V: The V in Vulnerable

by Snyder, J. M.

  Lowering the magazines Matt brandished at him, Vic looked Matt in the eye. “Matty, they’re the same to me. Gold or platinum or hell, a rolled up piece of aluminum foil wrapped around my finger, I don’t care. It isn’t the ring itself that’s important.”

  “Not important?” Matt let out a crazed laugh he bit off before it could get away from him. “It’s only a symbol of our love for each other. It’s only going to tell the whole world you’re mine. How can that be not important to you?”

  Calmly, Vic covered Matt’s hand with his. Love poured through the touch and Matt knew what his lover was going to say before the words were even set free. “It’s a symbol, yes,” Vic told him, “but that’s all it is—a symbol, nothing more. You could put a pop top from a beer can on my finger and it’d mean exactly the same thing to me as the world’s most expensive wedding band. I’m yours, and you’re mine. Whatever ring you choose to show that to the rest of the world pales in comparison to what it means. Our love is the real treasure to me, Matty. The way you feel for me means more than all the diamond-cut platinum, filigree chipped gold in all the world.”

  He was right, of course. Vic usually was. After that, he left the decision of selecting a ring to Matt. When he said he would love anything Matt picked out, he meant it. As long as Matt was happy with the rings, Vic would be, as well.

  While that should’ve alleviated Matt’s anxiety over choosing the perfect ring, it didn’t. He’d looked at so many different ones over the past few months that they were all beginning to look the same to him, too. He’d given up on catalogs—while there were some gorgeous rings in the glossy pages, they all looked perfect. Matt wanted something he could try on, hold up to the light, see how it looked on his hand before he decided to drop a few hundred dollars on the decision of a lifetime. This was it, he reasoned. Vic said the same thing. This was the only time either of them would make such a purchase, so while they were willing to splurge on the price, Matt wasn’t about to chase after the most expensive ring just because it cost more than all the others. It had to be the right one. This had to be it.

  As lunch time rolled around, Matt had abandoned the invoices on his desk in favor of surfing his favorite web sites. Most of them included jewelry sites, and as much as he was tired of looking at rings, he couldn’t stop himself from glancing at the newest listings. Before he could get too engrossed in his search, however, his phone buzzed with an interoffice call. As he reached for the receiver, Roxie’s voice barked through the speaker. “Where’s Vic?”

  Matt tucked the receiver between his shoulder and ear. “What? At work, why?”

  “He didn’t stop in?” Roxie persisted. “You two didn’t have a fight, did you? Is that why you’re buying the ring? To make up with him?”

  “What?” Matt shook his head, then realized she couldn’t see him so the motion was useless. “Rox, no. He was running late this morning and didn’t get a chance to come by. We didn’t fight. We never fight.”

  Roxie popped her gum loudly in Matt’s ear. “Tell me, what’s it like living in paradise?”

  With a grin, he admitted, “Pretty fucking awesome. You about ready for lunch?”

  “Wait.” Roxie’s gum snapped a second time—if she did it again, Matt was going to hang up. “He didn’t call here. I know, I answer the phone. And I haven’t seen your line light up all morning. So how do you know he was late for work?”

  Matt groaned. “You know how.”

  Roxie knew the secret he shared with Vic; once when he’d been stuck in an elevator with her, he had to tell her about Vic’s powers before his lover came to their rescue. Unfortunately, Roxie didn’t believe him. He didn’t know what was more far-fetched for her—that Vic got superhuman powers every time they made love, or that Matt topped a big, brawny lout like Vic in bed. He suspected the latter. If he could come up with a feasible explanation of Vic’s abilities without dashing Roxie’s daydreams of Vic fucking him, Matt thought she might be more accepting of the fact.

  “Convenient,” she was saying. “You’re only telepathic with one person who isn’t even around to corroborate your story. I believe you, I really do. Anything else you want to sell me while you’re at it? Because I’m obviously buying.”

  “Lunch?” he asked, hopeful. Anything to interrupt her before she got on a bitch-roll.

  With an exasperated sigh, she said, “Yeah, you ready?”

  Matt laughed. “So you’re buying, right? You said—”

  She growled into the phone. “I did not. Now get your ass up here before I find someone else to go with, capiche?”

  As she slammed down the phone in his ear, Matt wondered why that threat was supposed to make him hurry.

  * * * *

  The jewelry store Matt wanted to visit was nestled behind Walnut Mall on a little strip of stores out of sight from Broad Street. As much as he hated to admit it, he would’ve missed the turn completely if Roxie wasn’t with him because he didn’t really know where he was going. He had a rough idea of where the store might be, but if Roxie hadn’t punched him in the shoulder and yelled, “Here, Matt. Right here, damn it!” he would have spent the rest of his lunch break crawling around the mall’s parking lot, squinting at the stores along its perimeter and wondering why the hell he couldn’t find the place.

  Of course, he wouldn’t tell her that. His reply had been to shrug her off and snap, “I know, Roxie. Jesus. Lay off me.”

  “You almost missed it. Don’t play off like you didn’t.” She reached past his line of sight to point out the driver’s side window. “Look, right there! Turn already, will you?”

  Though Matt didn’t see the store immediately, he did as instructed. Roxie didn’t sit back in her seat as he had hoped, but instead leaned across him again, still pointing. “How about we eat there? They have good subs.”

  Matt shook his head. “I can’t eat at an Italian place. Nothing they make could possibly compare to my mama’s cooking, trust me. She’d disown me if I even tried it. How about Chinese?”

  Now Roxie finally sat back, flouncing in her seat. “Wimp.”

  “I’m constantly harassed by the women in my life,” Matt replied darkly. “Present company included. What’s wrong with Chinese?”

  “Nothing’s wrong,” Roxie muttered. “I just wanted a sub, is all.”

  Matt corrected her, “It’s called a hoagie. And if you want a real one, you aren’t going to find it here. Don’t tell me you’re turning down a chance to eat Asian. I thought rice was your favorite food. There’s a Chinese place at the other end of the strip.”

  Still pouting, Roxie glanced out her window and gave a short grunt that might have been her attempt at a laugh. “That’s Korean, dumbass.”

  Matt frowned as he looked for a parking spot. “How can you tell?”

  “Just stop the car.” Before he could reply, she was hitting his arm again. “Right there. See? Matt, right there.”

  The spot she referred to was directly in front of the jewelry store and a short walk from the restaurant. But it was currently occupied by an SUV. Though the vehicle’s taillights were lit, it showed no sign of moving. “Roxie,” he began. “I don’t think…”

  Then the backup lights flashed white and Matt clamped his mouth shut. Why did she always have to be right, damn it? As the SUV drove away, allowing Matt to claim the parking spot, Roxie gloated beside him. “Told you. But do you ever listen to me? No.”

  “Do you ever stop talking? No,” he countered under his breath. Luckily the moment he stopped the car, she climbed out, so she didn’t hear him. If she had, the rest of their lunch break would’ve been hell.

  Or rather, more hellish than it was already shaping up to be.

  * * * *

  After a strained lunch of some chicken and rice dish Matt couldn’t pronounce, he let Roxie lead the way back to the jewelry store in front of which they had parked. She flung the door open wide and entered the store without waiting to see if he was close enough to catch the door. “Roxie,” he gr
owled, doing his best Vic imitation and failing miserably.

  Ignoring him, she zeroed in on the salesman behind the counter who smiled their way. “Where are your wedding rings?” she asked.

  The salesman’s simpering grin widened. “Right this way, miss! We have a wonderful selection…”

  Matt tuned him out as he glanced around the store. A young man in his twenties leafed through a booklet of class rings, while two women chatted casually near a display of necklaces, trying on the wares and pausing every now and then to admire themselves in a nearby mirror. Unfortunately, that seemed to be the extent of the customers in the shop. Matt suspected he and Roxie would have the salesman’s undivided attention, and he already dreaded it. He didn’t want an audience—he wanted to look over the rings by himself, alone, and decide on one if he liked something or, if he didn’t, leave without feeling pressured to buy. Already he felt Roxie getting in the way. Why had he ever said she could come along with him for the ride?

  With leaden feet, he moved toward the counter where she exclaimed over a variety of wedding bands. As he approached, the salesman looked up to include him in the conversation. “Shouldn’t we start with engagement rings?” he asked, his voice achingly polite. With a twinkle in his eye, he teased Roxie, “I don’t see a rock on your finger, little lady.”

  Matt gave him a strange look and the guy smiled. He had to be twice Vic’s age, easily, his white hair slicked back so severely, Matt could see the comb marks across his scalp. He wore tiny, frameless glasses that looked almost invisible on his face. Despite his age, his skin had a luminescent quality, its surface smooth and ironed out. Probably Botox, Matt thought. He smiled during the injection and now can’t unsmile to save his life.

  “We’re looking for wedding bands,” Matt said. He pushed Roxie aside as she cooed over a particularly expensive diamond and peered down at the display case. “Where are your men’s rings? These are all ladies.”

  “Well, we must make her happy first.” The salesman beamed at Roxie, who ate up the attention. “Tell me, what are we looking for today?”

  Matt cleared his throat, perturbed. “I’m looking for a wedding band. She’s not buying squat. So if you want to make a sale, mister, I’d concentrate on me.”

  With an ingratiating laugh, the salesman swiveled his head to include Matt in his smile. “I understand. What size are you looking for? I’d say you, sir, are probably a ten, easily, and you…” He took one of Roxie’s hands and stroked her ring finger thoughtfully.

  Matt brushed Roxie’s arm aside. “I need a ten and a thirteen. Something in white gold, please.”

  “Thirteen?” For the first time since they’d entered the store, the salesman’s smile dimmed. A tiny crease across his brow was the only suggestion that the man was caught off-guard. “No, I assure you, the lady is no more than a seven at the most.”

  “Probably,” Matt replied. “Who cares? I’m not marrying her.”

  That crease deepened in consternation. “I’m sorry, what?”

  Roxie, finally catching on, laughed so loudly, the women with the necklaces stopped in mid-sentence and even the kid with the class rings looked their way. “Oh, hell no! He’s so not my type, I’m telling you. I like my guys a little straighter, if you please.” She shook her head, adamant, then turned back to the ring she’d been admiring. “No, I’m not the bride. I’m the best man.”

  Matt sighed. “You are not! I never said—”

  “Who else is going to do it?” Roxie whirled to face him, the salesman forgotten. He looked from her to Matt and back again, completely flummoxed. “I’m the logical choice, Matthew, and you know it. It’s got to be someone super close to you and who knows you better than me? Don’t say Vic, he doesn’t count.”

  “We haven’t thought that far ahead yet,” Matt pointed out. “And you can’t be the best man. You’re not a guy.”

  “And your bride’s not a woman,” she shot back. “So? Who’s Vic’s best man going to be? Some ex-boyfriend of his you’ve never met?”

  Matt shook his head. “We haven’t discussed those details yet. No. God, no. I can’t begin to imagine there’s anyone Vic might want to ask…”

  He trailed off, wondering. The only guy Vic really knew was a coworker of his named Kyle, who Matt had dated briefly before they met. But Vic couldn’t stand the man, no matter how fun Matt thought him to be. He couldn’t imagine Vic inviting Kyle to the wedding. If he had to have anyone up on the altar beside him, it’d probably be Kendra, a policewoman with the city who knew of Vic’s powers and the strange manner in which he got them. With a shrug, Matt admitted, “He’ll probably ask Kendra…”

  “See?” Roxie turned to the salesman and gave him a smug grin. “If he has a female best man, you should, too. Me. I already have a dress picked out.”

  The salesman held up both hands in defeat. “Wait. Who’s getting married here, exactly? I’m afraid I don’t quite understand.”

  “I’m getting married,” Matt explained. “So I need two rings, sized ten and thirteen. She may or may not be in the wedding. We haven’t discussed this yet,” he added, raising his voice to speak over Roxie’s protest.

  With a sour frown, she muttered, “I’m going to be and you know it. So why you’re even playing like I won’t…”

  Matt rolled his eyes and turned away. He could see the sun wink off his car on the other side of the store’s glass doors. How bad would it look to cut this visit short and head back to the gym? He could return after work…but that wouldn’t work because he’d pick up Sadie from doggy daycare and would have her with him then. Still, it would be much nicer to look at rings without Roxie’s comments…

  As he frowned at his car, debating, he noticed three young men milling around outside. They wore hoodies and jeans, their hands shoved deep into the pockets of their jackets. Matt watched one of the guys break off from his friends and circle behind the Jaguar, obviously checking it out. If he so much as touched the car…Matt closed his hand into an unconscious fist. Just keep walking, he thought, wishing for once the telepathy he shared with Vic extended to others, as well.

  He felt a sharp poke in his side and turned to find Roxie glaring at him. “Hello? Aren’t you looking for a ring?”

  “Oh, yeah.” Matt bent over the case again and scanned the rings. With so many in one place, they seemed to run together until none stood out from the others. This must be what Vic means when he says they all look the same, he thought, trying to narrow his attention to one or two rows at a time. Vaguely he heard the bell above the door tinkle as someone entered the shop.

  Beside him, Roxie leaned in close. Her voice was low, intimate, and not the least bit antagonistic when she murmured, “So what exactly are you looking for? Do you even know?”

  “I’ll know it when I see it,” he told her.

  Movement made him look up at the salesman, who glared past him at whoever entered the shop. Matt suspected he knew the reason, and when he glanced back, he saw that he was right—two of the guys who had been loitering outside were now inside. The third was visible through the window, his back to the store as he stared at Matt’s car. Something in Matt’s stomach churned nervously. “Roxie, let’s go.”

  She gave him an odd look. “What? Why?”

  The trio bothered him for some reason. Inside, one of the men stayed near the door, hands shoved deep into his pockets, while his friend strolled through the place like a potential buyer checking out the space. When his gaze met Matt’s, there was a hardness in his cold eyes Matt didn’t like one bit. The sooner they left, the better. He’d come back after work, or maybe next weekend with Vic in tow.

  If only Vic were here now. Matt would feel worlds better with his lover near.

  To the salesman, Matt said, “You know, I think we’re going to go…wait.” A particular ring caught his eye and he reached past Roxie to point at it through the case. “You have this one? I was told it was only available online.”

  The salesman’s grimace turned to a wid
e grin when he saw the ring Matt indicated. “We were just approved to sell it and no other jeweler in Richmond has it in stock. Gorgeous, isn’t it? Comes in white gold and silver, depending on your preference. There’s one full carat of diamonds in the design. Would you like to try it on?”

  “Can I?” Matt watched eagerly as the salesman unlocked the case and retrieved the ring. This was the ring he’d seen before he even started looking—this ring, right here, with six diamond chips forming a triangle on the front of a roughened surface made of white gold, it had caught his eye when he saw it online months ago and set him thinking about rings in the first place. When he got serious about buying a ring, he had called the website’s customer service line only to be told the ring wasn’t available anywhere in his area.

  More than any other he’d seen since, this ring spoke to him. It said only one word, but it was the only word that captured the essence of his relationship with Vic. Forever.

  With something like reverence, he held out his palm as the salesman handed over the ring. It fit snugly on Matt’s ring finger as if it belonged there. Beside him, Roxie gasped. “That’s perfect.”

  Matt held out his arm to admire the ring. “Does it come larger? Vic wears a thirteen.”

  “I can get it up to seventeen, if you need it,” the salesman said, pride in his voice. “We have smaller sizes, too. If you need a ladies’ ring—”

  “I don’t.” Matt felt the price tag rub against his palm but ignored it. This was the ring; he’d known it since the moment he first saw it all those months ago. How often did Vic tell him the price meant nothing? You’re the only man I’ll ever love, he’d told Matt. The words echoed within him and warmed him inside. This isn’t a frivolous purchase, Matty. You said yourself, it’s an external sign of our love, and what it symbolizes is priceless. I’ll never buy another ring, so we might as well make this one worth it.

  He had the money on his credit card, he knew. Add in the coupon from the paper, and it wouldn’t be as expensive as he had feared. “Do you need to order the size thirteen?” he asked, turning his hand to watch the ring catch the light.