[chapter two: cherry and coffee]
[chapter written: july 18, 2004]
The smell of rain weighed heavily in the air, and a gray overcast shadowed the pair of us as we exited the theatre. I had pulled on a pair of jeans and a long-sleeved t-shirt over my audition Lycra, and felt quite underdressed next to Mush. He escorted me to a waiting taxicab, and gave the cabbie directions.
The drive was in silence. I wondered if he wanted me to start the conversation, but I was still in complete shock and awe. So while he varied his activity from scrutinizing me to looking out the window at the matte-finished buildings, I picked at a hangnail that had mysteriously shown up on my thumb and internally wished I was witty, that I was clever and easygoing and loud and ready to party.
When we got to the coffee shop that Mush apparently liked, he moved to pay the cab driver. I caught his arm and smiled. "Let me get it," I said, and was rewarded by a full-fledged grin.
"We'll split it," he answered. And so we did. The cab driver appeared to think us somewhat crazy, but we just exited the taxi and headed inside the small shop.
Tourists were shoved every which way inside, but since Mush was only a celebrity among the theatre elite, nobody noticed our entrance, or did a double take as we climbed over them to get to a small, empty table shoved in a corner.
"I love this place," Mush said when we were finally seated, and a waitress was trying to wind her way over to us over "I Love New York" shopping bags and the like, which littered the floor. "Do you want me to order for you?"
I shook my head as politely as I could. "I'm really picky," I answered, feeling like a complete asshole. "But thank you for your offer."
He turned on that piercing gaze again, then shook his head with a sweet little smile. "You're exactly how I remembered you. Refusing any help, but in the nicest, sweetest way possible."
"Exactly how you remember me?" I said in wonder. Before I could question this proclamation any further, the waitress tripped over her last obstacle and arrived at our little table. Mush took his time ordering, but I zipped through my order of a lemon poppy seed muffin and a small cherry Italian soda. As soon as she turned to vault back to the counter, I repeated the phrase that had made me wonder.
"Well, you wouldn't really remember me... you were in my younger brother's dance class. I came and watched a couple of his classes, and you... well, you kinda caught my eye. It's really your hair," he said lightly, reaching out a hand to touch my golden strands. I tried to duck away from his fingers slightly, due to the fact that my hair was soaked with sweat, but he didn't seem to care. "When I saw you today, I knew who you were right away. And you've grown into a much better dancer in just a few short years, if you don't mind my saying so."
"Don't mind you saying so? You're my fucking idol, Micah."
"Mush, please," he answered. "You know as well as I do that any nickname given to you at Denton's is a rite of passage. What's yours, Trey?"
I laughed. "Kid Blink," I answered, smiling with nostalgia. "A couple years ago, Bumlets - he's at the audition and incredible, I'm sure he'll make the line - was trying to create some new dance move and my face kinda got in the way of his foot. I had to wear an eye patch for weeks." Mush smiled at the story. I shifted in my seat and pulled out my pack of cigarettes from my back pocket. "Do you mind if I smoke?"
He made a face. "Actually, my favorite uncle just died from lung cancer."
"I'm sorry to hear that." And, though the table next to us was smoking enthusiastically and making me long for a cigarette of my own, I put my pack right back where it came from without removing even one.
He cocked his head to the side and smiled adorably. "Thanks," he said softly. He delicately, but quite deliberately, laid his hand on top of mine. Grinning a bit bashfully back at him, I turned my hand over and smoothed my fingers into the grooves between his. His other hand was smoothing the folds in his ascot subconsciously, and he licked his lips lightly. I squirmed in my chair automatically.
"You know," I said loudly, partly to distract my body, "lavender really is your color."
I was instantly rewarded by a large wink. "Probably one third of my wardrobe is lavender or pink," he responded. "I fully enjoy the fact that I'm allowed to wear whatever the hell I want to. It's one of the perks of being gay."
"It also makes finding outfits to wear to dance auditions easy," I agreed. "Spot has a hard time finding anything to wear that he doesn't deem, in his almighty way, of being 'too gay.' And by that, I mean anything tight, Spandex or Lycra, or bright-colored."
"Oh, then he was that scrawny boy with the dark clothing?"
"Yeah. Sean Conlon. The only boy left at the audition when you got there that was straight."
Mush giggled. "Ooh, then that will make flirting with the chorus line fun."
This dampened my spirit slightly, understandably, and I consoled myself by looking at the way our hands were entwined. It cheered me up a little. As if sensing my already growing attachment to him, he gave my fingers a little squeeze. "I have a feeling that you're going to be cutting my flirting short," he said in the nonchalant way he seemed to have patented. I didn't understand how he could be so offhand about the things that made my very heart start to pound.
I could see our waitress trying to make her way back over to us, with much difficulty. "What do you mean?" I asked, trying to sound as unconcerned as he was, and only succeeding in squeaking and sounding like a twelve-year old.
He gave a little snort of laughter. "If you don't know what I mean, then my gaydar must be way off."
"No, I meant... well, what would you see in me?" I now wanted to climb under the table and never come out again. My face was burning, and I was watching the waitress tripping over a tourist's backpack with more interest than I ever spent doing anything in my life.
Mush was studying my face again. "Well, I was getting the vibe that you were interested. Was I wrong?" I looked over, and he was frowning slightly, his eyes unreadable.
And I was feeling like the biggest asshole in the world.
Trying to reassure him with my smile, I leaned over and kissed his cheek, then whispered in his ear, "Not even slightly wrong."
His grin was restored, and neither of us noticed our waitress's return until she loudly plunked our drinks and snacks onto the table. "Need anything else?" she asked politely, but it was quite obvious that she hoped the answer was no, so that she wouldn't have to attempt to cross the room again for a spell. We shook our heads no, and she grinned whole-heartedly at us. "By the way," she said, as she turned to face the obstacle course again, "you two are completely the cutest couple I've seen in here in a long time."
"Well, she just increased her tip by about thirty percent," Mush giggled. "Cheers?" He held up his latte.
"Cheers," I answered, holding up my own glass. For a minute, we both drank from our drinks, our hands still clasped together on the paisley tablecloth.
"That's some good coffee," Mush said when he'd finished his first long swig. "Wanna try some?"
I made a face, reminiscent of his when I'd asked about smoking. "I don't like the taste of coffee, actually."
"What a pity," he clucked, shaking his head as if I'd committed a deadly sin. "You didn't have that on your resume, Kid Blink. I might not have called you in for this interview, had I known that."
"Interview?" I asked, with raised eyebrows. "Well, then sir, what could I tell you to ensure my future at this company?"
He laughed loudly. "You could offer me a taste of your soda, even if you don't want any of my own drink."
I held it up for him. He drank deeply, keeping his eyes on mine the whole time as I held the glass steady for him. Licking his lips when he finished, he said, "Delicious," in a much huskier voice than before.
I laid the glass down next to his latte, and leaned toward him. Our first kiss was long, intense, and quite possibly the most perfect kiss I've had in my life. Mush tasted sweet, his mouth a treasure trove of cherry and coffee. For the first time ever, I didn't mind the bitter taste of the coffee when my tongue tasted it.
The ice in my soda had long melted, and Mush's latte had gone cold, before the soul-filling kiss ended. When finally our lips parted, we just stared at each other for an intense moment. My lips were desperate to taste him again, but I didn't want to be the first to move back in.
"Wow," Mush said. I could only nod. He stood up and grabbed the check from the table, not letting me see it. "You coming?"
Dumbly confounded, I stood too. "Where are we going?"
He delicately laid a twenty-dollar bill on the table for the girl's tip. "My place. You game?"
I held out my hand, and he wordlessly clasped it.
"If the tip was twenty dollars, how much money was your damn latte?" I joked, when my senses finally caught up to me, halfway to the register.
He laughed. "I just wanted to thank her for calling us a couple." He pulled my torso close to him, and laid a delicately soft kiss on my lips. "Because your not freaking out about that made you seem even more perfect in my eyes."
I tugged him forward toward the cash register, tripping over a redhead whose chair was in the middle of the aisle. Once we got into the clear area directly surrounding the register, I kissed him again, our hands still clasped together, my other hand massaging and exploring the sculpted muscles of his back. Then I traced his arm with my fingertips, down to his hand, where I grabbed the check. Turning to the cash register triumphantly, I paid for our drinks, which we didn't drink, and our muffins, still untouched on their plates. Then I handed the manager who was working the register a ten. "Give this to our waitress in addition to the tip already on the table, please," I said.
"Ooh, big spender," Mush teased, as we strode from the café.
Back outside, the gray day had been overtaken by sunshine, and we moved out of the way of the tourists roaming the sidewalks, into a small, sunny corner. Mush, smiling, kissed me again. I kept my eyes open this time, learning every pore in his face, enjoying the way the sun sparkled on his long, perfect eyelashes. He felt my eyes on him and opened his too, creating an atmosphere of intoxicating passion.
When the delicious kiss ended, he ran his hands over my ass, up and down my muscled sides. "You know," he said softly, "no one has ever looked at me the way you do."
I kissed his eyelids, enjoying the way his eyes fluttered close as I drew nearer. "I'll always look at you this way," I whispered. "As long as you let me."
Both of his hands caught mine, and he leaned forward until his forehead touched mine, our eyes breathtakingly close, our noses touching. "My place."
"Your place," I agreed. Laughing again, we ran out into the current of tourists flooding the sidewalk, and he hailed a taxi.
And I could not believe this was happening to me.
[once i thought my innocence was gone
now i know that happiness goes on
that's where you found me when you put your arms around me
i haven't been there for the longest time]
[billy joel]
[shoutouts!]
Queen Kez The Wicked ][ I don't know! Why is it so easy to picture Mush gay? Maybe because he's a flaming cutie. I luffle you dearly, oh dearheart of mine. And I owe you a review. salutes Next stop.
The Second Batgirl ][ Of course Mush chose Blink over Jai. First of all, I'm not allowed to really write about real people on ffn, just characters. Second of all, it would be a birthday present to myself if I had a story of Mush/Jai, not one for B. And I adore you too!
Studentnumber24601 ][ LOOK! I UPDATED! Woo I win! XD hahaha. Happy birthday way late, hun!
Aura ][ Thank you! Mush would be so cute as Angel. Ahahaha I'm such a Rent fangirl.
Ershey ][ Awww, and I think that you're just the cutest thing ever! :D Thanks for reading, sweetie!
Geometrygal ][ AHHH I HAVE MISSED YOU! :D I'm so glad you read. And chapter 9 of ABT, thanks for that too since I don't know WHEN I'll get around to chapter 10 and chapter 9's shoutouts.
Pyromaniacal Llama ][ You're welcome. Likewise, thanks for reading. XD