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“Ways to say ‘I love you,’” Jonathan began. Their was a gentle applause around the main room of the small club though Steve and Nancy tried to yell and cheer as loudly as they could. It was really exciting. This was Steve’s first time in New York, and only Nancy’s second. They’d seen each other up in New Hampshire, and he and Nancy had both come to several times to visit Steve in Bloomington. But now, here they were to see him. And he was going to help them enjoy it. Starting with a really bad poem he’d written for them.
“Everyday, I look and see you,
And feel something strange,
It’s hard to describe, to surmise
But nonetheless, I try when I say
I want to see you
when I wake, when I sleep
I want to be with you in trouble,
in happiness.
I want to spend my life with you
Sunshine in day, moonlight in nights,
I would not be complete
Because you’ve broken me
As I fell for you, fell in love.”
Jonathan finished, and felt himself turning bright red. He was so embarrassed. That was so sappy. And so dramatic. But, while the rest of the room was filled with scattered applause, Steve and Nancy were standing out of their seat, clapping and looking like fools. He bowed, then had the microphone taken from him by the MC.
“Give it up for Jonathan Byers! Okay, so now, we have another NYU student…” Jonathan didn’t hear the rest as he moved across the stage. The next performer put a hand on his shoulder and smiled at him. He was a thin, small guy that he might have recognized from one of his classes.
“Hey, good one man.”
“Thanks…it was okay…”
“Well, your people there seemed to enjoy it…” the boy said, signaling to the Steve and Nancy who were still clapping, “That was heartfelt man. You all must really like each other,” Jonathan looked at him, part of him wanting to deny what he’d suggested. Instead, he simply nodded and rushed down to Nancy, who flung her arms around him and gave him a kiss on the cheek. Steve put an arm on his shoulder, which Jonathan squirmed out of.
“Great job, Jonathan!” Nancy said.
“Yeah, good one, man!”
“Thanks…” Jonathan glanced up at the next performer, who smiled at him, then, turned back to Steve and Nancy.
“Alright…you guys are probably bored. Why don’t we…head back to the apartment…” Jonathan said.
“Heh…you must be thinking what I’m thinking…” Steve whispered. Nancy smiled at him, and put a hand around his neck.
“Always so excited. But, you don’t have to do this for us. Are you sure it’s okay, Jonathan? I know you like…” Nancy started, then trailed off as he held out a hand. Jonathan glanced back one more time at the other student, then nodded and moved as unobtrusively as possible through the club and lead Nancy and Steve out, past the bouncer, onto the cold and busy New York streets. Jonathan pulled on his black, knee length cloak as well as his flat cap. He turned around to see Nancy, now wearing a wool coat with ear muffs and a scarf around her neck. She looked really cold, despite her living in New Hampshire most of the year. Steve, on the other hand, looked comfortable with his long, heavy coat open down the center. He lit a cigarette for himself, then glanced at the shivering girl next to him and put an arm around her.
“This New York cold bothering you, girl?”
“I’m fine, let’s just go…” Nancy said, holding out a hand briefly before pulling it back into her coat.
“Alright…it’s a couple blocks. We could ride the subway…but…” Jonathan started, then looked up at the setting sun, “I usually just walk around here.”
“No, let’s walk. We’ll just stand…real close…” Steve moved up next to Jonathan, looked around him, then gave him a smack on the rear. Jonathan jumped, but calmed himself and grabbed Steve’s wrist.
“Don’t…not in public…”
“Why, Byers? This is New York, right? Where things are different. People are too busy here to talk. And too busy to care about two boys standing too close…” Steve whispered as he pressed his lips up against Jonathan’s ear. The younger boy wanted to grab Steve and pull him in for a kiss, but he had to fight his instincts. He was a hick from nowhere Indiana in the biggest city in the US. The rules were unspoken, but there was a certain way one was expected to behave. Jonathan leaned back from Steve, shook his head and held out a hand to the still freezing Nancy.
“Come on, let’s start moving then…” Jonathan said, mixing his arm with Nancy’s and starting to walk with her. Steve eyed Jonathan, took a long draw of his cigarette, then flicked it and took Nancy’s other arm. They started down a mostly empty streets in the direction of the NYU student apartments.
“So…this is it…the Big Apple…” Steve said, glancing up at the towers around them. They stretched high into the air, some beyond what one could see in the fading light. Jonathan barely even noticed anymore, but…this was Steve’s first time. He had the thrill and amazement with the city that Jonathan imagined had faded from his eyes.
“This is part of it. Greenwich Village at least…”
“NYU…” Nancy said, sighing, “You’re at NYU. Doing Photography and Poetry…”
“It’s part of creative design. Photography and Creative Design are my…majors…” Jonathan muttered, “I’m not good enough to actually write poetry…”
“You sounded good enough to me. Not that I know anything about it…” Steve grumbled, then smiled at the boy, “Is it everything you wanted?”
“I…” Jonathan hesitated, then looked back at Steve, “Well…it…I…”
“Jesus, it’s not a test. It was just a question…” Steve said. Jonathan looked at him, then back around him. New York was awesome. Bustling. Amazing. Cool. Hip. The adjectives were numerous. But…was it everything he wanted?
“Oh, look!” Nancy said, pointing. Jonathan followed her finger to where a jazz musician was playing on the street. After one calm, slow refrain, he suddenly held up his saxophone and let out a loud rendition of Careless Whisper.
“Hah…he’s not bad…”
“No, he’s not. You want to go singing the part with him, Steve?” Nancy suggested, eliciting a raspberry from the older boy.
“Wait…” Jonathan noticed now that the man was facing in their direction, and he was really going at his horn, “Is he…”
“What?” Nancy asked. Jonathan glanced at him as they passed him. His playing followed them, and after they had gone another half a block, Jonathan leaned in to the others.
“Guys, was he…playing for us?”
“Uh…yeah, probably. We were walking past him. He wanted a tip…” Nancy said.
“Oh, he did? Well, here I got a buck he can have…” Steve said, drawing a crumpled one from his coat pocket.
“I…I’ll take it,” Jonathan said, “You wait here…” Jonathan took the money, drew his arm from Nancy and quickly moved back to where the sax player was still going. He turned back to Jonathan as he approached, and wrapped up the song as Jonathan dropped the dollar in the case.
“You got some pretty lovely cats there…” the sax player said, “Have a fun night on the town…” Jonathan looked at him, trying to determine what he meant, then rushed back to where Steve and Nancy were.
“What did he say?”
“Nothing. Let’s go…” Jonathan said. Nancy reached out an arm for him, but he put a hand behind her and pushed her forward.
“What…”
“What?” Jonathan tried to ask calmly. Nancy looked at him, then Steve pulled her in closer and bounced his eyebrows.
“More for me then. Besides, we’ll be having plenty of each other when we go back to…” Jonathan put a finger to his lips, then hurried forward.
“Night...” Steve finished. Jonathan saw him let go of Nancy and hurry up next to walk next to the younger boy, “Byers, are you okay?”
“Yeah, yeah…I’m good. Let’s get going though…”
“Wait, look!” Nancy said, “There, that’s Washington Park, right?”
“Yeah…but…we could see it…later…” before Jonathan could finish, Nancy had pulled Steve over to the Washington Square Arch. She stared up at it, then pulled out an instamatic camera she’d gotten for their trip and took a picture of the arch above them. Jonathan watched her for a moment, as she tried to adjust her angle, then she turned and took a close up of Steve’s face. Jonathan observed them for a time, then he went over to her and took the camera.
“Look, aim up like this, the arch’s light is so obtrusive. And watch that you don’t get red eye…” Jonathan said, then took a picture for her. Nancy smiled, then threw her arms around his shoulders.
“I guess I should just let you take the pictures…but, then…I’d have no pictures of you…”
“Didn’t you say you were going to take a photography class at Dartmouth?”
“Oh please. I dropped that after week. Pre-med and biology are killing me. I don’t have time to do anything but study while I’m up there…”
“Should’ve come down to Bloomington with me…” Steve said as he started wandering toward the park fountain.
“And do what? Drink all the time?”
“We study too. Around finals…sometimes…Marketing is really easy so far. Though…I do have to take Statistics for Business next semester.” Steve turned back around and reached over Jonathan’s shoulder to take the camera from him, then started to backtrack, snapping photos that Jonathan knew would probably come out blurry and with bad lighting.
“Awh…we look so cute…” Nancy said, turning Jonathan around and pulling him in close for Steve to take another picture. He noticed a young woman sitting in the park, taking long puffs of the cigarette and curled up around herself.
“A cold night, huh?”
“Yeah! But we’re still enjoying New York…” Steve said. She smiled at him, then pointed at Jonathan, “You two visiting him?”
“Yeah, how’d you know?”
“He’s the only one acting like this park isn’t fantastic…” the woman said, “That’s part of the problem with this city. It makes the amazing…ordinary…” she flicked her cigarette, then stood up, “You all want a picture, with the arch? Or the fountain?”
“Both, if you would!” Steve said, holding out the camera.
“Steve! Don’t give the camera out!” Jonathan started, but Steve waved him away.
“I think I could run her down Jonathan.”
“I think you could…” the woman said, smiling. She held up the camera as Steve returned to Jonathan and flung his arms around the younger boy. She took one picture, then Nancy rushed in and pushed them apart.
“Here, let’s get one where we actually look nice…” Nancy said. They lined up for one shot, then another in front of the fountain. Jonathan had to admit that he appreciated the subtle ways the woman worked on adjusting the angle and lighting to improve the image.
“Thank you!” Nancy said as the woman took a final shot, then handed the camera over to her.
“No problem. Enjoy your night you three. You look like you’re going to have fun…” the woman said. Jonathan turned and stared at her as she took out another cigarette and got onto a bike. As she rode away, Jonathan looked back at Steve and Nancy.
“What do you think she meant by that?”
“Beats me…” Steve said. Nancy crossed her arms and rolled her eyes.
“She was probably referring to the fact that we’re nineteen-year-old’s walking around the most happening city in the country…”
“Hey, speak for yourself. I’m twenty.”
“Right…” Jonathan muttered, then looked at the fountain again and watched the way it spewed up water. And secrets. So that everyone could see…and it didn’t care, did it?
“Byers? Seriously, you okay?” Steve asked. Jonathan looked at him, then Nancy came over to his side and looked at the fountain too.
“It is kind’ve mesmerizing, isn’t it…” Nancy said. Jonathan looked at her, then at Steve and made a decision. About the way he was going to say I love you. He swallowed hard, then reached out and took the girl’s hand.
“Jonathan, what…” Jonathan gripped her back and brought their lips together. They were so soft, and tasted sweet on his mouth. He felt himself being swept up in the kiss, pressing their faces together harder and mixing their tongues in her mouth.
“Damn, Jonathan…” Steve said, reaching out and running a rough hand along his back and sliding up to his neck, “Maybe you two should get a room…” Jonathan pressed his tongue into Nancy’s mouth for a moment more, then drew back and turned to Steve.
“We’re not two…” Jonathan said, reaching out and taking Steve’s hand, “And the three of us have a room. It’s that way…” Jonathan said. His other hand slipped from around Nancy and traced around Steve’s back. The older boy frowned at him and drew back just as Jonathan was about to meet their lips.
“Wait, aren’t you, worried at all, about…”
“About what? This is New York City. Besides…” Jonathan glanced down and started tracing his thumb along the back of Steve’s hand, “I want you to know I care about you…”
“Awh, Byers, you don’t have to…” before he could finish, Jonathan pulled Steve in for a long, sweet kiss. Their lips traced against each other, and Jonathan could feel the prickles of Steve’s shaved mustache tickling his skin while his hands started to naturally trace around the back of the older boy’s coat. His hand slide up to Steve’s hair and he started to comb it as their faces pressed together harder. Eventually, Jonathan heard Nancy clear her throat, then Jonathan released Steve and turned to her.
“Are we going back to the apartment, or not?” Jonathan smiled at her, then they saw another, older woman walking through the part. The woman looked over the three, then nodded at him.
“You all look so lovely tonight…”
“Yeah…we do…thanks…” Jonathan said, pulling Steve to him. Jonathan felt Nancy lean in and put her arms around him. The woman let out a small laugh, then kept walking.
“I love you guys…” Jonathan said. Steve smiled at him, then pushed his hair up and gave him a peck on the forehead.
“I love you too, Jonathan.”
“I love both of you…” Nancy said, “Now, it’s freezing…let’s go back…”
“Good idea. I can think of a few more ways to say ‘I love you…’” Jonathan said as he took his lover’s hands and started walking down the bustling, nighttime streets of New York.