Chalk Butterfly: Part One (First Time Erotic Romance)

by Audra Red

  Alexander was quite the opposite of his mother, and their differences tended to clash from time to time.

  Now was one of those times.

  “I’m starving,” she continued, turning to David and smiling brightly. “Would you join us for lunch, Devin?”

  “David,” David corrected, and Alexander shot him desperate look. “I have a group in ten,” he lied quickly, placing a hand on hers apologetically.

  “And I’m filing,” Alexander added. “Mum, what if you came back after we closed. We’re only opened until two and--”

  “Whatever shall I do in SoHo for two and half hours?” she thought aloud, clutching at her pocket book. “I suppose I could go shopping, though I already feel woozy from lack of sustenance. You know I tend to get car sick, Alex, and so I didn’t eat before I left, and those vendors outside looked just reproachable.”

  “You could pick up something at the shop across the street,” Alexander suggested. “Get something to tide you over.”

  “All right then,” Natalie said with a resigned sigh. “Ring me on my cell and I’ll pop on over whenever you finish your little book filing.” Alexander nodded and she leaned forward and gave him a quick peck on the cheek.

  “Bye, Mum,” Alexander said, allowing her to embrace him in a tight hug.

  “It was nice seeing you again, Mrs. Price,” David said, finding his own armful of the petite woman.

  “You too, darling,” she said, pulling her gloves on. “Ta.”

  And with a quick turn, she flounced out the door, the bell ringing shrilly in her wake. Alexander let out a large sigh of relief and shared a look with David.

  “Lovely lady,” David finally said and Alexander leaned heavily back against a bookshelf.

  “I’ve lived with her for over twenty years,” Alexander muttered. “Imagine that in the morning.”

  David smiled. “Hey, my mother paid more attention to the bottle than she ever did me, so count yourself lucky.”

  Alexander frowned. “I’m sorry, David, I just--”

  “Don’t worry about it,” he said, still smiling. “I’ve got to set up for my group. Why don’t you head back and get Liz up front. Break those two apart for half a second, make sure Liz doesn’t do any lasting damage to Eli’s masculinity, eh?”

  Alexander shook his head and giggled. “What masculinity?”

  “I heard that!” Elijah called striding from the back room. David made a face and grabbed his book bag, quickly hurrying into the reading room. “Alexander, I thought I heard your mother out here…”

  “No, no,” Alexander said, a tad flustered. “You’re just hearing things.”

  As much as Elijah was frightened to death of Natalie Price (or mostly her ideas about his relationship with Alexander), he also loved the petite lady. Natalie had that way about her, charming near everyone she came in contact with.

  “That’s odd,” Elijah said adjusting his tie. “Do you want to get lunch before we go grocery shopping?”

  “Bollocks,” Alexander cursed under his breath. He’d forgotten that it was shopping day. How would he hide his mother from Elijah?

  He hated when the two ganged up on him. He knew they meant well, but their constant suggestions and concern made him feel like a child. Not to mention that he was still a bit hurt that Elijah hadn’t asked how his date had gone.

  Even if there was no chance in hell he’d actually tell him.

  “Eli, I’ve got plans after work,” Alexander said carefully. “What if we went shopping on Monday?”

  “But we always shop on Saturday,” Elijah said, a bit dumbfounded.

  “Yes, but this time I have plans.”

  “What kind of plans?” Elijah raised an eyebrow.

  “Well, I need to...” Alexander mumbled, rocking from foot to foot. “Fine, my mum’s taking me out to lunch,” he stated sourly. “Happy?”

  “I knew it!” Elijah crowed.

  “You’re not coming,” Alexander said.

  “Why not?” Elijah asked, pouting. “Alexander, why not?”

  “I’m cranky with you,” Alexander answered evenly.

  “Is this about Elizabeth and me this morning?” Alexander shook his head. “Just tell me, Alex.”

  “Not now,” Alexander said. “And don’t even think about sweet talking my mum, either.”

  Elijah grinned. “What, me?”

  ***

  “I can’t believe you sweet talked my mother,” Alexander groused, folding his arms together tightly as they sat at the small cafe table.

  “I was hungry,” Elijah replied. “Besides, you then proceeded to sweet talk Elizabeth.”

  Alexander sighed, unfolding his napkin cleanly across his lap. Elizabeth and Natalie were currently in the restroom, and Alexander picked up his fork slowly. His hands were bothering him quite a bit. Be it from the anxiety of yesterday or that very day (or perhaps a mixture of both), Alexander didn’t know.

  “Let’s just have lunch without event,” Alexander said, forking some of his salad. “And please, can we not mention--”

  “Those bathrooms were completely deplorable,” came the biting voice of Natalie Price. She and Elizabeth rounded the corner, making their way back toward the table. Alexander thought back to their first flat in the States that didn’t even have its own bathroom. “Really, what are the health codes in this city? Utterly nauseating, that was.”

  Elizabeth nodded in agreement, sending Elijah a quick, sharp look. He rolled his eyes and took a large bite out of his sandwich.

  “So,” Natalie said, as she seated herself primly in the cushioned chair. “Elizabeth’s been telling me all about her smashing new beau. An architect, did you know that Elijah?”

  Elijah choked on his sandwich.

  “He worked on the Chrysler building renovations and the--”

  “Yes,” Elijah interrupted, wiping some mayonnaise off his chin. “I heard.”

  Elizabeth beamed happily at Natalie and sipped on some of her iced tea.

  “So, anyone special in your life?” Natalie asked Elijah, giving Alexander a quick look. Alexander blushed hotly, and Elijah choked on his sandwich for the second time.

  “No, Mum, he doesn’t,” Alexander said, embarrassed. “You know that.”

  “Keeping your mother up to date on my love life?” Elijah gritted out.

  “Well, what about you, Alex?” she asked, humor in her eyes, and Alexander reddened even more. He knew his mother didn’t expect him to find someone, and he almost wanted to tell her about Daniel then and there just to see the look on her face. But he knew it was a horrible idea and he’d never hear the end of it from his mother.

  Besides, that’s what he had Elijah for; taking his horrible ideas and making them reality.

  “I guess you could call Daniel special,” Elijah blurted out, realizing the mistake the moment he said it.

  “Daniel,” Elizabeth said, her eyes widening. “Oh, Alex!”

  “Who?” Natalie asked, long lines forming on her brow. “Are you… seeing someone, Alex?”

  “No!” Elizabeth cried, nearly knocking her tea to the floor. “Elijah is.”

  “I am?” Elijah asked. Elizabeth made a quick cutting motion in his general direction.

  “Yes, and I’m terribly sorry I forgot to ask you how your date went last night,” Elizabeth continued, staring hard at Elijah. She turned slightly to Alexander and gave him an apologetic look. Alexander nodded, his hands clutched painfully together.

  “It was… great,” Elijah said, all eyes on him. “Yes.”

  “Oh,” Natalie replied shortly, all of her matchmaking gone awry. She’d always known Elijah was as queer as a goose, but Alexander didn’t have the good sense to see a good thing when it was right in front of his face. She gave Alexander a sympathetic look, the poor boy was probably secretly crushed over his best friend’s relations. “Don’t worry sweetie, you’ll find someone to take care of you.”

  “You will,” Elizabeth added. “You’re intelligent, kind a
nd good looking. Just ask Eli.”

  Elijah gritted his teeth together once again, but nodded. “If only I wasn’t previously engaged with someone else, you’d totally be my type,” he said, laying it on extra thick in his annoyance.

  Alexander could hardly take all of the attention, and when his mother placed a gentle hand on his own, he lost his well-kept cool. He stood up, nudging his chair back.

  “I don’t need to be set up, or taken care of,” he said. “I think I’ve lost my appetite, excuse me.” Turning quickly on his heel, he hurried to the bathrooms at the back of the cafe, leaning heavily against the sink as he entered.

  “This is becoming standard,” he muttered to himself, looking up at the mirror. “Fall apart in public and sob like a girl in the loo.” Before he could really fall apart, Elijah entered.

  “Alexander, god, I am so sorry,” he said. He stood a few inches away from his best friend. He didn’t want to invade Alexander’s personal space, but he couldn’t just stand there like an idiot. Reaching over, he pulled some paper toweling from the roll beside the sink and handed it to Alexander.

  Alexander took it and looked over at Elijah. “I’m not completely helpless, you know,” he said, wiping at his eyes.

  “I know that Alex, we all know that,” Elijah said..

  “Then why can’t I keep it together? I’ve never been this flighty before, crying every other minute and… I broke down in front of Daniel last night.”

  “Fuck, Alexander…”

  “I can’t even imagine what he must think. I told him everything, and… I don’t even want to talk about this.” Fresh tears formed in his eyes but he held them back.

  “I am such an ass, Alex. I totally forgot. I can’t believe how selfish I’ve been,” Elijah said. He stepped closer and pulled the coarse paper toweling away from Alexander, who had been shredding it in his shaking hands.

  “It’s fine,” Alexander whispered. “Really. I just, don’t want to talk to my mum about it. Thanks for saving me out there.”

  “Don’t thank me. I got you in the mess to begin with. Thank Elizabeth.”

  Alexander couldn’t help but crack a grin, the situation suddenly lightening. “My mum thinks you’re a complete poofer now, Eli.”

  “Not like she didn’t already,” Eli replied, smiling back. “Maybe she’ll stop trying to set you up with me now that I’m taken. Or is Daniel already taken?”

  Alexander blushed again. “Elijah, we better get back out there. I don’t want my mum to have an aneurysm because I went to the loo on my own.”

  “Hey, I’m here to assist,” Elijah added, and Alexander laughed.

  “You wish.”

  ***

  Natalie Price was on a mission.

  “Mum, those are in alphabetical order, you cant rearrange them!”

  She was going to clean her son’s apartment whether he liked it or not.

  “Sweetheart, you have too many of these larger ones at the end. It really overwhelms the space. You ought to interweave them. You know, when your aunt lived here, God rest her soul, she kept this place immaculate. If she could see this place now she’d biff me over the head for letting you have it. You are one lucky boy, Alex. Do you know how much rent in the city is?”

  Alexander groaned and sank further back into the couch cushions. His mother never failed to remind him that he was lucky to have the apartment. His aunt had spent very little time stateside, but the apartment was bought and paid for and now it was Alexander’s. Well, it was technically his mother’s, a gift left to her in her wealthy sister’s will. He knew he could never afford an apartment in the city on his own, and he would be forever grateful to his mother for the gift.

  Alexander looked down at the worn copy of “Jane Eyre” settled in his lap and rolled his eyes at the host of cleaning supplies at his feet. His apartment was by no means messy, but there was no telling his mother that.

  Natalie flitted all about the apartment with a dishrag, the fat tabby cat following her everywhere, winding around her legs. Cat, for all of his grumpy behavior and general dislike for most of the non-Alexander population, had a soft spot for the eccentric older lady.

  She spoiled the chubby cat like she would a grandson, and Cat would shun nearly all of Alexander’s attentions when Natalie came to call.

  Natalie walked back into the living room with a closed can of tuna.

  “Alexander, you need to make sure Elijah opens these for you when he takes you shopping,” she said seriously. Alexander grunted in response, hiding behind his book. “Are you listening to me, Alexander?”

  “Yes, Mum,” Alexander replied, not looking up.

  “Or you could just buy a new can opener, seeing as you destroyed the electric one I got you for your birthday. They do pay you enough at that library to purchase a little electronic can opener, don’t they?” Alexander didn’t reply and Natalie huffed and began washing down the small windows.

  Alexander had gotten quite good at ignoring her more nagging traits, and this was one of those times when he was better off not paying her much attention. He didn’t want to snap back at her, or hurt her feelings. So he kept his mouth shut and let her think what she wanted. Alexander had also gotten quite good at letting others think for him.

  After an hour or so of sulking in the living room, comprehending not a word of his favorite book, Alexander decided he wasn’t going to get any reading done, especially not with his mother vacuuming right beside his head. He was about to move to his bedroom when the phone rang. If there was one thing to be said about Natalie Price, it was that she had excellent reflexes.

  “I’ll get that!” she called, switching off the vacuum cleaner and bolting into the kitchen before Alexander could even stand and protest. Cat lunged after her, his belly swaying to and fro as he ran. Alexander could hear her answer the phone from the kitchen, and he prayed to God it wasn’t--

  “Daniel? Daniel Sommer? That’s German, isn’t it?” she asked.

  “Mum!” Alexander squeaked, making his way toward the kitchen. He found her leaning casually back against the counter, phone in one hand, and a dust mop in the other. Cat was splayed out at her feet, cleaning himself with slow licks.

  “Well, I thought so,” she said. “Why isn’t that rude!” She let out a short, high pitched giggle. “I’m his mother, darling. Oh, you as well.”

  “The phone, Mum,” Alexander demanded, holding out his hand. She shooed him off, returning to the conversation. Alexander wished he could hear what Daniel said in reply to his mother’s remarks, but at least she was still smiling.

  “Do you know an Elijah Grey? Ah, so you’re the mysterious love interest, are you? Well, I do say! The poor lad, he’ll be devastated. Alexander? Oh yes.” She pulled the phone from her ear and turned to Alexander. “Sweetheart, can you take the call?”