A Drop of Cyanide

Chapter 40

It was sunny out, Gabriel had taken Sam for a walk on the beach. Even with the sun, the snow on the ground was still flaky and crunched under their boots. The top inch or so of water was frozen, but it didn't feel as cold as the weatherman said it was. Gabriel hummed to songs and held Sam's hand, watching the horizon pass alongside him. No boats on the shining, icy waters, but the sun was shining through the clouds that created shapes in the sky. Gabriel laughed to himself about the one shaped like a penis. It really wasn't, but he's Gabriel.

Charlie was supposed to be meeting them sometime. But it was easily realized that a redhead would stand out against the white and blue world, therefore she had not yet arrived. Gabriel began swinging their hands between them, squeezing Sam's hand every now and then. His heart always fluttered every time Sam did it back.

Sam had barely spoken, barely ate, and if he wasn't sleeping again, Sam had yet to tell Gabriel about it. Gabriel hoped he'd act differently around Charlie and he'd come out of the shell he'd carried on his back. He also hadn't complained about any pain in his back, which was pretty usual, since he's practically gone mute, but Gabriel still set some Advil on the nightstand in case he wanted any. The Moose hadn't been home since he and Gabriel made up and out, which was about two months ago. October, yes? It was now December in Kansas, and Gabriel loved it.

Just then, a small hill of red was spotted in the distance, rising from a deep blue SUV. She waved a red glove and Gabriel waved back with a bare, numb hand. It's not cold, he said. Yeah, right. Maybe he was just overall numb and couldn't feel it. How would that make Sam feel about the cold, then? Maybe he still thinks it's summer.

Charlie rushed over to them, a large green coat with a fur hood over her shoulders and gray sweatpants with a tear in the knee. She definitely didn't pretend to not see their hands.

"Oooooh," she exclaimed like a middle schooler. "You two together?"

Gabriel checked to see if Sam would answer, but Sam had done the exact same.

Both of them replied on top of each other. "I don't know." "I think so."

The boys exchanged a glance before awkwardly turning back to Charlie. Charlie watched between them, looking from one to another, back and forth, "Is that a yes?"

"I don't know." "Maybe."

"I'll take it as a yes," she grinned, brightening the mood, as she's always had the power to do. "You guys wanna hear a stupid story?" Charlie walked in front of them as they kept going, but she watched them the whole time.

Sam nodded. Gabriel said yes.

"So I was at work yesterday and this man came in with two kids, one was about fifteen sixteen and the other was a baby. The dad was being blatantly rude to the teenager and saying stuff about their community and how he doesn't accept anything that goes on, so when he went to the bathroom I went up to them and told them not to listen to him. Apparently their dad only hated the community because his wife of seven years had just come out as a lesbian!"

"Honestly, I feel like that's something you'd do," Gabriel stated.