by Rowan Shaw
"Is there anything I can do to make you understand you are worthy?"
I swept the restaurant with one glance and smiled. "This kind of does it."
"Yeah?"
When Florian licked his plump lower lip, my eyes dipped toward his tongue. I was craving his touch more than I cared to admit. The slower we were taking things, the more I wanted him. It was painful how much I yearned for him.
"I have other surprises for you tonight," he signed, a wide smile on his face.
"Really?" My mind went right down the gutter.
Florian arched one eyebrow as if reading my thoughts, but he didn't comment, so I opened my menu quickly and perused the list, my eyes landing on a new dish. "Mmmm."
"You see something you like?"
"I'd really like the goat cheese salad, but it includes lardons. I thought this was supposed to be a vegetarian-friendly restaurant. Why do the salads include meat? I think they changed the menu."
I turned it around to check its magenta cover and see if it was the same one as the last time I was here.
"The website did say they're still vegetarian-friendly. I'm surprised you even want to eat goat cheese, though."
"I've tried going vegan. I really tried. I couldn't give up the cheese."
Florian huffed a laugh. "I don't blame you. Who can live without cheese?"
"Plenty of people, actually."
"True." He grabbed his menu and opened it to the appetizers section. "Just ask them to leave out the lardons."
I puffed. "You'd be surprised how often they mess it up when I ask them to keep the meat out. I need to either pick something that's exclusively vegetarian, or I have to lie and claim I'm allergic."
"I don't even know how you can be a vegetarian in this country. It's almost impossible."
It wasn't easy, but I wasn't going back to eating meat. Not now, not ever. It was bad enough I still consumed so much dairy.
"I don't remember them having so much meat on the menu the last time I came," I signed. Granted, that was over a year ago, but still.
"You wanna leave?"
"No." I didn't want to be a pain when he'd been so nice and gone out of his way to bring me here. "I'll tell them I'm allergic to pork."
Florian gave a lopsided smile coupled with a wink.
Chapter 27
FLORIAN
Enzo beamed at me when we left the restaurant. He didn't comment on what I'd eaten: a salad with duck confit followed by a huge steak and fries. I'd made up for that by treating him to his favorite dessert: an île flottante made of whipped egg-whites floating on custard.
"Where are we going now?" he signed, still smiling like I'd made his entire week.
"There's a new movie out I think you'd like."
Though his grin didn't fade, slight disappointment filled his eyes.
"We're going to the Cameo," I informed him quickly. "Where they have subtitles."
Enzo's shoulders relaxed. "Thanks."
"Why are you thanking me?"
I could never understand why he acted so grateful over the smallest things, like us going to some veggie restaurant or to a theater where he could actually follow the storyline.
"Because you're accommodating me," he signed.
"I'm not doing it for you, actually. I have to maintain my English for business. I get a lot of foreign tourists, and my English isn't the best."
"I doubt that. You were the best student in our English class."
"Doubt all you want, but it's true. I'm far from fluent."
Enzo gauged me skeptically. "So what are we seeing?"
"The newest Marvel."
A glint shone through his eyes. "Nice! But I know you prefer French comedies."
"When I was eighteen, yes. My tastes have changed."
"So you don't mind? We can pick another movie if you want."
"Nope. Tonight is your night."
"But you won the game," he protested.
"It doesn't matter. Besides, the actors are hot."
"True."
"The actresses too," I added with a smirk.
He tapped my arm, making me chuckle. I wanted to pull him to the side and kiss him, but I'd seen him jerk back when I touched him at the restaurant, so I refrained from any PDA. We walked a couple more blocks and entered the movie theater, where I got us two tickets.
The amphitheater wasn't full yet, but it was getting there. Enzo and I found some seats in the back and watched as the place filled up during the trailers. When the movie started, I appreciated having the subtitles. I hadn't told Enzo the complete truth. My English was lacking because I'd substituted it for French Sign Language in college. I could have focused on both, probably, but I was too lazy to make the effort.
When the movie began, I looked at him. My eyes traced his profile, stopping at his fleshy mouth. I wanted to kiss him so damn bad, but I didn't want to push. I wrapped my arm around his shoulders, and Enzo turned to me, his gaze meeting mine. He stared at me for a while, then leaned into me hesitantly, so I cupped his jaw and fell into his kiss, wasting no time parting his lips, my tongue seeking his in soft strokes.
The movie kept going while we made out, and the kiss deepened, turning almost ravenous before Enzo's moans vibrated against my tongue, reverberating all the way down to my crotch. I shifted in my seat to readjust my pants squeezing my hard-on, but Enzo pulled my face to his and resumed the kiss. I couldn't tell how long we made out, but when he pulled away for air, we had missed a good portion of the movie and an important plot twist.
I didn't give a damn. I smiled, then went for one last peck to his lips and detailed the contours with my fingertip. I couldn't read the emotions in Enzo's eyes, but I wasn't so sure about keeping things slow with him anymore. Fucking him was all I could think about at night, no matter how much I tried not to, no matter how hard I tried to convince myself we weren't ready.
We fell back in our respective seats to focus on the movie—or in my case, pretend to. I couldn't follow the plot anymore. I had no idea what was going on, and I didn't care. I yearned for his mouth back on mine so badly, I wanted to skip the movie entirely, take him home, and kiss the fuck out of him until he begged me to suck his dick. I wrapped my hand around his fingers and squeezed, then attempted to read the subtitles, but my mind was a blur of lust.
It took an eternity for the damn movie to end. I had missed most of it because I was too busy envisioning all the ways I might fuck Enzo. I asked him what happened in the story, and he burst out laughing, acknowledging he had no idea because he was trying to cool down and not jump my bones.
"So..." I said tentatively. "Would you like to come to my place?"
He bit his lips. "I feel bad. I didn't realize we were spending the whole evening together. I promised Patrick I'd go out with him afterwards."
"Oh." I couldn't hide my disappointment.
"I thought you'd like to come to the club with us. Maybe we could dance this time. I'm really sorry, but I promised him. I didn't realize this was going to be a real date. I thought it was just dinner."
Though I didn't feel like sharing Enzo with Patrick tonight, I couldn't deny him. I knew how much he loved to dance. "Sure."
"Do you mind if I turn off my processor?" he asked. "It gets loud in there. I can't hear people talk through the racket anyway."
I stared at him, confused. "Can you dance without it on?"
"I follow the rhythm of the bass and drums. We might need to stand close to the speakers, though."
I was up for the challenge. "That's a deal."
Chapter 28
ENZO
"Well, look who's here at last?" Patrick signed the moment he spotted us entering the club. He dragged me into a tight hug that knocked the air out of my lungs, then kissed my cheeks.
"You finally decided to return to the world of the living?" he teased. "Whatever convinced you to come out of your hermit cave tonight?"
I moved to the side, and Patrick's gaze shifted toward Florian. Though his green eye
s hid none of his sudden apathy, he had the decency not to comment. He seemed in good company anyway. Some guy with long blue hair was clinging to his arm like a life vest.
"Everything okay?" Patrick signed, studying me.
"Yes, why wouldn't it be?"
"Just making sure."
"I'm fine, maman."
He pursed his lips, rolling his eyes. "No need for sarcasm, mon lapin." Then he turned to Florian and shouted, "I'm trusting you to take good care of him tonight."
"Patrick!" I exclaimed, reading his lips.
The guy on his arm glared at me like I was some competitor ready to fight over his conquest. I smiled at him, but he raised his chin, then caught Patrick's attention by grabbing his jaw to pull him into a kiss. He rubbed his crotch against Patrick's leg like some dog in heat to the point where I wrinkled my nose at them.
"Get a room!"
"Well, someone's getting some tonight," Florian signed, laughing.
"Patrick always does. Never been a problem for him, trust me."
"With eyes like his, I'm not surprised." He gave me a sideways grin. "Where did you meet him?"
"His sister was my French Sign Language teacher. She's deaf as well. She's ten years older than us. I met Patrick when he came to pick her up from class one time. He showed up again once after that and asked me if I wanted to hang out. We became friends rather fast. He's the sweetest guy I know, even if he tends to coddle people a bit too much."
Florian nodded, watching as the blue-haired guy led Patrick to a corner of the room. I didn't want to watch. I'd seen my fair share of guys humping his leg and sucking his face. Patrick had a reputation around town, but instead of deterring others, his rep attracted them like moths to a flame.
Chapter 29
FLORIAN
I watched Enzo move to the rhythm better than most guys on the dance floor while I leaned against the wall, my arms crossed. He kept shaking himself around, and I'd be lying if I said it didn't fucking turn me on. When someone came up behind him to grind against his ass, I didn't react. Enzo was gorgeous, a magnet to any gay guy out there. Sadly, he wasn't mine. Though we had kissed, I wasn't sure where we stood yet. It wasn't my place to stake a claim on him unless he asked me to.
He looked at me, his eyes widening like he didn't know what to do. The guy, who was wearing a light blue t-shirt and beige shorts so tight I could outline his hard-on, kept rubbing himself against Enzo, whose entire body went rigid. He stared at me, his dark gaze pleading.
"Help!" he signed at me.
I raised an eyebrow.
"He's hard and rubbing against my butt. Help!" he signed frantically.
"Just tell him to shove it," I signed back.
He made a face. "I can feel him whispering in my ear. I don't know what he's saying."
I decided to go save him. In two steps, I was facing him, pulling on his wrist hard enough that he fell into my arms. I didn't wait to tongue-kiss him while staring the other guy straight in the eyes. His lips curled down, and he walked away.
When I pulled back, Enzo's ragged breath blew against my cheek. I chuckled against his neck and kissed the length of his skin. He smelled fucking intoxicating.
"I want you so bad," I whispered, glad he couldn't hear my words.
As if on cue, the music turned into a slow song. With my arms still wrapped around his waist, I held him flush against me as he rested his head on my shoulder. I knew it was complete silence for him. There was no bass booming through the speakers, vibrating through his body. He didn't seem to mind. He simply followed my lead.
Everything was so peaceful; I was finally safe in his arms. Enzo was one of the few people who had never judged me. One of the few who had never put me down. He made me feel secure like no one else could. I was nearly clutching him to make sure he was really here.
I wasn't sure where Patrick had run off to, which was weird considering he was the one who'd asked Enzo to come here. Enzo didn't seem to care, though. He held his body flush against mine the entire time, holding me tight.
Halfway through the song, I sensed someone watching us and perused the dance floor, my eyes landing on a guy standing by the door. His friend was trying to catch his attention, but the man was fully focused on Enzo. From this distance, I couldn't tell who he was, and Enzo didn't seem to notice. He kept his temple against my shoulder, and I didn't want to stop and ask.
The guy kept staring until the song ended. I pulled away to let Enzo know the music had changed and signed for us to get a drink. He acquiesced with a smile that faded when he turned around and saw the guy at the entrance. He stopped in his tracks and took a few seconds to compose himself. Then he grabbed my hand as if seeking my support and raised his chin when the man walked our way, stranding his male friend without another look at him. There was no way to go to the bar without passing him; it was in another room adjacent to the dance floor.
Enzo shot me a concerned glance, his Adam's apple dancing in his throat before he pulled on my hand. He walked us past the guy, who followed close behind even though it was clear Enzo wasn't in the mood to see him.
"Enzo," he called out, stepping behind us when we reached the counter.
Enzo didn't react. His back was turned as he ordered us both a drink.
"He can't hear you," I shouted over the loud music.
The bartender asked Enzo something. He squinted his eyes, focusing on the guy's lips, and nodded.
"Yes, with one lemon each, please," he replied then dug in his back pocket for his wallet. He turned to me.
"I'll treat," he signed and froze upon seeing the other guy standing right there by my side. His beautiful smile fell, his brown eyes clouding with irritation.
"How have you been?" the guy asked, not bothering to sign even though I'd just told him Enzo couldn't hear.
"Awesome," Enzo signed. "What do you want, Cyrille?"
I stared at the asshole who had broken Enzo's heart. It pissed me off to realize he was fucking gorgeous. His light brown hair was pushed back, his smooth skin tanned by the summer sun. But what I hated the most was the unrestrained hunger in his gray eyes. I didn't know why he had cheated on Enzo, but it was obvious he still craved him even after breaking his heart.
"Can I talk to you for a second?" he asked out loud.
"You won't sign and I can't hear you so it kind of defeats the purpose," Enzo gestured after making the effort to read his lips.
I stifled a smile. I'd never seen him be so virulent before. It was getting hard not to scoff.
"I see you're gonna have an attitude tonight," Cyrille said. "Can I talk to you in private?"
"I'm not going anywhere with you so you can use your voice to yell at me, thank you very much. Been there, done that. Not that it'd matter. I left my processor in the car anyway."
Cyrille clenched his jaw and fired a quick glance at me from the corner of his eye. "I'd like to take you home tonight," he had the gall to sign like I wasn't standing right there. Did he really think I couldn't understand?
"I don't think so," Enzo signed angrily. "I don't see why you'd want to take me home?"
"You know why," Cyrille signed back with a smarmy smile.
Enzo fumed at that. "You can find yourself another ass to fuck, thanks."
My eyes bulged. Enzo never cursed. It was so unlike him, even Cyrille took a step back. For the first time, he'd used his voice to rebuke his ex. And just as he shouted that sentence, there was a pause in the music so everyone around us heard what he said. Some people began to stare.
"It's not just about fucking," Cyrille insisted. "I miss you."
"Well, that's too bad because I don't miss you. Nor do I miss how you're always berating me for signing. Or the mess you used to leave in the kitchen sink. I definitely don't miss picking up your clothes like a servile dog. And I sure as hell don't miss you not taking your shoes off on rainy days because you were too damn lazy."
He took a breath as if steeling himself. "Also, I've changed. The person you think you'r
e missing is dead. I buried him the day you wrecked my life. So I suggest you move on."
"I want you to give me another chance."
Enzo shook his head. "No thanks. I don't owe you another chance."
"I'm not giving up," Cyrille signed.
Enzo raised an eyebrow. "Have you reconsidered supporting my project for the school?"
"I don't think this is the time or the place," Cyrille replied out loud.
"Right. Didn't think so. Well, I hope you have a good night." Enzo ended the conversation and turned his back to Cyrille to face the bartender.
Cyrille clenched his teeth and gave me a death stare like Enzo's reaction was my fault, like I’d put the words in his mouth. Then he walked away and rejoined his other friend. He wrapped his arm around his shoulders, whispered something in his ear, and nibbled on his neck before taking him toward the bathroom. I clicked my tongue. What a nice way to show Enzo how much he truly cared about him! Douchebag!
Enzo watched them leave, then rolled his eyes in my direction. "Sorry about that."
"It's fine." It really wasn't. I could tell he was upset, and many people were still staring.
The bartender handed us our drinks, and Enzo insisted upon paying. "I don't think I'm going to stick around if he's going to be here. I'm sorry. I don't know where Patrick went either. He's probably blowing that guy in the bathroom or something."
I couldn't blame Enzo for being angry, but I wasn't going to let some asshole ruin the night for us.
I was fairly tired, though.
"Do you mind if I just go back to my place?" Enzo asked.
"Of course I don't mind."
"I meant alone."
I faked a smile, though I was concerned about him. "I knew what you meant, Enzo. I don't mind." I caressed the scar on his cheek and gave him a peck on the lips. "You gonna be okay?"
He shrugged. "Yeah, I'm fine." He let out a long sigh. "I'll text Patrick to tell him we left. It's just... I feel like I should move out of this town. I'm sick of seeing Cyrille everywhere, you know?"
Yeah, I knew. More than I cared to admit.