“Cheers.” I held up the flask. He raised his sandwich. “To reconnecting with old friends.”
“To old friends,” he repeated.
Tyler had won the best date location. We continued eating while staring out of the tree house at the darkening landscape. It defied words, so I stopped trying. Instead, I searched for the ones that described Tyler. Thoughtful. Nostalgic. Mysterious. Sexy hunk of beef. If this was his first attempt at reconnecting, he had my attention. What was the harm? We both knew how it’d end. In a few weeks, the city would call me home. It didn’t mean we couldn’t have an adventure in the meantime.
“Where exactly were you sneaking off to?”
“Like naked men and heaving breasts?”
“I see enough six packs in a week to open a liquor store.”
Tyler snorted. We had perched ourselves against the wall, staring into the darkness. The sun had set hours ago while we talked about ourselves. I learned how he landed the position at the library and how he insisted on it becoming a vital part of Firefly. When he found out I designed book covers, he couldn’t resist poking fun.
“What’s it called when he’s clinging to the?—”
“Clutch pose. Yeah, I’m the one pulling them out of the photo and putting them on ships, mountains, and my personal favorite, castles in Scotland. Yup. I do it all.”
The breeze had picked up as the night settled in. Tyler had a small battery-powered lantern hanging on a hook that cast a soft yellow glow across the treehouse. I would have thought it peaceful, perhaps even quiet, but nature had a pulse similar to the city. Insects kept a constant humming going, with the occasional owl hoot or wolf howl breaking through the static.
“What about fantasy books?”
“Not as many fantasy covers. They tend to be illustrated, but I’m sure I could paint them if I tried.”
“You paint?”
He sounded surprised. Now that I thought about it, I surprised myself. I rarely talked about work outside of telling people I was a graphic designer. When they heard I created book covers for a publisher, they went on tirades about their favorite book. Never had I told people I had other artistic abilities.
“I used to when I was younger. I’d like to think I waspretty good at it. Though I always preferred pencils and charcoal.”
“Mr. Olsen, that’s pretty impressive. I couldn’t draw a stick figure if my life depended on it.”
That’s what everybody said, as if artistic ability came from genetics. When I started, I hadn’t been very good. I hoped to find some of my earliest notebooks to compare, but it looked like those hadn’t been deemed worthy by Mimi. What started out as crude drawings of teachers making fools of themselves had evolved.
“I can show you. We’ll have you making anatomically correct stick figures in no time.”
“Or…”
I raised an eyebrow. Tyler leaned forward, pulling his shirt over his head. Wait, were we about to… When he shook his head, pushing his chest forward with hands on his hips, I got the idea. Though, I really wanted to run my hands over his belly and follow the trail of hair until it reached his chest.
“I could be one of your models.”
I hadn’t spent enough time with Tyler twenty years ago to draw him. If I were going to include him with the other radical love portraits, he wouldn’t be shirtless… much to my dismay. He’d probably be sitting in a bean bag in the loft, reading children’s books. Maybe I’d stop in and bring my notebook. If nothing else, it’d be fun to see him in his environment.
“You mentioned the library might close?”
He slumped, making his belly protrude. Will power. Ittook every ounce not to rub his stomach. He let out a deep sigh. I could see the stress in the grimace.
“It’s the same every year. The state cuts funding. We make budget cuts. But we’re reaching the tipping point. I’m not saying it’s the foundation of Firefly, but even a small town deserves a safe space.”
“What about you?”
He raised an eyebrow as if he had never considered the question. If my company was about to fold, I’d have my portfolio ready to send out. Did he focus on the library at the expense of his personal security? Interesting.
“Will you stay in Firefly? Might find another position in Bangor? Or you could visit me down in Portland.”
He gave a slight shrug. “I don’t think of Firefly as a place I can never leave. If I had to, I could go elsewhere and be happy. Trust me, I see its bumps and bruises. But I kind of like the familiar.” I could understand that. It might be the reason I stayed in Portland. He gave me a quick glance. “You can say I have a soft spot for the things I know.”
I’m sure I blushed.
