the anatomy of love [BxB] COMPLETED

4

At 8 p.m. on Saturday, Jackson meets Theo outside the library and takes him to downtown Eugene. There's a nice Irish pub on 4th street, coincidentally very close to the theater that he took Robin to yesterday. Theo's not old enough to drink, but they can sit at the tables in the back and have a bite to eat.

"So, Theo, what are you majoring in?" Jackson asks as they settle in their seats. Theo drinks a sip of water, then shrugs.

"Literature," he says, emphasizing each syllable.

"What's your favorite book?"

"L'étranger. Camus."

"Ah. I remember reading that as a senior in high school." Jackson tilts his head and studies Theo's face, all crookedness and sharp angles. He feels like this information is valuable somehow. The Stranger by Camus. "So you like existential thought."

Theo looks confused for a moment, then understanding dawns on him. "Existentialisme. I like, yes. Makes me feel... alone."

"And you like that? To feel alone?"

"If I know we are all alone, then we all have one thing in common, no?"

Jackson finds it somewhat depressing, but he doesn't tell Theo that. A waitress approaches their table. Jackson orders a cheeseburger and Theo asks for the same. Jackson holds back on a beer so Theo doesn't feel left out.

"So you like to be alone, but you came with me. Why?" Jackson asks, making a gamble because he doesn't know where Theo's head is at yet.

Theo narrows his eyes, as if searching for something. He settles on a frown, then: "Why not?"

Jackson shrugs. Theo's a man of few words, clearly.

After they finish their burgers Jackson takes them through downtown, walking along Main street where cute shops with pastel store fronts line the sidewalks. They walk in silence for half a mile before Theo speaks.

"Can you get alcohol?"

"Yes."

They go buy alcohol. Some beer and a bottle of vodka. Jackson didn't want to spend too much money, so the alcohol was cheap and he'll definitely feel it in the morning. It's Sunday tomorrow, though, so it doesn't matter.

"I know a place," Theo says. It's the first time he's initiated anything and in his surprise Jackson let Theo drag him across town.

Soon Jackson realizes where they are heading. The abandoned railroad tracks near the edge of the city. He went there once before with Caleb when they were still exploring Eugene during Sophomore year.

"Do you come here a lot?" Jackson asks while passing him a can of beer. Theo cracks it open and takes a long swig. He licks his lips.

"Once."

"You don't talk a lot," Jackson observes. He takes a sip of his own beer. It's a little too sweet, but it'll do the trick.

"I talk more in French. Harder in English." Theo empties the rest of the can in one steady gulp and drops it on the ground before crushing it with his heel. The weak metal crunches against the cement, folding into a lumpy disk. Theo picks it up and throws it across the train tracks like a frisbee. A small smile plays at the corners of his mouth as he watches it fly and disappear on the other side.

"Fair enough," Jackson says, watching as Theo pulls out a pack of cigarettes and lights one. He gestures to Jackson, and he declines, never having liked the taste.

Theo has an odd look about him. Just by his features Jackson can tell he's foreign. His mouth has been trained around different syllables, and his eyes have absorbed other landscapes. Even his clothes, blacks and dark grays, do not match the crowds of Americans at school. There's an air about him that feels untouchable, like the ghosts of history on the cobblestone streets of Paris. The only hint Jackson can taste of this other world is the occasional smell of smoke from Theo's cigarette.