Chapter 9 // returning and new neighbors

Three weeks passed and the routine settled back into place on its own. Morning coffee, traffic, mid-afternoon messages. Raúl noticed something different, even if he couldn't name it: Adrián was coming closer to him. He left his hand on his back as he passed, leaned on his shoulder while watching TV, looked for him in bed even when nothing was going on. As if the four weeks at the beach had taken something off him and what remained underneath was more his.

It was Saturday. Raúl was washing the dishes and managed to hear the truck engine.

—What's that? —Adrián asked from the living room.

—I don't know. A trailer.

They both leaned out the window. Two houses down, a white truck with the ramp down, and two guys loading boxes.

They looked big from there. Big and in a hurry.

—We have neighbors now —Adrián said.

—Yeah.

—Should we go say hi?

Raúl looked at him. Adrián was wearing his Sunday T-shirt, old, with the collar stretched out, and his chest showed when he leaned over to look out the window. He didn't say it, but the idea was already forming in his head.

—Let's go. But bring something.

They found a bottle of wine in the kitchen cabinet that had been there since Christmas. They wiped it with a rag and left.

The two guys were next to the ramp, marking boxes. They straightened up when they saw them coming.

—How's it going? —Raúl said, and held out his hand—. Nice to meet you. We're from two houses down.

The bald guy was the first to react. He wiped his hand on his pants before shaking it.

—Hey, hi guys. I'm Carl.

You had to look up to see him. He was taller than Raúl, broad-shouldered, with his skull shaved down to the skin and a short salt-and-pepper beard shadowing his jaw. His work shirt was open at the neck and his hair showed, thick, brown with gray. His forearms were thick and covered in hair, with marked veins, the kind of arms you get from carrying things every day.

—And he's my husband, Jorsh.

The other one already had his hand out. A little thinner than Carl, but just as tall, with gray hair and a face that moved entirely when he spoke: big nose, fleshy lips, white eyebrows.

—Nice to meet you, what a great pleasure to see friendly faces.

He shook their hands and then gave them a hug, one of those with a pat on the back. Raúl felt the guy's body pressed against his: firm, warm from work.

—I'm Raúl, and he's my boyfriend, Adrián.

—Delighted —Adrián said.

—Likewise, young men —Jorsh answered, and put his hand on his shoulder a second too long—. It's good there's another couple around here.

—Welcome to the neighborhood —Adrián said, and handed him the wine—. A small detail.

Jorsh took it with both hands, as if it were something important.

—No, well, thank you very much. What a great detail. And from young people, to...