Chapter 12 #3
“Yeah, and that would burn, what? Three or four hours? What will we do the rest of the time?”
“We could just go to your place and work on the model. I know there’s no hurry, but we have a lot of work to do.”
“We could.” Conrad had hoped that they might find something else to do together.
He was fine with working on the model, but he was thinking of coming up with something special.
“How about an antique mall? There’s one out on Harrisburg Pike.
There are a few dealers there that I’ve worked with in the past, and there’s all kinds of quirky stuff there. ”
“We could do that,” Forrest agreed, and Conrad got out of bed and began dressing. “Why are you in such a hurry?”
“Well, I figured we could go to the store, maybe have a little lunch, work on the model, and then we could spend the evening having even more adult fun time.”
“Okay,” Forrest said hesitantly, like he didn’t quite understand.
“Anticipation can be amazing. Besides, after last night, I think things need a chance to rest.” He quirked his lips, and Forrest got out of bed as well.
“Okay. Let’s go to this store and see what they have. And I really want Asian for lunch.”
“Cool. Because Chen’s is right up the road.” He finished getting dressed from the overnight bag he’d brought with him and folded the costume and put it in the bag. Once Forrest was ready, they left the house and went to the old antique place.
The mall had once been something, but it had been years since it was in its prime. Conrad still felt that if he looked hard or deep enough, there were gems in the place.
They wandered up the aisles and checked out the booths.
They were mostly filled with stuff that grandmothers threw away and never wanted to see again.
“Look at this,” Forrest said when he came out of the booth holding a bird sculpture.
It was caked with dust and looked like it had been through a war.
Conrad licked his thumb and ran it over the bottom. “Wow.”
“What?”
“See how heavy this is? It’s bronze, and there’s a patina under all this dust and grime. How much is it?” Conrad looked it over and found an old price on the bottom. “40 bucks.”
“I like it.” Forrest carried it with him as they continued wandering. Conrad went to one of the booths in the second aisle, full of Lego sets. “Wow.”
“Yeah.” He looked them over carefully, picking one up and checking the price. “I’ve been looking for this one. I have the other two in the series, but I never got the green robot.” He was thrilled for both of them.
The place was largely empty, and Conrad took Forrest’s arm. When he did, Forrest sighed and smiled over at him. “I’m always worried about public displays of affection, and yet when you do something this simple, I feel… I don’t know, more grounded and cared for. I don’t know how to explain it.”
“I feel it too,” Conrad told him. They checked out the basement.
They were alone down there, and with very little worth looking at, they spent the time exploring together, the energy building as their furtive looks grew more bold and heated.
Just before they climbed the stairs, Conrad was about to wrap Forrest in his arms when he hesitated and went up alone with Forrest behind him.
Once he reached the top, he stepped off the stairs as Lester approached. Fucking great. Just what they needed.
“Hey, Lester,” Conrad said a little loudly to make sure Forrest knew he was there. Then Conrad continued to where he stood near the checkout counter.
“Conrad,” he said rather flatly. “What are you doing here? Buying something for your kid?” he asked, looking at the box.
He shrugged, not willing to give anything away. Lester got under his skin sometimes, but he refused to let that happen today. “Just poking around. You know how it is. Sometimes you find something special.”
“I hear people like you like to go poking around.”
Conrad rolled his eyes, and it took all his willpower not to snap at Lester.
Instead, he took a steady breath and just let it go.
He was determined to be the bigger man. Not that it was too difficult with Lester.
He put his purchase on the counter and waited until Lester wandered off before paying.
Forrest approached once Lester was down the aisle and out of sight.
He paid as well, and they scurried out of the store and to his car, then pulled out of the lot.
“I hate skulking around,” Forrest said.
“I know. I keep wondering if we’re doing something wrong.
Maybe we are, I don’t know. I haven’t been in the closet for years now, and I feel like I’m right back there and it’s weird.
I know I’m not and we’re being careful and circumspect for good reason.
” It was for Lizzie, and because he didn’t want Forrest to suffer at work.
It was also for him in a way, because of Lester. “But I don’t know what to do about it.”
Forrest sighed. “I don’t know either, but I keep hoping that something will present itself.”
Conrad hoped it showed itself pretty damned soon.