Deviation Actions
Literature Text
February - "You’re my little valentine"
This was it. This was the moment Hamish Haddock's life was destined to change. Blue eyes watched expectantly as teeth gingerly sank into pastry.
Hamish's face morphed from tentative consideration to satisfaction, and he echoed his verdict in a "Mmmmmm" which verged on the pornographic.
Jackson Overland broke into a broad smile. "Good, isn't it?"
"Where have these been all my life?" Hamish asked as he wiped away the remaining crumbs of shortbread.
"Just a car journey away from little old Berk." His boyfriend joked. The white-haired man extracted one of the shortbread raspberry hearts they'd just bought and sank his own teeth into the treat.
They'd started their Valentine's Day date in DePasquale Square in Federal Hill. They'd exchanged cards and a present with each other (Jack had gotten Hamish a cyptex-inspired USB flash drive, Hamish had bought him a bunch of booster packs for his Cards Against Humanity deck) on the rim of the fountain in the lower half of the cobbled square.
Following the exchange, the white-haired man had introduced the other man to Pastiche, an independently-run cafe and bakery that was hidden on the square's north-eastern corner.
Hamish chuckled. "I don't even own a car."
Jack mulled over the point. "Theeeen you'll just have to start walking faster." Hamish looked less than impressed with his companion's suggestion. "We can start now!"
"Hey... Hey!" Hamish protested as Jack suddenly took off toward Dean Street. "A little consideration for the mobility-impaired!"
"You adorable little liar! Don't think I've forgotten how quickly you can run when someone's hitting me with a protest sign!"
Hamish gave a theatrical sigh as he increased his pace to chase after his boyfriend. "It was worth a try!"
The two young men had chased each other until they'd reached the River Walk on the southern bank of the Woonasquatucket River, having burned through their stockpile of energy, Jack and Hamish settled into a relaxed amble.
A comfortable silence, brought on by the exertion carried them along until they approached the basin that formed the centrepiece of WaterPlace Park.
"This is one of my favourite places in the city, probably even more than the ice rink. There isn't much to see now because the weather's still too cold... But I want to take you to see WaterFire when it starts up again in April."
"Water fire?"
Jack nodded. "Yeah, it's a bunch of events they run in the park from spring to early winter, like performance art and festivals that they hold here in the park. It's usually free to attend, and there's usually a good cause... But the thing about it is they light all these... these..."
"Braziers?" Hamish offered.
"Yeah! They light these blaziers all along the water. There's a big circle here, see?" Jack pointed out towards the water; Hamish could make out a series of metal baskets that stood above the surface of the river. "And there's more going along the river... it turns right and goes along the side of the Memorial Park on South Main Street."
"Neat." Hamish grinned.
"You really need to see it, I'm not doing it any justice, trust me."
"I do want to see it." The green-eyed man nodded, Jack smiled at his companion's enthusiasm.
"I should've invited you to see it last year; I don't know why I didn't think of it sooner!"
Hamish slipped his hand into Jack's. He favoured the white-haired man with a fond smile. "Hey, you've thought about it now, so it's something we can look forward to."
"Yeah." Jack grinned. He turned his attention back to the park. "I know I said there isn't much going on here now, but there is something we can watch for free... But we need to get some good seats for it."
Hamish followed attentively as Jack led him northwards around the curve of the river basin and up a short flight of steps. They crossed a metal footbridge that spanned the width of the Woonasquatucket.
As the couple walked, Hamish trailed his eyes across the park as it unveiled itself. On the north-eastern corner a collection of modern glass-and-metal apartment complexes rose to dominate the local skyline. Directly ahead of them lay a building with a clock tower, which billed itself as the WaterPlace Restaurant. Beyond the restaurant to the north was a hill which, according to Jack, led more-or-less straight to the Rhode Island State House (the building's dome was sadly obscured by the crest of the hill).
To the west, the sprawling mass of the Providence Place shopping mall stretched from one side of the Woonasquatucket River to the other, and rubbed shoulders with the IGTC Center on the southern bank.
To the south lay Downtown Providence, the notable structures of that part of the skyline included the Art Deco Superman Building, the historic Providence Biltmore, its roofline aglow with neon signage, and the modern peaked roof of One West Exchange.
Jack was buzzing with enthusiasm and impatience as he hurried Hamish towards the concrete seating of the park amphitheatre. The makeshift benches were freezing, but the developing view made the conditions worth it.
As soon as they were settled, Jack dragged his messenger bag into his lap and proceeded to extract a few items from it. In addition to the bag of remaining shortbread raspberry hearts, he'd also procured some Valentine chocolate pound cake from the bakery, and a thermos full of hot chocolate he'd poured back at his apartment.
"You're going to give me cavities." Hamish quipped with a lop-sided smirk.
Jack made a dismissive noise. "Only from how sweet I am. I've followed most of Anna's advice to the letter, and I've not had anything to worry about from my trips to the dentist."
"'Most'?" The other man quoted in query.
"Well..." Jack shrugged sheepishly. "I am a red-blooded man... I like chocolate too much to give it up completely."
"Uh-huh." Hamish playfully rolled his eyes.
"Which is why I packed a Plan B." He retorted, and dug out a bottle of Fanta Zero.
His companion was suitably placated. "Nice." Hamish accepted the bottle and cracked the cap. Beside him, Jack unscrewed the thermos and poured himself some hot chocolate.
"I never get tired of watching the sunset here, though it's better when it's longer in the summer." Jack stated wistfully. Before them, the sunset had turned the sky into an inferno, setting the buildings of the skyline aflame with refracted light.
The spectacle was over as quickly as it had begun, and Hamish noticed the wistful look in Jack's eye. He shifted to sit a little closer to the blue-eyed man, and Jack nudged him back in amiable companionship.
They drank and ate for a short while, but the darkening sky, and the flaring of the lampposts and footpath lights around the park made it clear that their picnic would have to end soon.
Jack packed the drinks and food away into his messenger bag. They both rose from their concrete seat, and Hamish gave his backside a warming rub. "I think if it was any colder, I'd be looking at frostbite."
"Hah." Jack chuckled and shook his head. His amusement softened into a fond look. "How are you feeling? Want to head back?"
Hamish shook his head. "I think I've got a few more hours in me, though maybe we could go somewhere a bit warmer for a while?"
"I think I know just the place, how about some arcade game action?"
Hamish grinned at the idea. "Sounds amazing."
Jack grinned back. "There's this place in the shopping mall over there..." He pointed towards Providence Place. "It's called Dave & Buster's, and I think you'll love it."
"Lead on, my little valentine." Hamish encouraged.
January - March - April - May - June - July - August - September - October - November - December
Inspired by Neil Sedaka's Calendar Girl, and Dee Dee Sharp's Calendar Boy cover - each chapter's plot is prompted by the lyrics of the songs (with some creative interpretation for a couple of the months).