Page 39 of Private Exhibit
Devon looked down and was silent for a long moment, but a smile slowly began to form on his face. “Alright,” he whispered.
Andy's chest tightened and a wave of heat crashed through his entire body. He clenched his jaw and pressed his lips together, fighting the urge to grin, then got up and held out his hand.
Devon slowly took it, blushing as he rose to his feet and tested his legs.
Andy inwardly cursed, having to force himself to slowly release the boy. “Feel alright?”
Devon nodded.
“Good.” Andy clenched his hands into fists, released them, then shoved them into his pockets. “Which way?” he asked, then realized he already knew the answer. “Finish your route?”
Devon's eyes widened slightly, and he smiled. “Yeah.”
Andy couldn't stop his grin that time. “After you.”
Devon blushed as he turned, quickly glanced around, and continued in the direction of the hospital.
Andy let out a shuddering breath and followed.
Chapter 15
DEVON HAD to start off slowly. His legs felt unsteady beneath him as waves of relief rushed through his body.
Gods. He'd admitted he was trans, and Andy hadn't run away.
Devon took a deep breath as he steadily regained his rhythm. The pain from his fall wasn't that bad. Gods knew he'd had worse. At least he hadn't broken any bones this time. When they reached a street corner and had to wait for a light to change, Devon took a moment to reassess himself, carefully shifting his legs and flexing his hands. He shook his head. Just a few bruises. That, he could live with.
They crossed the street, and Devon heard Andy breathe a laugh.
“What?” Devon asked, sneaking a glance at him.
Andy shook his head. “I really, really never realized just how much plant life there was in this city. My gods.” He paused at a planter box out in front of a restaurant. “What about these?” he asked, gesturing at the flowers growing there.
“Actually,” Devon said, “I've never been fond of pansies. I'm not even sure why. I mean, the colors are interesting, but…maybe it's the shape? I don't know.” He paused, then gasped and looked ahead. “Where's–” He continued down the sidewalk, Andy right on his heels, and came to a stop in front of a bookstore. “They're still here! Snapdragons. I love snapdragons!” He reached out and gently touched the petals,admiring the variety of colors growing there. “These were my favorite…” Devon paused again, thinking back. “Four jobs ago.”
A heavy silence followed. Devon peeked up at Andy and saw a thoughtful look on the man's face. Then Andy seemed to realize Devon was looking at him and pulled a double-take before chuckling. “Hey, don't look at me. I'm one of those guys who doesn't know anything about flowers beyond buying a girl some roses from time to time.” He paused, then added in barely a whisper, “Or a guy.”
Devon blushed, and his eyes went wide.
Andy whispered something else that Devon couldn't make out, then said, “Show me another favorite.”
“Um.” Devon quickly looked around. “Oh! There's a really pretty willow over by the fishpond in Divinity Square.”
Andy held out his arm, and Devon once again led the way. Divinity Square was one more block over, and just beyond it, University Hospital was already coming into view. They crossed the street and stepped up onto the marble plaza, right in the heart of downtown New Haven.
Divinity Square covered the space of two full city blocks. At one end, marble statues of the gods stood twenty feet tall, arranged in the traditional teardrop shape with The One at the point and the six lesser gods making up the curve. The other end of the Square was dominated by seven starglass Gates, one for each of the other Isles in the world.
The Gates were tall and wide, arranged in a slight semicircle. Each one was framed in gold. The starglass itself was breathtaking, a cosmic substance that, when molded within a gold setting, turned from a solid, glass-like material to something almost liquid. From what Devon had read, the Gates were cast in back-to-back pairs and then magically separated down the middle. Once apart, the two Gates could be placed anywhere in the world, yet still maintain their connection. Aperson could step through one Gate and step out of its partner, wherever it might be.
“Gods, I've always wanted to try one of these,” Devon breathed as they approached.
“We could,” Andy said. He glanced from Gate to Gate, probably reading the labels on them. “Where would you go? Andria? Erostil?”
Devon blushed. Erostil sounded intriguing as hells, from what he'd heard. A voyeur's paradise, where the weather was always warm and most people walked around entirely naked. But other places sounded interesting, too. Ceynes hadn't evolved past a sort of feudal monarchy, which would be like walking through history. Indisar was supposed to be a desert land where everything smelled of spices. And then there was Jadu'n, the land of the magi, where everything supposedly looked like something out of a storybook fantasy and magical creatures abounded. Devon wanted to go there just to see if half the rumors were true.
He paused, eyeing a Gate that was nothing more than an empty frame. “Tanas,” he said with a frown. “What happened to this one? I never did find out.”
Andy crossed his arms over his chest as a slight furrow creased his brow. “It was broken from the other side. The Tanasian government didn't want anybody getting through again.” Andy slowly shook his head. “Fucking Crawford,” he whispered.
