Adonis: I’d love to join. I’m sorry I didn’t get you a gift. Can I bring a bottle of wine or something?
Guy: You don’t have to, but obviously, the more wine the better! See you tonight xx
Adonis took a shower, dressed in black jeans, a black crop-top, and a leather jacket, and bought a bottle of red blend before heading into the city. He hadn’t seen Guy in months, not since their last hookup, when Guy told Adonis that he and Jason would be trying monogamy. From what Adonis had seen on social media (which was, of course, always a completely accurate representation of someone’s life), Guy and Jason were doing well. Adonis was happy for them.
He paid for parking on a street two blocks from Guy’s apartment and took the ancient elevator up to Guy’s floor. When he knocked on the door, he could already hear the sound of music and talking from the other side.
Jason answered the door. He was a slim, handsome young man, a few years older than Guy, with dark skin and brown hair. When he smiled, he showed crooked, but brilliantly white, teeth.
“Adonis!” he said. He pulled Adonis into a warm hug. He wore a soft sweater and smelled of bergamot. “It’s so good to see you. Guy was really hoping that you could make it.”
Adonis kissed Jason’s cheek. “It’s good to be here.”
“Come in!”
Jason ushered Adonis into the warm apartment. There was a small, pleasant gathering already underway. Adonis recognized some of them. Jessie and Taylor were a lesbian couple, both artists, who had graduated from Bellford two years ago. Blake was a bartender, and his partner, Jay, was a former basketball player and now a budding record producer. Dan was single and had often made respectable passes at Adonis, but now just gave him a friendly hug and kiss on the cheek. Finn, Harrison, Dereck, Klaus, and Jimmy were other gay men who formed the loose collection of the rest of Guy’s friend group. Like Adonis, many of them had previously had an amorous relationship with Guy, but none of them seemed bothered by his current foray into monogamy.
Adonis was the youngest in the room by at least two years, but after Guy slung an arm around him and said, “Everyone say hi to Adonis, our Olympic champion!” his age didn’t matter. Everyone was happy to welcome him and hear about his experience in Milano.
After several drinks, Harrison started a gag where he found a marker and begged Adonis to sign his ass, which led to Adonis signingseveralass cheeks before Guy confiscated the marker and said that there would be no exposed asses here, at least until the beleaguered lesbians escaped.
Jason was apparently a talented cook, specializing in Cajun dishes, and had prepared quite the spread for dinner. They had a long, slow dinner with multiple courses, which Jason was happy to serve. They took long gaps between each course to let the food settle, and to drink water like camels at an oasis.
After the final course, fresh beignets with mountains of powdered sugar and little dishes of fruit compote, served with steaming hot café au laits in dainty porcelain mugs, guests started to yawn and say that they should probably call their Ubers.
“Did you drive in from Bellford?” Jason asked, leaning sideways at the table to speak quietly to Adonis.
“I did.” Adonis had had four glasses of wine and was beginning to feel the warm buzz. He’d figured he would call an Uber to get home, but—
“You can stay with us tonight,” Jason said. “It’s not safe for you to drive back, and I don’t want you to have to pay for an Uber.”
Adonis thought about saying no, but it was almost midnight, and it would be very late by the time he got home. His next class wasn’t until midday tomorrow, so he could afford to sleep here and then go back in the morning.
“Thank you,” he said. “At least let me help clean up.”
“Well, I’ll never say no to that,” Jason said.
Half an hour later, all the dishes were washed and put away, and the rest of the guests were gone. Guy was draped over the couch with a glass of wine, protesting over the fact that Adonis and Jason wouldn’t help him clean up.
“It’s your birthday!” Jason insisted after another whine from Guy. “You’re not working on your birthday.”
“You’re too good to me,” Guy said.
“I know!” Jason called.
“I don’t deserve you.”
Adonis and Jason shared a smile. “You’re right!” Adonis answered for Jason. “He’s way out of your league.” The two shared a chuckle at Guy’s expense, who was now pouting in the living room.
“This guy,” Jason said, shaking his head with a laugh. He poured two glasses of red, handed one to Adonis, and beckoned for Adonis to follow him to the living room.
Jason nudged Guy until he moved over, and then joined him on the couch. The couple sleepily beckoned for Adonis to join them, which he did, collapsing between them.
“Thanks for inviting me,” he said, taking a long sip from his wine.
“I’m glad you could make it,” Guy said, shifting so that his head was in Adonis’s lap. “You were the life of the party.”
“Hey,” Jason said. “I thought that was me.”
