Michael kept it a secret from Jean. He didn't want to tell him he was going out to have dinner with another man, because he knew how it sounded. He knew Jean would forbid him and it wouldn't help to tell him it was just a friendly meeting. Was it, though? His mind questioned. Did he want it to be? But he didn't want to venture further into those thoughts, surely those thoughts wouldn't lead to anything good...
There was an unmistakably pleasant yet nerving tingling in his abdomen the whole of his workday. He kept checking the time that slowly but surely traveled towards six pm.
Would he come? Was he gay as well? Was he interested? His mind couldn't help but wonder. And what if all of it was a cruel joke? A trap set up by Patrick? The nervousness kept building. Jean would have a fit if he knew, no doubt. Was he out of his mind going out to dine with a stranger? What if...
Michael took a deep breath and tried to calm down. He had to take a risk; he couldn't get friends if he didn't take chances to get to know strangers. Maybe Sam wouldn't even show up? Michael pondered and knew he'd be disappointed if he didn't.
Quarter to six, the gorgeous blond stepped inside the restaurant and smiled when he saw him. Michael returned the smile excitedly and suddenly felt almost out of breath.
Sam neared the bar where Michael worked, pouring drinks from the tab to customers that had ordered them. "Hi," he greeted and Michael nodded to him, serving the drinks before giving his full attention to him.
"Would you like a beer while you wait?" Michael asked and Sam nodded, sitting down at the bar. He observed Michael when he served him and Michael did his best not to blush or spill the drink when his hands had peculiarly started to tremble a little.
The man looked at him with interest, but his gaze was gentle. Michael didn't sense a potential threat from him. Sometimes one could be mistaken though, and those people that hid their true color so well were the most dangerous.
"I'll go and change and I'll be right with you. The beer is on me," Michael said and blushed ever so slightly. He was way too curious of the man and the feeling was so strange and new or long forgotten.
"I'll wait." Sam smiled taking note of the rather adorable blush that made him hopeful.
"Does your boyfriend know that you're going on a date with another man?" Olivia teased when Michael walked past her.
"It's not a date," Michael quickly denied. "We'll just go out to have dinner, as possible friends." But the blush that still lingered on his skin gave away what he truly thought about the other man.
" I think your date has a different idea," Olivia chuckled. "And Michael, sometimes the grass is, in fact, greener on the other side." She couldn't help herself, and her comment only made Michael blush even more.
"Don't be silly..." He muttered before hurrying into the men's changing room where she couldn't follow him.
Sam waited, heart filled with excitement. He sipped his beer while praying that Michael found him equally interesting. Those certain reactions had brought him hope. How adorably he had blushed, and it hadn't gone unnoticed by him, how Michael's hand had trembled slightly when handing him the beer.
"Okay, I'm ready. Shall we go?" Sam turned to the voice and looked at the object of his attraction. In his everyday clothes, the young man was possibly even more stunning, and, for a moment, Sam felt speechless.
"Yes, let's go," he found his voice and stood. They walked towards the exit while Michael's curious workmates followed them with their eyes.
Michael felt Sam's gaze on his skin, smiled shyly, and was overwhelmed by the way the man's attention made him feel. "So... What would you like to eat?" He asked to break the silence that had lasted for some time. Sam smiled, still looking at him as they walked.
"You can decide. It's my treat, but you decide where we'll go," he replied, and Michael felt another excited pinch in the pit of his stomach. He was almost certain now that Sam was also gay and interested in him. That look told him a lot, and... He was nervous about his interest that had woken; he didn't even know the man–Yet. His mind was reminded which made Michael more confused.
"There's one great Indian place nearby, maybe we could go there?"
"I'm completely under your guidance," Sam grinned and felt pleased when he noticed yet another small blush creeping on Michael's cheeks. "How long have you lived here?" He asked as they walked in the direction that the other had chosen.
"Little over a year," Michael replied and glanced at the other insecurely, knowing he would have to lie about many things.
"Which part of Britain do you come from?"
"London," Michael lied with practiced ease.
"Really? I'm from London as well!" Sam exclaimed excitedly. "Maybe we've met there sometime? I thought there was something familiar about you, but I can't believe I could have forgotten meeting you. Maybe we have visited the same nightclubs, what do you think?" Sam gave him a suggestive look and a smile, assuming that Michael caught his meaning because the younger man gave him a shy smile.
"I lived in New York for a couple of years before I got here..."
"And you must be quite young, twenty-two or – three, perhaps?" Sam guessed, and Michael smiled at him.
"I'm twenty-one," he replied." How old are you?"
"Twenty-five, so not too old, right?" Sam grinned, enjoying too much making the other blush.
"Quite young, I'd say," Michael replied and chuckled softly, seeing the look on Sam's face. He wondered if this was the right time to tell him about Jean. How would he tell without sounding stupid? Did Sam consider this a date or something else?
"Do you like older?" Sam decided to tease, feeling more confident. Michael bit his lip, looked away for a moment, and smiled, hoping that his smile wouldn't appear too gloomy.
"I, um... I have a boyfriend... We live together. He's thirty-three... and..." Michael felt his heart beating fast. Nervous, he glanced at Sam, scared that maybe he'd be mad, either because he was gay or for thinking he'd get something else from him, and now...
Sam couldn't help but feel disappointed, but he forced himself to smile. A boyfriend was an obstacle that he could at least overcome. If Michael had told him that he was in a heterosexual relationship, it would be a completely different situation. Now he still had hope.
"Are you happy with him?" He asked with a gentle voice that seemed to calm the other. The lingering answer and the look in Michael's eyes spoke a different truth than Michael finally gave him.
"Yes," he said, casting his eyes down to the pathway they were walking on. "Jean has... done so much for me." Sam eyed the younger man silently. He sensed the certain melancholy that made him curious. Maybe with patience, without pushing, he'd get the truth. Michael was a challenge and Sam had always loved challenges.
"And you? Are you seeing anyone?" Michael asked, to avoid the possible uncomfortable silence.
"I'm single and I'm going to be completely honest with you, Michael," Sam started. "Perhaps you already guessed, but I asked you out to dinner because I find you darn ...cute." He had almost said sexy, but cute seemed a more appropriate word choice for this situation. "I had hoped that you'd be gay as well and... well...at least one of my wishes came through. I hope my honesty won't make you uncomfortable. I fully accept that you are in a relationship and I would still like to get to know you better. I have this feeling that we'll get along brilliantly, and I would like us to be friends, if that's alright, knowing what I just confessed to you?"
Michael couldn't help but smile, honesty was something he valued and friends were something he missed having. "I'd like to get to know you and make new friends."
"Good. Kitty, that redhead who was having dinner with me, she's my best friend and would also like to get to know you. I must warn you though, she had her eyes on you as well, if you know what I mean." Sam chuckled.
"Women don't scare me." Michael smiled, and Sam gave him a curious look.
"And men do?" Sam asked, and Michael gave an embarrassed chuckle, looking away for a moment.
"Sometimes, some..." he shrugged. "If they are too..."
"Pushy and coming on too strong?" Sam guessed and Michael nodded.
"Although, I guess some women can do that too..." Michael took a small pause, nervous that he sounded silly. "Your friend seemed nice. I'd be happy to get to know her."
"Come and have drinks with us some evening?" Sam suggested.
"Maybe I could," Michael smiled at the suggestion and decided to stop worrying about what Jean might say. He didn't want to be accountable to him for everything.
They entered a small, cozy Indian restaurant that Michael had visited once before with Eric. It would have felt somewhat awkward to take Sam somewhere where he had visited with Jean. And the man didn't even care for Indian food.
They sat down at a free table and browsed through the menus that the waiter had brought them.
"What did you do in New York?" Sam asked, glancing at him.
"I was a waiter like here," Michael lied and smiled softly at him. "I was young, impatient, and went after something big, but like many, before me, I was disappointed by the reality." Sam tilted his head and studied Michael's face with curiosity.
"What were you after?" He asked, and Michael shrugged.
"Better life I guess, fame, fortune..." He listed and smiled sadly. "I don't know really. I was young and foolish."
"I think it's allowed to be foolish when you're young and make mistakes ... Well, everyone makes mistakes and we learn from them." Sam reasoned and was silently pleased that he had given Michael his mother's maiden name. If Michael was from London, he might know his family and one thing Sam had always hated were gold diggers, people who took interest only because of his wealth. Since he didn't really know the younger man yet, it was better to pretend to be a normal middle-class person.
"I guess it depends on the mistake. Is the lesson worth it? I mean," Michael replied and saw it best to change the subject. "And what do you do for a living?"
"I'm a personal trainer. I work at a health club. One day I'd love to open up my own gym, but... we'll see...." Sam smiled. "You look like you work out, perhaps you'd like to come over to see where I work someday? I could guide you, not that I would think that you need help, but...Well, it's another opportunity for me to get to know you better."
"Perhaps I will." Michael smiled. He then moved his gaze to the waiter who was approaching their table. He ordered paneer jalfrezi and a beer. Sam chose more mild serving; chicken korma and a beer as well.
"What is your family like?" Sam asked when the waiter served them their beers and a water can. Michael was quiet for a moment.
"I'm not in contact with them. They did not accept what I am and...." He shrugged, sliding his finger on the icy surface of the beer glass, following the movement with his eyes. "I had no reason to stay. Jean really is all I have." He brought his gaze back to Sam and tried to hold the smile.
"Have you tried to talk with them? Do they know where you are? Sometimes people just need time to adjust. You are their child..." Michael gritted his teeth and looked down, now playing with the cutlery. Sam couldn't know how painful it was for him to talk about his family, how close to tears it brought him.
"Different child than they thought to raise... It's too complicated and I would rather not talk about it. They don't want to hear from me and that's that..." He sighed. "And you? What's your family like?"
"Well..." Sam started, it would feel stupid to praise how close and loving a relationship he had with his own parents after what Michael had just told. "They accept me and I accept them," he chuckled softly. "I also have an older sister who is married."
"What made you move to Paris?" Michael asked with curiosity.
"New experiences, change of scenery, Kitty, annoying ex," Sam said and grinned. "There are always more than enough reasons. I've always wanted to live abroad, travel and see the world. So many talk about it, but often it will only stay as something that people talk about. I wanted to do this before I grow old and get stuck with my ways. Honestly, studying as a personal trainer was just a random whim, one that I haven't regretted one moment though. Sometimes one just has to take chances and be bold and jump into opportunities. Just like you have done." Sam noticed the lingering melancholy in Michael's eyes, that even his smile couldn't vanish.
"Life is a game of lottery... Sometimes taking chances fails... If I am honest, if I could now go back and choose differently... New York was a mistake, but what is done is done and can't be changed."
"What happened there, if I may ask?" Sam was curious and Michael shrugged, not meeting with his gaze.
"Sometimes the past is good to leave behind. It's another thing that I would rather not talk about. I can only say that I never want to return there. Here is... this is a good place to be," Michael smiled. "How long have you planned to stay in Paris?" Michael asked to change the subject.
Michael's secrecy fascinated Sam even more; he wanted to solve the mystery of what the other was hiding. Why was he hiding it? Why the sadness behind his eyes?
"I'm not certain," Sam replied. "Everything is open. I think it's fun not to plan too far ahead and just see where life takes me." Michael nodded, keeping his eyes on Sam. He was even more interested in the man and it really was quite dangerous and at the same time delightful. The waiter brought them their dinner, interrupting their conversation for a moment.
"Do you have some special dreams for the future? Like what you would like to do for a living? Or are you happy in your current position?" Sam asked.
"I would like to become a chef one day. Cooking has always been one of my passions." At this, Sam couldn't help but smile excitedly; Michael seemed to check all his boxes, his ideal man breathed to life! "Of course, when I was a child, I also wanted to be Indiana Jones, but that's not very realistic, right?" He chuckled and Sam grinned.
"Well, you never know, and sometimes it's fun to dream about something completely absurd... So you are interested in cooking and ...archeology? Or just adventuring in the jungle, with an old, worn-out hat on your head and a whip in your hand?" Sam teased and Michael let out another adorable burst of laughter.
"I find history interesting, adventures too, different from the one I ended up on... Real life, I think, is not as uncomplicated as in movies..." He shrugged and tasted his food.
"Well, I don't know... Indiana Jones and uncomplicated life. Somehow I don't find the logic behind that." Sam chuckled, looking into Michael's eyes. The younger man smiled softly.
"I didn't mean it like that ... I mean..." Michael stopped to think for a moment about how to phrase what he meant. "In real life, the adventures rarely work out like in scripts. In movies the good always finally wins, things happen and go wrong too, but in the end, most times anyway, we can trust that in the end, everything will work out. The hero will get the one he loves; the evil will get what the evil deserves and so forth. Real life doesn't work like that. ... And besides... it's unlikely that we'd find such interesting things from the jungle like Mr. Jones. We would find plenty of poisonous things with sharp teeth perhaps, but a treasure? – I doubt that." Michael grinned and Sam smiled back, looking at him thoughtfully. He felt Michael wasn't really happy with his partner. There were many things he would have liked to ask, but he knew that certain questions would be too personal for now.
"It depends on what you perceive as a treasure... Isn't there a saying?" Sam wondered. "Another man's treasure is another man's trash?..." He chuckled. "I've never been good at remembering the right sayings."
"I believe it goes something like that." Michael smiled and brought another forkful in his mouth.
"Is your food very spicy?" Sam asked with curiosity. Michael looked at him and grinned.
"I think it depends on who is tasting," he replied. "Would you like to taste?" He offered. Sam hesitated for a moment, took a deep breath, and brought his fork to pick a sample from Michael's plate. The brown-eyed man observed him expectantly as he brought the fork in his mouth.
"My good God!" Sam breathed, reaching for his water glass. "You really like spices, huh?"
"My grandmother was Spanish and I've eaten spicy food since I was a child. One gets used to it." Michael smiled." I love spices," he added.
"Future chef." Sam smiled.
"Home chef... I haven't even finished high school..."
"You're still very young and it's never too late. If you have the skills and you have the will, you won't necessarily even need fancy schools..."
"Well, my boss promised I might later have the chance to practice in the kitchen." There was a small smile that passed his lips, "but I would still need to attend school later, I think... and..." Michael shrugged.
"Look, if you dream of becoming a chef, then believe in your dream! Never settle for something that is, if it doesn't completely satisfy you. We must fight for our dreams." Sam nodded and drank more water, still feeling the burn on his tongue. Michael smiled and offered the basket with bread.
"This will work better," he added and grinned when the man gave him an embarrassed look before taking a piece of the naan bread.
"Thank you," he smiled.
"Thank you, Sam. Thank you for inviting me to have dinner with you... This has been... Nice." Michael concluded. For a moment he almost felt normal and he liked feeling that way.
"The pleasure is all mine," Sam grinned. "So, when will you come and have drinks with us?"
"I'm not sure..." Michael hesitated.
"You can take that man of yours with, you if you like?" Sam suggested. He thought it might be good to see what kind of man he was up against.
Michael thought for a moment. He kind of knew what Jean would say. Jean wouldn't want him to go alone any more than he would want to go with. Still... He wanted to have friends of his own and feel what it would be like to sit down and have conversations with normal people of his own age. People who knew nothing of his past. He just wanted so badly to be like everyone else.
"When are you going?" Michael asked, looking into Sam's gentle blue eyes.
"This Friday, will you come? We'll meet at eight and have dinner first." Sam gave him a hopeful look. Michael took a sip of his beer and wondered. On Friday, Patrick was coming over to their place. They would drink wine and watch sports with Jean. Why shouldn't he have a life of his own? He could always turn to Eric if Jean would give him a hard time.
"I won't make it till half-past nine from work, but I can join you then. My partner has other plans on Friday." Michael replied, and Sam smiled.
"We can all meet up a little later when you get off from work," Sam assured and to be honest, he felt relieved that Michael would come alone. Watching if Michael and his partner were close after all could be depressing. "We can come and meet you at your workplace."
"That would be great, thank you, Sam." Michael smiled.
"You're welcome," Sam chuckled. He couldn't take his eyes away from Michael. He really hadn't seen anyone more handsome before and it was as if Michael didn't realize his looks himself because there wasn't even an ounce of arrogance in him. That and the certain secrecy only made Sam want him more; he wanted to win Michael's affection and learn all his secrets.
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Thank you for reading! And especially for the votes and comments; they really encourage me to work on this story faster! ❤️
What did you think of the date? Are you excited to see more of these two meeting?