Empty Net

by Avon Gale

  “Why would you want it to be unnatural?”

  “’Cause my hair’s not as pretty as yours?” Isaac laughed. “I don’t know. I started doing it in high school. My parents thought being gay was unnatural, so I thought it was appropriate to have unnatural hair. Also I think someone dared me at a party. Why? Don’t you like it?”

  “I like it,” Laurent said, but it came out defensive instead of complimentary. He sighed and hoped he hadn’t ruined their date already.

  They went to a place called Dudley’s, which wasn’t a chain and appeared to be pretty busy for a Wednesday. Laurent knew people might think he was on a date, but the nice thing about spending so much time antagonizing people was that he was used to it, so he didn’t care what they thought.

  They had a brief wait for a table, and in the low light of the restaurant, Laurent could see Isaac a little more clearly. Laurent thought he was maybe wearing eyeliner. Just a little, but the smudge brought out the midnight blue of his eyes. They looked like the sky right before night took over and made everything dark.

  “You ever had fried green tomatoes?” Isaac asked once they were seated.

  “What?” Laurent looked up from the menu he’d ostensibly been studying and tried to look at Isaac’s eyes and not his lip ring. He wanted to lean over and suck on it.

  Isaac tugged at the ring with his teeth for a moment, which made Laurent wonder how obvious he was. “Fried green tomatoes. You’re Canadian. They don’t have those there. Do they?”

  “I’m American,” Laurent reminded him. “I only speak French because of my father. But I was born in America.”

  “So, rule for this date—don’t talk about your dad. Not even once. If I asked you something, and he’s the answer, tap the table twice. Or something.” Isaac took a sip of his water. “I’m on a date with you, not your dad. Thank God, since that’s not the kind of prick I like.”

  “Hi. Welcome to Dudley’s. My name’s Kyle.” Out of nowhere their server appeared next to the table. “Can I get you anything to drink? Also, so you know, I don’t have a problem with you being on a date. My brother’s gay. So you don’t have to pretend or anything.”

  Isaac and Laurent exchanged a look at Kyle’s bluntness.

  “That’s good.”

  Kyle carded Isaac when he ordered a beer, which made Laurent smirk at Isaac across the table.

  Laurent tried to stick with water, but Isaac made a face at him and then ordered the same beer he was having.

  “I don’t know if I’ll like that,” Laurent protested.

  “It’s a beer.” Isaac leaned back in his chair. “Relax, Saint.”

  The name worked, as it always did, but Laurent still wasn’t sure what he was supposed to do on a date. People usually talked about themselves, didn’t they? Laurent hated that. Still, talking about hockey seemed less like a date, and Laurent also didn’t want to think or talk about hockey. He was bad at it already, and the date had just started.

  “So did you read that comic series Hux gave you? I saw the movie with him, the old Judge Dredd with Stallone. Ugh. He wouldn’t shut up about comic inaccuracies. He might be a scary-looking dude with muscles who’s a hockey enforcer, but he’s just a huge geek.”

  “I did,” Laurent said. “I liked it.” He cast about for something else to say. “I’ve never seen that one, but I did see the new movie. It was better.”

  Isaac grinned at him. “You’re bad at this.”

  Laurent scowled. “I’ve never been on a date before. Also you’re kind of a dick.”

  That got him a smirk and another suck on that lip ring. It was distracting. Everything about Isaac was distracting, apparently.

  “You’re staring at me, dude. Like we’re on the ice. And I’m trying to score on you.” Isaac winked.

  Laurent flushed, but he was perfectly capable of being blunt. “I’m trying to figure out if I think you’re hot.”

  There was a discreet cough. “Your beers,” their server, Kyle, said. “Blind date?”

  “Did we ask you?” Laurent snapped before he could think better of it.

  “Don’t mind him,” Isaac interjected smoothly. “He’s nervous, and he acts like a jackass when he’s nervous.”

  “I am not nervous,” Laurent said, turning his irritation back on Isaac.

  “Tell him you’re sorry,” Isaac said. There was no glint of amusement in his eyes, no half smile, no hint that he was teasing at all. “Saint. Guy doesn’t need you snapping at him at work.”

  “Hey man. It’s no big deal.”

  Laurent looked up at Kyle. “I’m sorry,” he said. It wasn’t as gracious as it could be, but Isaac would have to do something drastic to make it sound better. “I’m pretty much an asshole all the time.”

  “Until you get to know him,” Isaac put in. “Then he’s all right.”

  “Did you guys meet on Grindr?” Kyle asked as he handed over their beers. He gave an easy shrug. “And don’t worry about it. You want an appetizer?”

  Isaac ordered whatever those tomato things were, and Laurent sipped the beer he hadn’t wanted and wondered why, instead of embarrassing him, the fact that Isaac made him apologize to the waiter had been strangely reassuring. “I don’t know why I act like that.”

  “I do,” said Isaac. He tapped his fingers twice on the table.

  Laurent smiled. “I still don’t understand why you’re bothering with me,” he said, honestly. “I can’t be that hot that I’m worth all this effort. I’m a jerk, I don’t know if I’m attracted to you, and I have literally no idea how to behave around other people.”

  “Well, first of all you are that hot. But believe me, that’s not enough. Not for a date, anyway,” Isaac said. “And I don’t know, Saint. I guess I just feel like somewhere in there, there’s somebody worth knowing. But if you’re not into me, we can just be friends.” Isaac took a drink of his beer. “But if that’s true, we’re splitting the check.”

  “I didn’t even want this beer,” Laurent said, but without any heat.

  Isaac smiled. “Fine. Then the beers are on me, if we’re buddies. I’m still going to be your friend. Or try to, because it’s not easy. But there you go. I thought maybe there might be something else we could be. But no pressure. Still I should tell you that I’m very attracted to you, and I don’t want to lie about it or anything.”

  Laurent, who was beginning to think about people who were not himself, suddenly wondered what it must take for Isaac to sit across the table from him. Not only was Laurent’s past behavior abhorrent, they were in competition on their team and Laurent had just told him he wasn’t sure if he thought Isaac was hot—when they were on a date.

  He wouldn’t let my father bully him. Not like I do.

  Without thinking Laurent tapped the table twice.

  “Hey,” Isaac said, his voice quiet. “It’s okay. I can still pick up the tab.”

  That surprised an honest laugh out of Laurent. It made Isaac happy, he could tell, both that he’d laughed and that he’d followed the instructions about tapping the table.

  “I think you’re brave,” Laurent blurted out awkwardly. He couldn’t look at Isaac. “I didn’t do anything to be attractive. But you had to. To be brave.” He picked up his beer and mumbled into it, “And I like your lip ring.”

  He chanced a glance up at Isaac, who smiled at him. It wasn’t his usual grin, not a smirk, and certainly not that fierce, angry baring of teeth that Laurent remembered from their fight on the ice. It was a smile, and it did weird things to Laurent when he saw it.

  “You’re a mess,” Isaac said. He reached across to stroke the back of Laurent’s hand, the one he’d tapped on the table. Laurent had clenched it into a fist, and he relaxed it gradually as Isaac slowly ghosted his fingertips over Laurent’s skin. It made him shiver pleasantly too.

  “I know,” Laurent said softly, and he dared to curl his fingers around Isaac’s for several heartbeats. “Believe me. I know.”

  They talked about other things, like
comics and, because it was inevitable, the team. They talked about hockey, but just in general. It wasn’t a continuous conversation, and it was certainly not without pauses or Laurent being awkward, but despite his utter distaste of whatever “pimentos” were, it was a pretty good date.

  Not that he had anything to compare it to. But still.

  When the check came, Kyle studied them both. “I tried to figure out what was going on here, but let me tell you, I can’t tell if you guys are gonna be best friends, end up married, or hate each other. But half the girls on the wait staff want you to make out, so.” He put the little folder with the bill down on the table between them. “I’m just gonna leave this here.”

  Laurent reached for the check before Isaac could ask him anything and then pulled out his wallet. “I’ve got it.”

  “I did not see that coming,” said Kyle.

  “Really?” Laurent handed over his debit card. “Why not?”

  “You’re the pretty one,” Isaac said. “Maybe he expected me to buy.”

  “Dude, that kind of gender stereotyping isn’t cool. I’d expect a gay guy to know better,” Kyle chastised.

  “I could be bi,” Isaac shot back. “Is it the eyeliner? Is that what makes you think I’m gay?”

  “Didn’t I just say that gender stereotyping isn’t cool?”

  “Should I leave you two alone?” Laurent asked.

  The waiter took the hint and left with Laurent’s credit card. Laurent took a deep breath and turned to Isaac. “I think that I think you’re hot.”

  “Progress,” said Isaac. “Don’t worry. I’ve a got a few drills up my sleeve to help us figure it out. If you’re up for it.” Isaac smirked, all heat and playfulness. “I know I am.”

  Kyle brought the check back, and Laurent left him a 35 percent tip.

  WHEN THEY got into the Jeep, Isaac turned to him. “Where to?” he asked casually.

  Laurent ignored the unpleasant churn of nerves in his stomach and wondered if he could ever just have one normal thing in his goddamn life. Though for all he knew, everyone felt that way on a first date. Maybe it was normal. “Home.”

  Isaac nodded, and that gave Laurent the entirety of the drive to figure out how to ask Isaac to come upstairs to his apartment. Unfortunately there wasn’t a lot of traffic, and Isaac hit every green light between Dudley’s and his place.

  When the Jeep stopped at the curb, Laurent unhooked his seatbelt, leaned over and pressed a very awkward kiss to Isaac’s mouth. “Come in.”

  Isaac smiled against his mouth. “I get to see the Batcave. Cool.”

  Laurent rolled his eyes and sat back in his seat. “You’re gonna be disappointed,” he said, forcing away the ominous alarm those words set off.

  “Are you gonna take your shirt off? Because if you do that, I won’t be. And if you’re still worried, you can take off your pants.” Isaac turned the Jeep off and opened his door. “And if you think I’m not going to make comments about how hot you are just because I might possibly be on my way to liking you as a person, think again.”

  Laurent was glad it was dark, because he was blushing.

  When he and Isaac walked into the foyer, Mrs. Bowen emerged from her apartment. Laurent wondered if that was good timing or if she waited up for him. That was stupid. Why would she care enough about Laurent to do that?

  “Well, looks like that was a good date,” she said, and Laurent’s blush intensified. “Oh, my Harold used to wear a bit of my eyeliner back in the day. We would go to the men’s club, you know. I’d wear his suits, so I looked like a boy. Quite a few memories. Roomy booths with nice cushions.”

  Isaac was grinning in pure delight, and he reached out a hand. “Hi. I’m Isaac Drake, and I’m an orphan. Can you adopt me?”

  “An orphan? How sad to lose your parents so young.” She shook his hand, then paused with it between two of hers. “Or did you lose them because of the eyeliner?”

  “The eyeliner. Yup,” Isaac said.

  She patted his hand. “What a sad world we live in. I always wanted children but couldn’t have them. Though probably we wouldn’t have made it to that club so often if we did, so maybe it was for the best. And I have a dog. I think it’s probably about the same thing.”

  “What about Harold?” Isaac asked. “He still wear eyeliner?”

  “Oh, he went on,” she said. Her eyes grew suspiciously bright. “We were married for sixty-five years, and it felt like five. I miss him something awful, but I figure he’s up there with some of those folks we used to pal around with, in a big ol’ booth, just waiting for me to join him.” She let go of Isaac’s hand. “Be nice to Lawrence, here. He has sad eyes.”

  With that, she patted Laurent on the shoulder and went into her apartment.

  “Did that just happen?” Isaac asked as they headed upstairs. “Your landlady… she’s like, eightysomething. And unless I’m wrong, she dressed up in her husband’s suits and pretended to be a boy so they could have bi threesomes in a booth at whatever a boy’s club is.”

  “Sounds like it,” Laurent agreed.

  “You don’t even seem surprised,” Isaac said as he followed Laurent into the small studio.

  Laurent shrugged. “No one’s all that normal, no matter what they look like or how old they are.” He closed the door and indicated his apartment with a wave. “This is it. See? Not very exciting.”

  “Oh. I don’t know.” Isaac moved in closer, and suddenly Laurent had his back to the door and Isaac’s lean frame very nearly pressed against his own. “I bet I can find something to get excited about.”

  “Do these lines usually work for you?” Laurent asked. “Because they’re kind of cheesy. I mean, I’m not an expert or anything. But still.”

  “I’m here, aren’t I? So I think my pick-up lines worked.” Isaac reached up to get a hand around the back of Laurent’s neck. “Mine are better than yours.” He gave a soft laugh and kissed Laurent.

  Laurent kissed him but gently pushed him back. Mostly to see if Isaac would stop if Laurent wanted him to.

  He did immediately and moved away to give Laurent some space.

  “We don’t usually do this standing up.” Laurent was surprised to hear how rough his voice sounded.

  “I know. Remember how I said I had drills? I think it’s probably a good idea if we do some of those.” Isaac’s expression settled into more serious lines. “I think we need to figure out if you’d like doing more than just kiss me.”

  “’Cause at some point, you’re gonna want to get laid?” Laurent was unable to keep the edge from his voice. He closed his eyes, took a breath, and tried to calm himself. When he went to apologize, he was surprised to find Isaac looking at him strangely.

  “No. I just meant, I don’t want to end up trying to make you like something you don’t. If you’re not into guys, you’re not into guys,” Isaac said. “I’m still going to be your friend. I’ll even still pet your pretty hair.”

  “Oh shut up.” Laurent edged around him and sat on the bed. He looked briefly toward the bathroom and concentrated instead on Isaac. “I—I don’t know if I’m into guys or not.” I know I’m into you. He felt way too vulnerable to say that out loud.

  “That’s what I thought we’d find out.” Isaac watched him carefully. “But it means. Y’know. Clothes come off. Dicks might get touched.”

  Laurent couldn’t hide the reaction that got, which was a surprised little jolt. “Right. I don’t know what I’m doing, but I get the mechanics.”

  “It’s a lot different when it isn’t just mechanics. Can I sit down?”

  “Could you stop treating me like I’m going to break or freak out?” Laurent shook his head, but scooted over to give Isaac room. “Stop asking me and just do whatever it is,” he said, pleading.

  “No way. Not negotiable. I’ll stop if you’re uncomfortable, you just have to say something.”

  “I’m trying to tell you that you being so considerate is making me uncomfortable.”

  They star
ed at each other. Isaac’s mouth twitched. “Well, that’s a problem.”

  “I know.” Laurent took a long moment to simply look at Isaac—the hair (he dyed that just for me), the lip piercing, the dark blue eyes, the smudge of black around them, Isaac’s lean body in a shirt that showed it off without being showy, and the fact he was willing to go through a lot of stress for a guy who didn’t deserve it.

  For a guy who, because he was a coward, spit on him and called him a fag.

  Laurent was horrified to feel himself about to cry. It was the worst date ever, probably. “I’m so sorry. About what I did during that game. I didn’t understand what it meant. But I do, now. And I’m—I’m sorry.”

  “I know,” Isaac said, and straddled Laurent’s lap. His knees pressed on either side of Laurent’s thighs, and he smelled good. Spicy.

  “You put on cologne.”

  “Duh. It was a date. You wore a dress shirt,” Isaac countered.

  “I didn’t tuck it in, though.” Laurent tried not to squeak as Isaac’s mouth moved down to his neck. It felt like someone electrocuted Laurent’s spine. He’d never felt anything like it, and he gasped out loud.

  “Ah. You like that.”

  “Yeah,” Laurent was too shocked by pleasure to think about lying. It felt shivery good, and he wanted more of it. “If you stop and ask me if I’m sure, I’ll suffocate you with this dress shirt.”

  “I’m supposed to be the violent goalie,” Isaac said, but he kept kissing Laurent’s neck, and the drag of his lip ring against Laurent’s skin was nothing short of amazing. “So, good. That’s one drill down.”

  Laurent wanted Isaac to keep doing that, but he settled back and started undoing the buttons of Laurent’s shirt.

  Unease crept into Laurent’s previously pleasure-soaked senses. He reached out and put a hand over Isaac’s. “Wait.”

  Isaac stopped and went still.

  Laurent exhaled slowly and then gave a brief nod. “Okay. Keep going.”

  “Are you sure—”

  Laurent responded by leaning in and kissing Isaac and flicking his tongue over Isaac’s lip ring like he’d wanted to do since the moment Isaac picked him up. Isaac kissed him back and unbuttoned Laurent’s shirt, but instead of taking it off, he just pushed it open so it was still hanging off Laurent’s shoulders.