Welcome to the Pride Parade [Frerard AU]

Part III: Chapter 7

          

CHAPTER 7 – COFFEE SHOP SOUNDTRACK

Monday morning, Ray showed up unexpectedly at my door.

"What's up, Ray?"

"Happy July!" he grinned. "Time for croquet! You didn't forget, did you?"

"...How could I? Come in!"

Ray walked right over to the croquet mallets collecting dust by the living room wall and carried them to the back door. I followed him out, ready to help him set up the wickets.

We were long past setting up a traditional course. I took half of the wickets and he took the other half, distributing them randomly around the yard. When we were finished, Ray traced out a path for both of us to follow to win, including circling a few trees and trick-shooting it between two wickets without going through either of them. He started the game with three hits in a row.

"It's been too long since we talked in person," Ray commented.

"Agreed. How are things?"

"Could be better, could be worse. This summer job is kicking my butt a little bit."

"Yikes. Why's that?"

"I just have to work with people all the time. I never considered myself an introvert until recently. It's exhausting to just smile and nod at them all for four hours a day. I can't even imagine what full-time is like."

"I try not to think about it until I have to," I said. "That sounds awful."

"Anyway, how have you been? You must be busy; you haven't come to visit yet."

"Things are great, Ray," I replied honestly. "And you're right about being busy. I'll come pretend to be an angry customer as soon as I get the chance, don't you worry."

"I'll be holding you to that. What makes things so great for you?"

"Well..." I knew what the answer was, but didn't want to be that friend who only talks about their love life and nothing else. "I had a great weekend is all," I answered vaguely.

"Oh yeah? What did you do?"

Well, he asked. "I went to a festival."

He looked up from aiming his mallet at the ball and looked at me, half incredulous and half amused. "Oh my God. You two went to pride, didn't you?"

I fought a smile, looking back at the ball on the ground. "Yeah, we did. Dude, it was amazing."

He laughed once. "Seems like an emo kid like you would be a little out of his element there."

"Frank said the same thing. Still, I'm glad I went. It was unlike anything I was picturing."

"Here is where I beg you not to let me in on what exactly you were picturing."

I rolled my eyes. "Wow."

He only tapped the ball through another wicket.

We kept small talk going long enough for us to finish one game and start another. After a while, I wondered: "Ray, out of curiosity, do you follow any religion?"

"Me? No. Everyone in my family is a Baptist, but I'm a skeptic to say the least. Why? Do you?"

I was grateful that he could be so casual about this topic. I didn't need another yesterday to happen from thinking too much or getting into too-deep questions. I didn't have to worry about a debate of any kind with a friend like him.

"I don't really know. I guess that's why I'm asking. I call myself a Catholic, but I don't follow it really closely. It's more like I just know God exists. What's that called – a deist? It's only hard to say if I fall under a more specific category."