Page 9 of We May Be Fractured
The glare Luzanne gave him cut off any further remarks.
Ria jumped in. “Don’t forget I’m pan.”
“Oh, right,” Nyle commented, not too convinced. “Doesn’t count if you keep dating only cishet men.”
“You’re one to talk about inclusivity. Who I am isn’t about who I date,” she teased in a friendly tone as if they’d had this conversation many times. “Guess I’m used to being excluded from any community.”
The Beer Guy, with a casual tilt of his can, joined the conversation. “Why do kids nowadays feel the need for all of these fancy labels? Seriously, the LGBTQ-plus acronym’s getting as long as my niece’s Christmas list—endless and full of stuff I’ve never even heard of.”
Ria shot him a sharp look. “Edging on being a hater, Fell?”
“Far from it,” Fell defended, holding up his beer as a peace offering. “Just saying. Sometimes, less is more, you know?”
Nyle chuckled and nodded. “He’s got a point. I’m two hundred percent gay. Totally into dudes. Easy-peasy.”
Maeve nudged his arm. “Count me in on the easy-peasy-label club. I’m straight and all about dudes.”
“And I’m all about the ladies,” Fell chimed in, raising his can with a grin.
Cliff agreed with a clink of his drink, and the two shared a silent cheers .
“What about you?” Nyle asked, looking directly at Aaron. “Playing for a particular team?”
Aaron shifted uncomfortably, avoiding eye contact. He didn’t hide his sexuality, but even after figuring things out, he felt like a player perpetually benched, never truly part of the team. “Why does it matter?”
“Oh, oh, oh .” Nyle winked. “No pressure. But just know you’re among friends.”
“More like strangers. I’ve only known you all for a day.”
Nyle clapped his hands. “Perfect time for a ‘Rapid-Fire Questions’ game to spice things up.”
Everyone nodded and cheered in agreement.
And just like that, Aaron picked up some fun facts about the others: Nyle was a fashion design dropout, Maeve grew up as the only girl among six brothers, Fell had an encyclopaedic knowledge of classic rock, and Ria boasted a collection of six different Blue Peter badges.
Then it was Ria’s turn to ask a question. “What’s one place you’ve always wanted to visit but never have?’”
“Point Nemo,” Aaron replied. He enjoyed the puzzled looks that followed, quite satisfied with his cheeky answer.
Nyle furrowed his brow. “What?”
Aaron wasn’t surprised Nyle didn’t know about Point Nemo. It wasn’t exactly common knowledge, and he liked knowing something others didn’t. Tori had introduced him to it, always sharing cool facts about space, koalas, and geography.
Maeve leaned in. “Most people would say Fiji, Maldives, or maybe New Zealand, and here you are with this imaginary location.”
Nyle looked contemplative. “You’re so much fun, Aaron. Makes me wonder what else you’ve got there.”
“Point Nemo is a real place,” Aaron protested.
Nyle chuckled. “Of course. Named after the cute Disney fish, right?”
Before Aaron could reply, a different voice cut through the air. “No, it’s not after a Disney character. Point Nemo is named for Captain Nemo from Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea .”
Aaron turned his attention to Landon. It was the first time he had heard him speak at all.
His voice, surprisingly deep and measured, had a distinctively posh accent as if he came out from the royal family, perfect for a book narrator or a meditation app.
He had the kind of voice that would be soothing in another context.
But in that moment, it touched Aaron’s skin.
“So, what’s Point Nemo?” Aaron asked, challenging Landon.
The slight arch of Landon’s pierced eyebrow conveyed his disbelief at the question.
“It’s the most remote point in the ocean, farther from land than any other place on Earth.
” He sounded like a living Wikipedia. “Interestingly, when you’re at Point Nemo, you’re closer to astronauts in space than to anyone on land.
No wonder it’s become a space junkyard, where they send old satellites and spacecraft to die. Fascinating, isn’t it?”
Everyone seemed impressed by Landon’s detailed rundown, Aaron included, even though he already knew about Point Nemo.
That place had always fascinated him, more for its closeness to the stars than the sea.
As a kid, he dreamed about escaping there, imagining a portal to a parallel world where, maybe, he’d find the perfect family.
“Well, that was a trip down the Discovery Channel rabbit hole, both enlightening and slightly creepy. Thanks for that,” Nyle said with heavy sarcasm. Then, he turned to Aaron. “Come on. Isn’t there a more touristy spot you’d want to visit?”
“Australia,” he murmured, fiddling with the pendant around his neck. “I’m planning to move to Sydney in a few months.”
A few comments followed from the TV series enthusiasts, as they had visited Sydney and were full of advice to dispense. Aaron listened with little interest but pretended to be grateful for the suggestions.
“Since you’ve joined us, Landon”—Ria sent him a curious smile—“what’s your place, then? The one you’ve never been to but always wanted to go?”
Landon’s gaze drifted off for a moment. “Riverdreams Wonderland.”
Nyle’s eyes lit up. “Oh, the theme park? I loved their massive rainbow candy floss!”
Luzanne rolled her eyes. “Really, Nyle? The highlight was the haunted house.”
“Yeah, it was brilliantly creepy,” Fell added. “It’s a shame the park didn’t last.”
Nyle nodded. “Lanny’s still gutted because he’d saved all his pocket money for it, but it shut just the day before he could go. What a bummer.”
Landon winced at the nickname but didn’t say anything.
Aaron remembered the buzz when Riverdreams Wonderland opened.
He was thirteen at the time, and like many, he dreamed of going there.
But, like Landon, he never had the chance and ended up with only second-hand tales of its wonders.
Now, all that remained were the derelict structures along the Thames, a playground for daredevils.
“Still, that’s not a proper place, either, but at least it is reachable.” Nyle glanced at Aaron. “Let’s move on to less ambiguous questions. Favourite colour?”
This time there was no need to be enigmatic. Aaron answered honestly. “Black.” It was the only colour he was always sure about.
A stifled chuckle sounded from Landon.
“You find that amusing?” Aaron turned sharply towards him. “You haven’t even joined us properly.”
Landon, unfazed, threaded his way between Ria and the Fell. Sitting cross-legged, elbow on his thigh, and chin cradled between fingers, he said, “Black isn’t a colour.” The flatness of his tone mocked Aaron as his earlier chuckle had.
“I’ll take no colour critique from someone wearing all black from head to toe.”
Landon’s intense stare bore into Aaron, an unspoken challenge lingering in the air.
Perhaps sensing the escalating tension, Nyle jumped in. “I’m a fan of all colours. Rainbow’s my favourite.”
“Rainbow isn’t a colour either,” Luzanne pointed out. Then, it was her turn to pose the next question, even though Aaron was next in line. “Let’s spice things up. When and how was your first time?”
Aaron’s irritation spiked, not just at the clichéd question, but because it was supposed to be his turn. “Why’s everyone so obsessed with ‘the first time’ thing? Does anyone even have good memories of all their firsts?”
Luzanne shrugged. “No, but first kisses, first time you have sex—these are kind of a big deal, right?”
Aaron scoffed. “Your firsts were all fireworks and magic, then?”
“Hell, no.” She giggled. “First times are usually awkward messes.”
A collection of “Yeah” and “True that” went around.
“So why are we making such a big deal about them?” Aaron challenged.
“Isn’t it like…the gold standard?” Luzanne said. “Everyone needs to have something to compare to, right?”
“Maybe we’re all just looking at it wrong. Why not rave about our best times instead of the firsts? Think about how cool that’d be.”
Ria came on board, clapping. “Preach, Aaron!”
The others had mixed reactions; some seemed to mull it over while Nyle and Luzanne just wanted to move on.
“Okay, mood killer over here. New game, anyone?” Luzanne proposed.
“Got booze involved?” Nyle asked, lifting his beer can.
“How about ‘Never have I ever’?” Luzanne suggested.
There were some groans, some cheers, but everyone was game. Surprisingly, even Landon, Mr. Too-Cool-for-School-Games, didn’t back down.