It Started With a Handshake
For the Summer 2013 Challenge at Brokeback Slash
He’d like to think that he felt an electric shock when he first shook hands with Jack Twist, like in those romance novels Alma used to leave lying around the apartment.
But he didn’t.
Looking back after Jack was gone, he figured he hadn’t felt much of anything that first time.
He remembered thinking that Jack was friendly, maybe a bit too friendly. But it was hard to maintain a distance from a man with such an easy open smile.
And the talking! Who could resist that non-stop stream of stories and running commentary about the weather and bitching about the job?
Ennis always kept his head down, but after those first couple of days on Brokeback he started picking his head up to listen to Jack. He could look Jack in the eye, too.
Most people, Ennis didn’t want to look at directly. Afraid they might see somethin’ they didn’t like.
But he never felt that way with Jack. Never felt like Jack was judging him, thinking he wasn’t smart enough or whatever.
Jack just liked him, and he felt his heart unharden every day he was on the receiving end of Jack’s sunny personality.
Maybe he was wrong when he said he didn’t feel much when he shook Jack’s hand, though. Maybe he was lying to himself. He had a bad habit of doing that, lying to himself.
Because he remembered everything about every moment he’d ever spent with Jack. And he remembered sitting in that bar and asking Jack if he could use his lighter.
Even though he had a pack of matches in his pocket.
He’d wanted to feel the brush of Jack’s fingers as they traded the lighter back and forth.
They’d had twenty years, and the last ones hadn’t been all good.
But all the love he’d had in his life, except for his girls, had come from Jack. All the best days.
And it started with a handshake.
He’d like to think that he felt an electric shock when he first shook hands with Jack Twist, like in those romance novels Alma used to leave lying around the apartment.
But he didn’t.
Looking back after Jack was gone, he figured he hadn’t felt much of anything that first time.
He remembered thinking that Jack was friendly, maybe a bit too friendly. But it was hard to maintain a distance from a man with such an easy open smile.
And the talking! Who could resist that non-stop stream of stories and running commentary about the weather and bitching about the job?
Ennis always kept his head down, but after those first couple of days on Brokeback he started picking his head up to listen to Jack. He could look Jack in the eye, too.
Most people, Ennis didn’t want to look at directly. Afraid they might see somethin’ they didn’t like.
But he never felt that way with Jack. Never felt like Jack was judging him, thinking he wasn’t smart enough or whatever.
Jack just liked him, and he felt his heart unharden every day he was on the receiving end of Jack’s sunny personality.
Maybe he was wrong when he said he didn’t feel much when he shook Jack’s hand, though. Maybe he was lying to himself. He had a bad habit of doing that, lying to himself.
Because he remembered everything about every moment he’d ever spent with Jack. And he remembered sitting in that bar and asking Jack if he could use his lighter.
Even though he had a pack of matches in his pocket.
He’d wanted to feel the brush of Jack’s fingers as they traded the lighter back and forth.
They’d had twenty years, and the last ones hadn’t been all good.
But all the love he’d had in his life, except for his girls, had come from Jack. All the best days.
And it started with a handshake.