Kaleidoscope by A. J. Llewellyn

Author:A. J. Llewellyn [Llewellyn, A. J.]
Format: epub
Tags: Gay & Lesbian
ISBN: 9781611241594
Publisher: Amber Quill Press, LLC

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Late in the afternoon, the rain came and went. During a small break in the downpour, I raced over to my new apartment to meet the landlord. It seemed a significant sign that the sun broke through the cloud barrier just as I was signing the papers. I gave him our agreed-upon two months' rent in advance, plus a deposit. It amazed me how fast the transaction had been, because normally things took forever in Paris, I'd discovered. I took possession of the keys, walking around, feeling the sense of unreality that I had jumped into this. And yet, it felt right. The fact the apartment was so different from the one I shared with Auguste also felt like a good omen. Back on the street again, I walked around, finding my feet making a straight path over to Suede. I was like a goddam moth to a flame.

Inside, Pierre worked several tables, moving with surprising speed considering he still limped. In fact, he seemed worse, as he rushed between tables. I watched people ordering coffee and desserts and slid into an empty seat at a small table for two. Pierre handed me a menu, a distracted smile on his face.

"Bonjour!" he trilled, whisking the second place setting away from my table when I indicated I would be dining alone. He left me to peruse my choices. The menu was vast and thankfully, bilingual. My French was more than adequate to order food, but I longed for something simple. For the first time since I'd moved here, I missed New York. Over the restaurant's sound system I heard the French singer Zazie's rousing anthem, Je Suis Un Homme. My foot tapped in time to the song. It still struck me as odd that a woman as beautiful as Zazie sang about being a man, but she had plenty of fans in Suede. People bopped along to the song. I saw the happy faces around me as open mouths scarfed down ice creams and sorbets in mid-sentence. Pierre returned and I ordered a cup of coffee and the café au chocolat dessert--chocolate ice cream with coffee sauce and Chantilly cream.

"Mmmm....my favorite," he said, his accent surprisingly neutral. He swayed to the music, a nice touch, I thought. I didn't detect a European accent. I needed to listen to him more. He placed my order, limping from table to table, delivering coffees, checks and glasses of iced water.

"Monsieur Handsome," he said, coming back to me, "would you like some water?"

I nodded. He had a charm to him, for sure. He acted like waiting on each person was the only thing he wanted to do with his life. He chatted and flirted, his façade falling only one time. He winced when somebody pushed a chair back, slamming into him. I wondered about his limp, then wondered why I cared.

Why the hell are you here, stupid? You like torturing yourself? What are you getting out of this...spying on the Other Man?

He brought me my decadent dessert that could easily have accommodated two.

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