Suddenly Forever (m x m)

Part Two

Garret stopped several feet away from the corner. A nagging doubt yanked his brain questioning whether the man would really have waited ten minutes to meet up with a stranger from a smoky speak-easy. The answer to his unasked question stood right before his eyes. Broad shoulders and a narrow waist leaned against the black metal of the lamppost. 

Even through the man's suit jacket, Garret could make out a defined, muscled back. Heat flared in the back of Garret's neck. But then, was this the same guy? Maybe his stranger was tired of waiting and left. If so, Garret was about to make a serous mistake. This doubt caused him to remain frozen in his position several feet away.

 The man looked at his wristwatch, turned his head to light a cigarette. The lamplight made a map of shadows on the stranger's face. The profile was enough. Garret knew in an instant it was his stranger leaning on the lamp, his speak-easy Adonis. Garret walked a little closer, cleared his throat. 

Adonis turned. His cigarette balanced between his teeth as a smile spread on his face, "Ah! I was fearin' ya mi'not show, no?" his voice was hushed, a silky baritone accented by a Cajun timbre.

"I was . . ." Garret faltered for an excuse other then his own cautious fear, "makin' sure I wasn't followed." he admitted.

Adonis' smiled became wry, he removed the cigarette from his mouth, "Ya follow by da police often, then, eh?"

Garret blushed, "Not usually."

Adonis winked, Garret's face relaxed into a grin.

"Shall we go ta my place? I've few neighbors. It gonna be nice'n'quiet." Adonis added the last part sensing Garret's wariness. 

The offer soothed Garret's nerves a bit. He'd been worried his busybody of a landlady would be camped out by her peephole--per usual. He wasn't ready with an excuse for taking a stranger up to his apartment. Not yet, anyway. 

Garret nodded, accepting Adonis' offer. Adonis threw his cigarette to the ground, stomped it, and jerked his head for Garret to follow. He lead Garret to a black car. 

Adonis opened the door and eased in behind the wheel, "Hop in. Back or front--the choice is yours." The crinkling of Adonis' eyes gave Garret the suspicion there was innuendo in his words.

Then again, maybe Garret just had a dirty mind. Garret chose the front, sliding in to ride shotgun. They rode in silence a moment. 

Finally Garret's Adonis spoke, "I take ya got m' napkin."

"Yes."

"So ya know m' name's Rene, yes?"

"Yes." Garret repeated his previous answer. 

Garret realized he should stop thinking of this man as Adonis and think of him by his real name. 

Rene . . .Rene. Garret repeated the name in his mind so he wouldn't accidently call this man Adonis to his face. 

Rene's eyes traveled from the road to look sideways at his companion. The two men had taken their hats off in the car, now the open windows let in a breeze that played with their hair. Rene watched as Garret kept trying to brush arrant locks of hair from his eyes. It was sexy in an un-urbane kind of way. 

"Mind if I know your name?" Rene asked, almost demurely, awkwardly--it clashed with the devil-may-care persona he sported in the speak-easy. "If ya rather no'tell me, that's ok." he added.

"No, no I don't mind." Garret interjected, maybe a little too forcefully. He toned down his eagerness, "Garret. My name's Garret."

"Garret." Rene repeated.