In The Punch Line

3∆3

Charles Seymour was going to be cool about this.

He had certainly not gone to a newsstand and bought copies of all the magazines featuring Calvin Klein ads. He had certainly not begun thinking of ways he might possibly drop them around the lobby at the hotel where the reunion was being held. He did not have six of them in his bag as he walked to the train station with Raven.

Certainly not.

They had arranged to meet at Penn Station for the four-hour train ride. Eugene was early. Raven and Charles showed up exactly four minutes before the train was due to arrive, Charles lugging two enormous suitcases and attempting to balance a latte on top of them.

"Oh look, Charles," Raven said, pointing at a tall impeccably dressed man under  the list of departures, "Your boyfriend's already here, waiting for us."

"This is how those people who order Russian brides must feel." Charles said,  feeling unaccountably nervous, "I don't know how I let you snooker me into this."

"Hey! Eugene! Over here!" Raven yelled.

Eugene turned.

Oh God, Charles thought. He looks just as good in clothes. I can feel dozens of IQ points sprouting wings and migrating south. I'm just going to stand there and gape at him like a modified ape. Why didn't I prepare some intelligent remarks beforehand?

"Don't clam up," Raven said. "You're clamming up."

"Am not," Charles said petulantly.

Eugene approached them, grinning. "You remember Eugene," Raven said.

"Of course," Charles said, extending a hand almost reflexively. Eugene took it. His grasp was firm and he had a level blue gaze that Charles had not accounted for at all. The photo spreads of Eugene lounging in black and white in mussed sheets in his underwear had not captured it at all. And now you're thinking about him in his underwear. Splendid, Charles. Off to a great start.

"It's wonderful of you to agree to this. I hope I won't bore you too terribly."

"I doubt that's possible," Eugene said.

"You're going to floor them," Raven said. "I wish I could come. You two are going to have so much fun together. You have to take a picture of Jeffrey when he sees you." She hugged Charles.

"Don't look so petrified," she whispered. "You are living the fantasy of ninety percent of the  population right now."

"I'm not sure that's a real statistic," Charles muttered.

"Let me get a picture of you," Raven said, whipping out her camera. Charles and Eugene stood next to each other.

"Put your arm around him."

Charles felt the warm weight of a muscular arm settle around his shoulders. Erik smelled good -- leather and aftershave, and --

"Oh hey!" Raven said. "You're wearing matching scarves. Did you coordinate that? That's cute."

"No," Charles and Eugene said, simultaneously.

"Oh well," Raven said, putting away the camera. "It's still cute."

Their train was announced and Raven began walking back towards the subway.

"Bye, boyfriends!" she yelled. The last word melted into giggles.

Charles stood there a moment watching her go, feeling as though the last ship back to Earth had just departed.

"I love your sister," Eugene said.