Chapter Two #2
The foot of the mountain is right at their doorstep, quickly beginning their incline. Jeremy leans forward, clenching his abdominal muscles as Asher makes her steady way up the rocky terrain. He can hear Clay grunt with effort, smirking to himself as he calls back, “It’s all uphill from here.”
“There’s a lot of brush and thicket!”
“Welcome to Willmaker Ranch.”
The extensive climb is a slog, neither Clay nor Jeremy entertaining any small talk. The wild plum tree is up ahead, marking the halfway point. Jeremy stops Asher and says behind him, “Let’s pause here for a bit.”
“Why?”
“To give the horses a blow,” Jeremy says, getting out a cigarette and his lighter.
“A what?”
He turns back to the ex-Californian and explains, “Give them a moment to catch their breath.”
“Oh,” Clark glances down at the smoking stogie in between Jeremy’s lips and nods to it, “Mind if I bum one of those?”
Resisting the urge to roll his eyes again, Jeremy pulls out his metal cigarette case.
He pops it open and leans far back to offer it to Clark who reaches to take one.
He pretends to look for a lighter and Jeremy wordlessly tosses him the zippo too.
Clark fumbles to catch it but then smirks, “Thanks.”
Jeremy turns back around on his saddle and smokes quietly.
“So,” Clark begins, disturbing his peace, “Haven’t seen you in ages.”
Heart skipping a beat, Jeremy remembers to respond, “Yep.”
“You look good,” Clark comments. Jeremy grumbles a thanks. Clark continues, “Gotta know, did you end up going to Juilliard? For piano, right?”
“Nope,” Jeremy numbly hates the residual rejection the memories evoke.
“That’s crazy. I always thought you were really, really good.”
Jeremy doesn’t remember Clark ever coming to any of his high school recitals, wondering how he had that opinion.
Maybe from when he played Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star as a kid for Clark, audience of one.
Anyway, it was all a youthful pipe dream anyway.
Not everybody could make it like King Clark Radison.
Plucking a couple of ripe plums from the tree, Jeremy tosses one back to him who catches it solidly.
Jeremy eyes him for only a moment before putting out his Marlboro, pocketing the butt, and getting Asher to keep on walking as he bites into his own plum.
Clark gets the idea, Bunny keeping up pace closely behind them.
Clark doesn’t let up, though, continuing to rehash the past as the trek goes on, “Remember in the third grade when you ate that worm?”
“Yep.”
Clark laughs, “Gross.”
“You dared me to do it,” Jeremy reminds him, tossing the plum pit.
“Eh, who can remember how it started?”
There’s a brief interlude of serene silence before Clark is at it again, asking suddenly, “Remember how much you used to hold my hand?”
Jeremy feels hot, readjusting his hat as he lies, “Nope.”
“C’mon, you totally did! From kindergarten to the fifth grade even.”
“Well,” Jeremy is defensive, saying as a reaction, “You did always make me the wife when we played house.”
“Pfft, you liked it,” Clark accuses.
“Sure,” Jeremy scoffs, already exhausted by this conversation.
Another momentary silence and then Clark is bursting out with, “And you kissed me in the eighth grade.”
“Stop,” he warns, turning his head but not daring to look behind him, “I know what you’re trying to do and it’s annoying.”
“Oh, yeah? What is it I’m trying to do then?”
“Get under my skin by saying I kissed you when we both know it was one hundred percent the other way around.”
“Nuh-uh.”
“You had my back up against a tree!” Jeremy explodes, about to reel around when he thinks better of it. Pinching the bridge of his nose with one hand and clenching the reins with the other, he says much calmer, “You know what? It doesn’t matter. Sure, it’s whatever you say.”
“Aw, c’mon, that’s no fun.”
“This isn’t supposed to be fun,” Jeremy snaps at him, “I’m out here to work. For you.”
“And a fine job you’re doing. Tell me, when do we get a blow?”
“Soon,” Jeremy pauses and then adds, “Just remember to lean forward in your saddle.”
“Don’t patronize me,” Clark sounds actually irritated. Jeremy triumphantly grins to himself.
There is only a half mile longer uphill before they’re cresting the first stretch of the mountain and entering the brush speckled field.
Jeremy leads Clark to the watering hole beside the juniper trees through the thin layer of leftover snow, the actor following as the cowboy gets off his saddle and takes Asher to the water’s edge.
Bunny joins her and they drink thirstily from the hole.
Jeremy does the same, getting the canteen off the saddle.
Clark takes off his sunglasses, reaching into his jacket to put them away and pulling out a flask. He takes a swig before catching Jeremy eyeing him and offering the alcohol to him, “Want some?”
Jeremy looks off, shaking his head, “I’m working.”
“C’mon,” Clark eggs him on, “I won’t tell the boss.”
Actually considering taking the shot, Jeremy reaches for it without thinking twice and takes a generous swig.
He chases the whiskey with water and nods to Clark as a meek thanks.
He eyes Jeremy with a smirk and takes the flask back, saying over the mouth, “I was just jerking you around earlier. Sorry.”
Jeremy shrugs.
Clark squints his eyes and loses his smile, “You always this quiet?”
“No.”
“Huh,” Clark tries on another smile, gesturing as he says, “We’re old pals! Aren’t you glad to see me?”
Jeremy lets out a short lived laugh at that, shaking his head and looking away.
Clark’s brow scrunches, confused, “What?”
Thinking about actually telling the guy how he feels, Jeremy decides to keep his mouth shut instead. Clark reads his expression, chuckling as he steps back and points, “Oh. You’re still hung up about high school.”
“Of course not,” Jeremy looks away, lying again, “High school didn’t mean anything.”
“Then what’s up with the cold shoulder?”