"Shit."
As if his night weren't going badly enough, now he'd fallen
into a hole and twisted his ankle. If he weren't wearing combat
boots, he'd have probably sprained the ankle and been totally
soaked. As it was, his ankle hurt, there was freezing water seeping
into the grommet holes, and his sock was damp.
"What's wrong
now, honey?" He looked up from his ankle to see the smaller man had
stopped and had cocked his head to one side in concern. "You
ok?"
"I'm ok; this has just been the worst night. I just got
back in town, so of course I get mugged and beaten up. I hurt my
ankle, I have nothing and no where to stay, and I haven't eaten all
day." Collins could feel tears of self-pity beginning to burn his
eyes.
"C'mon," The smaller, younger man offered his shoulder
for him to lean on and put his arm around his waist. His hand
accidentally touched Collins' bare skin where his shirt had pulled
up. The touch was electric. Collins' skin shivered. Angel pulled
his hand away. "Sorry, honey."
"No, it's ok. I . . . uh .
. . I can walk." He felt his cheeks warm. He glanced up to see the
young stranger smiling at him.
"You're cute when you blush.
C'mon, we'll get you cleaned up and get you something to
eat."
The two walked the rest of the way to Angel's flat in
silence; Angel kept a slow pace so that Collins could keep up. He
would soon learn that moving slowly and silently was not Angel's
typical pattern.
Collins groaned when they arrived at the
building and he saw the stairs. There was no way that he could handle
stairs. Angel offered him his hand for support.
"I promise I
won't bite. Not yet, anyway." Collins looked into the young man's
remarkable face. He was smiling again. This time, a gentle mischief
danced in his eyes. "C'mon, let me help you, sweetie." Collins
held the handrail on one side with Angel's hand on the other and
slowly, they ascended to the second floor. Once they reached his
level, Angel continued to support him, with one arm around his waist.
Collins didn't need the help, but he didn't protest. It was
intoxicating, being this close to him. Angel smelled sweet. It was
hard to put his finger on exactly what the scent was, but it was
familiar and homey, somehow.
Angel helped him down onto the sofa
inside the apartment. He looked around, surveying the décor.
The place was a dump, but was painted in vivid colors, and there was
satin, velvet, and sequins draped over everything that would stand
still. The walls, floor lamps, sofa, nothing had been spared from
Angel's decorating spree. Even the cat, a big black fellow with a
limp, sported an electric green marabou collar. It sniffed Collins
with disdain, flipped its tail, and sauntered off.
"I can make
you pasta. I've got some sauce and meatballs." Angel called from
the kitchen.
"Oh, I . . . uh . . . don't eat meat." Angel
appeared almost magically in the kitchen doorway, eyeing him with
interest.
"You're a vegetarian? How fascinating! I've got a
perfect recipe for you." He disappeared just as quickly, leaving
Collins to wonder at this young man who had taken him in with no
hesitation. Within minutes, the most delicious odors started wafting
from the kitchen. Collins was suddenly hungrier than he had been in
weeks.
"That smells incredible!" he called.
"It's
almost ready."
"Isn't it almost time for your meeting?"
"I
think I'm going to ditch it for tonight. I don't think you're
really up to the stairs again. We should stay in tonight, get you
some food and cleaned up."
"Angel . . .?"
"Yes?"
Angel appeared in the kitchen doorway again, a spoon in hand and a
smile on his face.
"Why me?"
"Why you what?"
"Why
are you so intent on helping me?"
"You need help, sweetie."
He smiled wider. Almost against his will, Collins smiled back.
"Dinner's ready."
Angel brought out two plates and moved the
coffee table close to the couch. Collins sat up slowly toward the
table, feeling like an old man. Angel put down the plates and reached
to help him sit forward.
Not only did it smell wonderful, Angel's
veggie pasta tasted fantastic. There were red onions, green peppers,
carrots, crushed red peppers, and other things Collins was unable to
identify, all encompassed in a tomato sauce. He dug in hungrily.
Angel watched with a smile on his face, eating some, but mainly
picking at his own food.
Once Collins had finished, Angel went to
the bathroom and returned with a bottle of antiseptic and some
bandages. He also brought a pair of shorts.
"Put these on,
sweetie, so I can see how bad your knees are. I'll turn around."
He
turned away and theatrically covered his eyes. Collins laughed.
"Ok," Collins said once he was dressed. Angel peeked between
his fingers and smiled at him.
"Damn, already dressed," Angel
said with a smile. "Let's have a look at your knees."
Angel
very carefully cleaned out the wounds on his knees and the palms of
his hands. Collins was amazed at how gentle Angel was. His touch
still set off electrical storms, and in his eyes, Collins could see
that Angel felt the same way.
"There you go darlin'." Angel
said once he had satisfied himself that all the abrasions were clean.
He stood and moved to sit next to Collins.
"So tell Angel all
about yourself, honey."
Despite himself, Collins found himself
telling Angel everything. The two of them talked late into the night,
each unable to learn enough about the other.
'I wonder if this
is what it's like to fall in love,' Collins thought.
Angel,
on the other hand, knew he was falling hard for the handsome
professor. As the conversation got more and more intimate, Angel bent
in and kissed Collins gently on the lips. Collins hesitated at first,
but then returned the kiss.
"Wow." Collins whispered. They
leaned their foreheads together and just breathed in the other's
breath. Angel pulled away first and gently kissed Collins' swollen
nose. He then kissed him on each cheek. Collins closed his eyes and
sighed, happier than he'd been in years. Angel kissed each of his
eyelids delicately.
------
The
following morning, Collins awakens, his head on Angel's chest. For
a moment, he forgets where he is and starts awake. Angel's eyelids
flutter open and he smiles sleepily down at him.
"Good morning.
Merry Christmas, honey. How are you feeling this morning?"
"Merry
Christmas. I'm sore. But never better." He reaches up and kisses
Angel.
"What should we do today?"
"I need to go see my
friends. They'll be worried about me now for sure."
Angel
stretches and yawns. "I want to go to my Life Support meeting."
"On
Christmas?"
"Some people don't have anywhere else to go
today."
"You're right. Let's go see if we can get Mark and
Roger to go."
"Roger's the one that's positive?"
"Yeah."
"The one whose girlfriend died?"
"Yeah. April."
"Poor
baby."
"I know. Maybe we can get him to leave the
apartment."
"Maybe. But first . . . breakfast!" Angel slides
carefully out from under Collins. With a kiss, he leaves him sitting
on the couch. Collins closes his eyes for a moment, just living in
the amazing turn of events since he got back to town. Beat up,
starving, mugged, and now this . . . in love? Not possible. Things
like this do not happen in real life, he tries to tell himself.
"Do
you eat eggs?" Angel calls and Collins opens his eyes.
"Ah,
no. . .Thanks. Let me help you." He stands and moves to the
kitchen, pleased to find that while he was still a little stiff and
sore, everything still works. When he sees Angel in the kitchen,
attending to pancakes and fried potatoes and trying to make coffee at
the same time, he laughs.
"Look at you, Miss Betty Homemaker."
Angel grins.
"I do what I can."
"Let me help." Collins
kisses him.
"You can make the coffee."
"Now that I can
do."
They set about, working together in the cramped kitchen,
neither minding when from time to time they bump elbows. Once the
food is ready, Collins impulsively sweeps Angel into a hug, kissing
him tenderly.
"Thank you."
"For what, sweetie?"
"For
everything. For all this. For taking me in when I needed help. For .
. . for making the worst day of my life into the best night I've
ever had."
"You're welcome." Angel smiles, leaning into
Collins' arms. Collins is sure he's seen something more beautiful
than that smile, but he isn't sure what it might be.
------
Once
breakfast was finished and the dishes washed up, they started
planning their day.
"I wish I had some money," Collins
groans. "It's kind of a thing with me and Mark and Roger. I
always bring them groceries and stuff."
"I've got plenty of
money. We'll go find a grocery store that's open and buy them
whatever their hearts desire."
"Angel, no. You've already
done too much for me. I can't let you feed my friends too."
Angel
smiles and reaches over to kiss him.
"Today is for you, darling.
Tomorrow'll be for me." Collins grins and pulls the smaller man
into his arms, kissing his short curly hair.
"I don't deserve
you, Angel. All you do is give."
"Once you're back on your
feet, we'll give to each other."
"So. . .what is this,
anyway? Are we becoming a thing?"
"Darling, we're
everything." Collins leans down and kisses the young man again.
Angel settles into his arms for a few more minutes, sighing happily.
"Ugh! It's almost 9 o'clock. We'd better get moving if
we're going to make that meeting today. I've still got to get
changed. And you need a clean shirt, young man. We can't have you
roaming the city, looking like something from a crime show." Angel
stretches up and kisses Collins again, then disentangles himself from
his arms and disappears again, this time into his bedroom. A second
later, he comes back with a clean grey thermal shirt; almost the twin
of the one Collins is wearing.
"Go on, the bathroom's back
there. You can get a shower and change. I'm going to get
dressed."
------
Once
he has showered, Collins feels a thousand times better. He puts on
Angel's clean shirt and the rest of his own clothes and not really
knowing where else to go, heads back for the couch. He sits and
closes his eyes again, just waiting for Angel to be ready. He hears
the click of heels on the floor and opens his eyes. Standing before
him is a vision in red and white. His mouth falls open and he laughs
delightedly.
"Wow! Angel is that you? You look . . . wow!" He
stands, facing the lovely young woman Angel has become.
"You
like?"
"I do. . .damn!" His hands slip around Angel's
small waist, almost against his will and he leans in for a kiss,
careful not to ruin her lipstick.
"Let's don't start
something we can't finish now." Angel warns. "We have things to
do today."
"Ok, baby," Collins responds. "We'll get back
to that later. Shall we go?" He slips his hand into Angel's and
they head out together.
------
Collins
had never realized that grocery shopping could be such fun. Once they
find an open store, Angel dances from aisle to aisle in her sassy
boots, charming everyone they meet. They buy all the essentials, a
complete Christmas feast, ending of course, with Collins' favorite;
Stoli. Angel pays the cashier who looks a whole lot cheerier when she
sings out a Merry Christmas to him than when they entered. Collins
marvels again at this young wonder who has befriended him, even
chosen him, as it seems.
They pack all of the groceries into
Angel's pickle tub and walk onward to Mark and Roger's loft.
Collins uses Mark's key and lets them into the building. Angel
stops him just inside the doorway.
"I want to meet your friends
the right way, make an entrance, so you go on in and talk to them,
and I'll wait 'til you're ready, ok?"
"Umm . . . sure
baby. What've you got planned?"
"You'll see."
Together,
they climb the stairs to the third floor loft. Angel waits out in the
hall as Collins lets himself in.
"Merry Christmas, bitches!"
