FREE FLYING HEARTS -- A collection of short stories from Tonig73

~~~ Interlude ~~~

Warning  --  bxb

LARRY

It was time.  Their time.  Like there should be a their  time at all.  Like they were a couple, and this was date night or something.  It was Tuesday night, and Larry sat on his bench, waiting for Laurent.  The sky was darkening, the street lights coming on, the usual suspects rushing home, taking a short cut through the park.  They didn't look at him, they never did.  Even though he recognized some of the faces that he saw every evening he sat here, they never saw him.  That is, they did, they just never acknowledged his existence.  They saw Laurent in a heartbeat.  The tall, extremely good looking, confident, important man and his fro.  They smiled at Laurent, even mouthed some kind of greeting, but not at him.  And as if he didn't feel bad enough already, these snubs, these non-looks, these I can't see you because you're homeless looks, made him feel worse.  

Larry hadn't gone home with Laurent that night, well, he went to his home with him, but he only got as far as the parking garage, and couldn't make it any further.  Something was nagging him in the back of his brain, to just .... slow it down.  Not yet.  Think about all this first.  Be sure.  Squinting under the too bright fluorescent lights, even though he still sat in Laurent's car.  

"Larry .... ?"  Laurent turned his body towards him, concerned.

"Hmmm ?"

"You're ... away somewhere.  You OK ?"  Larry looked Laurent directly in his face.  He looked different now.  The warmth, the kindness, not gone, but ... somewhere else.  He'd scared him.  He'd scared Laurent away.  Not that he was his anyway, but, you know.  Whatever it was that either of them had felt in that moment, was gone.  

"I'm OK.  I'm ... I think I need to go back to the shelter tonight."

"Why ?  We've got so much to do.  You have so much to look forward to now.  College, Ember.  A home .... "  Laurent's voice was softer now, his features concerned, his brows slightly furrowed in confusion.  

"I need to think about this, on my own.  It's all so .... overwhelming right now.  I know it would be stupid, ungrateful of me to turn down your offer, but .... I need to think about the consequences of ... what... "  Laurent remembered back to earlier that evening, and really, how could he forget, when Larry hadn't believed him about giving him something for nothing.  And then he went and did that.  He went and held him, gently, almost possessively.  He went and pushed his chest into Larry's, so tentatively, as if testing the waters, and Larry didn't resist the incoming tide, nor the heat it brought with it.  He went and bowed his head, a natural thing, to touch his lips to Larry's skin, tasting it, relishing it's warmth against his own sensitive flesh.  He had so wanted to do that for so long, and he felt Larry tremble under his touch.  It was intoxicating, euphoric in that moment.  He hadn't wanted to let Larry go.  

So now, he had to 'fess up, and tell Larry the truth, betting himself that he'd scared Larry away, of course he had.  Larry was straight, and now this gay man had scared the straight out of him.  

"I'm sorry Larry, I ... I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable, I ... I just ... "  Larry looked at Laurent expectantly, not even trying to guess what he was going to say.  He needed to hear his explanation, he was counting on Laurent not lying to him.  Larry thought he knew Laurent well enough for him not to do that, but hey, look what just happened.  He hadn't seen that coming.  Laurent cleared his throat.   

"I'm gay, Lar.  Still in the closet, and afraid to come out."  Larry was confused, this new information wasn't all that new, and it didn't bother him one bit, obviously, but something didn't quite add up.