Page 40 of The Northern Lights in His Eyes

Chapter 17

“ARE YOU sure about this?” Garvin asked. “I figured you would need to get some rest after your flight.”

William hurried to the bathroom and started the shower, that tight backside bobbing so invitingly, it was all Garvin could do not to grab him and pull William back onto the bed. “Of course. If I sleep, then I’ll end up all mixed up, and I have to be on the top of my game tomorrow night for a reception. So I’ll clean up, and then we’ll go see the sights. I know a bunch of things that you need to see.” He closed the door before poking his head out once more. “Go get ready, and then we’ll head out.” He closed the door, and Garvin wiped himself down once more before pulling on his clothes.

True to his word, William was showered and dressed in less than fifteen minutes. “Grab a jacket. It’s April, and as soon as the sun goes down, it will start to get chilly.” Garvin snagged a sweatshirt from his suitcase, and then William was out the door, with Garvin following in the wake of his whirlwind.

“Where are we heading?”

“To the Metro,” William answered. They went down in the elevator and out onto the street. A block later, they entered one of the Metro stations, and after getting tickets, were whisked underground to the very center of the city. They climbed the stairs at the other end and found themselves face-to-face with Notre-Dame covered in scaffolding, like a giant stone beast who’d fallen and needed to heal. “It’s sad, isn’t it? But the cathedral will recover. It’s supposed to reopen in 2024.”

“Where are you taking me?” Garvin asked. They had been on what seemed like a mad chase until they stood outside another church.

“Here.” He paid the entrance fee, and William practically bounced on his heels as he held the interior door open and Garvin stepped into a chapel brimming with light and colors that seemed to fill the very air around them. “This is Sainte-Chapelle. It’s a royal chapel, and all this is the largest collection of original medieval stained glass in Europe.” William smiled. “I love this place. The light isn’t just visual here—you can almost close your eyes and feel it.”

Garvin swallowed, looking around as he took it in. Words failed to describe the space. Tall gothic windows soared toward the sky, and light of every imaginable color streamed into the space. “My God.”

“Yeah,” William said, taking Garvin’s hand. “The last time I was here, I thought about experiencing it with someone I cared about.”

“How did these survive?” Garvin asked. “It looks so fragile.”

William shrugged. “I really don’t know. I’ve been to Paris almost every year since I was twenty-two, and I always come here. It’s like my welcome to the city, and it always lifts my spirits. I know it’s a church, but it makes me feel like I can do anything. In this space, it’s really easy to believe in God and his miracles.”

Garvin nodded. They slowly wandered through the monument, taking in the light. He probably should have gotten a brochure to read about the building, but he was too enthralled to take his attention away. Standing in the center, he lifted his gaze. “I can see why they built churches like this. The building itself seems to draw your attention to God.”

“That’s exactly the point,” William whispered. The space was huge, and yet it seemed inappropriate to talk. Garvin wandered silently through the church, taking it all in. As people entered, their chatter ceased at the door, and Garvin knew they were as affected as him.

“We should go,” William whispered sometime later, guiding him toward the exit and out into the bright spring sunshine.

“That was amazing,” Garvin whispered, heaving in a deep breath. “What’s next?”

William took his arm. “Lots of things. We can stroll the booksellers, walk along the west bank.” He continued walking, and Garvin let William take the lead. They strolled across the fancy Alexander bridge, where a hunky bronze Neptune held court over the Seine. The city of legend seemed to open herself to them, but maybe it was the other way around. Maybe it was Garvin who was finally opening up. He didn’t want to hold back, and when they rounded a bend, looking back as the water flowed through the city, Garvin guided William closer and kissed him hard, his tongue slipping between his lips.

“I don’t know exactly what to do,” he admitted. “We live completely different lives, and yet here, none of that matters.”

“Because maybe it was never all that important in the first place,” William offered. “Look, I’m thirty-four, an old man in the business I’m in. The day after tomorrow, I’m going to be in a runway show, and I will be the oldest model there by nearly a decade. I’m good at what I do. And yeah, I look good and I was blessed with young genes. But it isn’t going to last forever, I know that. I’ve worked hard for years, and you know the tiny place I have.”

“But the commercials and stuff…,” Garvin suggested.

“Those might last longer, for a few more years. But then someone more attractive with fewer lines and signs of aging will take over. It’s the way of things. Once that happens, I’ll look for a new career.” He pulled Garvin nearer. “I have no idea what that will be. Maybe I can teach theater or film. I don’t know.”

Garvin paused. “What are you trying to tell me?”

William sighed, pausing in their stroll as the river flowed past them the way it had for thousands of years. “That things are not going to stay the way they are now. In four months, I’m booked for some shows in New York. Just a few. Arnie hasn’t said anything, but I know it’s getting harder and harder for him to get me work. So in a year or two, I’ll be ready for a huge life change, and I want that change to be you.”

Garvin tilted his head slightly. “You want me to wait for you for two years?”

“No.” William looked at him like he was dumb. “I want to come to Alaska and spend time with you between jobs. And I’m hoping that you can come to New York for a few weeks in the fall. You could conduct your classes from there, maybe take your students on a virtual tour of the city. You could come to Paris with me next year, or any other place I have to go. And when this ride is over, then maybe I can find work doing commercials up in the frozen north. Can you see me doing Visit Alaska spots or something?” He smiled, and the light in Garvin’s head went on.

“You’re saying you’d move to Willow?” Garvin asked, his mouth going dry.

William shook his head. “I’ve always thought that. I know you leaving isn’t an option. That’s your home, and quite frankly, it felt more like a home to me than any place has ever felt. I don’t know exactly how or when, but the one thing I do know is that I want to make it my home as well.”

Garvin rested his head on William’s shoulder. “Then I’d love to travel with you for a while, see some more of the world….” He lifted his gaze. “With you. Always with you.”

William chuckled.

“I don’t understand what’s so funny.”

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