It was getting later in the night, and with every minute that went by, all Eli really wanted to do was go home. Not that he minded visiting Silas, besides, despite everything - them not being lovers anymore - they'd become rather good friends over the months. But, Eli still felt this was a night he'd have much rather spent at home. He wanted to be with Jasper on his birthday. Currently, they were no longer at the house. Instead, him, Silas, and Curtis were at a place Silas had discovered called Reynold's Parlor, and apparently it was a sort of underground location created just for people like them.
The interior looked just as any other pub would, with separate tables, several chairs, a bar with dozens upon dozens of choices in drinks, there was a piano that Eli was sure had been a hassle to get down there, zero windows since they were located beneath a furniture shop, and the entry door was tucked within a dark alleyway.
In the beginning, Eli hadn't much wanted to attend, especially with the thought of getting caught in his mind, but after Silas had assured him everything would be alright, he'd gone ahead and didn't regret it.
It had been a little strange to be in such a place, but the experience as a whole had been quite entertaining. Laughter and high-spirits were all around, the drinks only making everyone's mood even lighter. The music was cheerful, the people so very kind, and there'd even been some men - to Eli's surprise - who took pleasure in dressing up as women and referred to themselves with feminine terms. Molly Houses were nothing new to Eli, but instead of an upper class of patrons, the prospect of finding partners to engage in sexual acts with, or even going through with marriage ceremonies, Reynold's Parlor was a place more for those already in committed relationships who merely wanted to have a good time out together.
At first, Eli had wondered who the person was that created the parlor, but it was said no one had heard from him since selling it and his above-ground furniture shop some years ago.
Seated beside Silas at a table nearest the set of narrow stairs that led down into the parlor, Eli sat back in his chair as Curtis went to get more drinks for them all. With his arms folded over his chest, the red-haired boy smiled toward Silas as he watched his lover leave for the bar counter.
"It is nice to see you this way," Eli said.
"Oh, hush," Silas sounded embarrassed.
"I am serious," Eli laughed, "I know you and I are no longer together, we had our downtime, and have ultimately moved on with other people, but I can still recall how wonderful you were long ago when we were in love. Back then, I found who I was because of you, and I don't regret a thing we went through together, and I still love you as my friend."
Completely red in the face, Silas held his breath for a moment, not wanting to show just how much he was blushing. "I am happy for you, too," he said, glancing away a little. "When I came back, I can't lie and say I wasn't jealous of Jasper. However, over time, I have been able to see that he is in fact the person you were meant to be with, and I certainly feel as though I have found my other half in Curtis. I don't ever want to imagine life without him. I love him."
Not having seen that Curtis had come back and was standing over his shoulder, Silas furrowed his brow when Eli glanced behind him.
Wielding a toothy smile, Curtis took his seat beside his lover and set all their drinks down. "I'm touched," he said, "I love you, too."
Taking his drink, Eli watched the two share a kiss. He almost thought he'd been able to see actual love-birds flying over the tops of their heads, and seeing them so happy together only made him want to go home even more. It was late and he was missing the one he loved.
With a sigh, Eli tossed his drink back and hissed a little at the slight burn. "Thank you for the company," he said then, standing from his seat. "I should be returning home now. Would you two like for me to take you home first?"
"No, but thank you, we will be alright," Silas brushed his fingers lovingly against the back of Curtis' hand. "We will walk after the place closes."
After saying goodbye, Eli climbed the steps and was let out. Stepping into the back alleyway, he found his horse and buggy secured just across the darkness. The only light he had was offered from the moon overhead, but it was enough to find the reigns and led himself out onto the main street.
Finally, it was time to go home.
___
Jasper was sitting at the bottom step of the main staircase. He couldn't stop thinking about how the night had turned out. All in all, his guests were entertained and left the manor in good spirits. He'd made a proper impression on the Lord's of the area, worked on building a relationship with his younger sister, and of course he couldn't forget about the invigorating event that'd taken place upstairs. Watching Edmund's life leave his eyes had certainly made his entire night.
It was true his actions tonight would more than likely insight outrage, especially from his family, but they would never discover what happened to Edmund. Before the end of the night, Master Ronald had questioned Edmund's whereabouts, but Darcy had quickly covered with the short tale of him leaving the gathering early. Ronald hadn't questioned it further.
Now, Jasper sat anxiously awaiting the arrival of the person he'd done all this for. He was tired and knew he would immediately fall asleep once his head hit the pillow, but he wanted to be the first person his wonderful Elijah saw when he returned home. Jasper also just wanted to ask how his night out had gone. More often than the Master, Eli liked to go into the city, and did so on the occasion Jasper wanted something special, or would travel with Lady Darcy and Juliette when they went shopping, and after his trips, he always enjoyed the tales of his time away. Plus, since Eli had gone to Silas' house, and they'd solidified their friendship, Jasper was sure his love had had a very good time.
As the servants within the manor went about cleaning up after everything, Jasper sat and reflected on how life was turning out now that he was far from Brimonhive. This gorgeous piece of land had become his home. He was viewed by other Lords and Ladies to have a happy wife and rich life. He and Darcy had gotten rather good at putting up a grand front before other people. Since they were very good friends as it was, it wasn't hard at all to display love and affection for one another. Rarely did they kiss one another on the lips, but Darcy was the one to cling to him, kiss his cheeks, fawn over him as though he were the most magnificent husband in the entire world, and her displays were always taken well. Mostly, her act made Jasper laugh, but the more realistic she seemed - the better.
When it'd come time to fill the new manor with helping hands, coach handlers, stable keepers, footmen, maids, cooks, gardeners, what have you, Jasper had been very particular. He'd preferred younger minds that were around his age, if not a couple years older, young women, but didn't shy away from hiring young men. During his hiring process, he'd selected young men who gave off a more timid vibe rather than boastful. He'd treated them all with respect and asked for the same, and in return, he paid them a good amount more than any other Lord would even consider paying their workers. So far, he hadn't had one negative incident with anyone, not even when Jasper had grown comfortable enough a couple months in when showcasing his true affection for Eli.
First, his servants beared witness to simple things like - kisses pressed to the hand, tender hugs, until finally Jasper grew tired of shielding himself within his own home, and opened himself all the way. He'd been the first to kiss Eli in front of a pair of maids, profess his undying love in front of a footman, and their lack of reaction filled Jasper with ease. It seemed money would always be able to buy silence and loyalty.
Since he didn't know how long it would take for Eli to return, Jasper rose from the step he'd been seated on and hurried inside. He climbed the left curve of the double staircase and went to the second floor. Down a long and wide corridor sat a large archway that led into his favor room in the manor. His library was filled to the brim with books, so many that every shelf was packed tight, and there was even a second level, but with all the room he seemed to have, there were still more stacked in piles on the floor and on the study tables around the room. Jasper made a mental note to request a couple of shelves to be built for the purpose of housing more and more books.
After deciding which he'd take with him, Jasper took a lantern with him back outside and sat down on the top step. There, he flipped to the first chapter and began his silent read as the wait continued.
Jasper wasn't quite sure how much time had gone by, but he'd been able to finish more than half of The Infernal Marriage by Benjamin Disraeli, and although a servant had recommended he wait inside, and even Lady Darcy beckoned him off the step, Jasper insisted on staying several times.
It wasn't until he reached the final page of the short work that he looked up and was suddenly started. There Elijah stood just two steps down with his hands on his hips, and an amused smirk on his lips. At Jasper's slight jump in surprise, Eli chuckled, "At last, you notice me."
"Elijah!" Jasper stood hastily, hugging the book against him with one arm and he clung to his lover with the other.
The red-haired boy's smiled grew, and he had to catch himself before tripping backwards down the steps. "You are pleased with my return, I assume?"
"Very," Jasper continued to hang on, and when Eli then fully picked him up, the Master wrapped his slender legs around the other boys waist. "I have been anxious to ask of your time away. Did you spend it well?"
Heart-warmed by Jasper's constant attentiveness to him, Eli carried the Master into the manor. To the nearest servant that he spotted, a young man with whitish blond hair, he said, "I would appreciate it if you would tend to the horse."
"Yes, sir," the young man nodded before heading outside.
As he carried his lover upstairs and to the third floor, Eli felt his entire face blush at all the kisses being pressed to his face and then to his neck. "You ask of my time away," he said, cupping a hand under Jasper's bottom as he used the other to open the door to their bedroom, "when I should ask of yours. After all, it is your birthday, my love."
"Yes," Jasper tucked the side of his face against Eli's neck, "But you are who I wanted to spend it with. I received enough false praise from guests who merely want a connection to my name, and those hoping I'll invest hundreds into...whatever. All this time I've only wanted you back at my side."
Placing Jasper at the foot of their large bed in the other half of the room, Eli stepped back and unrolled his sleeves, casually undressing there before the Master. "If you really must know about my misadventures while away, I can say there is very little to tell. I merely spent some time with Silas, who - interestingly enough - has found someone else."
Watching Eli undress from his shirt before him, Jasper pressed his hands together between his knees. "Has he, now? What is he like?"
"He's an African man who was set free after being brought from the Americas some months back. Name's Curtis Arckerman, and he seemed pleasant. Silas certainly is fond of him."
"That's fantastic," Jasper expressed, "we should invite them over for dinner sometime."
Stepping out of his shoes, Eli then turned for a dark brown wooden vanity with an oval mirror on top. From a small drawer, he stole of black tie and bundled his hair into an untidy ponytail. Before he could turned back around to question Jasper more on the night while he was away, Eli held his tongue for a moment when a warmth pressed up against him from behind.
Jasper's embrace was light as an autumn breeze, hands gentle when they glided across his abdomen, but his blond lover's kisses were the fairest the more they were pressed to the extensive scar down the length of his back. Rather enjoying the lovely feeling dancing across his shoulder blades, Eli placed a hand atop Jasper's right forearm, where he could feel the jagged scar that healed long ago. He wasn't too sure if the thought was strange, but to have been given such reminders, scars, by the same beast, at the same time, on the same day, felt like some sort of string that bound them together.
With Jasper's right arm blemished and his own back completely raked, the two would have always carried something with them that link them together. Even if they hadn't reconnected, kindled this beautiful love, or ended up here where they were now, Eli knew he would have never been able to forget that day, those stunning blue eyes, Jasper's sweet voice, and his yearning for friendship. And the Master would not have gone a day without recalling that time either. Immediately, when he was but a ten-year-old boy, he'd loved Elijah Goode in the truest form there was, for the love of a child was never false. And it'd followed him into the years. For Jasper, if he had never seen Eli again - his love would have never died.
Turning slowly, Eli then took a seat in the chair before the vanity and looked up at Jasper. His pretty face held a soft look, his gaze was brimming with devotion, and the soft smile that soon adorned his lips brought a joy to Eli's chest he nearly thought would burst from him.
"Happy birthday, my love," Eli said, "I wish I could have spent the entire night with you."
"One night away is not so bad," Jasper leaned forward, placing a kiss to Eli's forehead, "when we now have forever."
Eli closed his eyes, relishing the mere idea of spending the remainder of his life with this marvelous creation. Perhaps the entire world was not so kind a place. It had its mighty flaws, just as really anything to be made, but in this life, he'd been fortunate enough to find the beauty that existed out of sight, and Jasper surely was something significant that many did not show true appreciation for. As Jasper had mentioned, many would mainly seek his attention in hopes to benefit from his status, but Eli saw passed all of that. His love for Jasper did not reside in the wealth his lover had, it was born from who Jasper Lancechester was as a person, and that was someone Eli had come to value more than life, and more and more each day.
Now, two wandering souls had finally found their place in the world, their purpose, and it was to live and love and flourish alongside one another, everyday, until the end, and in every life to follow.
"Yes," Eli felt gratitude surge through him, "forever."
the end
xoxox