“I’ve never seen you in regular clothes before.” He wore a white shirt and gray sweatpants, his jet-black hair still damp from a recent shower.
“Did you think I wear fancy suits in my own home?”
“Yes.”
“Sorry to disappoint.” He hugged me, and I stole a sniff of his hair, which smelled like jasmine. He led me inside, and I whistled in appreciation. Eliot’s love of art was on full display, from the dramatic paintings to the bold sculptures. I made a calculated guess that every one of those items could cover my rent.
“Your house is insane!” I followed him into the kitchen, which was as big as my apartment and cleaner.
“I’ll take that as a compliment. You can put your bag over there. Get yourself comfortable.”
I dropped my bag and shoes in the hallway. “Can I look around later? I want to see everything.”
“You can, just please refrain from going through my underwear drawer.”
“Not much point in me looking around then, is there? What smells so good?”
“We’re going full Italian tonight.” Eliot put a bottle of wine on the tall kitchen table. “We’ll eat in the garden, next to the pool.”
Of course there was a pool. “How can I help?”
“You can start by enjoying a nice glass of wine. You’ve earned it.” He handed me a glass and went to check on the food on the stove.
“I don’t think I’ve earned anything.” But I still fixed myself a glass. I’d grown accustomed to quality wine over the last couple of months and could even distinguish between different types, which pleased Eliot.
“Tonight is about the future, Jonah, not past setbacks.”
I appreciated his use of “setbacks” instead of “failures.”
“How’s your mood?” he asked.
“Dunno.”
“Don’t know.There are two words in there.”
I chuckled. I sometimes used improper English just to have him correct me. “I’m trying not to think too hard about my crappy situation, but it turns out I’m also crappy at that.”
He crossed his arms, his blue eyes holding my gaze. “It’s understandable to mourn a lost role.”
“Yeah, well, I’ve been mourning a lotin the past six months.”
He came closer and put his hands on my shoulders. “How can I help?”
He could have started by kissing me, which would have made everything better. But I’d never do anything to jeopardize our friendship, even though he had become the sole subject of mywet dreams. I didn’t even know if he was into guys; he was vague about that.
“You’re helping plenty,” I said. “I appreciate it.”
“You’re young and ambitious. Just open your mind to different possibilities, and who knows what might happen?” A knowing smile danced on his lips.
My curiosity piqued. “Are you talking about something in particular?”
He walked back to the stove. “You’ll need to wait a bit longer to know more.”
“Come on, you’ve got to tell me! What is it? Can you get me an audition?”
“I can get you dinner if you let me work.”
“I’ll tickle you until you tell me.”
