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with the scooter.
Six stitches on my butt. Jinx nodded solemnly. I landed on a cactus.
A cactus, Neil repeated flatly.
Yup. Jinx opened his second bottle of beer. What are the fucking
chances of that ever happening to anyone, huh?
Well, I'll be avoiding scooters from now on just in case. Neil started
laughing. Maybe bicycles too.
Jinx rolled his eyes. You don't have it anywhere near as bad as I do.
I'm pretty unlucky, Neil countered. Last year, I lost my BlackBerry and
my apartment keys, and the city towed my car by mistake all in one week.
Get out. Jinx smacked himself on the knee. That sucks, man.
Beautiful Boys 45
And you saw for yourself what just happened at tonight's party, Neil
continued. I broke a fucking mirror. Do you know how many karma points
that probably set me back?
That happened only because I showed up. Jinx winced. Sorry.
Neil wished the guy would stop apologizing. So far, this conversation had
been the best part of his birthday, and Jinx's company was turning out to be
worth a dozen broken mirrors. It was going to be horrible no matter what,
Neil assured him. One of my exes was here.
Ouch. Jinx scrunched up his nose. Yeah, that's pretty tense to deal
with.
Neil sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. The universe conspires to
make my life miserable.
Really? Jinx gave him a dubious look, his thick, dark brows
disappearing under the bangs falling across his forehead. How?
How, indeed. Caught off guard by the question, Neil didn't have any
immediate answers. The alcohol had already given him a light buzz, and
thinking of a list of reasons didn't seem worth the effort right now. He laced his
fingers together and cradled the back of his head as he leaned against the
couch. It just does, I suppose.
But you've got such a sweet place here, and a great job. Jinx shifted on
the couch, half turning to face Neil. You're not trying all sorts of crazy ways to
make a buck.
Like stripping at a gay man's birthday party?
That's not so crazy. Jinx scraped at the corner of his bottle label with a
thumbnail. I just stink at the whole dancing thing. He laughed drily at
himself.
Are you an athlete? Neil found himself further charmed by the other
man's self-deprecating nature. Not too many of the people he knew at the office
46 Anne Cain
were what he'd consider humble, not when they worked for the biggest
magazine in the city.
Basketball, Jinx explained.
I thought so. Neil smiled. So how did you get the job for tonight?
A friend goes to the university, and one of his ex-roommates is interning
where you work. Jinx finished stripping the bottle clean of its blue and gold
label. He got word they were looking for someone for tonight, and he passed
the news to Nate. He thought I'd be able do it for some cash to cover the
month's rent. He knew I was a little short. Well He raised a hand over his
head to indicate his height. Not literally, but you know what I mean.
Ah. Neil chuckled. He wondered which of the two interns was the guilty
party, and decided it had to be Andy. The guy talked about having buddies at
the university, and he was openly gay. Was 'Officer Nasty' your friend's idea?
Mine, Jinx admitted with a wince of embarrassment. That's part of why
I suck at the stripping thing, remember?
That was a cheesy idea, Jinx. Neil laughed. What the hell were you
thinking?
I don't know. Jinx started laughing. He had a sweet smile, and his sense
of humor was contagious. I've never been to a gay strip club or anything. I was
winging it.
Neil sobered up some. He licked his lips, wondering how best to approach
the question he'd had in the back of his mind ever since sitting down on the
couch with Jinx. Popping out, Are you gay? seemed like too strong a come-on,
and frankly, Neil wasn't sure that he actually wanted to move in that direction
at all. Things always seemed to be more complicated in his life than they
needed to be; maybe that's why he liked to dwell on the idea of fate and luck so
much. If he didn't have the control in his life that he wanted, at least he could
blame God's sense of humor for all the chance things that happened.
Beautiful Boys 47
You look like you want to say something. Jinx nudged him in the
shoulder.
Not really. Neil bit down on his lower lip.
Jinx set his bottle on the coffee table and readjusted himself on the couch
so he was facing Neil. Okay, don't take this the wrong way&
Generally, when someone starts a sentence with that intro, the recipient
tends to do just that. Neil cocked an eyebrow.
No, no, Jinx tried reassure him. He looked down at his big hands
clutching his knees, suddenly appearing nervous. I just want to say this
because, I don't know, I think you're a really nice person.
Neil almost rolled his eyes, but there was a deep sense of sincerity in
Jinx's tone of voice that stopped him. You barely know me, Neil felt compelled
to point out.
Some things you know about a man right away. Jinx reached for his
beer again, holding the bottle as if he'd needed something to do with those
large, dexterous hands. I can tell you're a good person, but I also have the
feeling that you make your life pretty complicated.
That took Neil by surprise. He hadn't expected the kid to be so astute or
so observant. Of course that was a pretty shallow assumption, he admitted to
himself. Just because he was big and athletic didn't mean he wasn't smart or
sensitive. Neil had bedded a couple of jocks in college, and he knew that
stereotype of the strong, stupid athlete was just that a stereotype.
I guess I'm sticking my nose where it doesn't belong. Jinx set the bottle
back on the table. I should get going.
Neil did likewise with his own bottle. No, you're right. Funny thing, I was
thinking about that right before you said it.
Wow. Jinx nodded. I knew it.
Are you always this good at reading people?
48 Anne Cain
Sometimes. Jinx smoothed his hands over his lanky thighs. But it's like
you were stressed about a lot of different things tonight, and it showed on your
face.
Hmm. Neil didn't know what else to say. The guy was right.
Have you ever heard of those guys who simplified their lives? Jinx asked.
Can't say that I have. Curious, Neil rested his elbow on the back of the
couch and listened.
Well, these guys over in California or somewhere like that decided to
simplify their lives.
I gathered that much already. Neil chuckled.
Jinx grinned. Shut up and let me finish. He swept a hand through his
dark hair. So, these guys quit their jobs, get rid of their houses and cars, and
just become homeless. Totally homeless. They take baths at a shelter, eat and
sleep at a church, and then spend their entire day just hanging around the
library reading books. All day long, just learning. Isn't that something?
It's not entirely unappealing, Neil joked.
Maybe that's what we should do. Jinx leaned forward. Forget about all
this materialism and crap.
Nah. Neil dropped back against the sofa cushions and rubbed his tired
eyes. I like my materialistic crap. Besides, someone in society has to keep
working to pay taxes so the library can stay open, and donate money to the
church so they can serve meals.
I guess my point is that if people can make things really complicated for
themselves, they can make them really simple too, Jinx said thoughtfully.
Neil stared up at the ceiling. Yeah, I suppose you're right.
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