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“What do you mean, I can’t get on the plane? It’s still here, it’s right there!”
“I’m sorry, sir. But the gate is closed, and no one else is allowed on the plane. There is nothing I can do.”
Lucas heard the conversation as he came running up to the gate. He had just sprinted across JFK airport trying to make his next plane to Paris after his first plane from Los Angeles to New York City had been delayed a few hours. He had been hopeful that he would make his next flight, as there were still fifteen minutes until it took off. However, from the sound of it, luck was not on his side this time.
“Excuse me, is it too late to get on the plane? I have my boarding pass right here.” Lucas said, slightly out of breath as he reached the counter, ignoring the tall guy still standing there arguing with the gate attendant.
“Yes, sir. The gate is closed at this time. Boarding is over.” The gate attendant politely replied, despite her terse smile that betrayed her slight annoyance.
“But the plane is still here,” Lucas gestured at the plane that was visible from the window behind the counter. “Can’t we still get on? It hasn’t even pulled back from the gate yet.”
“I’m sorry, sir. But it’s airline regulation. The ramp door is closed and cannot be opened again to allow more passengers to board.”
Lucas heard the guy still standing next to him let out a deep sigh. He finally looked over at him for the first time since reaching the counter and- whoa. This guy was way too attractive for his own good. He was tall, towering over Lucas by at least a head, and had fluffy looking brown hair. Lucas could only see the side of the guy’s face, but even with the reduced view, Lucas could see a sharp jaw, defined cheekbones, and clear bright eyes. He was easily the most attractive guy Lucas had seen in a long time- maybe ever in Lucas’s entire life, if he was being honest.
“So what can we do? Is there a later flight or something that we can get on?” The guy next to Lucas spoke again and judging by his accent, he must have been French as well. Interesting.
“No, Mr. Demaury, I’m afraid that was the last flight to Paris today. The next one leaves tomorrow afternoon.”
“So, what?” Lucas spoke up again. “Are we supposed to just wait in the airport for the next 24 hours? This wasn’t my first flight, you know. I just came from Los Angeles-by the way, thanks for delaying that flight so I ended up missing this one- and I haven’t slept more than two hours all day thanks to the kid behind me kicking my seat most of my flight.”
“I apologize for the inconvenience, sir. Let me see what I can do for you two. We may be able to put you up in a hotel room tonight so you can get some rest before your flight tomorrow. If you two want to take a seat nearby, I’ll just make a few calls and then be right with you.”
With that, the gate attendant picked up a phone on the counter and began dialing, clearly ending the conversation for now. Lucas snuck a look at the stranger- Mr. Demaury- then went and sat in a seat nearby. He pretended not to notice when Mr. Demaury took a seat two down from him and instead pulled out his phone, cycling through his social media accounts in an attempt to occupy his mind and look busy. Lucas could see out of the corner of his eye that Mr. Demaury appeared to be doing the same thing. After about ten minutes, the gate attendant called them both up to the counter again.
“Okay, Misters Lallemant and Demaury. I was able to find a hotel room for you two for the night.”
“That’s great,” Mr. Demaury replied politely. “I appreciate that.”
“There’s just one problem,” said the gate attendant. “Due to the Fourth of July holiday, there is very limited hotel availability right now. I was only able to locate one room for both of you.”
Lucas was sure he must have heard wrong. One room?
“Excuse me?” he said, running his hand through his hair in slight agitation. “What do you mean, only one room?”
“I apologize and know that this is not ideal. I understand your frustration. However, this is the only option that we have at this time. It will be a room with two double beds and the hotel will be sending a shuttle to pick you two up. The shuttle will also return you to the airport tomorrow. I have already booked both of you on the next available flight to Paris, departing tomorrow at 3:55 PM.”
Lucas turned to look at Mr. Demaury standing next to him, only to be startled when faced with Mr. Demaury already looking at him. Wow. His face was even more beautiful head-on. Lucas found himself distracted for a moment by the sheer beauty he was faced with until Mr. Demaury spoke and ripped him from his thoughts.
“Are you okay with this? I can always sleep in the airport, it’s not a problem for me.”
“No, no, no.” Lucas quickly said. “It’s not a problem at all. I mean it’s a bit weird, but I don’t want you to have to sleep in one of these uncomfortable chairs when there’s a perfectly good hotel room being offered to you. Besides, the room will have two beds anyway. As long as you’re not a serial killer, it’s all fine with me.”
Mr. Demaury laughed and Lucas felt his heart flutter at the sound and the sight of the beautiful smile that went with it.
“No, not a serial killer,” He winked at Lucas and Lucas let out a laugh of his own. “Well, if you’re fine with this, then I am too.” He grinned at Lucas once more and Lucas felt his own lips curl into a shy smile in return.
“Great!” Lucas felt himself jump a bit at the sound of the gate attendant cutting in once again. He had almost forgotten she was still there. “Now that that’s settled, here’s the information for your hotel. You’ll be at the Holiday Inn, it’s located only a short distance away from the airport. The reservation is under both of your names and has already been paid for. If you head down to the ground transportation area of the airport, the hotel shuttle should be here to get you within fifteen or twenty minutes.”
Lucas and Mr. Demaury each took one of the two papers that the gate attendant held out to them. Lucas looked down at the paper and saw that it was the information for the hotel reservation. Yep, still only one room. This really wasn’t some kind of elaborate dream Lucas was having.
“Thank you.” Mr. Demaury replied kindly. “I appreciate you doing this.”
“It’s not a problem, sir. Remember to arrive at the airport at least three hours before your flight tomorrow. This will allow plenty of time to get through security and get to your gate before boarding closes.”
Lucas was unable to hold his eye roll back at this. He only missed the flight because of the airline delaying his first flight but of course, they would act like he wasn’t capable of knowing how early to arrive at an airport.
“Yes, we will be sure to do that. Thanks again.” Mr. Demaury stated before turning to look at Lucas. “You ready to go?”
“Ready as I’m going to be,” Lucas said before picking up his duffel bag that was doubling as his suitcase.
With that, Lucas and Mr. Demaury set off, beginning to follow the airport signs to the ground transportation area. Lucas tried to keep his eyes forward and focus on where he was going, but he couldn’t resist sneaking a sideways glance every now and then. During one of his sneaky looks, Lucas noticed that Mr. Demaury was looking down at his bag, where Lucas had proudly displayed some pins, such as a pin showing the French and pride flags intersecting. Lucas felt himself blush a bit. He was long past the internalized homophobia he had experienced when he was younger and was now extremely proud of his sexuality and who he was. However, sometimes he still felt the creeping insecurity about how other people would react when they first learned that he was gay. However, Mr. Demaury didn’t comment on the pins, leaving Lucas feeling slightly relieved and disappointed at the same time.
After a few minutes of walking, Mr. Demaury spoke again, making Lucas glad that he now had an excuse to look at him without being weird.
“So, if we are going to be sharing a room tonight, I figure I should probably know your name. I heard the gate attendant call you Mr. Lallemant, but that would be kind of weird of me to keep calling you that.” Lucas noticed that Mr. Demaury had switched from speaking English to French now that they were alone. He guessed that his accent when he spoke English was as obvious as Mr. Demaury’s had been.
“Lucas. My name is Lucas.”
“Nice to meet you, Lucas. I’m Eliott. I take it you’re from Paris, too? What brought you to the States?”
“Yeah, I’m from Paris-born and raised. I was in Los Angeles for a work-related conference for the past few days. My flight ended up being delayed, actually, that’s why I ended up missing this flight. What about you? Why were you here?”
“Work-related conference? That sounds cool. I was here in New York City for a modeling job. I really have no good excuse for why I missed the flight other than I’m always late, but let’s pretend it was actually because of traffic and security lines.”
Modeling? Lucas figured he shouldn’t have been surprised as he was at this news. The guy was easily one of the most attractive guys he had ever seen and had an easy confidence in the way he talked and walked. Lucas could see how that would translate well in pictures and even on a runway. Lucas couldn’t help but feel a bit self-conscious in response to the information. If this guy wasn’t out of his league before, he definitely was now. A globe-trotting gorgeous model would never be interested in some ordinary guy like Lucas.
“Oh, that’s cool.” Lucas tried to maintain a casual tone as he replied, despite the nerves he now felt at knowing that he would be spending the night with a literal model.
“Eh, it’s not all it’s cracked up to be,” Eliott grinned at Lucas, his eyes crinkling up into half-moons, and Lucas felt butterflies in his stomach again, despite his attempt to tamp them down. “So, what about you? What is it that you do?”
“Oh, I’m a social worker.”
“Social worker? That’s interesting. What kind of social work do you do?”
“Child welfare.”
“Child welfare? So you work with like abused and neglected kids? Wow. What made you want to do social work? Bit of a depressing profession, isn’t it?”
“Well, I didn’t have the best childhood growing up. I struggled a lot and things definitely weren’t always easy for me. I had to do a lot on my own, including moving out when I was only sixteen. It all ended up working out okay and I am in a good place now, but when I went to university, I knew that I wanted to have a career helping kids like me who maybe aren’t as fortunate as I was to have such great friends and supports around me when I needed it.”
There was a little bit of silence after Lucas finished speaking, and Lucas felt himself blush. He didn’t know why he had gone into so much detail- Eliott was just being friendly and making conversation, after all. It’s not like he actually cared to know so much about Lucas’s motivations behind his choices in life. However, just when Lucas was about to really rev up into silently berating himself for his awkwardness, Eliott spoke again.
“Wow.” Lucas’s eyes snapped up at the awed tone in Eliott’s voice and he was surprised to see Eliott staring right at him, a soft smile on his face. “That’s amazing, Lucas. To give back in that way and help others.”
“Oh. Well. I mean, it’s not a big deal.” Lucas looked away, unable to meet Eliott’s eyes for some reason. He never had been good at accepting compliments, especially from guys he was attracted to.
“Not a big deal? Modeling is what’s not a big deal. What you are doing, it’s helping to change the world and people's lives.”
“Well, thanks,” Lucas replied quietly, knowing his face must be getting redder and redder with every word Eliott said. “But for the record, I think modeling is pretty cool too.”
Eliott laughed in response and Lucas felt his heart lighten at the noise. He tried to remind himself that this guy was a model, probably straight, likely not single, and would never be interested in someone like Lucas anyway. But it was hopeless, Lucas could feel the beginnings of a crush beginning to form in him. He always had been weak for pretty boys and Eliott was the prettiest one he had ever seen in his short life. Tonight would be a long night for sure.
As Eliott and Lucas had been talking, they had made their way through the airport and outside to the ground transportation area. Lucas walked alongside Eliott as they walked to the section where buses and hotel shuttles kept coming and going in a constant loop. They walked in silence, their conversation having reached a natural conclusion for now. As they reached the shuttle area, they only had to wait a minute or two before a Holiday Inn shuttle pulled up and they were able to climb into it.
The ride to the hotel was relatively quiet, the shuttle driver only making mindless small talk a few times. Lucas let Eliott be the one to reply to the driver as he took the time to try and calm himself down and prepare himself for the night ahead. He tried to remind himself that it was only one night and then he would never have to see Eliott again. Just one night and then he could move on with his life, having a funny story to tell at bars and parties for the rest of his life.
By the time the shuttle arrived at the hotel, Lucas felt slightly more prepared. Lucas could do this, he could get through the night without embarrassing himself or spontaneously combusting just at the sheer pressure of being in close proximity to Eliott for a prolonged period of time. He and Eliott exited the shuttle after saying thank you to the driver and walked into the lobby side by side.
“Hello, how may I help you?” The receptionist greeted them with a smile on her face as they walked up to the desk.
“Yes, we have a reservation under the names Demaury and Lallemant.” Eliott politely replied, handing the receptionist the paper they had each been provided by the gate attendant back at the airport. The receptionist typed on the computer in front of her for a moment, nodding as she spoke again.
“Yes, I see your reservation right here. Misters Demaury and Lallemant, reservation for one room with one king-sized bed for one night.”
Lucas choked on some spit on his mouth in his surprise and immediately began coughing. He had to have heard that wrong. This was not happening. Not again. His life had to be a literal joke by this point. The universe and all the parallel ones out there had to be laughing at him.
“Excuse me?” Eliott said as Lucas continued coughing, trying to get himself under control. “One king-sized bed? The reservation was supposed to be for two double-sized beds.”
The receptionist furrowed her brows and looked at her computer again.
“No, it clearly says one king-sized bed. There must have been some confusion when making the reservation.”
“Well, is there a room with the two double-sized beds available?”
“No, I’m afraid not, sir. This is the only room we have left with the number of people in the city for the holiday. We are nearly completely booked. It was only through a last-minute cancellation that we even had this one room available.”
“Isn’t there something you can do? I mean, we don’t even really know each other.”
At this, Lucas felt himself bristle a bit. Yeah, it was definitely a little weird that there was only one bed, but Eliott seemed genuinely bothered by it, like the thought of sharing a bed with a guy was too much to bear. Was Lucas that hideous to him? Lucas had thought they had gotten along fine when they had been speaking earlier, but apparently not. Eliott must have a girlfriend or something and didn’t want her to think he was gay or something, having to share a bed with a guy. These model types, they were all alike with their fragile masculinity. With the thought of Eliott having to “no homo” to some girl later, probably one who was also a gorgeous model, Lucas spoke up.
“I mean, it’s fine with me, Eliott. I’m sure there’s a couch or something in the room but if not, a king-sized bed is pretty huge. It’s not like we will be on top of each other or something.”
Eliott’s eyes widened a bit at Lucas’s unintentional slightly sexual wording but he continued to look at Eliott in a challenging way, refusing to let himself be intimidated by some no-homo hotshot model. He had dealt with that enough from insecure straight guys when he had first come out, he certainly wasn’t dealing with it now that he was older and confident in his sexuality.
“Are you sure, Lucas?”
“Yeah, I’m sure. I’m staying here tonight, I am way too tired at this point to go anywhere else. Besides, it’s like the gate attendant said, the hotels are all booked at this point with the Fourth of July and all the tourists in town. There’s no point in looking elsewhere. But if you aren’t comfortable, I’m sure that the shuttle can take you back to the airport or something.” Lucas was unable to keep the slight snide tone out of his voice and he knew that Eliott picked up on it by the way Eliott’s eyebrows furrowed in response.
“No. No, as long as you’re okay with it, then it's fine. We can figure it out.” Eliott stated slowly, before turning back to the receptionist. “So, it sounds like it’s all sorted then. We will go ahead with the reservation.”
“Great! I am sorry again for the miscommunication but am glad that it seems to have worked out anyway. So, you guys will be in room 212. To get to the elevators, just head down that hallway there and they are right on your left. The Wi-Fi code is printed on the envelope that contains your keys. I have provided two keys, one for each of you. Check out time will be at 11 A.M. and the shuttle to the airport runs approximately every fifteen minutes. Finally, your reservation is already all paid for so you are good to go! Any questions for me at this time?”
“Nope, I think we are all good, thank you,” Eliot replied as he reached out to take the keys and Lucas nodded his head in agreement.
“Well have a good night and don’t hesitate to call if you need something!” The receptionist smiled at them before turning to the next customers who had been waiting behind Lucas and Eliott.
Lucas didn’t bother looking at Eliott as he began walking towards the elevator, still annoyed by how he had acted about having to share a bed with Lucas. Lucas knew it was probably stupid of him to give a guy that he had to spend the night with the cold shoulder, but Lucas could hold grudges with the best of them and he wasn’t about to stop now. Eliott walked alongside Lucas in silence as they made their way to their room.
Once they had reached room 212, Lucas unlocked the door and walked inside, Eliott trailing behind him. The room was relatively small- there was a bathroom, a television, a desk, and accompanying chair. Lucas felt his heart sink a bit when he noticed that there was no couch in the room and only the one aforementioned king-sized bed. Looks like the plan of one of them sleeping on the couch wasn’t happening.
“No couch.” Lucas said. “Guess we have to share the bed after all. Hope that won’t be too much of a problem for you.” He knew he sounded a bit childish now, but he was unable to help it. Since Lucas had come out, he had dealt with too many straight guys like Eliott who treated him differently for being gay to put up with it now. They were always fine with his sexuality in theory, but get too close to them and they suddenly get all squeamish and desperate for him to know that they “don’t swing that way.”
”Look Lucas, is something wrong? I thought we were getting along pretty well back at the airport, but ever since we got here, you seem to be annoyed about something.” Eliott looked at Lucas with some concern on his face, but Lucas refused to fall for it. The nice guy act wasn’t going to work on him.
“Nope.” Lucas made sure to pop the p obnoxiously. “No problem at all.”
“Okay, if you insist, I won’t push it. Anyway, it's getting kind of late so I’m going to get changed for bed in the bathroom if you want to get changed out here in the meantime.”
“Sounds good.”
Eliott gave Lucas one last searching look, still clearly not convinced by Lucas’s assurances that nothing was wrong, before heading to the bathroom. Lucas couldn’t help but roll his eyes one last time. He couldn’t help it, it was a natural reflex for him at this point and fragile straight guys really brought it out of him.
While Eliott was gone, Lucas quickly changed into what he typically wore to bed: a loose pair of boxer shorts and a slightly oversized tee. Probably not the most attractive pajamas, but it was comfortable. Besides, it wasn’t like No Homo Eliott would care what he looked like anyway.
Once he was done changing, Lucas got comfortable on the bed and turned on the television, preparing to relax for a bit before heading to sleep. The sooner the night was over and he was finally on his flight home to Paris away from Eliott, the better.
After a few minutes of aimlessly surfing through channels, trying to find something to watch, Lucas heard the bathroom door open and the sound of footsteps as Eliott walked out. He refused to look at him, hoping that Eliott would take the hint that he didn’t want to have a conversation with him.
“Um, Lucas?” Damn. Guess Eliott couldn’t take a hint, then. Lucas let out a sigh and turned to look at Eliott, hoping that it would be something quick. However, once Lucas laid eyes on Eliott, he almost choked on his spit once again.
Eliott was shirtless, standing there only in a pair of tight boxer briefs. Lucas couldn’t help himself from running his eyes over the sight of Eliott’s toned torso before he managed to avert them up to Eliott’s face. Eliott may be hot as hell, but he was also a fragile straight guy who probably wouldn’t take it well if he noticed a gay man checking him out.
“So, I usually just sleep in my underwear so I don’t really have a pair of pajama pants or anything. I would at least try and wear a shirt but all of them are dirty except the one I wore today and I don’t really think a button-up would be that comfortable to sleep in. I was wondering if you minded if I slept like this? Because if you’re uncomfortable, I can just deal with wearing my button-up, no problem.”
Really? Eliott was asking him what he was comfortable with? After acting like having to sleep in a bed with Lucas would be unbearable? Was he trying to trick Lucas into coming on to him or something so he would have an excuse to tell him off? Well, Lucas wasn’t falling for this. Eliott could stay shirtless and Lucas would gladly show him that just because he was gay, it didn’t mean he was into all guys. Especially not some asshole stuck-up model.
“Yeah, it’s no problem for me. Not at all.”
“Are you sure? Really, if you are uncomfortable…”
“Why are you acting like I am the one uncomfortable here, Eliott?” Oops. Lucas hadn’t meant to say that and point out that he knew what Eliott was up to. It had just slipped out and now Lucas couldn’t take it back. Lucas looked as the confused look returned to Eliott’s face.
“What are you talking about?’
“I’m talking about you having a problem sleeping in the bed with me like I disgust you or something.”
“What? Why would you think that?” At this, Lucas was so annoyed with Eliott for playing dumb that he finally just said it.
“You clearly have a problem with me being gay, Eliott,” Lucas said flatly as he crossed his arms over his chest in annoyance. “You can just admit it, it’s not a big deal. Well, I mean it is pretty shitty of you, but it’s not like we are going to see each other ever again after tonight, so it doesn’t matter.”
At this, Eliott’s eyes widened in shock before he began to laugh a moment later, even doubling over in amusement as his laughter continued. Lucas’s annoyance grew. Really? Homophobia was funny to him? Damn, models really were entitled and ignorant assholes, huh?
“Yeah, homophobia is hilarious, Eliott. People are literally dying and being persecuted all over the world for being gay, but here you are, laughing hysterically about being called out for being a homophobe. So funny.” Lucas said as Eliott continued to laugh, seemingly unable to get himself under control.
“Lucas, I am definitely not a homophobe, I promise you that.” Eliott wiped at his eyes when he was finally about to speak again, some tears having leaked out from his extended hysterics.
“Really? Could have fooled me.”
“I literally like guys myself, Lucas. I’m pansexual. I had a pretty serious boyfriend up until a few months ago, in fact.”
For the third time today, Lucas was floored. Eliott liked guys? What? This didn’t make sense. Someone who looked like Eliott didn’t like guys, it just did not make sense. Not to mention the weird way he had acted when he found out that there was only one bed in the hotel room.
“Wait, what? You’re not straight?”
“No. Far from it.” Eliott winked at Lucas and Lucas felt his heart skip a beat and- oh. Oh fuck, Lucas was really in trouble now. He could barely keep his crush under control when he thought Eliott was this unattainable straight guy. But knowing Eliott was into guys too... Lucas desperately had to remind himself that Eliott was still an insanely attractive model who would never be interested in plain old Lucas. Lucas’ crush was still pointless. This revelation changed nothing.
“Oh. Well. Sorry for misunderstanding then, and accusing you of being a homophobe and all.” Lucas mumbled an apology, feeling embarrassed at how he had shouted at Eliott.
“It’s fine, you’re totally forgiven. I would have reacted the same if I thought I had to share a bed with some homophobe too. But just out of curiosity, why did you think I even knew that you were gay, much less that I had a problem with it?”
“The pride pin on my bag.” Lucas reached down to lift his bag and showed Eliott the rainbow flag pin proudly displayed on it. “And I don’t know, you just clearly seemed uncomfortable with sharing the bed with me when you were talking with the receptionist. I figured it was because you saw my pin earlier, realized I was gay, and thought I would try to make a move on you during the night. You know how some straight guys are, they always think any non-straight guy is going to hit on them, despite the fact that we wouldn’t touch most of them with a ten-foot pole.”
At this, Eliott began to laugh again. Lucas felt himself joining in, now that he knew Eliott wasn’t laughing at him but at the thought of him being straight or having a problem with Lucas’s sexuality. The situation was actually pretty funny, if Lucas was honest.
“I didn’t even notice your pin, sorry. And I would never be uncomfortable with sharing a bed with another guy, even if I was cursed with being heterosexual.”
“Well, why were you uncomfortable then? And don’t say you weren’t, it was obvious that you were.”
Eliott blushed and Lucas’s curiosity grew. This was the first time he had seen Eliott be flustered in any sort of way and he was intrigued as to what had caused it.
“Oh. Well...well that’s nothing to worry about. Trust me. Nothing to do with you, not at all.”
Lucas’s eyes narrowed as Eliott’s blush continued and he was unable to fully meet Lucas’s eyes, instead looking slightly to his left. Eliott was clearly uncomfortable with something but Lucas couldn’t figure out what. He didn’t want to push him though. They did have to share a bed, after all, and Lucas would never want Eliott to feel uncomfortable with him.
“Okay, I trust you. I won’t worry about it anymore.”
“Good,” Eliott smiled at Lucas as he crawled onto the bed next to him. Lucas felt his heart speed up as Eliott got closer to him and he quickly shifted his eyes back to the TV before he made his attraction too obvious. “So, what are you watching?”
“Oh, nothing yet. I was just flipping through the channels but hadn’t found anything yet. Is there something you wanted to watch?”
“Nah, I don’t really care. Maybe some mindless reality TV show. I don’t really want to watch something that requires much thought and it’s always funny to see the Americans on those shows.”
"All right, trashy reality show it is.” Lucas picked up the remote and flipped through the channels until he saw the perfect show and had to laugh, immediately stopping on his chosen channel. Eliott groaned when he saw what Lucas had decided to watch.
“Really? America’s Next Top Model?”
“Thought you might enjoy watching your fellow model brethren trying to make it. Plus, it’s just entertaining to watch, especially the older episodes with Tyra, even if they are a bit problematic.”
“You don’t strike me as someone who is into fashion with those beaten up Nikes and plain tees, Lucas,” teased Eliott, laughing as Lucas shoved at his arm in retaliation.
“Shut up. My fashion taste is impeccable and you wish you looked as good in clothes as I do.”
“Well, can’t argue with that.” Eliott wagged his eyebrows at Lucas and Lucas felt his breath catch. Was Eliott flirting with him? No, no, he couldn’t be. Feeling flustered, Lucas quickly moved to change the subject.
“So, how did you get into modeling, anyway? Is it something you had been looking to do for a while like most of the people on this show?”
“Nah, definitely not. I was actually in school and was approached by a scout one day when I was out with friends. I wasn’t really into it at first, but I needed the extra cash so I agreed to a few shoots. I wasn’t planning on it being something I did long term, but...well, something happened and I ended up having to drop out of school. So after that, I just kind of fell into modeling as a full-time thing and now here I am.”
“Wow. I never really believed that scouting models off the street was an actual thing. That’s pretty cool."
“Thanks, but I still think modeling is nothing in comparison to what you do.” Lucas blushed again. Eliott really needed to stop complimenting him or he wouldn’t survive the night.
“So, what did you study when you were in school? You strike me as a literature type, I think.” Lucas said, changing the subject. He was so curious to know more about Eliott. He was so intriguing to Lucas in a way he couldn’t really explain and not because he was a model. There was just something there that called out to Lucas, something that he wanted to explore more while he still had the chance.
“I studied art, actually.”
“Art? Hm, I wouldn’t have actually guessed that but somehow, I think it fits. What kind of art did you do?”
“Drawings, mostly. It started off as silly doodles of me and my friends as animals when I was younger but then it evolved into some still life and realism type stuff by the time I got to university. I was hoping to maybe do graphic design or something. You know, something that could be an actual career but still allow me to be creative.”
“Whoa. That’s awesome, Eliott. I always wished that I could draw, but I never managed to make it beyond stick figures. Do you have an example of your art or anything?”
“Yeah, of course. Hold on one second, let me pull it up on my phone real quick.” Eliott grabbed his phone and messed around on it for a moment before handing it to Lucas.
Lucas saw that the phone was open to an Instagram account- srodulv- that didn’t appear to be public, judging by the low follower count. Lucas scrolled through the account and was amazed at what he saw. There were detailed sketches of places that Lucas recognized from living in Paris and breathtaking portraits of people that showcased Eliott’s clear talent. However, what intrigued Lucas were the recurring doodles of a raccoon in various scenarios- hiding behind a wall with only its ears visible, smiling with an arm around a cat, sitting under what appeared to be some kind of tunnel, and standing by itself with jagged black lines surrounding it to give the illusion of being in the dark. These must be the animal doodles Eliott had mentioned.
“Eliott, these are amazing. I don’t have a lot of knowledge about art, but you are clearly talented.” Lucas knew he sounded awed, but he didn’t care. Eliott’s art really was amazing and he deserved to know. Lucas handed Eliott’s phone back to him and noticed Eliott’s slight blush as he did so.
“Thanks. I’ve been kind of insecure about my art since leaving school, so hearing that others like my stuff means a lot.”
“The raccoon... is that you? I know you mentioned that you liked drawing yourself and others as animals and the raccoon was the one I saw the most, so…”
“Yeah, the raccoon is me.”
“Why a raccoon? And why draw yourself as an animal at all?”
“Raccoons are just cool. And I don’t know, I can see myself in them somehow. They wear a mask, which I feel like I also have to do a lot of the time. I don’t like showing a lot of who I really am to the world because I feel like people have this preconceived notion of who I am just because of how I look and the fact that I’m a model. Plus, a lot of people in my life have left me when they discovered certain parts of me that they didn’t like. And that’s why I draw myself as an animal- it’s a way to express myself without people necessarily knowing that it’s me. It feels safer.”
Lucas felt himself become a little ashamed as Eliott spoke, as he knew he was someone who had also prejudged Eliott because of his looks and his profession. But speaking with Eliott, he could see that Eliott was nothing like he had thought he would be. He wasn’t shallow, stuck up, and self-absorbed like he imagined most models were. In the short time they had known each other, Eliott had proven to be funny, caring, and sensitive, and Lucas felt hopeless as he could feel his silly crush growing more and more out of control.
“I’m sorry, Eliott. I was someone who also thought you were a certain type of way because of you being a model. That wasn’t fair of me and it’s not fair that you have had to deal with that to the point where you feel like you have to hide who you are.”
“It’s fine, Lucas, really. I’m used to it by now and get that certain perceptions about me comes with the whole model thing. And you aren’t to blame for my insecurities about being myself. It’s just something I have to deal with on my own.”
“Well, it’s still not right that you have to deal with it, no matter if you’re used to it or not. And for what it’s worth, you’re nothing like those negative stereotypes that people associate with models.”
“Really?” Eliott smiled at this. “What am I actually like then?”
Lucas rolled his eyes.
“Fishing for compliments, are we?”
“Come on, Lucas. You insulted me by actually thinking I was straight.” Eliott said the word ‘straight’ like it was a dirty word and Lucas couldn’t help but giggle. “Don’t you think you should make up for it with a few kind words now?”
Lucas looked at Eliott, who was widening his eyes and pouting his lips a bit as if trying to imitate a puppy. And God, he was just way too cute for Lucas to ever say no to anything and everything Eliott could possibly want.
“Well...you’re just really nice, I guess. You know, constantly checking to make sure I was okay with sharing the room and then the bed and stuff. You’ve never tried to act like you’re better than me even though I know I must seem pretty boring in comparison with your life. And you’re not shallow at all- you have all these amazing drawings that show how deeply you feel things.”
“Thank you Lucas, but you’re not boring at all. Far from it, in fact.”
Lucas scoffed, unable to take Eliott seriously, despite the earnest look on his face as he looked back at Lucas.
“Eliott, you are this gorgeous model who gets to travel the world doing photoshoots and other cool things. You probably have all these amazing friends and on top of all this, you are this amazingly talented artist. I’m just this regular guy from Paris who works as a social worker and lives paycheck to paycheck. My friends are all the same ones I’ve had since school and while I love them all to death, they definitely aren’t living a glitzy life or anything.”
“Lucas, not being a model doesn’t mean you are boring. You have this career that you are clearly passionate about, and you work to help kids every single day. That type of job requires strength, which you clearly have a lot of as you weren’t afraid to call me out when you thought I had a problem with you being gay. Even just knowing you for only a few hours, I can tell that you have all these complexities to you that only make me want to get to know you more.”
By the time Eliott finished speaking, Lucas knew that he must be red as a tomato. Although he had come far since his younger years, Lucas still held a lot of insecurities about himself that stemmed from his traumatic childhood. He was self-deprecating and constantly putting himself down inside his head. But hearing the way Eliott saw him... Lucas felt overwhelmed by the depth of feelings he was feeling in that moment. Before Lucas could think of words to say, Eliott spoke again.
“Besides, though you may not be a professional model, you are definitely cute enough to qualify as an unofficial one.”
“Eliott!” Lucas laughed, glad that Eliott had said something to lighten the heavy mood that had settled over the room.
“What? You’re the one that called me gorgeous first, remember?”
Back came the embarrassment. Lucas had hoped Eliott hadn’t picked up on that. It had just slipped out of him as he had been speaking earlier, he hadn’t meant to expose himself like that.
“I did no such thing!”
“Don’t try and take it back now! You think I’m gorgeous, admit it!” Eliott’s eyes were in the shape of crescent moons again as he joined Lucas in laughter, reaching out to grab Lucas’s forearm and jostle it a bit as he teased.
“Nope. Couldn’t have been me. You must have misheard.”
“Uh-huh. That must be it.”
“Yep, that’s it. Totally.”
“If that’s the way you want to play it...but just for the record, I did call you cute. You didn’t mishear that.”
“Oh, I know.” Lucas raised his eyebrows at Eliott flirtatiously and Eliott laughed.
“Just as long as we are clear.”
“We’re clear.”
Eliott bit his lip as he looked back at Lucas and Lucas felt his eyes follow the movement. He was no longer worried about being obvious about his attraction to Eliott. It looked like it was out there now and Eliott was actually responding and initiating some flirting of his own. Fuck it, Lucas was going for it. Eliott seemed to want him too, and nothing was going to hold Lucas back from pursuing this feeling.
Eliott and Lucas continued to stare at each other for a few minutes, comfortable to sit in the subtle tension that had descended upon the room. Lucas could feel himself subconsciously drifting closer to Eliott as the silence continued and the sexual tension grew. His confidence grew as he saw Eliott glance down at Lucas’ lips and he began to reach out to touch Eliott, licking his lips as he did so. Before he could get the chance, the sound of Lucas’s stomach rumbling abruptly broke the tension, causing both of them to laugh.
“Hungry, I guess?” Eliott asked as Lucas gave a sheepish grin. “Well, let’s go ahead and place an order through UberEats for some food, maybe raid the minibar a little bit while we continue our ANTM marathon? I don’t know about you, but I need a drink or two after today.”
“Sounds good.” Lucas replied, turning back to the TV as Eliott pulled up UberEats on his phone and asked Lucas for his opinion on different food options.
Lucas wasn’t sure what was happening. There had definitely just been a moment between him and Eliott, one that almost led to something that Lucas couldn’t take back. But now, Lucas knew that he would never want to take back anything that might happen between him and Eliott. Lucas may not have known Eliott that long, but he already felt an attraction towards him that he had never felt with any of his ex-boyfriends. Lucas wasn’t sure what the night would bring, but he knew that he was no longer going to hold himself back. Eliott, and this opportunity that fate had presented to him, were too important to have any regrets.
-----
After a couple hours of watching TV, eating their ordered junk food, and sharing drinks with Eliott from the minibar, Lucas was feeling sleepy and pleasantly tipsy. He and Eliott had continued marathoning ANTM, laughing together at the ridiculous drama between the girls and Lucas had forced Eliott to get up each time there was a photoshoot and show Lucas how he would have modeled if he had been on the show.
It was late now, and Lucas and Eliott were quiet, comfortable to just exist next to each other, feeling no need to fill the silence. Lucas felt content and settled in a way that he hadn’t felt in a long time.
“Are you ready to go to sleep soon?” Eliott spoke with his words slightly slurred, turning his head towards Lucas to give him a lazy grin.
“Yeah, I think so.” Lucas picked up the remote and shut off the television before he and Eliott stood up to pull the covers back from the bed to crawl underneath them. Lucas knew he should have felt nervous at this point, but he was too tipsy to care. Besides, he was so comfortable around Eliott now that any nerves about sharing a bed with him had long since faded away.
Lucas settled under the covers, turning on his side to look at Eliott where he was lying beside him. Eliott was laying on his back, his eyes closed and a peaceful look on his face. God, he was pretty. Lucas felt like he could look at Eliott forever and still never get his fill of him.
“Are you just going to look at me all night instead of sleeping?” Eliott murmured, his lips slightly upturning into a smile.
Instead of being embarrassed like Lucas of a few hours ago would have been, Lucas instead only laughed in response. He and Eliott had been flirting all night by this point and Lucas knew that it was leading somewhere. He wasn’t sure where it was leading, and when it would happen, but he knew that something between them was inevitable.
“Hmmm, would there be a problem in me only looking at you all night?”
“No.” Eliott opened his eyes, turning on his side to look back at Lucas. “It just wouldn’t be fair if I didn’t get to look back at you.”
Lucas didn’t reply, content to continue looking at Eliott and studying his face. He felt a warm feeling come over him as Eliott stared back at him, his eyes moving over Lucas as if he wanted to memorize his features. Looking into Eliott’s eyes gave him a sense of peace he hadn’t felt since he was a child and before life reared its head to destroy his innocence and belief that things would always work out. He didn’t know why, since he barely knew Eliott, but Eliott somehow felt like home to him, like he was meant to meet him.
“Tell me something about yourself that no one knows.” Eliott whispered, still looking at Lucas with a soft look on his face.
“Why?”
“I want to know more about you.” Eliott reached out and brushed a hand over Lucas’s cheek, causing Lucas to shut his eyes in pure happiness for a moment.
“Hm... I told you I’m not that interesting though.”
“And I told you that you are. You’re by far one of the most intriguing people I’ve ever met and every little thing I learn about you just intrigues me even more.” Eliott continued stroking Lucas’s cheek as he spoke and Lucas reached up to grab hold of Eliott’s hand, suddenly feeling vulnerable and wanting the comfort of Eliott’s touch.
“Well...I can play the piano. Technically my best friend Yann knows that, so it doesn’t really meet the requirements of your question, but no one else knows outside of my family, so I hope it’s good enough.”
“Why does no one else know?”
“I haven’t really played since I was around fourteen. Not in front of other people, at least.”
“Why?”
It was a simple question asked in a soft tone, but it caused Lucas to take a deep breath. A simple question with a not so simple answer.
He knew he could trust Eliott. He wasn’t sure why he knew this, since he had only met Eliott today, but intuitively, he knew that Eliott was someone who he could trust, who wouldn’t judge Lucas. But still...this was a part of his life he didn’t like to talk about. That he liked to forget. It brought up some painful memories for him and despite things being on good terms between him and his parents now, this was the type of trauma Lucas knew would always remain settled deep in his bones. It was something he would never get over, something that would always cause his heart to ache when he spoke about it. Something that would never get easier to speak about.
But there was also this: this that made Lucas want to tell Eliott, reveal this part of himself. There were Eliott’s kind eyes staring into his own, silently reassuring him, silently providing him comfort. There were Eliott’s fingers, stroking his fingers in a soothing rhythm. There was Eliott’s silence, not pushing Lucas to speak, not pushing Lucas to say anything he wasn’t comfortable with. And there was Eliott himself. His very presence, everything that he was providing Lucas with comfort and strength. And so, Lucas opened up, sooner than he ever had been able to do with anyone else in his life.
“Playing piano...it’s something that I did with my mom, mainly. Some of my earliest memories are of her playing the piano and me telling her I wanted to learn too. She was even the one who taught me. We would spend so much time playing together and it...it made me so happy.”
“What happened?” Eliott said softly, still not pushing. Still giving Lucas space to decide how much he wanted to tell and when he wanted to tell it.
“Around when I was eleven, my mom started... changing. She would see things that weren’t there. Tell me that God had sent her to warn others about the coming apocalypse. Sometimes her hallucinations would scare her and cause her to throw things, which frightened me. I didn’t know what was happening or what to do.”
“What about your dad? Couldn’t he help?”
Lucas laughed, a bitter thing.
“My dad started spending more and more time at work. When I tried to talk to him about it, to ask him what was wrong with my mom and what we could do to help her, he just acted like nothing was wrong. I was left alone with my mom most of the time. Sometimes, on her good days, my mom would still play piano with me and we would be happy, so happy. It was like nothing had changed and I was still that same happy and innocent kid again. But slowly, as time went on, her condition worsened and the good days lessened until finally, she would no longer play with me at all. I tried to keep playing on my own, but it just hurt too much. It reminded me of everything that had changed and everything that I had lost and could never get back.”
“I’m sorry, Lucas.” Eliott squeezed Lucas’s hand, offering him silent support and comfort.
“It’s fine. I mean, she’s doing a lot better now. She’s on medication and in therapy. It’s just...it’s just still hard, you know?”
“Yeah. I get it, Lucas. Even when things get better, it’s hard to forget our past and the hard times we’ve been through. Those things stay with us, no matter how much we wish they wouldn’t. Have you thought about trying to play with her again?”
“Sometimes. But it feels so far behind me now. You can’t always bring back things from your past and act like nothing’s changed.”
“No, not act like nothing’s changed. Because clearly it has and it’s important to acknowledge that. But instead, create new memories and bring back something you two loved to do together.” Lucas looked at Eliott and saw nothing but sincerity on his face. There was no judgment there, no sign of pity that he was used to getting whenever people found out about his mom. Eliott was still looking at Lucas the exact same way he had before he found out about Lucas’s shitty childhood.
“Maybe.” Lucas replied. “I still think it would be weird, but it sounds like a nice idea.”
“Good. I think it would be nice too. And maybe you can play for me someday?”
Lucas’s heart jumped at the implication Eliott was making that they would continue to see each other after this, that whatever this was between them wouldn’t end once they got to the airport tomorrow and on their flight back to Paris. As sure as he felt about his connection to Eliott, it was nice to get some sort of reassurance that Eliott felt the same.
“Hmmm... we’ll have to see about that.” Lucas lifted his eyebrows at Eliott in a flirty way. “But now it’s your turn. What’s something about you that no one or only a few people know?”
There was some silence after Lucas spoke and Eliott looked vulnerable for the first time since Lucas had met him. He was biting his lower lip, his eyes downturned and not meeting Lucas’ gaze. Lucas felt an urge to comfort him, to let him know that it was okay.
“Hey, you don’t have to tell me anything you’re not comfortable with. You know that, right? I didn’t tell you about my mom in expectation that you would reveal something like that in return. You can just tell me something silly, like you secretly like pineapple on pizza or something.”
At this, Eliott’s expression immediately relaxed and he let out a laugh. Lucas felt himself smile at the sight of Eliott looking carefree again.
“First of all: what an insult to think I would ever enjoy pineapple on pizza. I do have some culture, you know.” Eliott laughed again. “And no, I don’t feel pressured or anything. I want to tell you. I don’t know why, because I never really tell anyone this. But I do. It’s just hard, because it’s something I still have a lot of insecurities about.”
“Obviously, I don’t know what you want to tell me, so I can’t really say I know what it’s like. But I do know what it’s like to have insecurities about parts of yourself, about things in your life. I still get insecure over people knowing about my mom, even though she’s the bravest and most amazing person I know and I would never be ashamed of her and who she is.”
“Why does telling people about her make you insecure, then? If you aren’t ashamed of her?”
“Well…I guess it’s because people aren’t always understanding and aren’t always kind about mental illness. They may mean well, but they’ll do things like refer to her as ‘crazy’, when she’s anything but that. She may have this illness that affects her life, but it’s nothing she should be shamed for or be ashamed of. People act like she should be pitied, instead of recognizing her strength and understanding that she just wants to be treated like anyone else.”
Eliott was silent after Lucas finished speaking, running his fingers over his bottom lip in apparent thought. With anyone else, Lucas might have felt compelled to fill the silence instead of letting it stand. He never had done well with being left alone in silence, with only his own thoughts to fill the empty spaces. But somehow, with Eliott, the silence was comfortable. Easy. And instinctively, Lucas knew it was what Eliott needed at this moment.
“I’m bipolar.”
The words came suddenly and were spoken quietly, but with strength behind them. Lucas, who had been focusing on Eliott’s fingers and his lips, snapped his eyes up to find Eliott already looking back at him.
“I’m bipolar,” Eliott repeated. “And you’re right, that’s nothing I should be ashamed about.”
“But you are? Ashamed, I mean?”
“More like...I’m ashamed of the things I do during episodes. Ashamed of the symptoms, ashamed of how it affects my life, my relationships. Ashamed of how out of control it can make me feel, whether I’m in the euphoria of being manic or having one of those days where I can barely get out of bed to even go to the bathroom. Does that make sense? I’m not ashamed of my diagnosis, I am ashamed of how it impacts my life, how it makes others look at me.”
“I think so,” Lucas replied carefully. “Everyone wants to feel in control of themselves in some way, not at the mercy of their own brain or at others or the universe or whatever it may be.”
“Yeah, exactly.” Eliott let out a deep breath before continuing. “It’s just so frustrating sometimes. The looks people will give me when I tell them I’m bipolar. The pity, the questions asking if I’m okay. I hate being on medication, having a brain that is so reliant on these tiny pills to function properly. And even with them, even if I take them exactly when I am supposed to, I can still have episodes or off days. I just wish I had more control over my own life, you know? Instead my medications have more control over me than I ever will.”
Lucas was silent for a moment, considering.
“You know what helps me when I feel like life is out of control and like I have no say in what is happening to me?”
“What?”
“Parallel universes.” Lucas said, smiling as Eliott’s eyebrows furrowed together in response.
“Parallel universes? Like in that Spider-man movie?”
“Yes, like that movie.” Lucas laughed at Eliott’s movie reference. “It’s the idea that there are infinite universes out there that exist simultaneously with our own, ranging from slight to extreme differences. All the possible choices you could make, all the possible versions of you that could exist: they all exist in the multiverse.”
“Okay….” Eliott replied slowly. “And what does this have to do with feeling out of control?”
“Well, in this universe, although you may not feel in control of it, you make a choice. But in all the other universes, you make different choices. Different choices that then impact your life in different ways. So all of these infinite versions of you that exit, you make infinite choices. So, you see? Even though you may feel out of control here, when you think of the multiverse, you really get to make every possible choice that exists, which gives you ultimate control.”
“I think that makes sense.” Eliott said carefully. “Although it’s also a bit scary. Makes me feel insignificant, in a way.”
“Well, if you think about it, we are all insignificant when you consider the vastness of the universe. All of the people that exist, all the stars, all the galaxies, an infinite universe- each of us are just a miniscule part of this ever-expanding thing. But what matters is that we are significant to others in our life. We make small differences in the world that can have rippling effects- that’s not insignificant at all. But if we are lucky enough, we find someone and to that person, we are their universe.”
Lucas blushed as he finished speaking. He probably went too far, got too passionate. Too intense. That’s what he had always heard from his ex-boyfriends- ‘You’re too much, Lucas. Too desperate to find love. Too desperate to read into things that aren’t there.’
And so like his past experiences, he waited for Eliott to become closed off, disinterested. Make an excuse to end the conversation and go to bed. But to his surprise, Eliott only laid there for a few minutes, considering his words before speaking again.
“And you?” Eliott said quietly, making eye contact with Lucas. “Have you found that someone?”
“No. Not yet.” Lucas whispered back, afraid to break the spell that had suddenly fallen over them.
“Hmm. Neither have I.”
Lucas couldn’t speak again. He could only continue to look into Eliott’s eyes, feeling both breathless and energized. He didn’t know what was happening, but he could tell that his life was about to change. That this was a moment he wouldn’t want to forget, that this is something he would want to look back on years later and remember.
So, Lucas made sure to catalogue all of the details. The way Eliott’s eyes looked gray in the low light of the hotel room. The slight freckles on Eliott’s cheeks. The sound of their breathing mixed with the low hum of the air conditioner. The way the sheets felt against his skin, the way he felt looking at Eliott and being looked at in return. Then, finally, this-
The way Eliott’s tongue came out to wet his bottom lip. Eliott’s eyes darting down to Lucas’ lips and then back up to his eyes in a silent question. The sound the pillowcase made as Lucas nodded against it, providing the answer Eliott was seeking. Eliott getting closer and closer until finally- they kissed.
Just like Lucas had suspected, it was a moment he knew he would remember. Their lips fit together perfectly and as Lucas’s hands came up to bury themselves in Eliott’s hair, Lucas knew that no matter how insignificant his life may be in the grand scheme of the universe, this moment was something significant, something powerful. Something that he had been searching for his entire life, and had finally found. And that- that was something that would make a change in the universe.
Lucas and Eliott continued to kiss for a few minutes, just enjoying the feel of each other. Lucas could feel the room become full with the overwhelming happiness that comes with finally finding your person, and knowing that they were it, that the search was over. As the happiness continued to grow in him, he began to smile bigger and bigger until finally, Eliott and him were no longer kissing, but instead just smiling against each other.
“What?” Eliott said softly, laughing a bit.
“Nothing. I’m just happy that we ended up missing that flight after all.” Lucas replied, stroking his hand across Eliott’s cheek.
“Me too.” Eliott smiled back at Lucas before pulling him back into him to continue where they had left off.
And so, in a tiny hotel room in New York City that was never supposed to be meant for both of them, two boys from Paris found each other. They had been lonely most of their lives, looking for something that they could never quite define, something that seemed to be out of reach for them. But fate has a funny way of bringing soulmates together, and sometimes that happens with a missed transatlantic flight and a mistaken hotel reservation.