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“You know,” Duke remarked, gazing around him, “next time, when we go out, I think I’ll be more comfortable just jumping off bridges and running from the cops again.”
The dizzying display of storefronts stretched for an entire glittery mile, designer brands that he had vaguely heard of, boutiques with compound names and elaborate designs in the shining windows. Interspersed every so often were coffee shops selling fifteen-dollar drinks, tiny parks, antique houses, and bistros with outdoor tables serving bored-looking middle-aged women in sleek dresses, clutching mimosas and tiny, puffy dogs on Chanel leashes.
Duke examined himself. He would not lie, even compared to the people streaming in and out of Sephora or Neiman-Marcus, he looked good. His sneakers were new, his sunglasses were vintage, and he was most definitely pulling off the red pants. It was just...most of his clothes had been bought by his mom on sale. The socks under his great new sneakers, specifically, on sale at Target.
He doubted the debutante-aged girls in front of them in their Stella McCartney and Alexander McQueen dresses had ever once set foot in a Target.
Dick sighed sympathetically and put a hand on his shoulder.
“I get it, the lifestyles of the rich and the famous are a lot to take in. And it's hard to get used to. I was once in your shoes too, remember.”
“I understand what you're trying to say, but man, you’re wearing loafers. I doubt you’ve ever been in these kinds of shoes.” He proudly displayed his kicks, making Dick laugh despite himself.
“C’mon, kid, don’t you ever respect your elders?”
Duke eyed the rolled-up sleeves of Dick’s printed button-down, how it was tucked into his belted jeans, his soft, thick, longish black hair, the aforementioned loafers.
“Not when those elders look and dress like someone crossed a barbecue dad with a lesbian.”
Dick gasped dramatically, playfully catching Duke across the shoulders and knuckling the side of his head, making them both laugh more. They attracted more than a few disdainful stares, which they ignored.
“Okay, but seriously kid, you want to look good for your date tonight, right?”
“Yeah...”
“Yeah, you do. Izzy doesn’t strike me as being the type to suffer fools, especially not poorly-dressed ones.”
Duke smiled a little fondly. Dick gently clapped him on the shoulder, smiling back.
“Yeah. Yeah, I get it. Now, come on, let’s try this one first. Steph loves this place -- you know, she grew to love it, once she could set foot in it without fainting at the price tags.”
To Duke’s astonishment, they were almost immediately waited on as soon as they set foot in the store. The attendants clucked slightly at his Target socks, but said nothing; almost immediately going to produce a sharp jacket and matching pants.
They found a complementing shirt at an even better-attended store, then a new belt, new socks...even a spray of rare flowers for Izzy at a luxury florist’s. Who even knew they had luxury florists?
Another attendant suggested a pair of shoes to complete the look (“Oxfords, without brogues, of course, for the young gentleman”) but Dick shook his head.
Instead, he handed Duke some cash.
“Could you get us a table at Pierre’s next door? I’m just going to run into one more store real quick.”
Duke chose an outdoor seat, then set their bags down around the elegant white table, squinting up into the cloudy spring sunshine. A waiter brought night-dark espressos in tiny white cups, and he sipped, closing his eyes briefly.
Then a package was dropped into his lap.
“Open ‘em, kid.” Dick’s voice was warm, with an undercurrent of anticipation.
He opened the bag, then the shoe box within.
“Shut up.”
He withdrew the Balenciaga sneakers, gaping -- then looking up at his brother to grin, his cheeks about to split.
“Note the color,” Dick smiled, tapping the bands of yellow. Signal yellow. “I think they’ll go with your suit jacket very nicely, don’t you?”
Duke got up. This time, he wrapped his arm around Dick’s shoulders, pulling him into a more genuine hug.
So he was still a little unused to this lifestyle. So screw it. At least the people he’d found within it were good ones.
“Hey, c’mon,” he said, his voice warm. “You gonna stand around all day, or do you want to order some lunch?”
A gap opened between the clouds, and the sun slid through.