Chapter 4: Bear Bash
September 7. Rook is naked, which isn’t anything unusual. A heat wave circulates over the city, swirling the humidity, sweat, and near-end summertime stagnant air. He stands at the kitchen counter with his ankles crossed, looking adorable in his bear buff while he drinks a bottle of beer. I’m perpendicular to him, seated at my Ikea desk where I read and grade my students’ essays. A box of invitations and a pen draw my attention. Between swigs of his beer, my partner says, “What are you up to?”
“I’m thinking of having a bear bash,” I reply, reaching for the pen.
“Okay, I’ll bite, what’s a bear bash?”
I smile from ear to ear, see that he’s very intrigued, and say, “It’s an orgy between bears. You and I can be the hosts.”
He laughs at me, wide grin and all. The massi
