Page 41 of The Northern Lights in His Eyes

William stretched his arm and swept it in front of them. “Millions of people come here every year to fall in love. It’s part of what this city does. I think you and I did that in Alaska, but we had to come here to find the words to express it… to figure out a way forward.” He kissed Garvin, his lips hot and soft. “You know, if I’d known, I’d have brought you to Paris a long time ago.” He sighed. “There’s just something about this place that stirs the heart.”

Garvin snickered. “I think it’s stirring something else, and my bet is that they put something in the water.”

William rolled his eyes. “And what would that be exactly?”

“Love juice?” Garvin quipped.

“As I recall, you and I have never had a problem with that.” William’s wicked smile had Garvin wondering how quickly they could get back to the hotel. Garvin slipped his arm around William’s waist, and they stood and watched the water flow past.

“I have to ask. Have you told Arnie about your plans? He seems really intense, and I know the guy works hard as hell for you.”

William nodded. “He does, and I’ll have to talk to him about it.” He leaned closer. “I’m tired, Garvin. By the end of the week, I’m barely going to be able to move. I’ll have worn dozens of sets of clothes, and some of them will have been pinned on to the point I’m lucky they don’t fall off and I end up naked on the damned runway. That nearly happened five years ago. A new designer hired me for her show. The clothes looked stunning, but they weren’t all ready. The pants I was supposed to wear were pinned at the waist, and halfway through the runway, the pin gave way and the pants fell right off.” William began laughing, and at first Garvin thought he was kidding, but the chuckle turned nervous.

“What did you do?” Garvin asked.

“I stepped out of the pants, thankful the shirt was long, and continued walking as though that was part of the show. I even gave them a little butt shimmy as I did. The audience never knew anything different, and that designer has hired me every single year since. Last year she started an underwear line for men, and we reprised the pants drop, this time on purpose. It was a sensation. But it takes a lot of energy to be on and ready for those few minutes on the runway, and I want to go out on top rather than trying to hang on too long. You know?” William stood still.

“Do you think you’ll be able to get me in to watch some of the shows? I’d like to see you work.”

“Of course. Arnie is always invited, and you should be able to go with him.” William guided them away from the river. “Let’s go a few blocks from this section of the city, find a bistro, and have some lunch.”

“I could definitely eat,” Garvin said, and they left the riverfront, strolling away from the tourist areas until they found a street corner with a coffee shop on one side and a bistro with tables on the sidewalk on the other. “And afterward, can we walk through the gardens?”

“Of course, if you like. But I thought we’d go to the Orangerie first. It’s in one corner of the Tuileries, and it’s breathtaking in a completely different way than Sainte-Chapelle.” A server approached them. William spoke briefly in French, and Garvin’s eyes widened as they were shown to a table.

The bistro was busy but not full, and they settled into a quiet conversation. “I didn’t know you spoke French.”

“Over the years I’ve picked up quite a bit, and I took a few years of night classes. When I was younger, I wanted to work more here, so knowing French was important. I’m not fluent, but I can manage most casual situations, and I’m really good in restaurants and things like that because the interactions are predictable.” They made their selections and were ready when the server returned.

Garvin sat back and let William speak to the server. Then they were alone, and they simply talked. It wasn’t rushed or really important. Garvin spent most of the time watching William, wondering how he could have thought so little of him at one point. He had placed William in a box that made him easy to dismiss, which meant Garvin hadn’t had to deal with any latent attraction. All he could do was thank God that William had come to Alaska. He had opened Garvin’s heart again. But it was William’s leaving that had been the real wake-up call.

“So, the Orangerie? Why is that familiar?” Garvin asked, trying to pull his thoughts back to the moment rather than letting them wander.

“The Tuileries were the gardens when the Louvre was a royal palace, so I suspect the Orangerie is where they had the hothouses for growing oranges and other tropical fruit for the palace. But today it’s something very different.”

“And you aren’t going to tell me?” Garvin asked.

William shrugged. “You could look it up on your phone, or you can just let yourself be surprised.” He cocked his eyebrows, and Garvin left his phone in his pocket. After all, they had plenty of time, and William hadn’t steered him wrong yet. The dishes arrived, and Garvin hummed at the simple but amazing plate of duck. It wasn’t something he normally ordered, but it tasted wonderful. William seemed content with his chicken, although he only ate part of it and his salad. Garvin kept quiet and just ate, not commenting on the fact that in Alaska, William had had a monster appetite, and now he was eating like a bird.

“I know what you’re thinking, and it’s because I have to get into those damned clothes in a day or two.” He finished his salad, eating slowly.

There were questions Garvin wanted to ask, but he kept them to himself. How much longer did William really want to keep living this way? Watching every scrap of food he ate and wondering if the clothes were going to fit? “I understand, but….”

William shrugged. “I’ve been doing it so long I don’t even realize it anymore.”

“Except for when you were staying with me,” Garvin whispered.

William nodded. “It felt good to eat whatever I wanted, but it was hell getting my appetite to shrink back down after I got home. I was hungry all the time for weeks.”

“Well, if you come back in the winter, you can eat anything you want.” He watched William closely for some kind of reaction. Garvin hated this sort of shit. He should just ask for what he wanted, but if William turned him down, then that was it. “Were you happy there?”

William set down his fork. “You know I was.” The words came out just above a whisper.

“Then what do you want to do about it?” Garvin sighed. “Look, let’s put the bull pucky aside and stop playing games. I was happy, really happy, for the first time since I lost John.” He cringed, because the times he had tried running through this conversation in his head, he had said that he was not going to mention John. This had nothing to do with him. “Forget that.”

“But John always seems to be there. Even when you say this isn’t about him, he’s right there.”

Garvin nodded. “I know he is, but that’s my issue, not yours. Losing John was a big event in my life. It’s like Covid—everything seems to be ‘before Covid’ or ‘after Covid.’ Well, for me, losing John is that big event, but it’s more of a time memory, not like I’m comparing the two of you. Because you and John are like apples and oranges. He was one of a kind, just like you.” Garvin cleared his throat and drank from his water, trying to get this back on track before he lost the entire train of thought. “When you came to Alaska, I thought you were going to be a big pain in the ass. But you pitched right in, once you thawed out from nearly being a human popsicle. And damn it all if….” He drew a little closer, losing himself in William’s eyes. “You made me fall in love with you.”

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