Mercy (MxM) (COMPLETED)

Chapter Thirty- Wife?

Note: Read chapters 24-28 of Challenge before this

Chapter Thirty-

Beau

"Where are you going?" I ask Claude. He did his scene with Hayes a few days ago, and from what he told me, it went well.

I spent the night at his place, so we are just cuddling in his bed, but he got up to get dressed.

"I need to buy more rope for Dax and Andrew. I don't want to use ours for them. I'll be right back though. I want you naked in the livingroom by the time I get back."

"Yes, Sir."

When he leaves, I sit up and sigh. I don't bother to grab any clothes as I walk into the bathroom to take a shower.

I strip off my clothes and put them in the basket before taking my shower. I like to take long showers because it's very relaxing. It's almost as nice as Claude's massages. I like watching my skin turn a little red and I like the feeling of the water in my hair.

After standing in the water for a while I wash myself and my hair, frowning when I see some of the color going down the drain.

I've already been thinking about what color I'll do next, but I think I'll just let it be blonde for a while. I started dying it as a rebellion against my parents, but I'm away from them now. I like the person I am, and I have friends who love and support me. I don't need a huge statement saying that I'm my own person. Everyone who cares about me already knows how unique I am.

With that thought in mind, I scrub it more, watching more of the purple wash out. It should still take a few weeks for it to be completely gone, but it's a temporary dye.

Once I finish rinsing off, I step out and grab my towel. The reason it's mine is because when I first used it, I stained it purple. Claude won't let me use any other ones now.

When I dry off, I go about brushing my teeth and hair before making my way to the livingroom. I put a pillow on the ground and kneel, making sure that I'm in the proper position. He should be back soon.

When I hear the door open, I smile, waiting for him to come in, but it quickly falls when I hear the voice that is most certainly not his. "Claude? Où es-tu, mon amour?"

I don't speak French, but I know enough to know that amour means love. I quickly stand up and use the pillow to cover my lower half just as she walks in. She looks very pretty and seems only a little older than me, so surely she's not his mother.

"Oh. Hi, do you know where Claude is?"

"H-He went to the store. Uh... who are you?"

"I'm Eloise. Claude hasn't talked about me?"

"No. Why would he?" I ask. I'm getting more skeptical now. She's not bothered that I'm naked, but honestly, I am. I wish I had clothes to put on, but for now the pillow will do.

Both of us turn to the door when it opens, and Claude looks at the two of us before frowning with a little sigh. "Pourquoi es-tu ici, Eloise?"

"Je voulais te voir."

Claude just rolls his eyes and turns to me. "Go put something on and I'll explain in a second."

"I'd rather you explain now."

"It would be best if you weren't naked."

"Why? Who is she? Why is she here?" I argue. I'm usually very well behaved, but right now seems like an exception.

"Beau-"

"Please just answer me."

"She's my ex wife."

My stomach drops while I look down at the ground in front of me. His ex wife. He was married. He was married and he never told me.

"I'm going home." I announce, dropping the pillow on the floor before walking back towards the room.

I hear Claude excuse himself before following after me. "Angel, please will you just listen to me. It's not a big deal."

"It's not a big deal? We've gone on for hours and hours about our families and everything that's ever happened to us, and you never thought to mention that you were married? If it's not a big deal then why did you hide it from me?"

I cross my arms over my chest, and keep walking. When we get to his bedroom, I start to dress myself, trying hard not to look at him. I know that I'll stop being mad as soon as I do.

"Beau, she's just my friend. Things when we were kids are different than they are now. We lived in France and our parents had always wanted us to get married. In order for people to get married before they're adults, they need the consent of the parents, but they don't need the consent of the kids. Our parents had us married when we were 15, and we got divorced as soon as we both were 18. Beau, I swear it's not a big deal. I'm gay, and I have no interest in women. I've never loved her as more than a friend. We've never even kissed."

"I don't care about that stuff, Claude. I don't care who you've kissed or loved in the past. I care that you didn't tell me. There were so many chances for you to tell me and you never did." I explain, turning to him once I'm fully clothed.

I frown and try to keep my eyes from watering. "I told you everything about me. I told you stuff that I didn't want anyone else to know. Stuff that even my closest friends don't know. I thought you told me everything about you too, but this is how I have to find out that you were married?"

"I'm sorry. Look, I should've told you about it, but she's not my wife. I've never seen her as my wife either so I didn't think it was important. I promise I won't keep anything from you anymore, but please don't go."

I pout and walk closer to put my face in his chest. "Well now I can't leave. How could I when you give me that face?"

"Good. Now maybe I should give you a real introduction." He tells me, taking my hand to lead me back to the livingroom.

Eloise smiles when she sees me again and stands up. "Hi. Sorry I came unannounced. I didn't expect Claude to have anyone here. Next time I'll knock."

Claude walks over to give her a one armed hug and kiss each cheek. "This is Beau. He's my boyfriend. Beau, this is Eloise."

I stick my hand out with a little smile. "It's nice to meet you. Sorry I didn't give the best first impression."

She shakes her head and ignores my hand to hug me and kiss my cheeks. "No worries. I'd react badly if a stranger walked in while I was naked too." I blush and shift slightly making her coo. "Aren't you just adorable? Claude's really lucky, huh?"

I laugh softly while Claude gestures for us to sit on the couches. I sit in his lap and Eloise sits next to us.

"What brings you to town? I thought you were in Dijon for some wine tour."

"I was, but you know me. All over the place. I stopped in Spain on the way back, but I thought I'd come visit you before going home."

"Right. So did you bring me a gift?" Claude asks. I can tell that he's just teasing, but Eloise still opens her large purse and pulls out a solid black bottle with a red wrapping around the top. "Oh wow, you actually brought me some?"

"Yep. Super fresh. There's no labels yet or anything, but I bet you it's the best damn Pinot Noir you'll ever taste."

"Thank you. I haven't been drinking much, but who doesn't love good wine with a nice book?"

"You're such a nerd."

"I like to think of myself as cultured." Claude answers, making me laugh a little.

"Of course you are. Maybe a little snobby at times, but cultured too." I agree, kissing his cheek.

"Do you like wine, Beau?"

"Not particularly. I'm a lightweight when it comes to alcohol. I'll just stick to espresso. I wrote an essay on coffee a while ago, and I found out that it originated in the arabian peninsula. Before there were bars and clubs there were cafes where only adults would go to listen to music and dance and drink coffee, and back then they called it 'the wine of araby'. So I guess I do like wine, actually."

They both look at me for a moment, making me blush and realize that I ranted a little. "S-Sorry. That was stupid-"

"No, no. I just didn't expect you to be very smart. s**t, now that I'm saying it, I totally sound like a b***h. It's just the purple hair I think. It screams parental rebellion. Trust me I'd know. I was pink for a while and Claude let me make his blue in high school."

"We don't talk about that." He insists, but she just laughs at him.

"Whatever. Don't worry about it. That's really cool actually. I love coffee. There's this cute little shop by my house and it's got the best lattes I've ever had."

"We could change that. I make one hell of a latte." I assure her, making her smile.

"I should try it sometime then."

I smile back and her and lay my head on Claude's chest. I haven't met his family members yet and he hasn't met mine. Neither of us have very good relationships with our parents and we're both only children. I'm glad that I met someone who can tell me more about what Claude was like when he was young. He didn't seem like the type that would dye his hair, but he did.

I'm still upset that he didn't mention her before, but she seems sweet.

"Well it's been nice hanging out with you boys. I'm going to be in town for a few more days so call me whenever, and Beau, let me know if you want any more of big man's dirty little secrets."

"Alright. It was nice to meet you."

Once she leaves, Claude turns to me and kisses my cheek. "I really didn't know she was coming. If I did, I definitely wouldn't have had you strip naked."

"Why didn't you tell me?" I ask again.

"I already said-"

"Don't lie. If it wasn't a big deal then you would've told me about her even just as a friend rather than your ex. You didn't mention her at all. Please just be honest."

"I thought that if you knew about her that you'd want us to stop being friends. I know it was stupid but I didn't want to risk you getting mad or me having to stop talking to her."

I sigh softly and shift a bit with a frown on my face. He thinks that low of me? He thought that I wouldn't listen to reason and that I'd be jealous and possessive. He thought I'd try to control who he's friends with.

"You really thought I'd do that?"

"We haven't been dating for long and I know that's not the kind of person you are, but you've never been in a position to be jealous with me." He explains before wrapping his arms around me. "I will tell you anything you want to know, Beau. I care so much about you, and I don't want this one thing to ruin how you think of me."

"It doesn't. I care about you too. It's okay. Just don't do anything like that again. Don't expect me to be shallow."

"I won't." He pecks my lips before picking me up so that I can wrap my legs around his waist. "So... Do you want to strip again?"

I laugh softly and put my face in his neck to hide my red cheeks. "Yeah."