Danny and Olivier

Part 3- Peppermint Mochas



   Danny entered the bookstore with a purpose, his black Docs clanging along the grey carpet as he squinted into the brightness. Rain dripped from his black hair, and he stood idly in the entrance for a minute until he realized that the heater was blowing inside.
  
             There are Christmas decorations all over the place, Danny realized as he approached the Starbucks counter on the right and ordered himself a peppermint mocha. The tired barista handed it over with a half-smile and Danny handed his cash over. 
  
             He sat in a cushy armchair near the poetry section, then decided to pull out an old copy of Plath’s poems. He sat in silence and looked up every fifteen seconds to see if Olivier happened to walk in.
 
             Stop being stupid, Danny scolded himself. Why on earth would Olivier be in this bookstore at ten thirty? At night, specifically? Danny sighed. He was so stupid. What was he doing in a bookstore, dead in the night? Waiting for someone who wouldn’t come?
 
              He had wanted to give Olivier his phone number, but he had to go before his parents yelled at him for being late to dinner. Which was ironic, because after they ate dinner, his parents left the house and didn’t come back until the morning.
 
             A light tap startled Danny from his thoughts. Danny choked on his mouthful of peppermint mocha and turned around, coughing all the while.

              Olivier stood there, smiling a nerdy grin, so pale under the fluorescent lights. Danny cleared his throat, suddenly embarrassed that he had choked on his drink simply because Olivier had tapped him on the back. But Danny was also happy, glad that Olivier was here. 
 
             “What are you doing here?” Danny mouthed, so Olivier could understand him. Danny felt giddy inside. Danny had learned to read lips when he had eavesdropped on his parents’ private conversations, so Danny and Olivier mouthed to each other. Olivier sat down on the armchair besides him and took off his hat, making his brown hair spike up.
 
             “I don’t know. I wasn’t tired,” Olivier mouthed back, both of them not making a sound as they smiled at each other. Danny was glad to have the company, and told Olivier so.
 
             “Me, too.”

             The shopkeepers were looking at them funny, two fifteen-year old boys, one wearing all black and a leather jacket and pajama pants and one wearing a coat that looked like it came from the Salvation Army and ripped-up over-washed jeans. They clearly thought they were crazy- who wouldn’t, with two boys mouthing their conversation instead of talking?

             “They’re looking at us funny,” Danny mouthed. Olivier nodded, his smile fading slowly.

             “Were you planning on staying here the rest of the night?” Olivier asked. Danny shrugged.

             “It’s Christmas break. I literally have nothing better to do.”

             Olivier smiled. “There is basically no curfew in San Francisco, right?”

             “Yep.” Danny nodded his head.

             Olivier felt like going to the Golden Gate Bridge, simply because it was gorgeous at night, especially with the rain. But Olivier didn’t want to risk a stabbing or a car accident, so he stayed strapped to his chair.
             
“What school do you go to?” Danny suddenly tapped Olivier’s arm, and Olivier turned to face Danny again.

             “Kennedy Prep.” Danny nodded. He realized that this was the first time, in a very long time, that he’d actually communicated with someone. And he was beginning to enjoy it. 
 
             Olivier smiled at Danny. “Do you want to take a walk?”

             Now? Danny thought. But he didn’t diss the idea. It was actually quite a rather good idea, with the light rain and all. 

             “But you’re not warm enough,” Danny mouthed. Olivier blushed, realizing that he was wearing one of his bad coats. Then again, all of his coats were from the Salvation Army. What difference did it make, anyways?
Danny blushed as well after realizing what he said. “I didn’t mean it like that.”

             “It’s okay. My family isn’t exactly the ones to live on Portrero Hill,” Olivier mouthed back. When Danny’s expression faltered, Olivier put his head in his hands. “You live on Portrero Hill, don’t you?”

             “Yeah. But they’re all bitchy up there. Nothing new.” Danny shrugged. 

 “My grandparents are from France. That’s why we don’t have any money- they were poor immigrants who hitched a ride illegally on one of the loading ships,” Olivier explained. “No one ever really earned money in our family. But we’re close knit.”

             Danny nodded. How he wished to have a close-knit family. Instead, he had parents who came home for dinner and disappeared the rest of the day. 
He told Olivier about his parents and about being mute, and about playing the guitar.
             And the amazing thing is, Danny thought, he’s actually listening.

             Olivier and Danny talked through the night. Olivier learned that Danny’s parents were sick and tired of Danny, that they were filthy rich because of some lawsuit 20 years ago, that they were homophobes, and that Danny got teased by the kids who weren’t scared of him because he was mute. Danny learned that Olivier came from a poor family out in France, that he was under Section 8, and that he, too, got teased for being deaf. “The worse thing is,” Olivier told Danny, “is the fact that I can’t hear what they’re teasing about. It’s even worse than being bullied.”

             Only idiots could think up of anything even worse than bullying. “How did you become deaf, anyways?”

             “How did you become mute?”

             Both of them realized that they didn’t want to talk about it and stopped mouthing to each other. They moved on instead, moving onto relationships.

             “Any girlfriends to talk about?” Olivier mouthed to Danny, snitching a sip of Danny’s peppermint mocha from him. Danny hesitated, wondering if he should tell Olivier that he liked guys.

             “Boyfriends.” Olivier was officially the first person that Danny had come out to. Not that the people at school didn’t guess and assume, that is.

             “Any boyfriends to talk about, then?” Olivier restated his question, seeming unfazed by it. Inside, Olivier felt a surge of giddiness. Maybe he’d actually have a chance with Danny.

             Who’d want to date a deaf boy? Olivier waved the thought away. Nevermind.

             “I made out with a guy once. At a party a couple years ago. Nothing happened.” 

             “First kiss?” Olivier asked.

             “Yeah.” Danny had regretted that drunken kiss more than anything. Somehow, he’d found himself at a party with a bunch of people from school. How did that happen? Danny thought.
             Right. I wanted to be popular. Accepted, at least. 
 Danny felt too ashamed to tell Olivier that, so he asked Olivier the same question. Olivier looked at Danny like he was mental.
             “Which sane boy on earth would want to kiss a deaf guy?”
 
 Danny shrugged. “Some guys would.” Danny failed to mention that he’d be one of those guys, if they got to know each other better. They definitely had chemistry, and Danny had felt closer to Olivier than he had with his own parents.

              “Guys are confusing,” Olivier meant to mouth to himself, but Danny caught his lips moving.

              “Do your parents know?”

              “Of course. I’m such a loser, they’re my best friends.” Olivier sighed. Danny thought his sigh sounded adorable.
             
 “Welcome to the club.”
 
             They sat in silence for a while, as if they hadn’t before. Then Olivier stood up.

              “  Do you want to take a walk?”
 
             “Yes.” A simple yes. Olivier’s hand reached out to Danny, and slowly, Danny hoisted himself up, and followed the other boy out.

              It was already them against the world. Even if they didn’t know it yet.