"When did the Civil War start?"
Lucas barely had to think before answering. "April, 1861, with the Confederate attack on Fort Sumter."
"Yep. Ended?"
"Robert E. Lee surrendered on the 9th of April, 1865, but the last of their land was surrendered in June, same year." Again, the answer came easily. Dates were always the hardest, so he'd forced himself to read his notes over until it was a reflex.
"Very impressive." Damien looked up from Lucas' stack of notes.
They were sitting at one of the tables in the empty bakery. The last dregs of evening sunlight trickled through the wide glass window Damien sat beneath, playing across his soft curls, the hard line of his jaw, casting his skin bronze. He had annoyingly good skin. Lucas had a thoroughly-researched skincare routine as well as acne medication, but even though Damien probably just washed his face with bar soap his skin was smooth and unmarked. Life was very unfair.
"Lucas." Damien snapped his fingers in front of Lucas' face, and Lucas was pulled back to reality, blinking. "Lucas, tesoro, snap out of it."
"What?"
"You zoned out. I'm very distracting, I know. It's probably my stunning good looks." Damien gave him a teasing little smile, and Lucas rolled his eyes, though he couldn't suppress a smile. "Can't blame you for being more interested in me than this boring Civil War shit.
Lucas stretched his leg out to nudge Damien's foot under the table. "Shush. The Civil War is actually pretty interesting, you know. All history is. It's like one long, endless story about humanity."
Damien tilted his head to one side, watching Lucas. He didn't seem like he was really listening. "Uh huh."
"It's interesting." Lucas insisted. "Come on, next question."
They'd been there for over half an hour now, Lisa working away at some paperwork in the little office she had tucked away at the back while Damien quizzed Lucas on his US History notes. As the charity gala drew closer, she was getting more and more anxious, snapping at the slightest mistake and being extra strict with her employees, so Lucas and Damien had agreed to be on their best behaviour. Something Damien struggled with. Lucas could understand why Lisa was stressed. This was one of the bakery's first times catering, and such a big event could attract lots of potential clients. Besides, it was for charity, and it would've felt morally wrong to mess up such an important cause. There was obviously something else going on too, but Lisa was a very private person despite her fondness for gossip, and Lucas didn't want to pry.
"Battle of Gettsyburg?" Damien asked, pulling Lucas out of his thoughts.
"July, 1863."
Damien shook his head. "Wrong."
"What?" Lucas immediately sat up in his chair, pushing his glasses up his nose. "Really? Is it June? I'm certain that I got the year right." This was worrying, actually. He couldn't be getting the date wrong of such an important event, he was so sure he'd memorised them all. And if he was forgetting these simple dates, who knew what else he would forget? "It's June, then. June, 1963. Unless it was '64?"
"So you're saying June, 1964?"
"Yes. No." Lucas frowned, racking his brain for the answer. "I don't know?"
Damien only managed to hold the act a second longer, before his serious expression broke into a grin. "Kidding. You got it right the first time."
"I did?" Lucas' look of surprise quickly turned into a frown, and he redirected his legs to try and kick Damien under the table. "You asshole. I have a test tomorrow, you can't do this to me."
"Sorry, sorry." Damien said, grinning as he tried to tuck his legs under his chair, moving them out of Lucas' vengeful reach. "I know you've got a test. But seriously, you're worried over nothing. You know all this shit. Trust me, you don't even look like you think about it before you answer. Like some sort of freaky human encyclopedia."
"You're too kind. Really, I'm flattered. You think I'm a freak human encyclopedia?" Lucas replied sarcastically, but as dumb as they were, Damien's words were comforting.
"You'd be a very sexy freaky human encyclopedia." Damien added, as if that made it better, making a show of looking Lucas up and down.
Lucas burst out laughing, and was just about to respond when Lisa stuck her head through the door to the back.
"Oh, good, you're still here. Studying?"
Lucas nodded, and Damien waved the thick sheaf of notes.
"You too, Damien? I'll be sure to tell your mother. She'll be so pleased." Lisa said, looking a little taken aback by the sight of Damien Castillo with any sort of study material in his hands. "Sorry to interrupt you two scholars," Damien pointed to himself and mouthed the word 'scholar', looking very smug, "but I just remembered I forgot to tell you about your next shift. We won't be here on Friday. Since the gala is in just two weeks, they're going to start setting up the ballroom at The Prince, and I said you two would be happy to help. Is that okay? I'll pay you, of course."
The Prince. That meant seeing Cameron again. Damien seemed to tense. He didn't like Cameron, for whatever reason, but Lucas wouldn't mind seeing him again. In a platonic way, though. Cameron had been nice, and smart, and interesting, but Lucas would've chosen Damien any day of the week. Given Damien's dislike of the boy, he was surprised at his response.
"Sounds good to me. Lucas?"
Lucas nodded, already pulling out his phone to mark it in his calendar. "The same time as our regular shift?"
"Yep, it'll be the same. Thank you both so much." Lisa looked relieved, giving them both a cheery smile before disappearing back to her office.
Damien stood up, handing Lucas his notes and slinging his bag over one shoulder. "Come on. We'll be here all night before you're satisfied. You've got this, yeah?"
"Yeah, maybe." Lucas agreed, sliding the papers into his own bag and standing. Damien's confidence was contagious, especially when he was confident in Lucas.
"Not maybe. You're going to ace it. Now hurry up."
By the time Lucas looked up, Damien was already holding the door, hand on one hip, tapping his foot.
"You've got somewhere to be?"
"Yeah, actually. I'm supposed to be meeting this Victoria's Secret model, and now I'm late. The sacrifices I make, Lucas." But he must have seen something in Lucas' face, some flicker of unease, because he quickly changed tack. "But it's fine. I'll tell her that I had something much more important. The US Civil War called, y'know."
"Idiot." They couldn't do anything out in the open, just in case someone saw, but Lucas really wished he could hold Damien's hand or something. Just to remind himself. "Thanks, though. I know you think all this stuff is really, really boring, so—"
"Don't be stupid." Damien said, flicking Lucas across the back of the head, a gesture he assured Lucas was affectionate. "This is a win-win. You get quizzed on your notes, and I get to actually read some notes. Some good ones, too."
"You don't even have notes?" Lucas was trying to keep the horror out of his voice.
"I don't have my notes. I have someone's, but they're not that great. Also I've only read them like once, sort of, which doesn't help. But now I get your notes, which I'm assuming are genius, and if I test you on them I actually have to read them. I'm the real winner here."
Lucas shook his head. "I can't believe you don't make notes."
"Really? You really can't believe it? Have you met me?"
"Unfortunately, I have."
"I think you meant very, very fortunately. I'm a blessing."
"You're a curse." Lucas wanted to kiss him.
"Wow, is this how you thank a guy who helps you study for hours?"
"It wasn't even one hour, you baby. But thank you." Lucas conceded, smiling up at him because for some reason he couldn't stop. He wanted to kiss him. He wanted to kiss him very, very badly.
"You're very welcome. I'm a good tutor, I know. Better than the one I had, anyway." Damien looked very proud, leaning against the sleek shine of his motorbike, looking at Lucas.
"You had a tutor? What happened to them?"
"He was a dick," Damien said, dismissing the topic with a wave of his hand. "And, as you know, school isn't really my thing. It didn't last long."
That was a shame, Lucas thought. It wasn't as if Damien was actually an idiot, despite what his bitch of an aunt said. He just wasn't very interested, and seemed to struggle with certain areas. He could come up with theses, for example, but not as good at putting his thoughts together into essays. A good tutor might have really helped, and Lucas found he was annoyed at the stranger who'd tutored Damien, for not doing a better job.
"I could help you, if you wanted." Lucas offered. "I'd be happy to. It might be fun."
Damien laughed, shaking his head. "You're sweet, Lukie, but no thanks. No offense, because I know it's your thing, but I sort of hate school stuff. And you don't have time to be tutoring me. You need to be studying to become America's best lawyer or something, right?"
Lucas had mentioned wanting to do law once, when he was pretty sure Damien was only half-listening, so he was surprised and a little pleased to hear he'd remembered.
"Something like that."
"Exactly. I've got to go, said I'd help Ma with dinner because she's having guests." Damien leaned forward slightly, but caught himself, stopping before he got too close. "I really want to kiss you right now, but..." He gestured to the streets around them. "Another time. I've been thinking, the bakery has a pretty big pantry..."
"At work? Damien—"
"Kidding. Sort of." And with that, Damien kicked his bike into gear and took off down the street, at a pace that Lucas wasn't entirely sure complied with the speed limit.
He watched him until he turned the corner, then began to walk home himself. Everything was going to be okay, Lucas told himself. His test would go well, things with Damien would be perfect (or as perfect as something this complicated could be), and he had absolutely nothing to worry about.
***
Damien had been right. Lucas' US History test had gone brilliantly, and he went to lunch in high spirits. The cafeteria was loud, with students screaming and laughing and arguing, accompanied by the clatter of trays and scraping of chairs being pulled out and pushed in. Lucas was thankful for the noise, because it meant their conversation wouldn't be overheard.
"So, are you dating him?" Alex asked, forcing Lucas and Mona to lean in to catch her whisper.
Lucas shrugged. "I don't know. I don't think so. It's not like we agreed on anything concrete, or have an arrangement, and neither of us has said anything to that effect. We're just sort of...together? I think?"
"Hm." Alex tapped her chin thoughtfully. "I mean, one of the girls on crew, a friend of his, mentioned him at rehearsal. She was having a phone call, and I just happened to accidentally catch a word or two..."
She'd eavesdropped. Instead of chiding her, Lucas leaned closer still, unable to stop his curiosity. It wasn't his business, but at that moment he didn't care. Thank God for Alex's nosiness. "Who was she?"
"She's called April. Black girl, works on hair and make up, I think she does cheerleading?"
Lucas nodded. "She's a friend of his."
"Right. Anyway, she seemed to be talking to another friend of hers. She was apologising, because she'd tried to set this friend up with Damien, but apparently he'd said no. Not even for a hook up, which she sounded very surprised about. Because, you know, he's a manwho—"
"Thank you, Alex." Lucas said, cutting in before she could insult Damien. But he was smiling.
"But doesn't this sort of seem like you're exclusive? That's a good sign. Did he tell you that?"
"No, he didn't."
"So you really haven't discussed this at all?" Alex looked incredulous. "I'm impressed, Lucas. Here I thought you'd be drawing up charts and making him sign a contract or have a list of rules, something like that."
"I'm not that bad." Lucas protested, looking to Mona for support. "Tell her I wouldn't do that."
Mona looked at him pensively. "I think you might. You do like colour-coordination. And lists."
"See?" Alex said, triumphant.
"For studying, not for this." Lucas said, rubbing his temples. "Look, I don't want to ruin this by overthinking, or trying to control every aspect, or making him have a long, painful, 'what are we' talk that he doesn't want to have. I don't even think he likes dating, and since he's closeted things need to be different. It's uncharted territory, okay? I have no idea what I'm doing."
Alex reached out to hold his hand, her go-to move when she wasn't able to hug him. "Okay, okay. Sorry. I just know that something this vague might be hard for you, and you're not always good with social stuff to begin with. I want to make sure you're okay. But if you're happy, then we're happy. We just want you to look after yourself, yeah?"
It was sweet, in her usual, overprotective way. "You're as bad as Mark, sometimes. I'm happy, guys. He makes me really happy. And I trust him, even if we don't have all the details sorted. We're taking it slow. Figuring it out."
"Taking it slow?" Alex raised an eyebrow. "Damien Castillo? So he hasn't ever tried to—"
"Nope. We are not having this conversation, not in the middle of school."
"Come on, Lucas. Do you want him to?"
"Not answering that. We're not discussing my sex life."
"Aren't we?" Mona asked. "Alex is trying to."
"I wish she wouldn't."
"So there is a sex life?"
"No." Lucas said, glancing around. He'd be okay with telling them about this sort of thing, maybe at a sleepover late at night, but saying that he wanted Damien Castillo to do all sorts of filthy things to him was not a conversation for the school cafeteria at midday.
"Do you wish there was?"
"Alex. Shut up."