DISCLAIMER: This story is fiction and portrays acts of a homosexual nature. If you are offended by such acts, or you are under the legal age to read such material in your state/country, please leave now.
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¤¤¤ Part Four ¤¤¤
I scratched myself and clambered into the shower. From downstairs, I could hear my Mom in the kitchen listening to a Christian radio station. When I was done in the bathroom, I dressed and went down for breakfast.
"Dad gone already?" I asked.
Mom nodded. "Left about an hour ago. You going to look for a job today?"
I sighed. Moms had this habit of mentioning things you didn't really want to hear. I had a job in a diner until a month ago, but I gave it up to concentrate on finding a better job - with no luck yet! "How was your function last night?" I asked, trying to change the subject. "Are those flowers for you?"
"Oh!" Mom gasped, as though she had just remembered the huge bouquet that sat on the counter. "No, they're for you."
"Me?" I asked, incredulously. "From who?" I reached for the flowers - I'd never been given flowers before, it always seems like such a girly thing.
"Whoever she is, she must have a lot of money. Those flowers look like they cost a small fortune!"
I read the card. Bobby. Thanks for being a good friend. Hope to see you today. Love, Devon x x. "They're from Devon!" I exclaimed.
"Oh," my Mom said. "That was nice of him." Again, no mention of my homosexuality. I'm sure if I told her we actually were a couple, she might be okay about it, but it's the build-up that seems to get her. I don't know.
I couldn't stop smiling. I sniffed the flowers, the wild scents of summer filling my body with a power so beguiling it was overwhelming. I sat down and my Mom placed a glass of fresh orange juice in front of me.
"The newspaper's where it is always kept," she said, kissing my forehead. "Have a look for a job, son. I've got to go to work. Don't touch the lamb - it's for tomorrow."
"Have a good day," I said, reading the card again.
When Mom had gone and I put the flowers in a vase, I picked up the phone and called Devon. "Hey, it's Bobby," I said.
"Bobby! Did you get - ?"
"Yeah, I got them. Thanks, they'll great. You're the first person to send me flowers, you know!"
Devon laughed. "Thought I'd be original. So what are you up to today?"
"Well, I thought we could do something. There's that new movie at the theater. You know, the one with that dude from the other film..."
"Could you be any vaguer?" Devon laughed. "But I can't I'm afraid. I've got this photo shoot for Entertainment Weekly. I know, you can come along!"
"I can?"
"Sure, no one'll mind. Will you? I'd love you to come."
"Well," I said, "seeing as you put it like that, how can I refuse?"
"You can't," Devon said.
¤ ¤ ¤
The blond girl with combs and clips attached to her hair in what appeared to be permanent fixtures, ruffled her fingers through Devon's hair and stepped back, smiling. "Perfect," she said. I thought the same thing.
Devon looked up through his golden locks at the camera and the thin, bearded man said, "Lean forward for me, Devon, just a little more. That's it. Yeah, nice." The camera clicked twice. "Okay, Devon, clasp your hands together. That's perfect. Molly, his hair!" Molly, the blond, jumped forward and flicked a strand of Devon's hair back. Then she darted back out of the way and joined me behind the photographer. Click, click.
"Bobby, was it?" I nodded to her, trying to keep my eyes on Devon, transfixed by his beauty. "I'm Molly. I do the hair. It's important." She leaned close to me as if to confide a secret. "Especially when you have Steven behind the camera!" She laughed.
"Shhh!" Steven the photographer ordered her. She rolled her eyes.
When Devon had finished the shoot, he came over and joined me. We had been there for over two hours now. "Hey," he said. "Sorry it's taken so long."
I was about to tell him not to apologize, that I didn't mind, when suddenly Molly came forward and clung to his arm. "Devon, I'm just going to get a soda. You want anything?"
After a quick glance at me, Devon said, "Sure, a Pepsi would be nice. Bobby?"
I refused. Even though I didn't mind waiting for two hours, I thought now was a good time to leave. Molly said, "I'll be right back." She patted Devon's back and pranced away to the cooler at the other end of the room.
I forced a laugh. Molly was getting me agitated.
"What?" Devon asked.
"You mean you can't see it? She's after you - big time!"
"No way," Devon said. "She's the hair-dresser."
"So? Look at her!" Devon glanced over his shoulder and Molly quickly looked away with a coy smile. "See?" I said. "She hangs on your every word. She couldn't keep her eyes off you all day!"
Devon blushed. "I haven't led her on!" he exclaimed in a quick whisper. "You want to blow this joint?" I smiled, nodded. Devon waved back at Molly. "Never mind, Molly," he shouted. "We're leaving." He grabbed my arm and led me out of the room as Molly had started her approach with a bottle of Pepsi in each hand. Outside, he giggled. "God, that was close! Now what?"
I checked my watch. "I'd like to go to the hospital. Sarah will be wondering why I haven't come yet. You don't have to come, but..." I left the sentence unfinished, hoping he'd finish it for me.
"Okay," Devon said. "Sure, why not?" I smiled at him. He laughed. "Come on!"
¤ ¤ ¤
In the taxi, we sat side by side and I could almost feel the warmth emanating from Devon's body, his left leg pressing gently against my right. I watched the buildings roll by on either side until they gave way to some foliage and open space, before once again the landscape filled with tall white buildings and road signs that proclaimed the whereabouts of the hospital.
Pulling up at the entrance, I paid the taxi and we stepped out into the cool breeze that swirled around the stark building like a guard dog. Devon smiled and nodded off to one side. "Look," he said. "That's the seat where we first met."
I looked at it. A young man and woman sat there, snuggling together, kissing passionately. "You think they've only just met each other, too?" I said.
Devon laughed. "Yeah, it's the seat - it has magical powers! Whoever sits there together become -" He stopped talking. I guess it made him feel a little uncomfortable. Two people sit there together and they automatically become... what? Lovers?
We slipped inside.
When I pushed open the door to Sarah's room, Sarah almost jumped out of her skin. As too did Miguel. "Well!" I said, in a disapproving, matronly kind of way.
"Bobby!" Sarah barked. She adjusted her shirt. Miguel blushed.
"I... ah... um... Yes, well, everything appears to be running smoothly. You'll be out of here in no time. Now, I really must..." Miguel tried to side-step me and leave, but I caught his arm and held him inside.
"So you're a doctor now, are you?" I asked, barely able to suppress a grin.
"Bobby, please..." Mig stammered.
I laughed and let go of him. "Come on, Mig. I'm not a squealer. Anyway, if I did tell someone, Sarah would just kill me! It's our little secret, okay? But you're going to have to be a little more discreet in the future."
Mig visibly relaxed and sighed. "Great!" he said. "If anyone found out I'd lose my job! Honest, I would! It'd be like -"
I cut him off. "Okay, okay, I get the picture. I'm not going to tell." It was then that both Sarah and Mig simultaneously noticed the dashing young man who was standing behind me. Their faces contorted into all kinds of silly shapes before resting somewhere between disbelief and out-right shock. Devon smiled politely. I laughed. "Devon, meet Sarah and Miguel. Sarah, Mig, this is Devon."
Sarah pouted her lips and her lightly freckled forehead knit into a furrowed frown. I imagine she was angry with me for not making her believe I really knew Devon Sawa! Well, eat that, darling! Ha!
After a few stuttering minutes, things finally returned as close to normal as you can get with Sarah in the room. Mig, still blushing violently, made a reasonable excuse and left. "See you later, Mig," Sarah called after him. Mig's blush went from soft crimson to angry red and he disappeared.
Devon and I laughed. "I likes you," Devon told Sarah.
"You think?" Sarah asked innocently. Then she made an attempt at changing the embarrassing subject. Well, it was embarrassing for her! "So what's your latest movie?" she asked.
"Nothing at the minute," Devon told her casually. He appeared to have switched roles from spectator to idol in the flick of a switch. I envied him the role: I would have loved people to ask me about my life, about what new films I was going to star in, when my latest best-selling novel was hitting the stores - would I do a signing? To Lucy, lots of love, Bobby. Of course I will!
Sarah continued talking. "I bet you've been everywhere! I'd love to go traveling. Just get up and go, no ties, that kind of thing. Globe-trotting or trekking or whatever they call it." She shifted herself on the bed to get comfortable. "They drop my leg tomorrow. I can't wait. I might go traveling when I'm better. Of course, I'll still have the cast for a while, and I'll have to walk on crutches for absolutely ages! But I can wait. I will travel. You guys can come too, if you're not busy. If you want. And..."
"And Mig, too?" I asked with a smile.
"Maybe," Sarah said stubbornly. She turned back to Devon. "Have you been to Paris? Of course you have; what am I thinking? You where there for Final Destination. I want to go there. I think Paris is lovely."
"Actually," Devon said slowly, almost reluctant to say, "Final Destination was shot in a studio. They renovated an old street and made it 'Paris'. But I have been there before. I went with my Mom and Stephanie, my sister. It is a nice place." He paused, checked his watch. "Listen, Bobby, Sarah, I really ought to be going. Busy schedule, you know."
We stood. "Will I see you again?" Sarah asked Devon.
"Sure," he smiled genuinely. "When we all go off traveling together!" Sarah smiled back sleepily and turned round onto her side (as much as she could with her leg in the air), and we left.
¤ ¤ ¤
The evening came in crisp and swiftly, the light dwindling like a match burning out. Devon smiled across at me and I returned the smile with a sleepy one of my own. We sat on the bench in my garden, peaceful in the dusk, quietly enjoying each other's company.
"I had a good day," Devon said. "I enjoyed myself. Sarah's nice. I like her."
I nodded. "I enjoyed today, too. It was fun."
Suddenly Devon reached across and took my hand. He smiled again, a broad, handsome grin. "I like you even more. Bobby, I..." He faltered. Started again. "Bobby, don't you just wish life could be completely uncomplicated? I mean, people are always bustling around, doing this, doing that. Always planning for the future, living ahead of themselves. It's like no one cares about the present, you know what I mean?" I nodded. "I want to live for now. I want to forget about the future - whatever happens in the future is in the future; no point worrying about it now, is there?" He shuffled across the bench until his leg was touching mine. Both my hands in his now, he said, "I want us to live for the present, together."
As I smiled, Devon closed the gap between us and his lips met mine with a hungry passion. My mind reeled. Was I delirious? Was Devon actually kissing me again? Finally? Moments later, he broke the kiss, our foreheads resting together. At that moment, I remembered an old Jazz song I had often heard Ella Fitzgerald singing...
Sky was blue and high above
The moon was new and so was love
I laughed.
"What?" Devon questioned.
"Nothing. You're the greatest, you know that?"
"Yeah, sure," he said. "Come on, let's go inside, shall we?" His face suggested everything I had hoped for, the passion, the longing, the love. I nodded, and we rose. Hand in hand, we entered the house and went upstairs to my room. For now, we were concerned only with the present, only with the finite moment at hand. In my room, we hugged, and Devon said, with a smile, "It's hot. I'm going to take some clothes off if that's all right with you."
I shrugged. "Go ahead," I said.
That's the end of Part Four. Email me with any comments you have on this part or any previous parts. Thanks. Part Five will be along soon. I promise.
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