Don't Read in the Closet: Volume Four (109 page)

disapproving. Romeo nudged the plate closer to Julian and chuckled.

“I already knew everyone down there!” He waved in the direction

of the village. “Up here…I could make up their adventures. And they

never tried to tell me what to do.”

“Always a plus.” Julian set the coffee cup down empty and

reached for the plate. His hand only shook a little. Romeo nodded at

the icon above them.

“There’s more. Look at her.”

Julian looked up, then stared. “That’s not…where did that come

from?”

“England.” Julian raised an eyebrow. Romeo laughed and went

on. “Most recently, I mean. Apparently it originally stood in a chapel

in Egypt. Some crusader looted it to keep it from the heathen, hauled

it home, and a century or two later his grandson gave it to a de Luca

so he’d look kindly on marrying off his daughter. De Luca loved it but

his wife ordered it out of the house, so he put it up here. Legend has it

after the wedding he built the house around it and moved up here too.”

“Must have been some wife,” Julian said. “But it is beautiful.” He

wiped his hand on his pants then made a face as Romeo held out a

napkin. “You’re so prepared it’s disgusting,” he grumbled, wiping his

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hand again before pulling his sketchbook from his bag. Romeo

grinned and refilled his coffee. Outside the wind moaned in the trees

and rain came crashing down.

“Damn,” Romeo said.

“Good day for a hike, though,” Julian said.

“And we have the hill to ourselves,” Romeo said. Julian laughed

as he bent over the tablet, then muttered about the dimness. Romeo

grinned wider as he pulled two candles and a lighter from his bag.

Julian spat a couple swear words and Romeo snickered. He whispered

an apology to the Virgin for his friend’s manners as he lit the candles.

He put them close together and whispered a serious prayer, asking for

understanding since he would not beg forgiveness. He lit every other

candle that would light as well, then sat back down across from Julian

and watched the light play across him.

Julian sketched boldly, in quick strokes that he refined as he

worked. He’d shoved his hair back, but one stubborn curl lay on his

forehead. When he frowned at the icon, his eyebrows met. When he

bent over the tablet again, he started humming. Romeo smiled. Julian

surely didn’t realize he did that, as he hummed just a couple bars of

something over and over and did it off key. It was hard not to join in,

but the last thing Romeo wanted was to make Julian stop.

He was lucky Julian was so wrapped up in his art. Romeo knew he

was smiling stupidly at the other man and he didn’t care. Everything

Julian did, even the temporary uni-brow and the off-key humming,

charmed him. He told himself the man had flaws—the mysteries he

clung to, for instance, or the stubbornness that hadn’t let him just tell

Romeo he was getting tired before he ended up shaking—but he

couldn’t get annoyed by them. Romeo was bewitched and he knew it,

too far gone even to hide it if Julian were to look.

A splatter of cold rain in his face jerked Romeo back from his

adoring. The daylight flickered brighter, and thunder crashed a few

seconds later. Romeo cursed under his breath. A little rain was one

thing. Bringing Julian up the hill to strand him in a thunderstorm—

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Luckily Julian hadn’t noticed. Romeo realized he probably should

be offended, or at least discouraged, at how Julian forgot him so

easily, but instead he smiled. Another crash of thunder jolted Romeo

back before he got lost in his feelings again. He leaned across the

picnic spread to put food in Julian’s not-drawing hand.

Julian didn’t seem to notice, but the next time he looked up at the

icon the food went to his mouth. Romeo chuckled and started putting

the food away, feeding himself and Julian as he did.

His plan was that as soon as the worst of the storm moved away,

Romeo would get Julian to the gully as the fastest way down the hill.

It would be muddy but do-able, and the quickest way to get Julian out

of a real rain that could have health consequences. If the rain went on

too long, though, they couldn’t risk it—Romeo would have to take

Julian to the road instead, and that had its own dangers.

The storm, though, was not interested in Romeo’s plan. Each time

lightning danced, the thunder came faster. Romeo told himself the

house had stood there for hundreds of years and could easily protect

them through the night if needed, but then he wondered if the little

building wasn’t about due for a lightning strike…

Outside the wind tore through the wood, groans and creaks

punctuating its roar. A gust spattered rain into their shelter and wailed

on to blow out most of the candles.

“Wow,” Julian said in the sudden dimness, “it’s really going out

there.”

“And some of it is coming in here.” Romeo wiped his face with a

napkin. When he looked again, Julian stood silhouetted in the entry.

“You shouldn’t—”

Brilliant light flashed and Romeo snatched. Smashing sound

rolled over him, battering his senses then rumbling away. Romeo

staggered back against the wall blinking to clear the after-image of

Julian’s silhouette so he could see—

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Julian was in his arms. Romeo stared at him just a breath away.

Julian stared wide-eyed back.

His hand was on Romeo’s chest. Thrown out for balance maybe as

Romeo yanked him backwards, but now that beautiful hand lay across

Romeo’s heart and when he realized, that heart lurched into

doubletime.

“…Romeo?” Julian said softly. Or maybe loudly, but Romeo

barely heard him over the ringing in his ears and the thudding of his

heart. And still Julian didn’t move away, though he got his feet under

him and lifted his hand. Romeo caught it unthinking and replaced it,

held it to his heart.

“Romeo…” Julian said and trailed off as if he’d forgotten any other

words. The world, the storm, the wind and rain and thunder all took a

step back, left Romeo alone with Julian in a tiny infinity of just-them.

Julian’s fingers were cold under his. Romeo lifted Julian’s hand to

his lips and kissed it.

“Oh my god,” Julian breathed.

Romeo’s heart pounded and his head whirled as he held his breath,

but he slowly put Julian’s hand to his cheek and pressed it there. Still

staring into Julian’s astonished eyes, he turned his head just enough to

press a kiss against the inside of Julian’s wrist.

I love you
, he meant, and a thousand things more, passion and

promises and poetry tumbling in his heart and entangling his tongue.

Love me
.

Julian’s face firmed. His fingers curled; his other hand came up.

He caught Romeo’s face and tugged him forward until their lips met.

Fireworks, brilliant bursts of silent color, exploded all around

Romeo. The very air shimmered and he thought he heard an angel

choir. Or maybe that was lack of air, but it didn’t matter because

Julian was kissing him.

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Romeo pushed through his shock to kiss back before Julian gave

up. He closed his eyes and inhaled and all the world narrowed to the

scent and taste and feel of Julian kissing him.

A thousand years too soon, it was over. Julian stepped back and

his hands wouldn’t let Romeo follow. He dragged in a deep breath and

let it out shakily.

“I…wow,” he said. “Romeo, I…” He laughed. “God, I’m such an

idiot, I’m sorry…”

“You’re not. You’re brilliant,” Romeo said. Julian still held his

face; he’d retreated but he hadn’t let go. At Romeo’s words his

expression softened.

“You’re amazing,” he breathed, his eyes searching Romeo’s face.

“How can you even be real?”

If Julian thought him amazing, Romeo wasn’t going to argue.

Instead he put his hands on Julian’s.

“I’m right here,” he said. He slid Julian’s hands over his face,

closed his eyes to receive the benediction of his beloved’s touch.

Julian’s fingers lightly explored. Romeo kissed his palms. Julian

gasped. Romeo guided Julian’s hands down, over his jaw and onto his

neck. Julian’s eyes widened.

“Your heart…it’s beating so fast.”

“It’s—” Romeo’s mouth was dry; he swallowed. “It’s because of

you,” he said.

“I didn’t know…” Julian whispered. He lurched forward to kiss

Romeo again, noses mashed until they got the angle right. Romeo

dared to hold Julian, put his hand on the back of his head and his arm

around Julian and the angel choir started again.

Or maybe he just wasn’t breathing again.

Maybe Julian wasn’t either, because when they parted both gasped

for air. Julian slid his arms around Romeo’s waist and leaned his head

on his shoulder.

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“I’ve known you a
week
,” he whispered. “How can this be?”

“You’ve known me fifteen years,” Romeo murmured back,

planting a kiss in soft curly hair.

Julian laughed softly, and that was the best laugh yet. Romeo

squeezed him and the windbreaker crackled. The spell broke, the

world came back, and Romeo realized it was still pouring outside but

the lightning seemed to have moved on.

He had no idea what time it was, and he couldn’t even guess. It

seemed like forever since Julian touched him, an eternity they’d stood

holding each other and he’d love to have another eternity, but time had

returned and he knew he had to think about things.

“If we’re stuck up here,” Julian mused, “at least you brought

enough to feed us a few days.” Did he sound hopeful? Romeo knew

he was, but it wouldn’t work.

“Yes, but if I don’t make it home,” he said, “my family will be all

over this hill looking by midnight.”

Julian winced. “No, we can’t have that. I guess we’ll just have to

get wet.”

Romeo kissed his temple. “You still probably won’t melt.”

Julian sighed and stepped away to stow his sketchbook. Romeo

re-lit the two candles he’d brought, sent a silent but heartfelt thanks to

the Virgin, and picked up his bag.

The gully wasn’t an option. Romeo took Julian’s hand and kept it

as he led to the road instead.

“There’s a road?” Julian gasped, laughing. “You jerk!”

“Roads are boring. I showed you the hill.” Romeo led off at a

good pace, determined this time to keep an eye on Julian.

Julian made that harder by hunching under his hat to avoid the

rain as much as possible. Romeo kept his head up watching Julian and

watching for cars. He didn’t expect any, but if one came—well, in

some places on that road, there was nowhere to go.

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Once they did have to leave the roadway. Romeo slipped in the

mud as the car passed and Julian blocked his slide with himself.

Romeo took the chance to lean under Julian’s hat and kiss him.

It was still wonder-filled, but not time-stopping since he had to

take his own hat off to do it and the rain was cold.

The road led to the front of Julian’s house, of course, not the back.

Romeo looked up at the house as they walked up the driveway.

“Huh. I’d forgotten there was a balcony on the front too.”

“Actually, it’s the only one,” Julian said. “In back is the deck.

Crazy men who walk in streams think it’s a balcony, but it’s a deck.

On the corner there,” he pointed, “is a veranda. It is also not a

balcony.”

“Is that your room up there?” Romeo asked casually. Julian

laughed.

“No, my room is above the garage, formerly the ballroom. Also,

don’t climb the balcony. The neighbors are sure to call the police.”

“Not on me,” Romeo said, examining the climbability of the

garage end of the house. “They know me.”

“Do they know you’re crazy?”

“That too.”

“This time you’re walking in the front door,” Julian said, wrapping