Chalk Butterfly: Part One (First Time Erotic Romance) (5 page)

“He won’t tell you,” Elijah said, giving her
a look. “Now don’t you have actual work to be doing?”

“Professional today, are we? Think you can
just order me around, huh?” Elizabeth asked, raising an
eyebrow.

“Liz, I’m your boss!” A small giggle escaped
Alexander as the two glared each other down. “It’s not funny,
Alex,” Elijah said. “I need to be taken seriously.”

“Grow actual facial hair, dress like
you’re not still in grade school, colorblind and living in the mid
eighties, and maybe you will be,” Elizabeth retorted. Alexander
could only laugh harder. “Now excuse me, I have a date with
Hey Diddle Diddle
and thirteen
terrible two-ers.” Elizabeth grabbed a book from the shelf and made
a triumphant exit as Elijah sat there fuming.

“I can never win with her,” Elijah said,
biting at his finger.

“That’s because you’re hopelessly enamored,”
Alexander said. He smiled at his friend and Elijah flipped him off.
His two best friends were always at each others' throats, it would
be unusual for them to actually get along.

“Don’t remind me,” Elijah groaned. “It’s
unbearable.”

“Oh, don’t get all melodramatic on me, Eli.
C’mon, we’ll skip out early,” Alexander said, and Elijah
immediately brightened.

“And then you’re telling me all about this
guy you met on the train.”

Alexander rolled his eyes, gathering his
mittens and jacket.

“You spill, I pay for lunch,” Elijah
offered.

Alexander mulled it over, slipping on his
jacket. “Fine, but I’m telling you, it’s really not a big
deal.”

***

“So, let me get this straight,” Elijah said,
stabbing at his salad. “This random guy approaches you on a train,
plays twenty questions, buys you coffee and then asks for your
phone number?”

“Basically,” Alexander replied. He took a
sip of his ice tea and tried not to blush. Recounting the tale had
made the fluttery monsters in his belly return.

“Alexander, for being a storyteller by
occupation… you really are an awful storyteller,” Elijah said.

“You asked me what happened and I told you,”
Alexander retorted. The waitress arrived with their lunch, and
Elijah signaled for two bills. “Come on, Eli! We had a deal.”
Alexander scrunched his face up into an extremely childish pout,
and Elijah nearly choked on his drink.

“I can’t believe you just made that face at
me. I told you never to make that face at me again,” Elijah said,
coughing. “I’m not looking, Alexander.” Elijah turned in his chair.
“You done?”

“Eliiiii,” Alexander drawled, eyes going
wide.

Elijah scowled and faced Alexander. “That’s
so immature of you, Alex. How do you do that? That look?”

“Practiced on my mum, though it rarely works
with her,” Alexander said. “Now, are you paying for my lunch?”

“Give me some details, and yes. Oh, and no
more pouting or I’ll lose my lunch,” Elijah said, pointing a
french-fry at Alexander threateningly.

“What kinds of details?”

“Alright, how about… what did he look like?
Hm?” Elijah leaned in, waiting.

Alexander thought it over, poking at his
grilled cheese sandwich with a fork. “Professional,” he decided,
biting at the inside of his mouth.

“And…?”

“Tall, about my height. Um, blondish hair--
kinda strawberry blond. Kinda rough, but professional.” Alexander
could picture the man perfectly in his mind, soft and warm, and a
bit dangerous with his words.

“Yeah, but was he good looking?”

Alexander’s eyes went wide and he suddenly
found his straw very interesting.

“Are you blushing again? Alex? Oh God, you
are so… there isn’t a word. Look at me,” Elijah insisted.

Alexander raised his head, flushing all
over. “What?” he asked, voice small.

“You can’t even say it,” Elijah said,
partly amazed. It was extremely obvious that Alexander was shy,
from the way he held himself, to the manner in which he spoke--
unsure and looking for approval. Elijah grinned and laid a gentle
hand across Alexander’s bandaged fingers. “You can tell me, you
know. I think this is great that maybe you’ve found someone to
be…
friends
with.”

“You’re embarrassing me,” Alexander mumbled,
dipping his head. “And fine, I suppose he was attractive.”

“To you, or in general?” Elijah asked. He
enjoyed how he had Alexander squirming. He loved Alexander dearly;
he had since the day they met nearly four years ago, and never once
had he seen his friend so coy.

“He isn’t good looking in a handsome way,
exactly-- though he is, I guess. I mean, that doesn’t exactly
explain him properly,” Alexander said.. “He’s beautiful, is what
you’d call him.”

Elijah grinned across the table at
Alexander, and let go of his hand. “What’s his name?”

“Daniel. He’s a recovering egomaniac, he
told me.”

Elijah chortled at that. “Oh?”

“But he isn’t, really. I mean, I don’t think
so. He’s interesting, and I…” Alexander paused and frowned. “What
am I going on about? I don’t even know if he’s interested in me
that way. I mean, I couldn’t just ask him, and he couldn’t just ask
me. You know, ‘Hey, are you bent?’” Alexander’s pushed his plate
away. “I shouldn’t get ahead of myself. I need to call him, and see
from there. If I actually have the backbone to do it.”

“He obviously wants you to call if he gave
you his number, Alex,” Elijah pointed out. “Now, are you going to
eat that?”

Alexander sighed and nudged Elijah under the
table with his knee. “You buy me lunch, and then you eat my lunch.
Go for it.”

Elijah grinned and pulled Alexander’s plate
to his side. “You will call him,” he said through a mouthful of
cheese. “I mean, you’re always telling me how no one treats you
normally just because of well, you know. Well, you’ve found someone
who will, or has so far, and you kind of have to latch on to that,
see where it goes.”

Alexander slumped down in his chair and
slipped on his mittens.

“That’s because he doesn’t know.”

***

“Do I wait a few days, or is that just for
straight people?” Alexander asked, opening his refrigerator for
Elijah. Elijah leaned down and set a few items of food in the
fridge, looking back up at Alexander.

“You said he’s a little crazy right?”

“Eccentric, Eli. He’s funny,” Alexander
said. He emptied one of the grocery bags beside the door, his
finger hooking slightly in the plastic handles, and he winced.
“Fuck! I used to be able to get my own groceries, you know
that?”

“Come on, Alex, let me do that,” Elijah
said. He stood and took the bag from Alexander. “He might not think
you’re too desperate if you call tonight,” Elijah continued,
opening up some boxes and storing them in the cupboards.

Twice a month Elijah took Alexander
shopping, helping with the bags and then opening some of the more
difficult items for Alexander to use later. Elijah had been doing
it for a year now, despite Alexander’s insistence that he could
afford a cheap grocery delivery service.

Elijah opened a tin of cat food and spooned
out a bowl full for the fat tabby who was fast asleep by the
heater.

“No wonder it’s so cold in here.” Elijah
nudged the cat with his boot, and the animal barely raised his
head. The cat gave Elijah an annoyed look, eyes narrowed and ears
drawn back, and went back to sleep atop the vent. “I swear that
thing gets lazier by the day. He won’t even hiss at me properly
anymore. Lazy bastard.”

“Oh, leave him alone. He’s a darling cat,
aren’t you Cat?” Alexander cooed, squatting down carefully and
stroking the cat’s back softly. The animal curled up, purring
loudly, nuzzling his face into Alexander’s wrist. “Sweet Cat.”

Alexander patted the cat and stood, eyeing
up the phone from across the room. The little red light on the
answering machine blinked, and Alexander sighed. “Dare I check
that?” he mumbled, and Elijah chuckled.

“I swear you're the last person in New York
to have an actual answering machine.
Don’t be such a baby and
check it,” Elijah teased, filling up a blue ice tray and stowing it
in the freezer.

“You know I don't trust technology
,”
Alexander said with a pout. “Landlines are much more romantic than
cell phones.”

“Check your messages then,” Elijah said
back.

Alexander scowled. He strode across the room
and stared down the machine. “You don’t have to deal with her.”

“True, but she’s a lovely woman.”

“Guh.” Alexander groaned and pressed the
blinking button, bracing himself. The machine read off the number
and the time the call was placed, beeping loudly.

“Hullo sweetie, it’s mum,” came the pleasant
voice of Natalie Price. “Are you there, Alexander? You aren't
answering your mobile and you know I can't figure out to leave
messages on that contraption. Where are you this afternoon? You
don’t work on Wednesdays, and I’d hate to think you’re stressing
yourself. Now, I’m just calling to check up. I know you think I’m
silly for it, but I worry. You know me.”

“Oh, mum,” Alexander sighed, smiling despite
himself.

“Please call me back and let me know you’ve
been taking your vitamins. You know what the doctor said. And dear,
tell that darling Elijah I said hello. I don’t understand why you
two don’t date.”

“What?” Elijah squeaked.

Alexander went beet red. “She’s got crazy
notions, my mum,” he explained, punching in the delete button as
quickly as he could. “She met you, and well, I don’t know!”

Elijah reddened a bit, too, smacking himself
across the forehead. “I’m doomed, I’ll never get a girlfriend,. No
wonder Liz won’t give me the time of day, if she thinks… bah.”

“She just despises you, is all,” Alexander
said. He placed a hand on Elijah’s shoulder, smiling wide and
comical. “It isn’t that she thinks you’re gay.”

“Oh, thanks. Now that’s enough on my
nonexistent love life. Maybe call him tomorrow,” Elijah decided,
stocking the rest of the food into the freezer. “You don’t have to
break down and explain everything to him on the phone either, maybe
wait until you meet?”

“If we meet. If I call. If, Eli,” Alexander
said. He sat down at his small kitchen table and toed one of his
shoes off. It was an uncomfortable process, but far better than
using his hands, and less embarrassing than walking around with
Velcro-snapped sneakers. “I almost feel dishonest, not telling him.
I mean, he didn’t ask, but still.”

“You shouldn’t label yourself, Alex. You
shouldn’t always be thinking about it,” Elijah said. He sat at the
other end of the tiny table and Alexander sighed.

“I have a disease, Eli. Lately, it’s always
on my mind. I can’t shut it off. Everything I do, even right now,
I’m tense, watching for obstacles. I don’t know what I’d do without
you helping me here. I’d be eating nothing but TV dinners and
peanut butter sandwiches.”

“I don’t think you’d get the peanut butter
jar open, I barely could,” Elijah said sheepishly. “The thing is,
this isn’t who you are. I see so much more than just someone with
EB, some patient, some victim. You’re independent, intelligent and
a good friend. There, how was that for a self esteem booster?”

Alexander smiled, kicking off his other
shoe. “Good show,” he said. He flashed Elijah a fond look. “Want to
go watch something sappy?”

“Sure, I’m in the mood to indulge my
feminine side,” Elijah said and Alexander rolled his eyes.

***

“Just spit it out, man.”

Daniel groaned, setting down his glass at
the bar.

“For the fifth and final time, nothing’s
wrong,” Daniel replied, turning to his friend and co-manager, Owen
Fox, with a sigh.

Owen downed what was left in his own drink
and signaled for another from the bartender. “I didn’t say anything
was wrong, you’ve been grinning like a complete fool all day.”

“Really abusing the house tonight, aren’t ya
Fox?” the pretty bartender asked, leaning over and clinking down a
frothing mug of amber beer. She gave Owen a flirtatious wink,
propping herself up on her elbows which displayed a rather generous
amount of cleavage for all to see. To her dismay, Owen was too
preoccupied with guzzling his beverage to notice.

“I wouldn’t call it abuse, Madeline,” Daniel
interrupted, smiling wryly. “I believe it’s called gluttony, in the
Bible at least.”

Owen snorted, throwing back his drink.
“After today, I need a few… dozen of these,” he said, rubbing at
his forehead.

“Oh, planning the revamp already?” Madeline
asked. She slid a dish of pretzels Owen’s way. “Pace yourself,
sweetie.”

“Yep,” Daniel said. “This is our year, I can
feel it.”

Owen chuckled, laying his head down on the
bar and groaning. “You say that every year, Daniel.”