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I assuet lunch, too, but instead he pullsthings on, with -roo rooe But at the sa that if we’re inside, there’s no way Rhiannon is going to find me

While Austin debates whether the skinny jeans are skinny enough, I findat thiswith it, or is she defiant, denying that she ever wanted help in the first place? I picture To any sense that their as disrupted I think of Roger Wilson later tonight, preparing his clothes for church to

"What do you think?" Austin asks

"They’re great," I say

"You didn’t even look"

I can’t argue this He’s right I didn’t

I look at him now I need to pay more attention

"I like them," I tell him

"Well, I don’t," he says Then he stor room

I haven’t been a good guest in Hugo’s life I access his memories and discover that he and Austin first becao this weekend They’d been friends for a little while, but they’d never talked about how they felt They were each afraid of ruining the friendship, and instead ofaard So finally, as a pair of twentyso hands, Austin said, "Hey, that could be us in ten years"

And Hugo said, "Or ten o said, "Or ten minutes"

And Austin said, "Or ten seconds"

Then they each counted to ten, and held hands for the rest of the day

The start of it

Hugo would have re has changed He co room without any clothes in his aret out of here," he says "I don’t want to have this particular conversation in this particular store"

He leads me down to the water, away from the celebration, away from the crowds He finds a somewhat secluded bench and I follow him there Once we sit down, it all comes out

"You haven’t been withto a word I say You keep looking around for so a block of wood And today, of all days I thought you said you were going to give it a chance I thought you said you were snapping out of whatever it is that’s been afflicting you the past couple of weeks I a there wasn’t anyone else But o But I can’t bend over backward and walk around at the same tiuess when it all comes down to it, I’m just not that damn flexible"