C'est La Vie Lynn Lorenz

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.”Matt opened the door, and Sebastian slid into the leather seat.“Let me get you buckled up.”Sebastian mouthed, Thank you, as Matt put on his seat belt.23C’EST LA VIE“You boys have fun,” Matt said with a final pat on Sebastian’s shoulder.“We will, I am sure.” Raymond laughed and pulled away from the curb as Sebastian waved goodbye to the young men.“You look wonderful, Sebastian.” Ray smiled over at him from behind dark sunglasses.He wore a mandarin styled shirt in slightly rumpled cream-colored cotton, with dark brown, loose-fitting linen trousers and sandals.“So do you.” Sebastian didn’t know what to do with his hands, so he folded them in his lap.More than anything he wanted to touch Ray’s leg.Just rest his hand on the man’s thigh.Oh, what the hell.Sebastian reached over and put his hand on Ray’s leg.Ray smiled at him, but didn’t say a word as they drove down Decatur to Magazine Street.Sebastian leaned back and enjoyed the breeze as it whipped past and the sun warmed his body.As they drove down Magazine, Sebastian reveled at all the shops now open.“I’m so glad this is coming back after the storm.”“Yes, I live down here and I have been watching the recovery.Not everything is open, but most of it is.In a few years, no one will be able to tell this neighborhood was in ruins.We were not flooded, but it has taken a long time for everyone to move back.”Ray pointed out a few shops that were his favorites.“You must come antiquing with me one weekend.”“Of course.I’d love to.It’s not as if I need to buy anything else, mind you, but I love window shopping.”“I also.But every now and then I find a piece I have to purchase.”“Yes.I just hate when that happens,” Sebastian joked.Ray laughed with him.24C’EST LA VIEThey came to a stoplight and had to wait for it to change.Ray took his hand off the wheel and laid it over Sebastian’s hand, still resting on his leg.“This feels so nice,” Ray said, giving Sebastian’s hand a gentle squeeze.“Yes, it does.” Sebastian looked into Ray’s face, the man’s eyes hidden behind the sunglasses.He nearly leaned in for a kiss, but the light changed, and Ray took his hand away as he drove on.Sebastian sighed.Did Ray feel the same? Maybe he didn’t want to kiss Sebastian.What if he did? What if he wanted more?Panic raced through Sebastian, along with his thoughts.It had been so long since he’d felt any sort of desire for another man.When those feelings had stopped, he’d stopped being sexual.It had been a long time since he’d gotten hard or jerked off; even longer since he’d had sex with Frank.What if Ray wanted sex? What if Sebastian couldn’t perform?Well, if it came to that, he thought he could still give a decent hand job or a half-decent blowjob.But being taken? The thought of it scared the hell out of him.Not the pain.He could deal with that, always had enjoyed bottoming.It would be like riding a bike; he’d get back into it soon enough.No, it was the surrender, the submission that scared him.It wouldn’t mean the same as in his younger days, when it was just about sex.With Raymond, it wouldn’t be just about sex.25C’EST LA VIECHAPTER 5They drove into the park, where Magazine runs through it, and turned into the parking lot for the zoo.Ray found a spot near the front entrance.He trotted around the car to open Sebastian’s door and help him out.It was gallant, in a way.Sebastian felt quite taken care of and, surprisingly, it felt good.Ray had a way of making it all part of being a gentleman, not as if Sebastian were an invalid.The entrance stretched for what looked to Sebastian half a block, but Ray led him straight to the far booth.“Two, please.Seniors.” Ray spoke into the little circle cut into the glass booth as he passed her his credit card.The woman inside slipped him two tickets, and he took them.He gave one to Sebastian.“Here.”26C’EST LA VIE“Thank you.Remember, this time lunch is on me,” Sebastian reminded him.“Of course.” Ray smiled and led the way to the turnstile.They gave up their tickets and entered.Immediately, Sebastian’s nose was assaulted by smells, hurling him back in time to his youth.Fresh popped popcorn.Hot dogs.A faint odor of animals.“I have been here before, when I was a small child.” He stared all around him, as the long-forgotten memory surged back.“It didn’t look anything like this.But it smelled exactly the same.”“I think there is a rule that all zoos must smell the same.”Sebastian wandered deeper into the zoo, as Ray picked up a map from the info booth.All around, the sounds of animals whooping and roaring, birds chattering, people talking, children running, took him back in time.“And the sounds.How very odd.”Ray caught up to him and showed him the map.“Where would you like to go first?” They sat on a bench near the Asian exhibit to decide.“It all looks wonderful.I don’t remember it being so large.You’ve been here before, so what do you suggest?”“Well, it is larger than before.Let’s walk through to the elephants, see them, then over to catch the tram.We can ride it, get off and get back on wherever we want.”“I vaguely remember the sea lions.They were in the most fabulous enclosure, or was I dreaming?” He looked around, as if he could see them from where they sat.“You were not dreaming.It is still there and one of the most beautiful of the buildings they saved.It is one of my favorites.We’ll ride the tram to the reptile houses, which were built in the 27C’EST LA VIEtwenties, and then stroll over to the sea lions.”“Sounds great.” They stood.Ray offered his arm again, and Sebastian took it.They strolled, arm in arm, under a canopy of huge oaks, hundreds of years old, to the elephants.Ray and Sebastian leaned against the fence of the enclosure and looked across at the pachyderms as they swayed back and forth, trunks searching the ground for food.“I wonder if they ever get bored.” Sebastian pointed.“They live for a long time.”“In a way, it is sad.” Ray frowned.“But this is a nice enclosure, and I am sure they are well cared for.At least, I would like to believe that.”He took Sebastian’s arm.“Let’s catch the tram.”They walked past the large fountain with playing elephant sculptures, through the old iron gates.“I remember these,” Sebastian said.“There used to be a sun dial… There it is!”“They kept as much as possible from the old zoo.So many people grew up with them, to remove them would have destroyed memories.”“Yes.It’s true [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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