Read Edgar Aeternum, Book 1: Tales of Aeternal Love Online
Authors: Jay Belle Isle
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Edgar laughed. "You'll be right at home,
then. I could eat this entire meal by myself and still have room to
polish off the whole dessert."
"My kinda man!" Maddi said approvingly. "I
hate faking being full when I could be going for seconds."
"You'll never have to fake anything here,"
Edgar said, feeling a slight twinge of guilt realizing that he was
faking being a "normal" human. The feeling quickly passed as Maddi
began massaging his back. "That feels so good," he said. "You
should probably stop though or I'm going to burn these chops."
"Well," Maddi replied, stopping, "I don't
want you to burn your meat. Or, make it dry. I like my meat
juicy."
"You're incorrigible!" Edgar said, putting
the chops and veg on a serving platter. "Don't ever change
that."
"Ha! I wouldn't hold my breath looking for
that change," Maddi said. "Not. Gonna. Happen. Can I help with
anything?"
"Yes. Could you grab that bowl of French
bread, please? Then all we need to do is sit down and dig in,"
Edgar answered.
"You got it," Maddi said, grabbing the bowl
and following Edgar to the table. "Wow!" he said upon seeing the
well-appointed table, complete with lit tapers in black jade
holders. "This is some serious fine dining!"
"Only the best for the best," Edgar said,
taking a seat.
"Thank you," Maddi said, also sitting. "Shall
we say grace?" he asked deadpan.
Edgar looked at him, not quite sure if he was
joking. Maddi just returned the look, waiting for an answer. Edgar
sat, disbelieving.
Finally, Maddi cracked a smile and said, "I
had you, didn't I? You seriously thought I meant it!"
Edgar breathed a sigh of relief before
replying, "Yes. Yes you did. I was wondering how to quietly escape
my own apartment. I don't fare too well with, um, those of
religious persuasion. A visit to Genesis definitely confirmed that
I don't mix well with that particular topic. They're too judgy for
me and I'm too 'immoral' for them. Good joke, though!"
Maddi laughed. "Yeah, I can imagine. It's not
like I'm a big fan, either. My parents took me to Genesis on a
vacation once when I was fourteen. They thought it would be cool to
see the moon and a good exposure for me to other cultures. They
were partially right; the moon was awesome. The 'other culture'
though... Even my parents got fed up with it. By the time the week
was up, they were happy to come home. Personally, I would've been
happy to return the second day. Sorry if my joke crossed a line,"
he said.
"No need to apologize," Edgar said, putting
his hand gently over Maddi's. "I'm good with jokes and it was a
damned good one. Just know, though, that turnabout's fair play," he
winked, withdrawing his hand to pour the wine. "Help yourself," he
told Maddi, gesturing with his free hand at the platter.
"Mmmm... sounds good," Maddi said, reaching
for the serving tongs. "And," he added, "I promise, I can take as
good as I give. But you already know how good I am at taking
it."
Edgar put down the decanter and raised his
glass to Maddi, "I certainly do. I wonder how good you are at
giving things other than jokes."
Maddi clinked glasses with Edgar and they
both took a sip of the
Barolo
. "Mmmm..." Maddi said. "This
is a delicious wine! Rich, full-bodied; I love the tannins. For the
record, I'll ride you hard and put you away wet, if you want me
to," he gave Edgar a hungry look that had nothing to do with the
lamb on his plate.
Edgar took another sip of the wine and said,
"It is a great wine. For the record," he paused, "I look forward to
experiencing that ride."
"Here's to it," Maddi responded. "If we don't
change the subject though, this delicious dinner will never get
eaten."
"Agreed," Edgar nodded, passing the bread.
Maddi took a piece and they both looked out the window as a
spectacular lightning flare lit the sky. Moments later, the
colossal boom of thunder temporarily drowned out Eddie Rabbit
professing his love for a rainy night. Once the boom tapered to a
rolling growl, Edgar said, "Forgive me if I'm being presumptuous,
but given the weather, would you like to stay the night?"
Maddi pretended to think about it for a
moment. "If I must," he said. "Just because of the weather, of
course," he smirked.
Edgar chuckled and shook his head. "I
survived a magna crash three years ago, but damn, you're gonna give
me a run for my money. One I'll gladly take," he added.
"Never a dull moment," Maddi retorted,
smiling.
"Here's to that," said Edgar, raising his
glass again. Maddi returned the gesture and they both drank. Eddie
Rabbit faded away, replaced by the pulsing beat of Eurhythmics'
Here Comes the Rain Again
. "On second thought, it would be
highly inappropriate of us to spend the night together on a first
date. Maybe you should go home after."
Edgar's delivery was as deadpan and serious
as Maddi's was earlier. Maddi stopped, fork halfway to his mouth as
Edgar continued eating. "Are you serious?" he finally asked.
"Mmm-hmm," Edgar nodded, chewing. After he
swallowed, he added, "I think it would be for the best."
Maddi's face fell as he put his fork down. He
rallied and said, a bit unsteadily, "Um, OK; if that's what you
want."
Edgar drained his wine glass and refilled it,
offering more to Maddi who simply nodded. Once he put down the
decanter, Edgar looked Maddi in the eye, still deadly serious, and
said, "I told you, payback's a bitch, buddy." He winked and broke
into a grin.
"Holy fucking shit, man! You fucker! You
totally had me! Touché," he said, raising his full glass and
downing half of it.
Edgar grinned evilly. "Truce?" he asked.
"Hell fuck yeah!" Maddi said. "I bow before
the master," he said.
"Well actually," Edgar quipped, "you haven't
yet. It was cowboy earlier."
Maddi threw a piece of bread at Edgar,
"Smart-ass!"
Together, both men said, "No, just
well-trained!" They laughed and toasted each other again.
The rest of the
meal was prank-free, punctuated with laughter and good conversation
about jobs, school and other general topics. Both men were
thoroughly enjoying the good food and even better companionship.
The music took up the few silent spaces, the rain theme coming to a
close with the Weather Girls praising Mother Nature for pouring men
down upon them. It switched to a mix of classic 80's pop tunes.
They finished the meal and their wine to
Milli Vanilli pretending to sing
Girl You Know It's True
.
Maddi laughed at the ridiculousness of the "lip sync versus really
singing" controversy, amazed that anyone would cheat; things just
didn't work that way in the 2-4. Edgar pointed to the sofa that
faced the still-churning storm outside. "Shall we?"
"We shall," Maddi said, rising and joining
Edgar. "Should I get us some water?"
"That sounds good; have a seat, I'll get it,"
Edgar answered and left for the kitchen.
"Edgar," Maddi called from the living room.
"I love this music, but could we switch to something a little
mellower now?"
"Sure!" Edgar called back. "Why don't you
choose?"
"Will do!" Maddi answered and the music
stopped seconds later. Edgar filled their glasses and came back to
the living room as Vivaldi's
La Notte concerto for bassoon and
strings in B-flat major
filled the room.
"Vivaldi, eh? Nice choice," Edgar said,
handing Maddi a glass and joining him on the sofa. "Perfect
accompaniment to a perfect evening. What say we kill the lights and
let the candles and lightning do their jobs?"
"Mmmm... Sounds good to me," Maddi said,
snuggling closer and putting his arm through Edgar's.
Edgar ordered the lights off and took Maddi's
hand in his, leaning over and giving him a quick kiss. "Just
perfect," he said.
"Couldn't be better," Maddi agreed. He fell
silent for a moment then said, "Y'know, I almost didn't call you. I
was so nervous; hell, I'm sure that message I left was shit."
"Well, you were definitely nervous, I'll give
you that," Edgar said. "I'm glad you did call, Maddi."
"Me too," he said.
"Since we're confessing, I wasn't sure I was
going to call you back," Edgar said. "Not because of the nerves;
more because I kinda figured you might be looking for more than a
fuck and I wasn't sure I wanted that. I made the right choice
though, believe me. I couldn't want anything more than having you
right here, right now."
Maddi sighed and rested his head on Edgar's
shoulder, both men enjoying the companionable silence. Edgar broke
it by saying, "Yeah, I think we both did the right thing. No
looking back at 'what ifs'. Let's just enjoy now."
"Deal," Maddie said. "I don't usually waste a
whole lot of time looking back. There are too many reasons to stay
in the moment."
"Completely agree," Edgar said. "Which makes
my next question seem out of place. What's your schedule like
tomorrow?"
Maddi took a drink and said, "I see what you
mean. No worries. The only thing I have on the books for tomorrow
is a two-hour class at three. No homework, no work-work, nothing."
He turned and looked at Edgar expectantly.
"Cool. How'd you like to spend the day with
me?" Edgar asked.
"I'd love to," Maddi answered. "You don't
think we're moving a bit fast, do you?"
"Probably," Edgar answered. "The better
question is, does it matter if we are?"
Maddi smiled wide and said, "Not in the
freakin' least! I'm sure some people might question it, but who
cares? I just wondered if you did."
"Nope, not in the least, Maddi," he said.
"You'll find that once I make up my mind to do something, I tend to
be all in with both feet, usually up to my neck."
"That deep, huh?" Maddi kissed him. "Just
kidding. I like the fact that you're taller than me. I'm pretty OK
with the all-in approach myself. It hasn't let me down so far."
"Sweet!" Edgar replied. "No worries, then.
Speaking of sweet..." he leaned in and kissed Maddi deeply.
"Hmmmm... Oh yeah," Maddi said when they came
up for air. "Very sweet."
They sat, enjoying the concerto in silence.
Once it was done, Mendelssohn's
Violin Concerto in E minor Opus
64
began. Neither spoke, choosing instead to watch the storm
and the flickering candles, transported by the beautiful strings.
Outside, the storm seemed to increase in intensity. It was the
proverbial night 'not fit for man nor beast' and Edgar was relieved
that Maddi was staying the night. He hated the thought of his young
companion fighting the wind and the rain to get to Altair Station.
The magnas were perfectly capable of handling even this storm, but
Edgar was already feeling protective of the younger man.
Maddi, for his part, was thinking almost the
same thing, from the opposite angle. He was not only overjoyed to
be spending the night in Edgar's arms, but doubly so that he didn't
have to travel in the storm. He wasn't particularly afraid of
inclement weather, but he didn't relish the idea of going out in it
unnecessarily. He liked the feeling of protectiveness he sensed
from Edgar. It somehow felt comfortable, like being home.
Both men were also taking advantage of the
quiet time to marvel at how natural they felt together. Fast or
slow, neither cared; they only knew that it felt right and they
wanted to take it wherever it went. They each felt a bit of
uncertainty, but it was eclipsed by the joy they felt. Neither had
any idea of how the future would play out, but they both knew they
were ready to explore it.
Mendelssohn gave way to Chopin's
Nocturne
in Bb minor Opus 9 No. 1
and the two snuggled closer together
as the lightning flashed and the thunder rolled. Maddi looked up at
Edgar and found him with eyes closed, lost in the music. Maddi
sighed and rested his head back on Edgar's shoulder, feeling safe
and content, and closed his own eyes. They stayed like this through
Chopin and Verdi's
Caro Nome
. Neither moved until Einaudi's
Le Onde
began. Edgar looked down at Maddi and gently kissed
his forehead. As Maddi roused, Edgar said "Sweet, would you like
some sweets? We still have dessert."
Maddi leaned up to kiss Edgar and said, "That
would be wonderful, hon." They lingered over the kiss before
letting each other go and rising. "First, a trip to bathroom,"
Maddi said.
"Not a bad idea," Edgar said, gently rubbing
Maddi's shoulder. "I think I'll go myself."
When Maddi returned, he found Edgar in the
kitchen, putting fresh raspberries on two servings of fluffy
vanilla-bean mousse. "That looks amazing, Edgar," Maddi said. "You
really did go all out for tonight."
"Thank you, Maddi," Edgar said. "I really
wanted it to be special. Coffee?"
"Yes, please; cream, no sugar. You were more
successful than you can imagine, Edgar," he said.
"Go me!" Edgar said, smiling. "You're here
with me, it couldn't be more special. I really want to compliment
you on your taste in music. It's impressive!"
"Thanks," Maddie said. "Up until tonight, I
only really listened to classical. I'll definitely be branching out
and exploring what you've shown me. I honestly can't stand what
passes for 'popular' music today. Too damn much synth and reverb.
I'd rather listen to nature in Gridley Park than waste my time on
it."
"You took the words right out of my mouth,"
Edgar said. "Some of it, very little actually, is OK. I usually run
in the Park every day and I leave my 'bud at home. It's time to
just listen to nature. Do you run?"
"When I can," Maddi answered. "My schedule
gets pretty tight some days and there just isn't time. Typically,
those are the days that I have work at the clinic, classes and
homework. I usually go either really early in the morning or late
evening, just before it gets dark. I'm surprised I haven't seen
you."