“Just say when.”

“When are you getting a job?”

“As soon as I can.”

“Well, I have to take this trip to the beach. Maybe I can come and get you after that. You should know when you’re working by then.” Ben sighed. “I’m taking Jennifer to the beach. I wish I had a gun to blow my brains out instead.”

“Hush.”

“She’s better in a crowd.”

“Sounds like true love is no longer running so true.”

“Shut the fuck up. Don’t say I told you so or I’ll smack the shit out of you. Don’t think I won’t do it. I’m not letting you get out of hand.”

“I’m not saying anything.”

“How come we’re not already fucking?” Ben asked.

So they did, starting then with conscious ease and running through the whole repertory from the night before, with variations. Ronny got lost in it all, the movement of his body leading him into new territory, Ben furled over him from behind, breathing against his neck, arm around Ronny’s waist, the two of them blowing and making sounds, sweat running along the place where their skins came together. Such a fire, this pleasure was, coursing inside and out. They both had the feeling that this was merely the edge of the thing they could do and be. Nothing in that moment had anything temporary in it. In the midst of the thought they looked at each other and understood it and never said anything about it.

When they were done and settled in to talk again, Ronny asked, “Where does she think you are tonight?”

“Jen? We had a fight.”

“Oh.”

“What a piece of shit I am, telling you what a great day I’ve had and I just had a fight with my girlfriend before I came over here.”

He was ignoring the fact that he was here in the first place, cheating on her; but that was how he was. He and Jen had only been seeing each other for a few weeks. Listening to Ben complain about his girlfriends had become part of the game. Ronny kept his face turned carefully away but Ben pulled it toward him.

“Hey,” Ronny said.

“I just wanted to see the smirk.”

“Is it there?”

“Shit yes. You know it is.” He threw himself out of bed onto his feet, landing quiet like a cat. “Let’s just don’t talk about this anymore, okay? I’ll be right back. Any of your roommates here?”

“I don’t know.” Ronny stood behind him, went to the door.

“Oh, to hell with it,” Ben said, and opened the door and walked naked into the bathroom. He strutted, in fact, and pissed with the door open, and watched Ronny, and came back the same way. He closed the door and pulled Ronny against him. He said, “You read my mind again tonight in a serious way.”

“When?”

Ben shook his head. “I’ll tell you one of these days.”

“Okay.” Ronny leaned against Ben, trying to lend him some calm. He led Ben back to bed after a few more moments, and they fell into sex again immediately, the luxury of being twenty and tireless, wide open in each other’s presence. That time they were both shaken and lay trembling and getting their breath, tangled on sheets on the floor, Ronny’s head almost under the fabric of the closet divider.