Page 94 of Seth
“How do you know? Isn’t love like this too?” Diego cocked his head. “Selfish, dirty, ugly, passionate?”
“I always forget that you are still young...” Gustavo muttered and waved him away. “Seth and Ignaz have nothing in common. They barely talk. What’s tying them? He doesn’t even have sexual attraction.”
“Isn’t he asexual?”
“That’s what he said…”
Diego snorted. “Don’t you think he knows better than you?”
“I’m not sure about that.” Gustavo leaned back into the seat, stretching his legs forward as his mind drifted into memories of Seth’s lithe body hovering over Ignaz while he pleased him. “But I’m going to find out.”
“It’s okay; denial is the first stage of grief—a perfectly natural part of the healing process. You can’t admit there’s someone who isn’t interested in you or your money, so you are making things up.”
Gustavo laughed. “You fucker, I’m not in denial. But I can’t throw something out of my head. You see, whenever I kiss him, he wears such a weird expression. He flushes, and his pulse speeds up. He tries to avoid me at all costs. Whenever we meet, he instantly shrugs off every thought of me, as if subconsciously trying to block me from his memory. When I’m around, he is vulnerable. He is never vulnerable with him. With him, he has all the control, like a cat with a mouse. He thinks he is content because he has a living toy, but that is because he isn’t hungry yet. They have nothing in common, but he and me, we are alike.”
“You are pulling it out of thin air. Listen to what you are saying. He hates you, plain and simple. Your kisses gross him out, so he tries to forget you as soon as possible. You need a therapist.”
“I already talked to one.”
“Seriously?”
“About asexuality.” Gustavo tapped the window with a finger as he watched people gathering around the red carpet. “I’ve never really hurt him, so why does he react to me this way?”
“Because you stole his dead lover and chopped off his arm?”
Gustavo ignored the comment. “Remember that picture he burned? You said it yourself; that boy looked like me. Asexuality can be a result of trauma. What if this all has something to do with Brian Schütz? What if everything Seth is, began with Flames?”
“Even if it’s a trauma, how is that your business? You aren’t going to pursue him, are you?” When Gustavo didn’t answer, Diego added, “Even if what he has for this boy is just infatuation, what you have for him is an obsession.”
“Tell me something new,” Gustavo retorted and pushed the door open. “Are you coming?”
“I should be stopping you, but I’m too curious to see how this unravels.” Diego got out of the car. “Also, I’m starving.”
* * *
Red light,coming fromthe setting sun, streamed from the west side of the building. Breaking into the foyer through the giant windows, it hit the prisms and filled them with life. The barbed wires blazed. The sinews throbbed as if pushing the blood through veins, and the heart came to life. Even a figurine of a deathstalker, sitting on top of the heart, gained the yellow, shimmering hue. The sculpture hung in the middle of the foyer. Opposite it, the gigantic elevator shaft with transparent walls stretched to the top floor where the three-star Michelin restaurant was located. The restaurant waited for guests to take the party upstairs.
Seth filled his lungs with air, enjoying the last minutes of silence and intimacy with Justin. He lifted his hand and touched the glass. It pulsed under his fingers with energy and light—the warm light of a new beginning.
At that moment, Seth knew that Justin’s death wasn’t absolute. The heart pushed back, washing his palm in familiar electricity. Justin wasn’t mad anymore. His soul had found peace and moved on, leaving the afterglow of his energy behind. Seth smiled, hoping that in the next life, Justin would finally find happiness.
“This is stunning.” A low, tranquil voice washed over Seth’s neck, straining his every nerve. Seth dropped his hand and slowly turned around, his face mere inches away from Gustavo’s. Behind the man’s back, Diego beetled over a distant table, ruining the perfect composition of a fruit dragon by plucking out the triangles of its watermelon scales. Noticing Seth, he waved. Gustavo shifted, blocking Seth’s view. “It turned out even better than I imagined. I’ve seen a lot of art, but never anything like this. It’s a compliment, by the way.”
Seth attempted to move past the man, but a strong hand seized his wrist. Blood rushed to Seth’s face. He tried to yank his limb free, but Gustavo only squeezed harder. Keen fingers dug into the inner part of his wrist as the black holes of his pupils sucked at Seth’s soul.
“Let go…” Seth mouthed. The anger and irritation sparked beneath his skin from the farewell being ruined. Once again, this man stood between him and Justin. “…and leave.”
The doors at the end of the foyer swished opened, and music boomed through the space. People, laughing, entered the building, scattering around. The first flashes of cameras hit his eyes.
“Why should I?” Gustavo’s voice dropped to a whisper, thumb caressing Seth’s wrist. “I came all the way just to see you. After everything I’ve done for you, I deserve a little of your time, don’t you think? I could have threatened you with dragging the attention of the media to your beautiful masterpiece. I wonder what hidden depth it has?” Gustavo inched closer, his breath dancing over Seth’s cheek. “But I’m playing nice, and I’d like you to acknowledge it.”
Seth wrenched his hand free, lips curling in a snarl. “I made a mistake by not killing you, and you do everything to make me regret it.”
“You didn’t kill me because you’re smart enough to understand that your problems won’t end with my death, but will begin with it. To save us both dignity and face, pretend you have a choice and keep me company for a bit.”
Eyes boring into Seth,Gustavo motioned for a waiter to approach. He grabbed two glasses of red wine from the tray and proffered one to Seth.
“Have a drink with me.” When the murderer didn’t move, Gustavo hissed the order through gritted teeth. “Don’t insult me. Take the damn glass.”
