He held his hand out with a smile. “Mr. Bourne… Mr. Langston... A pleasure.”
They shook hands and followed him into the lobby. Shaking hands with the porter. Gabe’s eyes roamed that large, gleaming lobby, waiting for the elevator whilst Damian was chatting with the real estate agent. Following him to that metallic box, up to the top floor, down a large corridor. He produced a card and swiped it, pushing a large door open. He gestured them in, and Gabe stopped short, his breath taken by that large space flooded with light. The sky somewhere, behind all that sun gliding on polished wooden flooring to the kitchen area on the left.Stairs winding up to other rooms? How many? Fuck…Watching Damian walk around, unfazed, straight to the floor to ceiling windows, his fingers grazing the glass as he walked around, the agent on his heels, reading from his clipboard. Gabe dared to move, gingerly walking to the windows, his eyes wide on the view. A sudden fear there, his mind lagging behind, unable to grasp this new life, Damian’s voice echoing in that empty space from somewhere. He walked, still, dazed, up some stairs to four large rooms and two bathrooms the size of a small flat. The whole flat took the last floor on two stories, windows everywhere, and that amazing light. Catching up with Damian and the agent in big discussions in the last room, flicking through his clipboard.
Damian looked up with a smile. “You like it? This could be Armando’s room, and the one on the far end, ours.” He wiggled his eyebrows.
The agent smiled, wide. “The flat has a lot of potential. It will need customizing, but I can suggest to you some companies. We only work with the best.”
Damian’s eyes were still on Gabe. “So? What do you think?”
He blinked at him. “About what?”
“The flat.”
“Uh… do we need all this space?” A bit desperate, thinking back at their hut. He looked up at Damian when he walked close.
“What’s wrong? You don’t like it? We can buy another one, no worries.”
“Buy?” The word had knocked the breath out of Gabe.Buy…Breathing a bit harder.
Damian turned to the agent. “Could you leave us a bit? Thank you.” He nodded and left. Damian turned back to Gabe, smoothing his hand on his cheek. “Hey… we need a place to live.”
“But this… this is madness.”
“Is it?” He smiled lightly and cupped Gabe’s neck. “It is nothing, ok? I know it’s hard to grasp, but we can buy this, and have enough space for the kid to run around, and for us to have some intimacy.”
“It’s indecent.” Pinching his lips, watching that hard light appear in Damian’s eyes.
He sighed, though, not letting Gabe go. “Indecent… Ok, I get it… where you’re coming from… but this money… I worked for it, alright? Hard. I wasted probably half of my life on it. Not just mine. Cassie’s and Kevin’s childhood, Maddie... You know this…” Pained, his eyes darted away, just to settle back on Gabe. “So… life is short, too short not to spend this on whatever the fuck we want. This is a great place, the park underneath, his school close. Ideal as a base, ok? It is not to show off. Merely a practicality.” Searching his drowned hazel eyes. “We won’t buy it if the whole idea makes your skin crawl… but then I need you to come up with something.”
Gabe sighed, trying to push his voice out of that tight throat. “We won’t buy a fucking jet, ok?”
Damian laughed. “So… it’s a ‘yes’ to this place?”
“Fine…” Still pissed a bit, trying to find his footing when he felt like floating. Looking up at Damian at his touch.
“I love you. Still us, ok?”
“Ok…”
Walking to the school when they had closed that deal, knowing they could move in two weeks from now. Damian let the agency recommend an interior designer, and she was due in the following days to discuss details.
Standing in that pouring sun, waiting for the classes to come out on the lawn in front of the building. Other parents smiling at them, some whispers. Damian didn’t care, watching the kids walk out, following their teachers, rushing to their parents. His heart beating harder when he spotted Armando hugging his pig. Their eyes met, and he darted off, rushing into his arms. He scooped him up straight away, hugging him tight. Armando’s arm went to Gabe’s neck, pulling him close, too. Holding them, his heart hammering against Papá‘s chest.
Damian sat him on his arm, searching those dark eyes. “Had a good day?”
He nodded, clutching the pig.
“Okay… let’s go for ice cream and then you can play in the park?”
Another nod, his eyes drifting to his teacher who had walked close, all smiles. “He was a very good boy. Made some new friends, too.”
“Great to hear.”
“See you tomorrow, Armando.” She shook his hand and left, his dark eyes following her.
Damian put him down, taking his backpack and his pig, wedging them under his arm. “Okay, let’s go.” Taking his hand, Gabe the other one, they walked to the park, getting an ice cream on the way.
Letting him run to the playground when he’d eaten it, watching him climb on a structure shaped like a boat. They sat on a bench, just soaking in the sun, whatever was left of it in that cooling fall air.Cold, soon…Damian’s fingers grazed the pig’s plush fur, unable to even go there, not to have that warmth, having to dress up soon. An idea taking shape, a plan, vaguely there. Feeling Gabe’s hand sneak to his hand, so he intertwined their fingers, watching the kids play.
