Page 14 of A Man for the Holidays

“Yeah. You remember how we were talking about sex the other day?”

He nods with a smile and says, “Yes.”

“Well, sometimes when people are in a situation where they can’t have sex, like in a public place or at home where there are a lot of people around, they do what is known as foreplay.”

“Is that a game?” he asks.

“I guess you could call it a type of sex game, without the sex.”

“Is it as much fun as sex?” he inquires.

“It can be. It depends on the individual I suppose. You see, Quinn; foreplay is where you can still have fun with the other person’s body, without being completely naked. Of course, it’s much more fun to be naked, obviously, but when many couples come to a movie theater and watch a romantic movie, they play around with one another with their clothes on.”

He gives me a confused expression and places some more popcorn in his mouth. The movie theater continues to fill with patrons, and it doesn’t take long before it’s completely full. As the seats on either side of me and Quinn fill with people, I lean in closer, and whisper in his ear.

“Perhaps we should talk about thisafterthe movie,” I suggest.

“So, are we watching a romantic movie?”

His question is so innocent and adorable, and I just want to reach over and pinch those beautiful cheeks of his.

“It’s a romantic musical. One of the most successful in the world, actually.”

“Really? What’s it called?”

“Grease.” I say, as the lights in the theater dim slightly and the screen in front of us comes to life.

“Isn’t that a country?”

“It is, but that’s spelt G-R-E-E-C-E. This movie is spelt G-R-E-A-S-E, and there’s a lot of cars involved, which I guess is probably the reason why they chose to call it that, among other things, I don’t really know. It’s an anniversary edition that they’ve released just for theaters.”

“So, it’s a movie about cars? Hmmm. Well, that doesn’t sound very romantic or musical at all” he says.

I let out a loud chuckle and then take another sip of my drink. As Quinn focuses his attention to the screen, I can’t help but be mesmerized by just how gorgeous he is, sitting beside me. I’ve never really paid too much attention to him since he arrived at my front door, to be honest. I’ve been too busy trying to convince myself that this is all still just a weird, crazy, wacko, fucked up dream. There is a delicious man staying in my home, who is now sitting right beside me, practically rubbing his body against mine, and yet less than a few days ago, he was just a statue in a store.

“No, it’s not a movie about cars. You’ve seriously never heard of it?”

“How could I? I’m a statue, remember? My brain has been clogged with plastic until a few days ago. I only remember things I’ve seen or heard from customers or Olivia. You learn interesting things as a mannequin.”

“I’m sure you do. Anyway,Greaseis a classic. I grew up watching this movie as a child, it was a regular family favorite in our house. John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John have such amazing chemistry and they’re both great actors.”

“Did you say Olivia Newton-John?” he asks.

“Yeah, she’s the lead actress in this movie, alongside John Travolta. You’ve heard of her?”

“Yeah, I’ve heard of her, in fact she’s all Olivia talks about. She keeps telling me how much I remind her of Olivia Newton-John. Something about her playing a dummy in a movie or something. Supposedly we share the same similarities, except of course, she’s a woman.”

That makes me chuckle, and I know exactly the movie he’s referring to. And what makes it really uncanny and even crazy, is that I’m finding myself living out that movie in real-life, which I know sounds completely, and utterly insane. As I enjoy some more popcorn and soda, I focus my eyes on the big screen in front of me and watch the trailers. I then turn to Quinn who takes a sip of his soda and keeps his focus on the screen as well, and just as I’m staring at the man, a crazy and ironic thought crosses my mind.

“Hey, you know something?” I ask.

“What?”

“You––actually, never mind,” I say.

“No. Something is obviously on your mind, and I remember overhearing Olivia say something to John about not holding back on what you’re feeling because it can come out a whole lot worse.”

“You heard that, did you?”

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