Tango

Move in with me?

"I was in my dortoir when he showed up with all his baggage, he looked like he was about to pass out - he was so stressed."

Thomas couldn't believe his ears. His Alex was a terrified little mess on his first day of college.

"I wasn't so sure about him during the first week, he always was a workaholic, even back then. He worked hard from day one - we didn't talk that much."

"So what changed?"

The Marquis smiled fondly at the memory.

"He overheard me speaking French on the phone. I think I might've been talking with you actually."

Thomas's brows shot up at the words. Maybe if he had been in America at the time, they might have met years earlier.

"Oui, I think it was you on the phone. I don't remember what we talked about but he overheard and the next time he asked me something, he spoke in French." The younger man chuckled.

"I totally didn't expect it, but right away it made me like him just a bit more. So from that point on I only spoke to him in French, I wanted to see how good he was."

"And was he?" The Virginian asked, devious.

"Yeah... He spoke as well as he does now. I could broach any topic and he always spoke fluently, never messed up. I grew fond of him after a while and we grew closer."

"Is that when he told you?"

The Marquis was surprised by the question, he almost choked on his coffee.

"Thomas."

"Did he?"

"Non..." The Frenchman sighed heavily.

"He never was a... How do you- Oh, Blabbermouth. He never spoke about anything personal, at least not in his first year. But I think he began to trust me more in his second - we were roommates again, so we spent a lot of nights talking."

Lafayette obviously didn't want to tell the story but Thomas's firm gaze wouldn't let him off the hook.

"He came back a bit... ivre, on Valentine's day. He was out with his girlfriend-"

"Eliza?"

"Comment sais-tu?"

"Il m'a parlé d'elle."

"He looked pretty bad that night, so I asked what was wrong. I don't think he was actually intoxicated that much but he just broke down and told me everything."

"Was that when they broke up?"

"No, they were just beginning to date. But even then he knew it would be an issue. Their whole relationship was very hard on him, it never left his thoughts but somehow they lasted for a couple of years like that. He really did love her."

"Do you think he still does?"

The older men felt threatened at the idea. The Marquis laughed.

"Don't worry, mon frère. She might hold a special place in his heart but, their time together is over, she won't replace you."

The air between them stilled as Thomas thought their conversation over. He thought back to all the moments he spent with Alexander and wondered whether his lover ever compared him to his ex. He thought back to all the goofy times they had.

"I wanted to take him to France before all of this." The words fell out of his mouth without any care.

The Frenchman raised a questioning brow.