Page 24 of We Could Be Heroes

“Right now we’re the Duvet Ghosts,” said Dylan.

“Whatever happened to the War on Christmas?” Will frowned.

Dylan shrugged. “Christmas won.”

And slowly, Patrick felt everyone around him remember why they were really here. Jordan opened the bottle of wine, April tore off a chunk of bread, and to his left, Will held out his plate. Patrick looked to him briefly, and they held each other’s gaze for just a moment, almost like a private joke, and then it was Patrick’s turn to offer up his plate to Margo and be fed.

Chapter 13

“I really think Margo is coming around,” said Jordan. “She only gave me one withering look last night, and it barely even chilled my bones at all.”

They were sitting upright on opposite ends of Will’s sofa, Jordan’s legs resting on top of his, sharing the packet of Frazzles torn open between them.

“Sure,” said Will, opting not to mention that Margo still hadn’t forgiven Jordan for spilling Rioja on her sofa the year before. “And I think you’ve got a fan in Dylan. They watch your videos.”

“Oh my god, a Gen-Z likes my content.” Jordan laughed. “What an honor!”

“I keep getting lectures on radical LGBTQ+ politics every time I go over for tea,” Will continued. “They’re at this hilarious age where they think they invented being queer.”

“Precious. Remember being sixteen and thinking you were the only gay in the village?”

“Only one in the world,” said Will. “When I started going to bars and realized there were more, I felt this incredible sense of belonging, but also…”

“You were annoyed you weren’t as special as you thought you were?” Jordan asked, reading his mind, as was his wont. “Me too!”

“Are we the worst?”

“Yes. But we’re the best at it, so it’s all right.” Jordan picked up a crisp and examined it. “Speaking of,” he said, “what’s going on with your new best friend? Should I be jealous?”

It was the first mention Jordan had made of the movie star Will had brought to dinner, and Will had started to think he wasn’t going to bring it up, that maybe he’d slipped into a fugue state last night and Patrick’s presence at the table, praising Margo’s cooking and joking with April about Captain Kismet and seeming like he was genuinely having a good time, had all been a dream.

“Patrick?” Will snorted. “I wouldn’t worry just yet.”

“He does seem to like you,” said Jordan. “Not to imply that you’re not endlessly fascinating, but…what’s that all about, I wonder?”

“I get the impression that he’s just a bit lonely,” said Will. “It must be a strange life, when you think about it. Spending months on end away from home.”

“Traveling the world, being paid millions of dollars to be filmed in the most flattering light imaginable,” said Jordan. “My heart bleeds for the man.”

“Why would a movie star want to hang out with us?” Will continued.

“Who wouldn’t? We’re great.”

“Maybe it’s some kind of rich-person game, where he slums it so he can see how normal folk live.”

“Oh! Like a hidden-camera kind of situation?” Jordan’s eyes lit up. “Do you think it could be part of some new TV show?”

“I don’t know. I keep thinking—”

“That you expected him to be taller? So did I. But that’s the thing they never tell you about movie stars. They’re not these giants of Olympus, they’re just regular-sized.”

“That’s not what I was going to say.”

“Go on then.”

“I just get—and I know you’re going to call me an idiot, so don’t bother—but…” Will squinted and then rushed: “A flirty vibe?”

“Straight guys do love to flirt with gay men,” Jordan said, appearing to give Will’s theory serious consideration. “It grants them the validation they need, and they get to pretend they’re being evolved at the same time.”

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