Marie Sexton - Coda 05 - Paris A to Z (6 page)

Matt looked down at the page, and his eyes widened in surprise. He flipped the book closed to look at the cover, and then looked over at Angelo, one eyebrow up. “Youre reading
poetry
?”

“Yeah. So what?” Ang asked, although he didnt look as confident about it as he sounded.
“Its
poetry
!”
Angelo sighed. “I know, man, but see, a few weeks ago, I was in that used book store in Boulder, and the guy had all his poetry books on sale for a dollar cause he said no one buys em—”
“Theres a reason for that you know,” Matt said, but Ang ignored him.
“And I never read any poetry before, so I thought, why the fuck not? So I asked the guy which one I should buy, cause I didnt want it to be too hard to understand, and he said this one.” He was talking faster now, and his cheeks were turning red. He and Matt were like brothers—they liked more than anything to give each other a hard time. But on some level, I knew Angelo longed for Matts approval too. “Just read the fuckin poem, Matt.”
Matt looked skeptical, but he opened the book to where his finger had marked the page. It must not have been very long because it only took him a minute to read it. He looked over at Angelo in confusion. “Youre saying Jareds a wild rose?”
“Im sayin hes
your
wild rose.”
Matt shook his head. “Angelo,” he said as he handed the book back across the aisle, “as soon as we get to Paris, Im buying you some porn.”
Angelo laughed as he took the book back. “As long as theres no chicks in it this time.”
“Amen to that,” Jared said from the other side of Matt.
I was as surprised as Matt to learn what Angelo was reading. And yet, it didnt surprise me a bit that he would decide to try something, simply because he never had before. “Do you like the poetry?” I asked him.
He shrugged. “Some of it, I guess. I mean, some of it I still dont get. And this guy writes a lot bout God, so I dont like those so much. Theres some bout farmers, and theyre kinda lame. But Im startin to see why people dig it, too, cause sometimes you find ones that say things that maybe you want to say but cant, you know? Like, they say what your hearts thinkin.”
“Like the poem about Matts amazed moments?”
He nodded. “I found our poem, too, Zach.” He was blushing again, and I could see that look in his eyes asking me not to laugh at him. “Wanna see it?”
“Of course.”
He flipped to a page he had dog-eared and handed me the book. It was a poem called “The Country of Marriage.” I tried not to look dismayed at how long it was, and like he was reading my mind, Angelo said, “Not the whole thing. Just the part I marked.” He pointed to the fifth stanza, where he had highlighted the first several lines. “Thats what I would say to you, Zach,” he said quietly. “If I knew how.”
The first few lines made no sense to me—something about funds and being in the dark—
but the part in the middle was clear. “„You are the known place to which the unknown is always leading me back,” I read, looking up at him. “She was his north too.”
I could see that he was relieved, both that I hadnt laughed and that I understood. “That parts you,” he said. “This part at the end is me, see? „I possess nothing worthy to give you.” He shrugged. “Theres only me.”
He said it as if it was an insufficient offering. I could not have disagreed more. I put down the book and took his hand, turning it over so I

could kiss his palm. “Angel,” I told him, “youre all I ever wanted anyway.”

I
F THERE
was anything magical about Paris, it sure wasnt evident in the airport. Underneath the warm smell of fresh-baked bread was the unmistakable odor of urine and stale smoke. After the recycled air on the plane, it was a bit overwhelming, and whatever appetite Id had was suddenly gone.

Cole had a car waiting for us, and Angelo wasnt the only one staring out the window with wide eyes as we made our way to the hotel, which turned out to be located in a wide open plaza that Angelo told me was called the Place Vendôme.

The hotel lobby was spacious, with dark wood counters and chairs upholstered in deep green velvet. There was marble everywhere, in every shade imaginable—white, green, gold, brown, and gray—including a huge mosaic on the floor. I could tell as soon as we walked through the door that it was probably unbelievably expensive.

Matt, Jared, and Angelo were still outside dealing with bellboys and our bags. I went to the front desk to check in. It turned out I didnt need to do much but give them my name and pick up my key. “Mr. Davenport is on his way down to greet you,” the girl behind the desk told me. And sure enough, Cole arrived only a moment later.

He reminded me of Angelo in some ways. He was a bit taller, but with the same slim build. His skin was just a shade or two lighter than Angelos. And just like Ang, his hair seemed to hang in his eyes about half the time; although in his case, it seemed to have been cut that way on purpose. “Hello, Zach,” he said, taking my hand between his and looking up at me. “Weve really never met before, have we?”

“Not really, no.”
“Im pleased that you came.”
“Thank you for having us,” I said, although it seemed like an

His soft hands were still holding mine, and his gaze was cautious but friendly. “I hope things wont be awkward between us.”
“Why would they be?” I asked.
He was taken aback by that, I could tell, and his eyebrows went up in surprise. “My goodness, lovey. I cant tell if youre being sarcastic or if you actually mean that.” I couldnt blame him for being unsure. After all, he was marrying my ex and had screwed around with my current boyfriend.
“It wasnt sarcasm,” I assured him. “I have no hard feelings about Jon, or about Angelo.”
He ducked his head a little, so that his hair blocked his eyes from me. It reminded me of Angelo, although when Ang did it, it was incidental. With Cole, it seemed deliberate. “I hope youre not worried about it happening again?”
I couldnt help but smile. “Youll cross Jons lines long before Angelo crosses mine.”
“You sound pretty sure about that.”
“I am.”
He flipped his hair out of the way again and regarded me appraisingly. “Youre different than I expected. Jonny said you were easygoing, but given how uptight he is, that might have meant nothing more than that you actually know the purpose of a snooze button.”
I should have laughed at that, but I couldnt quite manage it. “I hate to think what Jon must have told you.”
He shook his head. “He never said much. Although, he did imply youd rather drive nails through your eyes than see him again.”
“He wasnt far off.”
“Were things so bad with him?”
“No,” I said, shaking my head. The truth was, wed had a lot of good times. But when I looked back, I found they were hard to remember. I could barely see them through the lies and the arguments that had plagued the last few months of our relationship. “It just didnt end well.”

“So much so that you would have preferred to stay home?” “Yes.”
“Then why
did
you come?” There was no challenge in his question. He genuinely wanted to know.
“For Angelo.” And it seemed like as good a time as any to say what I wanted to say. “I want to thank you for giving him this. I want you to know how much it means to him. Hell never be able to tell you on his own. Hes only been out of Colorado a few times, and now, getting to come here, it means more to him than I can say.”
“You love him very much.”
The statement caught me off guard, but I said, “Of course.”
“Jonny said youd only come for Angelo.” He smiled at me conspiratorially. “I may not tell him, though. I hate it when hes right.”
“I dont blame you. Hes unbearable when he gloats,” I said, and he laughed. “He must have changed more than I thought. He used to hate being called Jonny.”
“I assure you, honey,” he said, winking at me, “he still does.”
That made me laugh, and any tension I might have felt over meeting him melted away. I could see suddenly why he was the perfect match for Jon—unlike me, he was strong enough to be himself, no matter what. He smiled at me, and I felt like we had somehow reached a silent understanding. He squeezed my hand. “I think I like you, Zach,” he said, as he finally let me go. “And that might annoy Jonny enough to make you and I both happy.”
He looked over my shoulder then, and his smile went from genuine to something a bit too bright. “Well
hello
, buttercup,” he said, and I turned to find Matt standing behind me, looking slightly amused. And slightly annoyed.
“Listen, Vanderbilt—”
“I thought it was Davenport,” I said.
“I prefer Fenton, actually,” Cole said.
Matt grinned wolfishly at him. “Whatever.”
“Oh honey, just call me Cole.”
“As long as you call me „Matt.”
Cole put his hand on his hip. He flipped his hair back out of his eyes, tilting his head back. Matt was at least four inches taller than him, but Cole somehow managed to make it seem that he had to look
down
to meet Matts eyes. “Anything you want, buttercup.”
Matt rolled his eyes, but otherwise didnt respond at all. He turned to get his key from the woman behind the counter.
Jared and Angelo walked in, and Cole went straight to Jared, pulling him into a tight embrace. Jared hugged him back, laughing. They stayed that way for a second, and then Cole pulled back just enough to look up into Jareds eyes. He had one hand on each side of Jareds face and was looking into his eyes, saying something that seemed to be very serious. Then he kissed him. He put his lips on the corner of Jareds mouth, as if he hadnt been able to decide between his lips and his cheek and had chosen to split the difference. It was soft and friendly, and although he lingered there a bit longer than I expected, the kiss wasnt at all sexual. Nonetheless, I heard Matt, standing next to me, make a low sound suspiciously close to a growl.
“Down, boy,” I said.
He didnt laugh. “I could handle it a lot better if he didnt have to touch him all the time!”
Cole was acting awfully familiar with Jared, but I also knew Jared was one hundred percent devoted to Matt. “What are you worried about?” I asked him. “You cant honestly think Jared would cheat on you.”
He tore his eyes away from his partner, and sighed. He looked at me with obvious embarrassment. “Of course not,” he said grudgingly. “It just drives me nuts knowing theyve been together.”
“Sometimes sex is just sex,” I said, and immediately regretted it. It obviously annoyed him. He might even have been mad.
“Is it supposed to make me feel better knowing that Im the only one who cant seem to see it that way?”
Angelo looked over at us, and he must have been able to tell from Matts face what was going on because he laughed and pulled Jared away from Cole, stepping between them.