Edgar Aeternum, Book 1: Tales of Aeternal Love (21 page)

Maddi's expression was a mix of disbelief
that he was, in fact, something special and relief at the
suggestion of some herbal relaxation. He took a deep breath,
letting it out slowly before replying, "That would be great,
Edgar." It seemed as though he was already starting to relax, the
steadying breath having its desired effect.

"Cool!" Edgar said, rising to retrieve the
Strat. He was soon back, vaporizer in hand. "I vape; hope that's
OK."

"Perfect," Maddi smiled. "I do, too. Nothing
against smoking, I just like vaping better."

"Then you'll love this," Edgar said, handing
Maddi the Strat.

The boy's eyes widened as he examined the
vaporizer. He looked up at Edgar, nerves temporarily forgotten.
"It's a Stradivarius!" he exclaimed. "How on earth did you get
this? The detail is incredible!" He was turning it over in his
hands, looking at it from every angle.

"You know violins?" Edgar asked, a little
surprised.

"Oh, you bet!" said Maddi, beaming. "My
parents are very musically-inclined. They raised my brother, sister
and me to appreciate music - and play it - and I chose the
violin."

"Well, you certainly are full of surprises!"
Edgar said with a chuckle. "I'd love to hear you play. Personally,
I'm more of an appreciative audience than a musician. I tried once,
when I was younger, to learn the clarinet; it didn't go well, for
me or the family dog. The poor bastard ran for the hills when he
saw me setting up to practice. I wasn't any better with the
trumpet, either. By the time I thought of drums, my parents
suggested I might be better off taking some music appreciation
classes. Turns out they were right," he laughed.

"That's cool," said Maddi. "I love playing,
especially for people I know. I'd be happy to play for you
sometime." Changing the subject, Maddi held out the Strat, pointed
to the activation switch and asked, "This turns it on?"

Edgar nodded and sat next to Maddi on the
loveseat. "Yep. Just thumb it, wait a four count and enjoy!" He sat
back, draining the cocoa as Maddi took the first puff. Once
finished, he passed the Strat to Edgar, who followed suit. They sat
in silence for a moment, holding their breath, letting the Blue
Dream wrap itself around them.

They exhaled at the same time and Edgar
passed the Strat back to Maddi. "It's called Blue Dream. It's an
indica/sativa hybrid; one of my favorites for relaxing and
chatting," he explained.

"It's awesome!" said Maddi. "Such a fruity
finish and so smooth."

"Glad you like it, Maddi," Edgar said. "It's
a good strain. I have a few others on hand, but figured this was
the best one of the bunch. The others tend to have more intense
effects," he smiled and winked.

"Mmm... Good choice," Maddi said, as he
exhaled his second hit and passed the Strat to Edgar. "I love the
body high without the fuzzy, couchlocked feeling. I can see why you
chose this one, Edgar." After two hits, the boy already seemed more
relaxed and confident. Good choice, indeed.

Edgar exhaled his second hit and smiled at
Maddi. "Feeling better?" he asked.

"Oh yeah," Maddi said, smiling back. "Thanks
for being so cool, Edgar. I just get nervous around guys I like.
And I like you."

Edgar took Maddi's hand again and said, "I'm
glad to hear that, Maddi. I like you, too. Like I said, there's
something special about you and I want to get to know you better."
Maddi smiled, holding in his third hit. He pointed at Edgar and
then gave a thumbs up, showing his agreement.

Edgar took his third hit as Maddi exhaled and
said, "Me too, Edgar." The younger man looked out at the storm,
turned back to Edgar and said, "Please tell me we're ordering pizza
and that I don't have to go out in that again."

On the exhale, Edgar said, "Nope, not going
out at all tonight. No pizza, though. I'm cooking for you. I
figured it'd be a more relaxed, easy-going way of getting to know
one another than going to a crowded restaurant."

"I love it!" Maddi said. "That's so cool of
you. I really appreciate it. I'm a good kitchen helper, so I'll be
glad to lend a hand. You've got a lovely home, Edgar. I'll bet the
kitchen is fantastic!"

"Thanks, Maddi! That's very kind of you. I'm
no chef, but I love to cook, so yeah, the kitchen is pretty great.
Warming up?" he asked.

"Definitely. Thanks for the robe and drying
my clothes. And the cocoa; it was delicious," Maddi said.

"Glad to hear it," Edgar said. "You're quite
welcome, Maddi. I wanted it to be a fun, relaxing evening. I hope
you like lamb. I've got loin-cut lamb chops, baby red potatoes, and
fresh asparagus, paired with a great
Barolo Riserva
red and
followed by the most heavenly vanilla bean mousse topped with fresh
raspberries."

"Damn!" said Maddi. "That's a royal feast!
I'm glad I ate a light lunch."

"Sweet!" said Edgar. "Glad you like. Cooking
together will be fun, too. Another?" he raised the Strat.

"Yes please," Maddi replied, taking the
vaporizer and enjoying a long, deep draw. He passed it back to
Edgar, who did the same and then placed it on a small circular
table near his side of the loveseat. Maddi was first to exhale,
resting his head on the back of the loveseat, closing his eyes.
Edgar looked at the young man's face, so peaceful; he had the most
beautiful long lashes, clear skin and full lips. Edgar exhaled,
feeling the rush of the Dream the way Maddi must be right now and
leaned back, eyes closed.

He opened his eyes when he felt as though he
was being watched. He turned to find Maddi gazing at him, a smile
on his full, kissable lips. "Hi," Edgar said, a smile of his own
lighting his face. "Whatcha doin'?"

Maddi's smile grew and he replied, "Watching
the most beautiful man I've ever seen relaxing into a wicked sweet
buzz. I know you were watching me, too; I felt it."

So much for nerves, Edgar thought happily.
"You're very watchable," he said. "In fact, I was going to say the
same about you."

Maddi giggled, due more to the weed than the
comment. "Oh c'mon!" he said with a goofy grin. "Compared to you?
Nah! I'll bet you say that to all the guys."

Definitely no more nerves
, Edgar
thought, but he said, "Screw comparisons. If you were to compare me
to a Thraxian, I'd look like dog food. I don't do comparisons. No
point to it. And yes, you! Somehow, we don't see our own beauty as
easily as we see that of others." He reached out with his right
hand and slowly drew the backs his fingers down Maddi's cheek. The
boy's eyelids fluttered and he let out a little moan. "For the
record," Edgar continued, "Not only do I not say that to all the
guys, but there are very few guys I've actually wanted to say it
to; it's the kind of comment reserved for someone special, not just
a bedmate. I can't believe you haven't heard it before, as gorgeous
as you are, Maddi."

Maddi actually blushed a little at that
comment. He took Edgar's hand in his and said, "Actually, I've
heard it from the occasional bedmate; and, with my schedule, they
are only occasional. But I've never heard it from someone I wanted
to know as more than a bedmate." He looked down at their joined
hands for a moment. When he looked up, his eyes held the faintest
hint of doubt. He continued, "You probably already know this, but I
never really thought I had a chance with you. I know, I know, I
need to give myself more credit; my friends say so, too. But I'm so
shy and you're so... You're so you! You seem so at ease with
everyone."

Edgar waited until he was sure Maddi was done
speaking. "I did know that, Maddi." He gave the boy's hand a gentle
squeeze. "You may not believe me, but I was all nerves once, too.
It took time, but I worked out of it; so can you. As for chances,
well... Lemme tell ya, I was a little surprised to find out you
wanted more than just a good fuck. It's not often that someone
takes such an interest."

"Now you're fuckin' with me!" Maddi said,
disbelief all over his face.

"No, I'm serious!" Edgar said. "You'd be
surprised at how many guys see me as nothing but a pretty face and
a tight body." Edgar was actually somewhat surprised himself at the
vehemence of his words and at how much that simple truth bothered
him. He forced a calmer tone and went on, "Granted, I don't date
much; sometimes life is too complicated, y'know? But it'd be nice
to have the option if I wanted it. Aside from you, only one other
man has taken me more seriously than a bedmate and that didn't work
out. People see me and think 'party boy' and I can't say they're
wrong. But there's more to me than just that!" Maddi sat, stunned
at the raw emotion behind Edgar's confession. Meanwhile, Edgar was
shocked himself and thought perhaps the Blue Dream was proving to
be too much of an icebreaker.

Instead of glibly changing the subject
though, he continued. "I have over two hundred pubished articles,
serious articles, in respected media sources; I speak five freakin'
languages, one of which isn't even human; I can name practically
every piece of classical music ever written and describe the
strengths and weaknesses of each one; I cook like a chef in a
five-star restaurant; I can give the best sommelier in the finest
establishments a run for their money, I'm so knowledgeable about
wine, and," he paused for a breath, "I'm not just 'comfortably well
off,' I'm 'gross domestic product of Japan' wealthy." Edgar's
better sense finally kicked in as he realized this tangent was
heading into potentially dangerous territory.

"And," he said with a smirk, "I'm known far
and wide for my amazing modesty!" He chuckled to cover his surprise
at how much he'd revealed to Maddi, thinking that Blue Dream was
off the list for time spent with other people. Yet, at some level,
he knew it wasn't the weed; rather, it was this amazing young man
seated next to him that opened this long-locked compartment in his
mind. Maddi laughed too, but it was tinged with nervousness.

Sensing this, Edgar immediately apologized.
"I'm so sorry, Maddi! I didn't mean to go all crazy on you.
Definitely not what I'd planned for our first date. Um, if I made
you uncomfortable, I'm sorry and I wouldn't blame you if you wanted
to get the hell away from me. It's coming down in buckets still,
but I can give you a rain suit so you don't -" Maddi moved, quickly
closing the small gap between them and silenced Edgar with a
kiss.

Edgar was so taken aback that he just sat
there for a moment, eyes wide as Maddi - eyes appropriately closed
- gave him a deep and incredible kiss. When he noticed that Edgar
wasn't reciprocating, he pulled back a couple inches and said,
"This is supposed to be where you kiss me back, silly!" before
planting his lips firmly over Edgar's again. This time, Edgar
reciprocated.

After a few minutes of exploring each other's
mouths, the two separated, breathing a bit hard. "Uh," Edgar
blinked, dazed. "What just happened?"

Maddi laughed. Not a gentle amused laugh, but
a full-out belly laugh, falling back against the overstuffed arm of
the loveseat. Edgar watched, thoroughly confused. After a few
moments, Maddi laughed himself out and sat up. "Sorry!" he said and
burst out giggling. This time though, he didn't lose control. "I
wasn't laughing at you, I was laughing at the situation! By the
way, you have to tell me where you bought that weed! I gotta get me
some of that shit!"

For his part, Edgar still looked like a deer
in headlights. Unfortunately, this sent Maddi into uncontrollable
giggles again. Edgar joined him a few seconds later, his surprise
having worn off, replaced by a sudden sense of relief. It became a
vicious cycle; one man's hysterical giggling serving only to spur
the other on to more. Eventually, they were laughing so hard they
fell off the loveseat to the soft, plush area rug in front of the
fireplace. Of course, this had the effect of throwing gasoline on a
fire and the two were howling and holding their sides, tears
rolling down their faces.

Five minutes later, the laughter became the
occasional giggle until the two of them were quiet, breathing
heavily and wiping tears off their cheeks. "Oh!" Edgar said, "I did
not know how badly I needed that! I haven't laughed like that in
years!"

"Me either!" said Maddi, struck by one last
chuckle. "It felt amazing!"

"Agreed," said Edgar, smiling. He stretched
out his legs, bare feet warming by the fire. Maddi followed suit
and the two sat quietly for a moment.

"Edgar," Maddi said, seriously. "I want you
to know you didn't freak me out. It was kinda surprising, I'll give
you that much; but I'm still here, I'm still having a great time,
and I don't wanna leave any time soon. That has absolutely nothing
to do with the weather and everything to do with you." He reached
out and took Edgar's hand. "However, unless you want an unpleasant
stain on this beautiful rug, I have to excuse myself. My bladder
has the worst timing."

"No worries, Maddi, and thank you. I
appreciate your understanding," Edgar said. "It's the first door on
the left," he added, directing Maddi to the guest bathroom.

"Thanks!" Maddi said. "I won't be long. I
really do wish I didn't have to go just now, though," but he was
already rising.

"That's OK," Edgar said. "I promise I'll
still be here when you get back."

Maddi turned back to Edgar, stuck his tongue
out and said, "Smart ass!"

Edgar returned the gesture adding, "No. Just
well-trained!"

Maddi laughed, then squeaked, grabbed his
lower abdomen and hustled off to relieve himself. Edgar took the
chance to head to his own bathroom; the bout of laughter had
awakened the same urge in his bladder. He also took the opportunity
for some rare self-chastisement.

Jesus Christ, Edgar! What the hell was
that?! Ya get a little stoned and suddenly you're spilling your
guts to a total stranger!? Holy fuck! What's next? 'Hey, by the
way, I'm over four hundred years old!?' And telling him I'm worth
more money than anyone could spend in a normal lifetime? How does
an average twenty-six year old accomplish that, huh? Also, it's a
great motivation for him to want to stick around; I'm not just
rich, I'm richer than a God almost no one believes in anymore!