Page 23 of Fortress
Toby frowned. “But you get those all the time. That’s not enough for Christmas. What do you usually get?”
And Jake had to laugh, even as he cut his gaze away. Ammo, half a bottle of bourbon, and his dad’s arm around him as they stumbled, trashed, out of the bar at closing, followed by a greasy diner breakfast in the dreary light of dawn, across from the man who had been his whole world since he was four, with absolutely no idea that it was the last time—that was what he’d gotten last year, and it was nothing Toby needed to know about.
Toby took a careful breath. “Okay, well—what do you want for our Christmas?”
Jake shook his head. “Seriously, Toby—okay, look. There’s that outdoorsy backpacking store close to here, right?Bet they sell those nice double-lined fleece socks that feel fucking awesome. You can get me some of those, how’s that?”
Toby stared at him, then at Jake’s well-worn, scuffed boots, which maybe had the sole peeling away on one side, but they were still otherwise solid and comfortable as hell. “You want socks?”
“Yep.Socks and you on Christmas morning, I’ll have everything I need.”
Toby studied him. “Are you getting me socks for Christmas?”
Jake snorted. “C’mon, Toby, you don’t think you need a pair of the awesome socks too?”
“But is thatallyou’re getting me?”
Jake shrugged defensively. “There may be a couple other things, sure. I’m playing catch-up, right, for all the Christmases we missed? It’s only fair.”
“No, it’s not fair,” Toby returned hotly. “I didn’t get you anything for earlier Christmases either. It’s not fair unless we give each other an equal number of presents.”
“Fine, fine.” Jake held up his hands in surrender. “Let’s call it even at three, all right? Three presents each. That can be three pairs of socks, three kisses, whatever you want.”
Toby sat back and smiled like the Cheshire cat. “I already got you something.”
Jake’s brow furrowed. “You did? When?”
“A few weeks ago.”
Jake eyed him before draining the last of his hot chocolate. “Figures you’d have a head start with this too. You ready to jet? We got a Christmas tree to plant in our living room.”
Early the next day, they went back to Pearl Street for Christmas shopping. Jake said it would only get worse later in the day, so they should go now, a fast and hard surgical strike, like pulling a bad tooth. But he was only talking about the crowds, and Tobias was certain he would be able to manage them. He had a cell phone in case he and Jake were separated, they were avoiding malls and anywhere with unnecessary chainsaw activity, and besides, he was on amission. The same mission as everyone else in the stores. Tobias was buying presents for someone he loved, so for once, he was no different from any of them.
Jake wanted to hit the bookstore first, which was great since the backpacking store was just a few stores down. Then he dawdled a long minute outside, which confused Tobias until he remembered that presents should be asurprise, told him he’d meet Jake back there in half an hour, and stepped away. He didn’t turn his back until he saw Jake grin, duck his head in acknowledgment, and disappear into the bookstore, a moment before a large group of shoppers moved between them.
The backpacking store was abuzz with activity, employees and customers pressing through the aisles, hurrying without breaking into a run, and products scattered here and there on the floor where someone seemed to have rifled through them before rushing off. No one noticed Tobias, and that was how he liked it best. There was safety in invisibility, and it didn’t take him long to find a wall of socks and locate the double-lined fleece kind he was pretty sure Jake had meant. He took down a few pairs, rubbing the incredible softness between his fingers.
That had been easy. Almost too easy. He had the socks now and the compass necklace wrapped in his duffel at the apartment, but that didn’t seem like enough. They were small, pitiful presents for Christmas.For Jake. Especially considering everything Jake had given him over the last five months: clothes and food and books, anything Tobias had looked at even a few seconds too long.
Strawberries, national parks, the beach.A whole world outside of Freak Camp.
Tobias shivered involuntarily, and his gaze fell on a raised island that showcased different types of hiking boots. He stepped forward and ran his thumb over the leather brim of one shoe, feeling the supple leather.
“Can I help you?”
Tobias turned to see a young salesman smiling inquisitively at him. He looked back at the boot and thought again of Jake’scracked and peeling boots, the way he had lingered over the shoe selection in the last thrift store before shrugging and turning away with a dismissivenothin’ in my size, mostly crap anyway.
“Yes,” Tobias said finally. “Yes, please.”
When he met Jake outside the bookshop, he kept the large bag behind his back, feeling both exultant and anxious. Jake had his own suspiciously large bag on his wrist, and as he pushed off the wall to peer at what he’d bought, Tobias twisted away.
“It’s secret, right?” he said, a little breathlessly. “You can’t look. We have to wrap them too.”
Amused, Jake gave up trying to get a better look at Tobias’s bag. “The whole nine yards, sure.You got it, Toby.”
They stopped for wrapping paper and gift bags at the same dollar store where they’d gotten their decorations, and Jake took his bags to the bedroom while Tobias stayed in the living room, making his best guess at how wrapping paper worked. Jake had picked up gift bags, freely admitting to being clueless at wrapping.
Once all the presents were under the tree, including Janet’s cookie tins (Tobias had taken the cookies out and put them in Tupperware, but he’d wanted the ribbon-wrapped tins, their first present, under the tree with the rest), they took a minute just to look at their brightly decorated tree and the trove of presents underneath, multicolored lights flashing off the smooth sheen of cellophane and tissue paper.
