Chapter Text
Lucas
“Lucas!” It was not the first time he heard his name shouted, and he again tried to ignore the voice, wishing the check-in line would move faster. When the call came again, the voice was too close and he closed his eyes to gather patience before turning around to acknowledge her. “Lucas!”
“Nadja…” He nodded his head once in greeting, breaking eye contact when he saw her eyes glassy with tears.
“Lucas, please don’t… Please stay.” He moved with the line, trying to manage the two large bags that were technically within regulation size but which he had been increasingly more anxious would not be accepted. Though he had thought the decision of moving through, the actual flights had been booked in an anxious blur and he didn’t know if any of the specific planes would not allow the gigantic suitcases.
“Nadja. We’ve already had this conversation. I explained my decision to you.” He had, although he didn’t have to. He had broken up with Nadja a month ago, and the woman had remained in his life acting as if they were merely taking a short time apart before making up.
“Lucas… I know that I hurt you. I should never have doubted you.” She lowered her voice in the last part. “I… don’t really doubt you. You’d be incapable of.. of course I-”
“Nadja.” He cut her off, unwilling to go down this road again. “I am leaving.”
“Lucas, what we have will not survive the distance you’re putting between us.”
“We have nothing!” He said, finally losing his temper as much as he ever did. His tone was forceful though he didn’t raise his voice. “We’re not on a break, Nadja. We’re not making it work. I was as clear as I could be when I ended things between us.” The heavy tears in her eyes finally fell and more came after them. People in the line stared as they moved forward and Lucas struggled with his two suitcases and the smaller carry-on.
He pinched the bridge of his nose with his fingers and adjusted his glasses. “I do not want to give you any sort of false hopes. What happened was not your fault, but I need a clean slate. I am starting a new life, and that does not include us Nadja. Do you understand?” She nodded and sniffled. “I think it’s better if we do not speak for some time.” She sobbed and nodded more forcefully wiping at her face with her sleeve. She backed away from him, bumping into the person behind them on the cue.
Without excusing herself, she rushed out, weeping openly and calling attention to herself and then to him as she hurried away. Thankfully, his bags were checked without any last minute hiccups and he went through security and kept walking. His phone beeped with an incoming message when he connected to the wifi of the cafe closest to his gate.
35 minutes ago
Marcus: Nadja asked me about your flight time. She’s headed to the airport.
Marcus: I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have told her. I didn’t think she’d try to catch you before your flight. I told her you were really doing this. She would not listen.
10 minutes ago
Marcus: Dad call me when you land, okay?
Lucas: It’s okay little man. I hope I was able to make things clear this time, though I don’t think she and I will be friends moving forward.
Marcus: Sorry!!!!
Lucas: Not your fault.
Marcus: Okay. Focus on the future now. Only good things from now on.
Lucas smiled sadly at his phone. More and more over the last year his son had shown resilience and support for him that should be beyond his years. While Lucas was proud of him he regretted that the unjust events of his own life had affected not only him but those he loved.
Lucas: I hope so.
Marcus: I know so. Besides, you gotta shine at your new job. You got a year to make me the next nepo baby.
Lucas laughed.
Lucas: Glad to know you’re thinking of my happiness.
Marcus: I kid, but I love you dad. Everything’s going to be okay now, and you deserve that.
Lucas’ eyes watered, because his son deserved that too, and he wondered how much of his situation would improve or stay the same with him gone, but he would not uproot his child. Marcus had decided to finish his secondary education in Denmark and Lucas would respect that.
Lucas: There is always a place for you where I am, little man.
Marcus: I know dad
Lucas: Right, so you start mentally preparing your mom to let you come to LA for Christmas.
Marcus: Hell yeah! 😎
Lucas: You cheer, but you know there’s no drinking in the states before twenty-one.
Marcus: Come on! You’re really gonna hold me to that?
Lucas: No drinking outside the house in the states.
Marcus: I guess that means I’m throwing the parties.
Lucas rolled his eyes. His son was not as much of a handful as he pretended to be. Just as he was texting goodbye, his flight was called to board, and he embarked on his journey toward a new beginning.
….
Exiting the doors of Los Angeles International Airport to a heatwave was unexpected and overwhelming. Amidst the madness of the crowd, Lucas tried to look around for a car, gesturing to a few cabbies who all turned him down due to the size of his suitcases. Unable to take the heat anymore, Lucas pushed his bags back through the doors and headed toward the nearest seats, where he collapsed and closed his eyes, allowing his head to rest against the wall. There must be a cab service that he can request from inside the airport, or at least an overpriced hotel room where he could get his bearings. He had been awake for tthirty six hours now and traveled for a third of those.
“Excuse me, you do not look okay and should probably drink some water. I have a sealed bottle if you’d like.” The voice of the stranger was soft, and Lucas turned his face toward him though his vision was blurry even through the glasses when he opened his eyes.
Still, he saw a bottle of water, cold and wet from condensation being offered. He took it and mouthed a barely audible ‘thank you.’
He drank it in big gulps.
“You should not drink it so fast. When the level of sodium in the blood becomes diluted, you can get hyponatremia, or water intoxication. It leads to an imbalance of electrolytes in the body and that can cause nausea, vomitting, headache, confusion…” Lucas smiled and finally opened his eyes fully, only to be absolutely shellshocked by the sight before him.
He had never seen a man or woman as beautiful as the boy in front of him, at least not outside of a magazine or big screen. Even then, he tried to recall a celebrity as pretty as the boy in front of him and failed. Perhaps that is what he was, a celebrity or model. He was in Los Angeles, after all. Abundant and silky chestnut curls framed his pale face. His eyes were large and blue like a cartoon character’s, bright and framed by long dark lashes, the pink of his lips only a shade or two darker than his blush.
“I am already experiencing most of those anyway, angel, so there isn’t much of a risk for worse.”
“Actually there is worse. Water intoxication can cause seizures, coma and even death, but only in rare cases of excess water consumption.” Lucas chuckled and the boy smiled back. “I don’t think the water bottle is enough to do that to you, but it might make your headache worse. It happened to me the first time I moved here from New York.” Lucas sighed and took another sip from the almost empty bottle though this one was smaller and more measured.
“Is it always liked this?” He asked the nameless beauty.
“No, only for a few weeks when there’s a forest fire.”
“A week or two!” Lucas exclaimed. “What do people do? Take shelter in ice arenas?” The precious thing giggled and Lucas discreetly pinched himself. Surely the heat had messed with his brain chemistry and he was now in some strange psychedelic state because no one’s laugh sounded like that outside of fairytales or poems.
“No, we go about our business.” Lucas’ eyes widened. “It’s lovely the rest of the year though. You came at the worst time, but it takes the body one to two weeks to acclimate. I can tell you’re from colder weather.”
“Is it painfully obvious?”
“It’s obvious but it’s not painful.” The boy sounded confused and Lucas tried to meet his radiant blue eyes, succeeding for only a second before the boy looked away. “Sorry, I am confused.”
“About?”
“Did you think that I was in pain because you are in pain or was that a metaphor?” Lucas hesitated, but quickly answered.
“Metaphor.”
“Oh. For a second I thought… never mind.” In the grip of feelings he had not known before, Lucas reached out to the boy and placed a hand on his forearm, realizing he was anxious to reassure him he knew not for what.
“What did you think?” He met Lucas’ eyes for another second and then looked away. Before speaking he looked back up and held his gaze. He blushed and looked away again.
“I thought you might have mind blindness… it’s something I struggle with sometimes. If I am in pain, my instinct might be to think someone else is. If someone else is in pain, I might think I am in pain too. Some people think it’s only a one way street, but actually sometimes I struggle to know how I’m feeling more than I struggle to know how others are feeling. In childhood, the former is more common, but when you grow up you learn about other people’s emotions because they come with tons of visual cues like facial expressions and body language, but one’s own emotions don’t come with any visual cues… and I’m sorry you probably don’t want to hear about this. I can get carried away.”
“You’re describing Alexythemia, yes?” Lucas asked before addressing anything else. The guy seemed shocked and looked up at him with eyes impossibly wide and bright.
“Yes! How do you know that?”
“I am a teacher, and I have some background in early education. It is a rare condition but present in fifty percent of Autism cases.” The angelic stranger nodded in agreement.
“I have Aspergers.” Lucas nodded.
“I imagine it must be an overwhelming and misunderstood experience.”
“Yes! People tend to think I have less empathy. Actually, lots of times it feels like I have more but can’t put it in to words. People are usually very good at putting things into words, even things I can tell they don’t feel.” Lucas huffed in agreement.
“You were wrong about my not wanting to hear about it. I am interested.” The boy smiled and extended a hand to him.
“I’m Adam Raki.” He introduced himself.
“Lucas, Lucas Bjerre.” The older man smiled and gently squeezed the smaller hand.
“Do you want to share an uber XL?”
“A what now?” Adam’s smile widened.
“No regular cab is gonna take you anywhere with those bags.”
“Oh! Yes, trying to hire one of them is the reason I almost died of heatstroke outside.” He admitted.
“Only an uber XL will take you. We can split the fare if we’re heading in the same direction.”
“Uh…” Lucas padded his pockets for his phone and finally pulled it out to see he had some notifications from Marcus checking to know if he had arrived well. He decided to reply when he was on the car, and opened the notes app where he had copied the address to his new apartment. He handed the mobile to Adam with an apologetic expression.
“I’m afraid I’m not familiar with the neighborhoods yet, does the address tell you anything?”
“Well, the visual map will. I’ve only been here a few months and I don’t usually veer from my routine.” Lucas watched as slender, well manicured fingers copied the address and pasted it on the map application. “It’s Silver Lake!” The boy exclaimed with a dazzling smile. “That’s where I live!” His genuine joy was contagious and Lucas found himself smiling wide for the first time in almost a year in response to it.
“Well, I’m delighted to be your neighbor.” Adam said nothing though he blushed and opened the messages app on Lucas’ phone.
“May I have your number?”
“As a new rule, I only give it to fascinating, beautiful people so you’re in luck.” It took Adam a moment to process what he’d said, but then he blushed even harder and Lucas found himself in a state of unwavering contentment that, sadly, felt too unfamiliar.
Adam texted himself the address and gave Lucas his phone back.
“I’ll plug your address in, because I’m before you so we’ll just tip him to do an extra drop off.” Lucas had the impression that he was soothing himself with the practicality because the flirting was overwhelming, but if the smile on Adam’s face had anything to say about it, the boy wasn’t displeased. Still, he decided to tone it down because it wasn’t his intention to make Adam uncomfortable.
They waited as the app found a driver and confirmed a pickup location.
“He’s twenty minutes away.” Adam finally declared.
“That’s enough time for a coffee. Do you care for one?” Lucas asked, eyeing the stand that was a bit further down the terminal.
“No thank you. I prefer tea.”
“I’m sure they have some. If you mind the bags, I’ll go fetch you one.”
“Oh, okay.” The boy immediately acquiesced with a pleasant, obedient attitude that made Lucas want to pinch his cheek. He frowned at himself as he walked away. He had never been one for that kind of dynamic, but then again neither had he been into guys since he was in high school. With a shrug, he ordered them a couple of drinks which he knew would be subpar but better than nothing and made his way back to Adam.
“Thank you.”
“You’re very welcome. So, tell me… is our neighborhood good?”
“You mean you’ve never been before?” Adam asked, a bit surprised.
“Never. It’s my very first time in the United States.”
“From…”
“Roskilde, a small town in Denmark close to Copenhagen.”
“Europe… I’ve never been outside of the states before. Before I came to Los Angeles, I had never been out of New York. Traveling is stressful for me.”
“I assume you have family left there, since you put yourself through it.”
“Harland was my father’s best friend.” Adam shook his head. “He’s not blood family, but after my father died he’s all I have left. He can’t always make the trip to visit me himself because of his job, but my work allows me to do some work remotely.”
“I’m sorry for your loss. What do you do, if you don’t mind my asking?”
“I’m an engineer. I work for the Griffith Observatory designing and manufacturing miniature models of planets for educational purposes. Sometimes, I get to work on the bigger models at the observatory, and I’ve been doing a good job the past few months so I’ve been asked to conduct some tours starting next month.” Adam’s leg began to bounce up and down restlessly and he took a sip of his tea. “That makes me nervous because it’s going to involve being social.”
“Do you have to interact with the guests or do you have the option to just give a presentation?” Lucas asked in genuine interest and Adam sighed and nodded.
“I can prepare a presentation but I must be ready if people ask questions. That is not so bad because I’m an expert on the subject matter, but being accurate and being entertaining to NTs are two different things. Todd, the other guy who does the tours, makes jokes while he’s at it, flirts with girls, teases the old ladies, plays with the children… I don’t think I can do any of that, and I’m afraid I’ll disappoint them.” Lucas placed a hand over Adam’s and the boy’s breath hitched in his throat.
“I’m sure you’ll be okay. You just have to prepare and be yourself.” Adam laughed, though this time it wasn’t so bright. In fact Lucas thought it might be a bit self deprecating.
“That doesn’t always work so well.”
“Well, haven’t you been doing it just now? And I am very much engaged. No part of me is disappointed. In fact, if I had to suffer heatstroke ten more times to get to speak to you, I’d do it gladly.” This made Adam’s resplendent, innocent smile return.
Just then, Adam’s phone vibrated, announcing the car was outside waiting for them. Thankfully, the driver was a man as big as Lucas and a little more muscular, so between the two of them they were able to put his huge suitcases in the trunk of the car. Adam had tried to help, but Lucas subtly made it difficult for him by asking him to hold his drink or take care that the smaller carryon didn’t get knocked over as it had fragile items inside. It did, technically, a keepsake dish that Marcus had decorated for him during a parent/child pottery class, but it was so well cushioned and secured with no other hard objects inside the bag that it was very unlikely it would suffer any damage. Adam was intensely and, in Lucas’ opinion, adorably focused on the task the moment he was given it, as if the lightest breeze might tip the valise over when both his hands were busy with the drinks, if he did not keep it safe with his feet.
“Thank you so much, Adam, really.” Lucas thanked him as if he’d done the most important task of them all, and held himself back from praising him excessively the way he very much wanted to. With Adam’s bigger luggage resting on top of Lucas, only one carryon fit in the trunk, so they made their way to the spacious back of the SUV with the other one and settled in.
“Besides…” Lucas continued, picking up their conversation where they left off. “I can help you.”
“How?”
“I’m a teacher. I have to talk to an audience every day…” Well, he had taught mostly children until now, but he had taught a couple of classes to adults beside the lectures he had submitted for consideration before being hired at his current university position. “It’s challenging, but if there are any tricks in my training that can help, I am happy to share.”
“Thank you!” Adam became thoughtful. “Maybe once I’ve written my presentation, I can practice it on you?”
“It’s a date.” Adam blushed but smiled.
“I’m sorry… This might be inappropriate to ask, but I’m not always good at reading people so I have to.”
“Adam, never apologize for asking questions. Not to me. Okay?”
“Okay.” Lucas wondered whether the boy was always this blushing and smiley or whether it was his treatment of him that was eliciting such charming responses. Part of him would be flattered but the other part didn’t want to wonder how the boy was normally treated if a baseline of kindness and consideration made him this surprised and happy. Surely it couldn’t be the flirting he wasn’t used to. He was entirely too beautiful not to be flirted with every single day. “I wanted to know if you meant that as just an expression or if you’re actually asking me on a date. Romantically?” Lucas leaned across the seat and pinched Adam’s chin to get to him to look up at him. Adam did and this time, he didn’t look away.
“I would very much like to take you out on a romantic date, lovely boy. Although if you don’t mind, I wouldn’t like to wait until you’re done writing your presentation.”
“Okay… yes, I would like that.” Adam responded, shy but sure. “Maybe we can go to the reservoir?”
“We can go anywhere you like. I’m newer than you in town after all. I’d love to know your favorite spots.” Lucas was shocking himself with his flirtations, although he was sure the last innuendo went over Adam’s head. He remembered how awkward he was with Nadja, going along with it only because she took the lead even though he’d thought she was cute.
Before everything happened her attention flattered him and her humor was a welcome addition to his life. But now that he was in the presence of someone that genuinely attracted him, he remembered deciding to be with her because it ‘would do him good’ and saw it for the half hearted entanglement that it was. That decision should probably be made with more excitement and less clinical detachment than that with which one decides to do yoga.
Right there in that cab, as Adam told him that he loved the reservoir because it reminded him of the one in Central Park and allowed him a sense of routine that had eased his transition to living in a new city, he knew that he could never decide to be with this boy coldly and simply for ‘wellness’ reasons. He wanted to touch him to make him blush and because his skin looked impossibly supple and impressionable. He wanted to kiss him because he smelled as soft as he looked, like lotus flower and jujube.
“… It’s a two point two mile walk around it.” Adam continued with what Lucas was realizing was his usual precision. “So I try to go twice. That together with the walk there and back to my house makes it so that I’m walking five miles daily, which is great because I need exercise but I hate going to the gym.”
“Do you ever bike around it?” Lucas asked and Adam’s eyes widened.
“I don’t know how to ride a bike.”
“What?! Well I can teach you if you’d like.” Adam looked skeptical.
“I don’t know… I might fall.” The genuine concern in Adam’s eyes made Lucas melt even further.
“Well, you don’t have to unless you want to. But if you do, there are support wheels you can use while you learn so that you don’t fall.” Adam purses his lips and Lucas wishes it were not so difficult not to lean in and press a kiss to the pouty lips because it is definitely too soon to do that. “For our first date, however, I think it would be best to go to a restaurant nearby and then go for a walk around the reservoir.” This time Adam nods enthusiastically.
“I’d love that! Do you want to do it tomorrow?” He asked, unconcerned by whatever social rule Lucas usually obeyed in such cases that said that was too soon and they both ought to pretend like they had the busiest social lives. He didn’t want to pretend with Adam. He wanted to see him again as soon as he possibly could so he found himself agreeing and knowing that if he wants to be well rested by then, unpacking was going to have to wait.
He didn’t have any of the apps used in the country for electronic transfers so he tried to give Adam the money for the ride and the boy refused, trying to accept only half. Instead of arguing, Lucas gave him the half he’d take and waited to discretely tuck the rest in the pocket of Adam’s jacket as it hung from the handle of his suitcase.
As they waited for the elevator in the lobby of Adam’s quaint little building, Lucas stepped into his space and gently cupped his cheek, tapping the other with one finger. “May I kiss you here?” Adam gulped and nodded softly enough to keep the contact, waiting as Lucas leaned in and pressed a tender, lingering kiss there. Lucas heard as Adam breathed him in and sighed, and he hoped he didn’t smell too horrible after a twelve hour flight. The boy himself smelled of heaven, he noted, as he took in that delicious scent again: lotus, and jujube. The softest fruit and the flower he could think of, and it suited Adam perfectly. When he stepped away, Adam followed and before he knew the boy was on his tippy toes, returning his kiss with soft lips on the older man’s cheek. The elevator doors opening. Adam stepping over their threshold. Lucas walking back out into the heat and out of it, into it and out of it again. The whole world was a blur in his exhaustion and the crashing after what felt like a disproportionately important event in his life.
Perhaps he’d wake up ten hours later and realize that Adam’s beauty and charm were half true and half delusions of an overly-tired mind stricken and fried by a heat wave. Perhaps he’d realize he’d dreamt the little good samaritan entirely and think of him as an angel forever. But right now, as he collapsed on the bed left behind by the realtor all he could think of was that his life had truly changed forever. And because of a boy named Adam, he did not feel numb to it all, but hopeful.
Lucas: Arrived well, so tired I can barely keep my eyes open. Will call when I wake up if it’s not the middle of the night for you.
Marcus: Great! Hope the new home is good. Facetime me when you wake up to show me.
Unwilling to fall asleep in his travel clothes, yet incapable of unpacking, Lucas drew the curtains of the room not sparing even half a thought to the beautiful look of the mountains ahead of him and stripped down to his boxer briefs. He used the last bit of his energy to charge his phone and then finally, blissfully climbed under the questionable covers.
Before falling asleep he saw a text from Adam.
Angel 💕: You snuck the money into my jacket!!
Lucas: I did ;)
Angel 💕: You’re sneaky, huh?
Lucas: Only around birthdays, holidays, and when stubborn boys try to split cab fares.
Angel 💕 laughed at “Only around birthdays, holidays, and when stubborn boys try to split cab fares.”
Lucas: It applies to checks as well.
Angel 💕: It doesn’t seem like a very fair precedent to set, but I suppose if it pleases you to do it. Harlan always told me to pay for the lady, but you’re not a lady. I’ll have to ask him for advice on dating men, but I don’t think he’s ever dated one.
His blunt sincerity made Lucas laugh out loud despite his exhaustion.
Lucas: How did it make you feel when you paid for them?
Angel 💕: It didn’t make me feel anything. I was neutral about it.
Lucas: Well, it makes me feel happy when I pay for you so that’s the difference. Indulge me?
Angel 💕: If it makes you happy then it makes sense for me to let you, but I’d still like to understand why it makes you happy.
Angel 💕: But you should sleep, so we can talk about it tomorrow.
Lucas: Thank you, Angel, yes. I am actually running on fumes, but I can explain tomorrow.
Angel 💕: Okay, but Lucas?
Lucas: Yes, Angel?
Angel 💕: My name’s Adam.
Lucas laughed again and tears of exhaustion ran down the side of his face to wet the pillow. He was overtaken by a yawn before he could reply. His vision was blurry and he thought he would see well again after a couple of blinks. He’d just blink one more time and then he’d see the screen and reply to Adam….
….
Twelve hours later, Lucas awoke with a fierce throbbing headache. It was dark all around, the glimmers of light that had previously filtered through the blinds were no more and he was so disoriented that he almost fell out of the bed when he whipped back the covers. For a moment he thought perhaps he’d slept a whole day and missed his date with Adam, but grabbing in the direction where he heard the thud of his phone falling on the ground, he finally looked at the time to see it was a few minutes past five in the morning.
That meant it was a little after two in the afternoon for Marcus, so as soon as he made himself coffee… shit. He hadn’t bought coffee before going to bed and now it was too early to get any. He slumped back on the bed, cursing at himself in his head and finally decided to get up for a shower. It wasn’t so bad, he thought. LA was a busy city. There would be something open at least at seven and that was less than two hours away.
The water pressure was excellent and the steam helped his head a little though he dreaded going outside in yesterday’s heat and without any food in his stomach or caffeine in his blood. He headed to the kitchen to find that, as he expected, there was nothing in it but water and resigned himself to begin unpacking just as he was.
He called Marcus as he sipped on his water, wishing he had had the foresight to at least bring a couple of tea bags.
“You look like crap.” Was Marcus’ greeting with a chuckle.
“Thank you, son.” Marcus laughed harder and Lucas explained his miserable jet lag and lack of provisions, at which point Marcus proceeded to make fun of him for not knowing he could order food in LA at seven AM. He guided him through the steps of downloading the app and adding a payment method and voila. A myriad of delicious breakfast options were available for pre-order even fifteen minutes before seven so that he’d get them as soon as possible. He very assiduously added them to the cart and set a timer for completing the order at the right time. Then gave Marcus a tour of the place. It was new to him as well, since he hadn’t paid attention to anything the previous day. He found that the little apartment, though much smaller than anything he’d occupied in Denmark was not half bad, and its size would surely make him feel less lonely than his house in Roskilde did whenever Marcus stayed with his mother.
There was an entire wall lined with mirrors in the bedroom and the living room, and another glass one with sliding doors that led to the long balcony which the bedroom and living room shared. This created an open and transparent space that was balanced by other cheerful details like the periwinkle color of the remaining walls in the bedroom and all the green from the mountain view that flooded the eyes even in the dim light of early morning. The view was one of the main reasons Lucas had wanted the apartment and put a big chunk of his life’s savings into the downpayment.
He had taken a giant leap and, knowing himself, having the reminder of a new world of opportunities right there as a constant reminder every day would not be a negligible aspect of his living situation.
Apart from a pullout couch and the bed, the apartment was mostly empty which meant he’d have a bit of shopping to do as well.
“Theo’s going to help me pack and ship your books.” Marcus commented and he replied only with a curt nod. “He wanted to know if there was anything else you wanted and offered to help pay for the shipment.” His mouth pressed into a thin line of displeasure and he would have rolled his eyes if his head didn’t hurt as much as it did. Sure, what other options did Theo have to soothe his guilty conscience.
“Obviously, I don’t want furniture shipped here from Roskilde. Not only would it not be worth the expense, but I would rather keep the house furnished for my child. I’m sure Theo can exorcise his demons with another hunting trip.” Marcus sighed.
“Yeah…” There was nothing else that could be said, and the silence sat heavy with any omissions of future visits. Marcus was the only reason the house should be furnished because despite all last minute pleasantries and plans for the future, Lucas was never coming back of his own free will and they knew it. Only, god forbid, an unmentionable emergency with Marcus could make them set foot in that town again. So Marcus changed the subject by helping him browse the internet for possible furniture stores and thrift markets.
“Actually, I met someone yesterday at the airport that has lived here for a few months and can maybe help me with this.” He mentioned absentmindedly, looking with an expression of mild distaste at the dull, massed produced options that were available for his budget in the major brands.
“Oh?” His son’s tone was cheeky and teasing. “And does this new friend happen to be an attractive brunette by any chance?”
“As a matter of fact, yes.” Lucas smiled at the memory of Adam which.
“Wow… dad.” Marcus had dropped the teasing and seemed a little shocked.
“What?”
“Nothing, I just haven’t seen you smile like that in a long time old man.”
“You know, I was only twenty when we had you Marc.” Marcus laughed.
“So… what’s her name?”
“ His name is Adam.” Marcus whistled.
“Theo is gonna be peeved at that.” Lucas raised an eye brow in question as he folded and put away a pair of pajama pants. “Oh come on. Don’t tell me you’ve never noticed the dreamy look in his eyes when he talks about the time you dated boys in high school.”
“I dated one boy in high school. Then I met your mother.”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah, but don’t be so innocent dad. Theo was waiting his turn and somewhere between your breakup and mom getting transferred, he missed it and has had an itch about it since.” Lucas wrinkled his nose and smiled with a childish mix of disgust and flattery. Of course he knew how handsy Theo could get when he had one too many, but it was all quite irrelevant. There was a time when he’d considered Theo his best friend, and Theo had not ruined their friendship with romantic advances. He had ruined it by believing Grethe when she told them he was a pedophile. He had thrown away their lifelong friendship in a panic before having a conversation with his child, where it would have become apparent to anyone, if it wasn’t obvious already by knowing him and having grown up with him, that the whole thing was entirely absurd.
The timer went off eventually and he ordered his food and coffee, while Marcus interrogated him about Adam.
“To this moment, I am fairly certain I hallucinated how beautiful he is. I was sleep deprived, dehydrated, and experiencing what forty degrees feels like for more than the two seconds it takes to open and close the oven door.” Marcus laughed.
“Well, you are next to Hollywood. If you’re going to see an impossibly beautiful, pre-photoshop face anywhere…” Lucas nodded. “Is he an actor?”
“No, an engineer actually.” He leaned toward the glass doors and glanced at the mountains, wondering if he could see the observatory from here but gave up after a moment. “He works at that famous observatory on the hills.”
Eventually his food was delivered and he was able to eat. He and Marcus said good bye and Lucas continued to unpack, wondering what he’d do with the giant suitcases in such a small place and coming to the conclusion that he could always sell them. When it was a decent time, he replied to Adam’s text message.
Lucas: Good morning, Angel. I’m so sorry, I more lost consciousness than went to sleep before saying good night. I remember your name, of course, though part of me is convinced the beautiful stranger that saved me from heatstroke, hyponatremia, and helped me find a mode of conveyance yesterday was more angel than man.
Angel 💕: Good morning, Lucas. It’s alright. And, oh, I suppose you mean the ones from art that look like fairies. Biblical angels are terrifying creatures with many eyes like flaming torches.
Angel 💕: Thank you.
Lucas: Absolutely, darling. Any preferences in cuisine for our dinner today?
Angel 💕: Well, I only eat in certain places that have my safe foods. It’s hard for me to try new things to eat though I’ve been trying to do so more for health reasons.
Lucas: What are they?
Adam sent him a list of four restaurants, only two of which were open at that time because the other two did not offer breakfast. Lucas planned to become familiar enough with Adam’s safe foods that in the future he could take him to new restaurants, but for now he decided that sticking to what worked was best.
Lucas: Reservation’s at Alimento at seven. Pick you up at six thirty?
The restaurant was a one hour walk from his apartment, part of which could be walked along the Silver Lake reservoir, with Adam’s house and a Trader Joe’s on the way. He was used to walking longer than that, so if the weather had not been ridiculous he would have loved to explore the area by foot. However, he was sure he would not have survived the distance under the current heat which clung like a suffocating blanket to every inch of his skin even in the short moments he dared to go out to the balcony. That reminded him that one of the things he had to do today was pick up his rental car. He groaned as he thought of leaving the air conditioned apartment but thanked his past self for the preparation. If he hadn’t rented a car from back home, he’d be forced to take cabs or go buy a car right this moment which was too big of a decision to make desperately fast because he simply couldn’t stand the heat.
He picked up the car and went to the Trader Joe’s, which had been highly recommended by his realtor and the head of the education department at the university, the only points of contact he’d had in the states before the move. They had described it as a quaint little super market, though it was still enormous to Lucas compared to the little stores they had in his town. It was comparable to some of the markets in Copenhagen, but he eyed the produce dubiously having grown up with horror stories about American food. He supposed a few days of GMO food with toxic additives would not give him cancer but he would hurry up and do some research on how to shop properly. For now, he avoided red meat and dairy products and bought a few things that were labeled organic in order to whip some salads together. He was shocked by the artificial looking apples which glowed like plastic toys in the florescent lighting and quickly dropped the one he’d grabbed back on the pile when he scratched it with a thumb nail and a waxy residue pealed from over the skin of the ‘fruit.’
After making it back home, having a quick lunch and putting the food away in the fridge it became apparent that another trip was necessary because none of his clothes, not even the very lightest of his summer wardrobe was appropriate for his date night.
The Grove was a beautiful shopping complex that defied all stereotypes Lucas held about American malls. And he would have enjoyed exploring it, if it weren’t for the bloody heat that was slowly broiling his brain inside his skull. Wishing he would jump into the water fountain, he did his best to chose the stores that might have what he was looking for, instead of merely going into every single door he found for the air conditioning.
Finally, with the help of a very kind shopping assistant, he bought an off white, short sleeve, very thin linen shirt, brighter white chinos with baby blue pinstripes and a pair of chocolate brown leather Toms that he thought would make him look elegant and relaxed. The look was different from what he usually wore back home but retained a certain preppy air that suited him, and no matter what he wouldn’t be able to hide behind layers in this weather anyway.
He made it back home with enough time for another much-needed shower and shaving, and was about to leave the apartment when he received a message from Adam.
Angel 💕: I really want to go out with you tonight, but you should know I’m very nervous and sometimes when I’m nervous I shut down and can’t go out at all. I’m sorry in advance if I ruin our plans tonight.
This made Lucas pause. He thought for a moment before replying and made a quick call to the restaurant before offering Adam another option. The background noise on the call told him the restaurant was pretty crowded.
Lucas: How about we avoid the crowd and eat at the reservoir?
Adam’s reply took a moment but finally came through as Lucas grabbed a random blanket he’d mistakenly packed. It was the full sized version of the queen blanket he’d actually meant to bring for his bed, and he made his way down to the car with it in a tote. By the time they made it there, the sun would have gone down and hopefully the temperature would be more forgiving. As if reading his thoughts, Adam answered:
Angel 💕: Yes! The temperature will not be bad. It was 75 last night. But what would we eat?
A quick google search told him that was 23 in celsius, which would be ideal.
Lucas: What’s your favorite dish from Alimento?
Angel 💕: Alfredo Mac and Cheese.
Lucas: Perfect, and to drink?
Angel 💕: Mmm… apple juice or white wine.
Those were two radically different options and Lucas chuckled, reacting to Adam’s message with a heart emoji and driving away from the apartment, with the firm decision to buy both just in case.
Lucas: Expect me a half hour later than planned with those 😉
On the way to the restaurant, he called to cancel the reservation and place the take-out order, so he only had to wait about fifteen minutes by the hostess stand before they handed him a white bag with the name of the restaurant in gold, containing a box of Alfredo Mac and Cheese, one with Saffron Agnolotti for himself, and four chilled bottles, one of Pinot Grigio, a smaller personal one of apple juice, a beer and a bottle of Aqua Panna still water. He made sure to request napkins and disposable cutlery, paid and left with a spring in his step he had not felt all day. He suspected it had something to do with the approaching prospect of seeing a certain curly haired, blue-eyed beauty.