Something Like Thunder (43 page)

Kelly thought about this. “I figure everyone is messed up in some way. It’s impossible to get through life without going a little crazy, right?”

“Some are nuttier than others, but yes.”

“In that case I fit right in, so yeah, I’m okay.”

They sat under the tree, content with silence as the sun climbed high above. Eventually Nathaniel’s stomach growled, so he suggested they head back to his place. Zero needed to be fed, and since that involved cooking, eating there before getting back to work was most practical. Kelly seemed a little too excited by the invitation—less so when they arrived at Nathaniel’s apartment and Zero knocked him down. Regardless, he spent most of the time asking Nathaniel about himself.

As flattering as that was, Nathaniel firmly drew a line, not wanting to discuss the past. He resisted the urge to lecture Kelly on why he refused to date. Once they got to know each other, Kelly would reach the obvious conclusions on his own. Eventually. For now he was still eager to please, seeing potential in Nathaniel that wasn’t truly there. He even insisted on doing dishes. Nathaniel was too tired to argue, the food having made him groggy, so he stretched out on the couch with Zero and only meant to rest his eyes briefly. He ended up falling asleep. When he woke, Kelly was sitting at the dining room table waiting for him. Embarrassing, but Nathaniel’s nose soon informed him of the good news. “Do I smell coffee?”

“Coming up!” Kelly said, rising. “If you’re tired we can call it a day.”

“Nope.” Nathaniel shoved Zero until he slid off the couch with a grumble. Then he sat up. “We have to hit the pool before it gets dark.”

“The pool?”

“Yeah. Marcello wants a swimsuit shoot. He didn’t tell you that?”

Kelly poured coffee into a mug. “No. I don’t have a swimsuit.”

Nathaniel sighed. “That was probably intentional. How do you feel about nude photography?”

The steady trickle of coffee became a splash, Kelly swearing a second later and scurrying to find a rag. When he brought the mug into the living room, he set it down on the coffee table and stared at Nathaniel. “Nobody said anything about nude photography.”

Nathaniel resisted a grin. “Comes with the territory. It’s no big deal. You don’t need to get hard or anything.”

“Hard?” Kelly repeated.

“Yeah. A boner. Unless you want to, of course. It does pay extra.”

Kelly’s jaw dropped.

“I’m fucking with you,” Nathaniel said, tossing one of the couch pillows at him.

Kelly deflected it easily, already glaring. “Give me that coffee back. I forgot to put rat poison in it.”

“I’d still drink it for the caffeine.” Nathaniel took the mug and demonstrated. “Seriously though, Marcello wants some typical poolside photos, and it’ll look awkward if you’re fully dressed. We can hit the mall on the way, pick out a few swimsuits you like. Deal?”

Kelly nodded. After a few more sips, Nathaniel decided to bring the coffee along, leaving immediately to take advantage of the remaining daylight and heat. They drove to the nearest mall, ducking in and out of stores, but Kelly seemed hesitant about the available options. Was he insecure about his body? If so, he had chosen the wrong profession. The quest for the ultimate swimsuit dragged on. They were walking through the mall when Kelly nodded toward the food court.

“My ex-boyfriend used to work at the juice place over there,” he said. “He was one of the waiters at the charity ball that night. That’s who I was trying to get to.”

“Really?” Nathaniel said, playing dumb. “What was his name?”

“William.”

He rubbed his chin theatrically. “Yeah, I definitely remember him.”

“Really?”

Nathaniel nodded. “He did a terrible job.”

Kelly smiled a little. “Seriously?”

“Yup. In fact, I wish he still worked here. I wouldn’t mind getting back at him. We could make him jealous.”

“How?” Kelly asked.

“By ordering a banana daiquiri with extra whipped cream.”

“I’m not sure that would do it.”

“When he put the drink on the counter,” Nathaniel continued, “I’d take off the lid, set aside the straw, and dip my finger in it. Then I’d let you lick it clean.”

“That doesn’t sound sanitary,” Kelly replied, but now he was grinning.

Nathaniel was flirting shamelessly, hoping to bolster Kelly’s confidence. It must have worked, because at the next store he actually considered the swimsuits instead of dismissing them outright. Unfortunately, what he ended up selecting wasn’t very inspiring.

“What do you think?” Kelly asked, holding up a pair of long swim trunks.

“I was thinking these,” Nathaniel countered, showing him a much skimpier pair.

“Is that a thong?”

“Speedos. They’ll show off your body, which is the whole point of a pool shoot. You aren’t there to enjoy the water.”

Before Kelly could reply, a sales clerk walked up, his big watery eyes looking them over, lingering on the crutches. The top of his round head was mostly bald, the trimmed beard compensating on the opposite hemisphere. “Can I help you with something?”

“We found what we need,” Nathaniel said. “He’s going to try these on. Right?”

Kelly sighed and nodded. “Fine.”

“The dressing rooms are over there,” the clerk said, pointing to curtained doorways on the far wall. “Do you need any assistance?”

“Nope,” Kelly said, already heading there. “Thanks.”

All three dressing rooms were occupied. While they waited, Kelly kept considering the skimpy swimsuit and making an unhappy expression.

“Worried about filling it out?” Nathaniel teased.

Kelly raised an eyebrow. “No.”

Finally one of the curtains opened and a man exited, leaving behind pairs of crumpled jeans on the floor.

“Oh, excuse me,” the clerk said, reappearing. He swooped into the small space and gathered up the pile of jeans. Then he stood just outside the door and smiled. “There you go! Wouldn’t want you to trip and fall.”

“Thanks,” Kelly said tersely, heading inside.

The sales clerk grabbed the curtain and held it open. “Are you going to be okay?”

Kelly’s eyes narrowed slightly. “I’ll manage.”

“There are courtesy wheelchairs in the customer service center downstairs,” the clerk said. “If you wait, I can fetch one for you.”

Kelly looked at the corner of the dressing room, where a small bench was attached to the wall. Then he returned his attention to the clerk, his lips curling into a smile, but one unlike any Nathaniel had seen so far. Kelly resembled a viper. “What’s wrong with the seat in here? Do you think it needs wheels? Would that somehow make it easier to try on clothes?”

“No, but it’s not a very big seat. I was telling my manager last week that there should be handicapped dressing rooms, just like there are restrooms. Nice and spacious with some bars on the wall and…” The man trailed off, misunderstanding Kelly’s impatient expression. “Sorry. Should I run and get that wheelchair?”

“I’d rather you get a lobotomy, but there’s no point. If you had even half a brain, you’d realize how offensive you’re being.”

“Offensive?” The clerk blinked a few times. “I was thinking of your convenience!”

“You were thinking that all crippled people belong in wheelchairs. Do I look like I have trouble getting around?”

The clerk set his jaw. “I was only trying to help!”

“If you want to help me,” Kelly said, “you can promise not to reproduce. If you ever find someone stupid enough to mate with you,
please
, for the sake of mankind’s future, don’t do it.”

“You’re very rude!”

“And violent, so you might want to leave before I put the one foot I’ve got halfway up your ass.”

The clerk spun around to face Nathaniel, but if he was seeking sympathy, he had chosen the wrong guy. A moment later he stomped toward the registers, cheeks red.

“That was harsh,” Nathaniel said, leaning against the doorway. “I like your style.”

Kelly batted his eyelashes innocently. “Just my little way of making the world a brighter place.”

“You get stuff like that a lot?”

“Yes. Mostly from kids. One asked me the other day if I was a pirate.”

“Did you bite his head off too?”

“No. Children are too young to know better, and frankly, there are worse things than being compared to a pirate. I might even dress up as one for Halloween. Speaking of which.” He held up the swimsuits and shook them.

“Oh.” Nathaniel grabbed the curtain, just as the clerk had. “I’m here if you need me. Just in case you fall or something.”

“Asshole,” Kelly said with a chuckle.

Nathaniel grinned and shut the curtain. He waited for it to open again, expecting Kelly to demonstrate how he looked in each swimsuit. Instead, after much rustling of fabric and a barely audible sigh, the curtain was pushed aside, revealing the same outfit as before.

“Maybe a pair of jeans,” Kelly suggested hurriedly. “They can be tight. I know a brand that looks good on me. The photos will still be sexy. I can make them work, you’ll see.”

“Okay,” Nathaniel said.

They went to a different store. Kelly knew exactly what he wanted. He was confident enough to buy them right away, asking the clerk to cut off the tags. Then he went to the dressing room to change so the jeans would loosen up before the shoot. Nathaniel had to admit they looked good. They showed off Kelly’s package nicely, but it still wasn’t the assignment they had been given. He was tempted to remind Kelly of this, but he’d grown quiet and reserved, confirming Nathaniel’s suspicions: The guy had body issues.

They drove in silence to Marcello’s home, which of course had a sprawling patio and a large private pool. This location had been used for numerous photo shoots, Nathaniel grateful that using it didn’t require the usual paperwork or special arrangements. Just a certified lifeguard for insurance reasons. Today they would go without.

“Feels weird being back here,” Kelly said as they wound their way through one of the living rooms. “At the time I didn’t understand that someone actually lived here. Jesus! Is that a Ming vase?”

“If it’s got cookie crumbs in it, yes.”

“What?”

Nathaniel shrugged. “Marcello told me once he keeps cookies in his Ming. I always imagined it would be in the kitchen. Or next to his bed.”

When they stepped out onto the patio, the sun was growing orange as it descended toward the horizon. Marcello’s home was built on top of a hill, affording an impressive view of the city. This was useful in terms of light, since the trees were too low to cast interfering shadows, but they needed to act quickly.

“We don’t have much time,” Nathaniel said, unpacking the camera.

He worried that Kelly would need to be coaxed out of his shirt, but when he looked up, it was being stripped off. He raised the camera, snapping a few photos. Then he lowered it again, because Kelly had a nice body. Slender. A runner’s build, even now. Arms ropey with muscle, tight pecs, and of course, those abs.

“This light won’t last,” Kelly said, lowering himself onto a lawn chair to remove his sock and shoe. “Keep snapping photos. You might get something good. Or maybe Marcello has a foot fetish.”

“He has every fetish,” Nathaniel said, raising the camera again. “He collects them.”

Once down to his jeans, Kelly stretched out on the lawn furniture, but he wasn’t being lazy. He had good instinct for body posture and his position relative to the camera, especially considering that yesterday was his first day in the studio.

“You sure seem to know a lot about cameras and light,” Nathaniel said while taking photos.

“It used to be a hobby of mine.”

“And now?”

“Try holding that camera steady while hopping on one leg.”

Nathaniel didn’t argue. Kelly was mostly stationary, but Nathaniel was ducking and dodging, moving around him to try different angles. He needed his full mobility and couldn’t imagine working like this while trying to balance on crutches. He kept taking photos, appreciating the orange glow on Kelly’s brown skin, but he was distracted by the mostly empty pant leg, which flopped around, getting tangled in an unappealing way.

Nathaniel stopped taking photos. “You like to swim?”

Kelly narrowed his eyes. “What do you think?”

“I’ve seen enough inspirational movies to know that people are capable of anything they put their minds to. I stopped making assumptions after watching
My Left Foot
. So again, do you like to swim?”

“I haven’t really tried since the accident,” Kelly said.

“I just need you in the water,” Nathaniel said. “The shallow end will do.”

“In my jeans?”

“It was your idea.”

Kelly nodded. He stood and moved to the stairs leading into the pool. He waded in, crutches and all, keeping close to the wall. Then he raised them for Nathaniel to take.

“How’s it feel?” he asked, setting aside the crutches.

“Warm,” Kelly said. “Is this pool heated?”