Page 21 of New Year

“I understand. I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay to be curious. Thank you for also being respectful.”

“Of course. You’re being beyond generous with me right now, considering we’ve never even fucked.” Heat flooded Nat’s face, and he looked at his feet. “Sorry, that was my mouth running away from me.”

“Don’t worry about it.” Zack crossed the room to stand toe-to-toe with Nat, then tilted Nat’s face up with a finger beneath his chin. Nat hesitated before meeting his eyes, those blue depths glimmering with something unnamable but kind. “I take no offense to your suspicions. I know you’re used to kindness coming with a price.”

“Yeah.”

“You’re probably used to not having choices, also? To having others tell you what’s going to happen?”

Nat’s stomach got wormy. “Yeah.”

“Then you tell me, Nat. Where would you like to go shopping this morning?”

An odd kind of relief flooded his insides, and Nat smiled. “Dollar store. I’ve got some money, and I want it to stretch.”

“Okay. Dollar store it is.”

* * *

Shopping at a discount dollar store with Zack was more fun than Nat expected it to be. From the wide-eyed way he stared around as they walked inside, he got the sense Zack hadn’t been in one in a long time. They were hit right away by big displays of summer and July 4ththemed items, everything from watermelon slice-shaped water bottles to flag-shaped serving platters.

Nat had directed Zack to the biggest store in town, which was only two blocks from Reynolds College. Not a coincidence, he was sure, as it kept college students stocked up on cheap snacks and energy drinks, and even cheaper party décor. Some stuff was an incredible value and obvious name-brand knock-offs, while other stuff was the cheapest, flimsiest version available.

Nat just wanted cheap.

He grabbed a cart and headed past the seasonal stuff for toiletries and hygiene, Zack trailing behind. When Nat stopped in front of the toothpaste and toothbrushes, he realized he’d lost Zack somewhere along the way, so he left the cart and wandered back to the main aisle. Zack stood in front of an end cap full of beach-themed home décor. Cheap press-board wall signs with cheesy sayings, glass spheres wrapped in sisal rope, strung beads with wood seashells on each end, small ceramic lighthouses, and a dozen other things.

“Something catch your eye?” Nat asked.

“The whole display, I suppose.” Zack picked up a plastic plate shaped like a sailboat. “I never considered coming to a store like this for decorations. Does that make me an elitist snob?”

“Not really. I know plenty of poor people who still hate shopping at dollar stores. They think it’s just cheap shit from China that breaks in two weeks, and while yeah, they do sell that shit, they also have a lot of gems. Close-outs and decent in-house brand items. You should watch some YouTube hauls sometime.”

Zack’s raised eyebrow and frown suggested he’d rather stick his hand in a fire than do such a thing, and it made Nat laugh. “Wander around and gawk,” Nat said. “I know where to find what I need.”

“No, I’ll follow you, as long as we can look a bit more once you’ve filled your list.”

Nat didn’t argue that he didn’t really have a list, just experience, and returned to the toothpaste. It didn’t take long to find the things he’d lost when his last backpack was stolen: deodorant, disposable razors, toothpaste and brushes, floss, aspirin, hand sanitizer, travel-sized tissues, things that fit well in small spaces. He surprised himself by unearthing a can of aerosol dry shampoo, which was handier than the liquid stuff.

Back-to-school was still too far away for any decent knapsack options, so he grabbed a cheap, nylon drawstring sack. A few other things tempted him, but he didn’t want to buy anything that would scream, “I expect to be back on the streets tomorrow!” to Zack, like a roll of toilet paper.

Once Nat announced he was good, Zack took over pushing their cart, and Nat found himself in an aisle he usually ignored: dishes and glassware. Even when Nat had his own place, he tended to use paper plates and disposable utensils for convenience. He had no idea what a dinner plate cost in a regular store, but Zack seemed enamored with a collection that looked like someone had dropped royal blue paint in the center of the dish and created a splatter pattern out toward the edges.

After going through each stack to check for scrapes, Zack bought four dinner plates, four smaller plates, and four soup bowls. When Nat asked about the matching mugs, he replied, “Nah, I’ve got my favorite coffee mugs at home.”

Zack asked his opinion on which glass tumblers he liked best. “Don’t you have this stuff?” Nat asked.

“Sure, but it’s plain stuff Chase bought as a set when he remodeled the suite. I use it because it’s there, but this stuff has color. It has personality. I never really thought to bring color into the place before.” His gentle smile turned Nat’s heart over in a strange, new way. An affectionate way that allowed Nat to hope some of that color had to do with bringing Nat into the home, too.

They spent close to an hour wandering the aisles, playing with some of the items in the toy section, admiring the odd knickknacks on décor shelves, and even comparing some of the cleaning products to the organic stuff Zack was used to buying at steep prices. The cart was full by the time they reached the check-out, but Nat made sure none of his stuff sneaked over into Zack’s pile.

Once they had their purchases stowed in Zack’s trunk, Zack checked his phone. “We’ve got about an hour before you need to be back home. Are you hungry for an early lunch? Or would you rather swing by the nearest wireless store and get a basic cell phone?”

Nat nearly dropped the bottled soda he’d kept out for himself to drink. “Um, I can’t afford a phone yet.” Especially not after what he’d just spent.

“I know, but we can add the difference to your tab. Or apply it to whatever Chase thinks is fair to pay you for your services today.”

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