm saying," Daniel said, and there was no teasing in his tone, "I think we should see other people. And I know you already see other people, so I think it's time I see other people, too."

  "Oh," Dune said quietly, and thought, I'm being dumped. Holy shit. He's dumping me right here and now.

  "But, I wouldn't worry. You have a dozen people who'd drop everything to sleep with you. You could open your window and whistle and they'd come running. The rest of us have to just work on it a little."

  "It's not just that. I like you."

  Daniel sighed again. "You like everybody and everybody likes you, so I wouldn't worry about that either. I've got work to do. You'll be fine. You always are. Bye, Dune." He hung up.

  "Bye," Dune said to the dial tone and hung up his own phone, his good mood utterly deflated. The arrangement between them had always seemed just fine to his mind: no strings, no expectations, just the two of them when they didn't have anything better planned.

  But that was the trouble, wasn't that what Daniel was saying? Daniel was tired of being a backup plan -- and Dune knew he'd made no secret of letting Daniel know he thought of him that way. It had never occurred to him Daniel would mind.
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  Dune started to reach for the phone again, then put it down and went into his bedroom to get dressed. He wanted to have a conversation in person today. Micah would have been ideal, but Jamie would do.

  Dune felt restless enough that he put his car keys away and walked to Bernal Heights, where Ben and Jamie lived in the same building as his father. There were times when Dune prided himself on bringing the two of them together: they'd met without him, but never would have run into each other again if he hadn't decided Ben was perfect for Jamie and vice-versa.