BEACH HAUS: A SHIPHAUS SUMMER AU ☀ ADAM: THE BANK ROLLER
Bruce meets Kovic around a bonfire. He’s the only one wearing sunglasses at night. Bruce’s stomach does something unpleasant as he watches Joel kiss him hello. But they don’t tangle together, and Joel is back to his side quickly, a hand slipping into Bruce’s back pocket. They trade introductions.
Even though it’s muggy, the fire feels good. Kovic tips his head back, taking a deep draw from a bottle in a paper bag before passing it to a kid in a baseball cap. Bruce would bet real American dollars that neither of them is old enough to drink.
“Do you like ‘Jaws,’ Bruce?”
A few of the people around the bonfire groan at Kovic’s question, and Bruce feels like he’s about to be set up as the butt of a joke.
“What, the Spielberg movie?” Bruce asks, wary. Kovic nods. “Fuck yeah I like ‘Jaws.’”
Joel instantly throws his hands up in the air and shakes his head, raising his eyebrows at Bruce. Bruce has no idea what his misstep has been, but Kovic is barking out a laugh and digging car keys out of his pocket.
“It’s settled,” Kovic says, tossing the keys to Joel.
“Goddamn it Adam, how many times do we have to watch ‘Jaws’ every summer?”
“First of all, it’s an important tradition,” Kovic says, leading them away from the fire. The kid in the baseball cap breaks off from the group and follows a few paces behind. “And second, it’s my TV.”
“Your mom’s TV maybe,” the kid behind Bruce says.
“Yes, thank you, Spoole,” Joel says, exasperated. Bruce can tell that the three of them have tread the argument at least a hundred times over.
“If you’re going to be pedantic then nobody gets to come over,” Kovic says.
