Chapter 7 - James Diamond Is Not A Crayon (Posted 8 March 2011)
A/N: Has anyone ever read the book "Amber Brown is not a Crayon" by Paula Danziger? I read it when I was a kid. The title is taken from that. Because I felt like it :D And, again, these Jarlos chapters happen during the previous Kogan chapters.
James had fallen asleep thinking about Carlos. He even dreamed about him. They were on the beach, holding hands, and walking on the beach.
When he woke up, he was still thinking about Carlos. Remembering his smile, his smell, his voice. How his heartbeat sped up more and more the closer they got. How he just wanted to be near Carlos. It made him feel... alive. And he could see that something in Carlos's past was hurting him. He wanted to be the reason that pain went away.
Getting out of bed, he wondered if it was too early to call Carlos. Was he still asleep? Was he getting ready for work? Was he already at work?
But before he could contemplate it much further, his phone was ringing. He looked at the caller ID and sure enough, it was Carlos.
"¿Bueno?" James answered, trying to mimic Carlos's tone.
"Ah, mi amor, you are learning so much." Carlos replied happily.
"Carlos..."
"Wait. I have to tell you something." Carlos interrupted him, but kept his tone polite. "I want to thank you for last night. I had a really nice time and I can't tell you how good it felt to go out with you."
"It was my pleasure." James said sweetly.
"And... thanks for taking me up to my bed. I'm sorry I fell asleep..."
"Don't worry about it. I really didn't mind. You worked all day and then stayed up late. It happens to the best of us."
"I just really appreciate all the nice things you said. And then when you just wanted to sit with me instead of... well... it was a nice change of pace."
"I wouldn't do anything you wouldn't want to do, Carlos."
"I know. You're so... you're a great guy and... and I want to trust you and get to know you... I just hope you can understand that I'm going to need some time for all that to happen."
"I've got plenty of time. Any time you're ready to open up to me or if you just want to talk to me about your day or anything at all, I'll be here, ok?"
"Thank you."
"No problem. You're special, Carlos. Just remember that."
Carlos gave a sad laugh but smiled anyway. "I will. So... when can I see you again?"
"Any time you're free. Logan has his community service, so the band isn't booked for anything major for a while. We can go out again whenever you want."
"Well, I've got interviews and meetings and things the rest of this week and most of the next. But I've got lunch hours free most days. Maybe we could meet up for an hour sometime and grab coffee or something? It isn't much, but..."
"It's perfect." James said, before Carlos could get too down on himself.
"Ok." Carlos said lightly. "Hmm.. what is today? Tuesday? How about... Friday? Around one?"
"Sounds great. Where would you like to meet?"
"There's a café just a few blocks from the office I'll be at that day. Le Café au Soleil."
"Ok. I know that place. I will see you there, Friday at uno."
Carlos chuckled. "You've still got a lot to learn, mi chico lindo."
"Maybe you can teach me."
"We'll see."
"You can call me anytime, you know."
"Sí. Gracias."
"De nada."
"Hasta luego."
"Bye, Carlos." James said quietly as he hung up the phone. He was pretty sure the smile he wore was permanently stuck that way as he just couldn't stop. He had another date with Carlos. Carlos said he wanted to get to know and trust him. And he'd called him Mi Amor. Things were definitely on the right track. He just hoped they stayed that way.
