Epilogue- Part 2 #2
Before Garrett could answer, Viktor raised a finger at Dexter. “There is no need for argument. Dexter is hereby appointed vice president of the Gays of Waypoint Research Station club. He will assist me in running it.”
Dexter jumped with joy.
Garrett looked absolutely shocked. Everyone burst out laughing.
I grabbed his arm before he could attack Viktor.
Dexter quickly darted beyond Garrett’s reach and happily joined Viktor. The two of them began talking animatedly as they led the group down the corridor.
Garrett and I followed at the back of the group, our hands linked. I could not stop smiling. “I love your friends.”
He glared at me. So I gave him a quick peck at the cheek.
* * *
Viktor ushered everyone into the smaller lounge and closed the door behind us. The smaller lounge faced the opposite side of the station, where the land rose into a glacier instead of falling away toward the dock.
I walked to the windows and peered outside. The Antarctic evening light had deepened into a rich blue-green, and a huge golden moon hung low above the ice. Its rose gold color looked almost impossible against the frozen ridges beneath it.
The glacier stretched away in folds of blue and shadow, broken here and there by jagged black rock, with no movement anywhere across its surface.
Viktor picked up a stack of papers and began passing them around. I glanced down at the document he handed me. It was a club charter.
“This is very official.”
Viktor bowed deeply to me before saying, “Dexter, come here.” Dexter hurried over. The two of them moved into a corner and began discussing something in low voices.
Garrett walked up to me and enveloped me in his arms. I rested my back against his solid chest. We stood looking out at this wondrous world we would be leaving tomorrow.
Inside the room, pages rustled and bowls of snacks passed.
For all the groaning, nobody looked as though they wanted to leave.
In fact, there was palpable excitement around us.
Everyone was reading the charter as though it were an important scientific or technical manual.
Viktor had captured every last one of us.
A moment later, Viktor and Dexter took their places beside the whiteboard that covered the wall across from us.
“We will be using this whiteboard for our first meeting,” Viktor announced. “Before I begin, everyone must refer to the confidentiality section of the charter.”
I turned back from the windows and led Garrett over to a stuffed armchair where he pulled me down on his lap.
Viktor held up a copy and thumbed at one section. “Nothing discussed here leaves this room. We are all friends, and we are going to be discussing private matters. Do you all solemnly swear that whatever is discussed here will remain here?”
Everyone nodded.
Viktor turned to Dexter. “Assistant, do you trust them?”
Sam covered his face in both hands, turning red at his boyfriend’s antics.
Dexter grinned, fully in on the joke. “Yes, President.”
Viktor nodded solemnly. “So friends, Grant and I have known each other for years. We were the sad gays before our men finally became our boyfriends.”
The man should have become a stand-up comedian instead of a penguin scientist. But then again, we needed more academics like him.
“Recently, I’ve deduced through astute observation that Grant and Adrien have only been having sex in their bed.”
Adrien’s cheeks turned completely pink.
“This is unacceptable,” Viktor declared. “So I have taken it upon myself to broaden their horizons.”
“What’s wrong with having sex in bed?” I asked, laughing, while perched on my cowboy’s thighs.
Grant gestured at me. “Thank you. Exactly my point.”
Viktor shook his head. “No. We must be more adventurous. I moved from Siberia to Alaska. You can move from a bed to more.”
“I don’t think that logic works, dumbo.” Grant rolled his eyes.
Viktor continued unfazed. “So I thought why not have a little friendly challenge. Each couple earns points based on how adventurous they are. When we all return next season, we will calculate everyone’s total.”
A murmur ran through the room. I glanced at Garrett. He raised an eyebrow. I nodded.
“If this sounds too much, you’re welcome to opt out. Who doesn’t want in?”
Keith raised his hand. “As a single man, I’ll sit out.”
“Perfect. You can be the arbiter in case of disputes.”
And oh my goodness, my tough-as-nails friend suddenly turned into a little boy in front of my eyes. He looked pleased as punch.
Dexter had, meanwhile, turned to the whiteboard and was drawing a separate column for each couple, writing our names across the top in neat handwriting.
Under Adrien and Grant’s names, he wrote:
Bed -- ?
“Okay, let’s set up the base points,” Viktor continued. “Hmm. How many points should we award Adrien and Grant? I think one point for the bed is good.”
“Is this completely dependent on one factor? Location?” Adrien asked.
“Location seems the most reasonable factor.”
“What about poses? You could be plenty adventurous in bed and this system doesn’t account for that,” Adrien countered.
“The challenge is about doing something bold,” Viktor argued back. “Whatever poses you do, unless you’re dangling from an aircraft while doing it, it doesn’t matter!”
Reed and Daniel immediately locked eyes. Uh oh.
Next to Adrien, Grant looked surprised because his shy boyfriend had suddenly turned the challenge into a debate.
Their discussion quickly became absurdly technical.
I stretched my arms above my head and yawned, then relaxed back into Garrett until my head rested against his shoulder.
His arm curved around my middle, and his mouth brushed my hair.
I turned my face toward him. He was watching me with that softened expression he seemed to reserve only for me, and I held his gaze for a moment before returning my attention to the argument.
The two were still at it. I raised my voice. “I think we need our arbiter’s services.”
Viktor and Adrien stopped and turned to Keith.
“I apologize for my rudeness,” Adrien said in a polite tone. “May I know your qualifications?”
Oh boy.