“Heard About You” was blaring from the speakers.
I went over to my mother, who seemed uncomfortable sitting on one of the settees beside Franklin. I leaned down and gave her a kiss and whispered, “Whose idea was this?”
“Not mine, honey. Huguette planned this at the last minute, after she heard Alex couldn’t come out. All I did was give her Nick’s number.”
I don’t think Franklin had ever sat down in that room. He looked uncomfortable, too.
He got up and disappeared for a while, then returned wheeling in a cart with a huge cake on it.
There was another round of “Happy Birthday,” and before I cut the cake, Allie Perez said, “Make a wish!”
“I wish we all get our wishes this summer,” I said.
“Now we won’t,” Nick said, laughing, “because you told your wish.”
I cut the cake, and my mother helped Franklin pass it around on plates.
While Cog Wheeler was getting two plates for Huguette and himself, I went over to her.
“I want to talk to you,” I said.
“Talk to me.” She smiled.
“Somewhere we can be alone for a second.”
“Come on,” she said.
She took my hand and we walked through the living room to the hall. She had on this very sheer, short black dress and violet kickers with a silver ankle bracelet strapped to the left one.
“Thanks for this,” I said, “and thanks for the key ring.”
“That will remind you of all our picnics.”
“Or it’ll remind me that I don’t have a car.”
“You can take the Aurora anytime.”
“I don’t want to drive his car.”
“Why do you resist Uncle Ben so, Lang? He likes you. He calls you Penner.”
“I know.” I could smell Joop.
I could see Cog Wheeler watching us from the living room. I said, “I think I was right. You do have a fan.”
She looked over her shoulder at him. “He’s very talented, isn’t he?”
“Is he? I wouldn’t know.”
“Of course he is, Lang! He writes those songs.”
“You can’t hear the words when he sings them.”
“You can if you listen hard.”
I imitated him. “’eard bout ew, ’eard youcoulden ee ew.’”
She laughed and tugged at my shirt. “You don’t want me to like him? Is that it?”
I thought, That is it, isn’t it?
I said, “What about Marten?”
“Oh, you’re worried about Martin, hmmm?”
“What about him?” I said.
“You’re not worried about that. You just think nobody here can be with me but you.”
“Is that it?” I said. I poked her arm with my finger. I could see her small breasts through her dress.
It was one of those dippy conversations that didn’t make much sense but didn’t need to. Later, she told me she’d had two glasses of champagne before I’d come there, but I never drank, so why was I so giddy?
We were standing there teasing each other, touching each other, when she suddenly grabbed me and put her lips against mine, these soft, wet lips.
“Hey,” I said, “what’re you doing?”
“Putting on a show for your friends,” she said.
Nick and Allie had come out into the hall on their way to the bathrooms. They’d glanced at us but kept right on walking.
Huguette grinned up at me. “Did we shock them?”
“Is that what we want to do?”
“Why not? It’s your birthday. Do you go to school with them?”
“With her. He’s my best friend.”
“And Alex is what?”
“I haven’t known Alex as long as I’ve known Nick.”
“Oh. Alex is a new friend, then.”
“Huguette?” Cog Wheeler had come out into the hall, sunglasses on his head, brown eyes fixed on her.
“If you say my name Yougette,” she told him, “you get nothing!”
He liked that.
He laughed, his eyes shining, his hair fire red.
“How about joining the party?” he said to her.
“Are you the party?”
He crooked his arm for her to take and she took it.
I watched her go.
The bathrooms in Roundelay were like the enormous ones in hotels. There was a men’s and across the hall a women’s.
I’d forgotten Nick was headed there. We hadn’t really talked since I’d arrived, just small talk. I didn’t feel at all like talking, either, but there he was.
“Hi, Nick.”
“I can’t believe I’m in the same house with The Failures! This is big-time, buddy! How come you rate?”
“I’m as surprised as you are.”
He was drying his hands. I went over to the urinal and unzipped.
“Don’t you return calls anymore, Lang?”
“I was going to call you tomorrow.” I could still feel her lips on mine, and I remembered how warm her breath was near my mouth.
He was combing his hair although it was already combed.
He said, “Was that some kind of a joke…what you told Brittany?”
“No.”
“Because it really upset her, Lang.”
“We weren’t a couple. I kept trying to tell her that.”
“She said you told her you and Alex were a couple.”
“That’s right.”
“So you and that French girl aren’t?”
“No.”
“You could have fooled me.”
“She has a guy back in France.”
“Lots of luck to him.”
I zipped up and went over to wash my hands. I’d been planning this moment for a long time, but now that it was here, I couldn’t remember anything I’d intended to say.
I said, “Maybe we can talk tomorrow?”
“I’m going out to Montauk. Let’s talk now. If what you told my sister is really true, when did you plan to let me in on the news?”
“I wanted to tell you.” I took one of the linen towels piled by the washbasin and began drying my hands.
“I don’t give a damn if you really are gay Lang, but I just wonder how come you’ve never mentioned it to me.”
“It’s not an easy thing to tell someone.”
“Am I just someone? Geezus, we’ve known each other since we were kids!”
“I know.”
I wanted to get out of there and go back to the party. There was only one person I wanted to get back to and I knew it. I didn’t even
