Cute, Cozy, Queer Stories

Part 33: Revere & Lumi

Revere didn't know the new blond on the trivia team, but immediately wanted to know them.

Their biweekly trivia team, Theydies and Gentlethems, seldom won, but always had fun. The team of four—now five—were all over the gender spectrum and the blond was no exception. It was their hair that got Revere's attention; shaved on the sides, but long through the middle, with intricate braids of different thicknesses and complexity, strung with strings and beads, that dropped down to their shoulders. As the group sat down at the bar table, Ellis, with long, wavy red hair and a gold septum piercing, laid a hand on the newcomer's shoulder.

"I brought my secret weapon." Ellis smirked. "This is Lumi."

Lumi gave a nod and a small smile as the rest of the group introduced themselves.

"Your secret weapon?" Revere looked at Ellis, then Lumi, studying their face. Their dark brows were pierced four times with steel studs and their lower lip pierced once. Besides the metal piercings, Lumi's face was striking, with a strong jaw, long, sharp nose, and soft pink lips. Red dots speckled their chin and jaw, reminding Revere of the pockmark scars across their own forehead and eye. "Are you good at trivia?"

Lumi glanced up, catching Revere with cool, gray-blue eyes. They shrugged heavy shoulders, folding their hands around their thick arms. "I'm okay."

"Well, welcome to Theydies and Gentlethems." Revere raised their wineglass. With a small smile, Lumi raised their beer. They looked nervous. Revere wondered if Ellis had tried to convince Lumi to come to the group for a while. "We don't really win, but we do get drunk."

Lumi laughed a bit, showing a glimpse of a crooked tooth. "Sounds good." They glanced at Revere, but didn't hold their gaze.

Revere was always attracted to the shy, silent type, especially one with piercings. They decided then that they would get to know Lumi better, one way or another. But as the trivia game went on, infatuation turned into an intense attraction the likes of which Revere hadn't felt in years.

As Despacito played over the bar, the trivia teams huddled close. The question lit up the large screen behind the DJ; Luis Fonsi wrote the song that took the world by storm—Despacito. Originally from Puerto Rico, Fonsi was born in this city, the capital of the U.S. territory.

Revere pondered the question. They had no idea.

"Isn't Puerto Rico a country? What are they talking about? Is it a trick question?" Bren, with spiky red hair, golden freckles and maybe fifty bracelets, scanned the rest of the group, looking confused.

"No, no, it's a U.S. territory." Thinking, Lev pulled at their white fishnet shirt, a bright contrast against their dark skin.

"Does it have a capital?"

"It still had a capital."

"Is it Lima?" said Ellis, tilting their head.

"Like the bean?" said Bren.

"Lee-mah not Lie-mah," Ellis responded.

Revere looked at Lumi, while their cool, gray eyes watched everyone else. "Any ideas?" Revere asked.

"I think it's San Juan," they replied.

Everyone turned.

"I think they're right," Ellis said.

"No, that's like New Mexico or something," said Bren.

Lev frowned at them. "You didn't even know it was a U.S. territory."