2024 Top Ten Gay Romance

Chapter 7

Chapter 7December 19, 2022

Evan

If there’s one thing I learned from recent events, it’s to seize the day. My siblings and I weren’t terribly close before our parents got sick. That whole long process could have driven us further apart. Instead, I put my HR experience to work and managed the conversations (negotiations, confrontations) such that we’re now in touch on a regular basis and able to say “I love you” to each other when we end a call. When we were approached about our parents’ soon-to-be vacant house, we didn’t waste time arguing about should we renovate, should we update the curb appeal, should we wait for a better offer. None of us wanted the house; this other person did; they made a cash offer; we accepted it. Each of us got a little boost to our nest eggs, and none of us ever have to deal with it again.

What does that have to do with an imminently closing bookstore and a new boyfriend, a week before Christmas? Well, mostly that when Simon said, “My mother is dying to meet you, would you like to join us for Christmas dinner?” I said I’d love to almost before he finished talking. The me of three years ago might have hedged his bets. Me of this December wanted to grab every possible minute of joy.

The week leading up to that momentous occasion (it was decades since I’d met a boyfriend’s parent) was spent pushing a little more on social media. Sanaa made a video with Mr. Cohen about his years running the bookstore and posted it everywhere, which got a great response. I contacted all the other independents in Los Angeles County that handled collectible books, reminding them we were closing. Sent them a copy of our current stock list (it was reducing fast) with a twenty percent discount offer, first come first served. Quite a few of them took us up on it. An uncommon book isn’t going to get less uncommon; they knew if they didn’t grab a title now, it might be gone by the time the Everything Must Go sign went up on the 26th.

Along with hand selling and internet marketing, I futzed with our displays every day. We had some Christmas decorations up, because shoppers like that, and it made the place more fun for us, too.

Simon dropped in every other day. This new routine always included coffee. He’d text me in advance to see if Sanaa or our part-timer Karl were there, then show up with an appropriate number of cups. He knew perfectly well that we had a drip coffeemaker in the back, but none of us would say no to a nice latte or cappuccino or peppermint mocha. He’d stay and chat till my coffee was gone, then give me a kiss and take off again.

I asked him if he was writing something new and he said, “I’m doing research. Got inspired by Casimir and Misha’s meet-cute.”

“Oh, that would make a great book.”

“Well, as a matter of fact.” Simon looked shy for a second, then rolled his eyes and went on. “It might be another screenplay. I mean, if one of your main characters is a dancer, that could make for some very watchable shit.”

“Definitely!” We grinned at each other. Then I glanced around the store, which had more than the usual number of Monday daytime shoppers (because Christmas) and made a rueful face.

Simon nodded, leaned over to kiss me, and said, “Talk to you later.”

He went out with a wave. I wondered if my impulse to say the L word was ridiculously premature.

Well, of course it was. But on the other hand, I’d been through enough relationships to know when I really liked someone, versus simply being turned on. And I knew there were many species of love, some of which needed little more than attention and permission to grow. I told myself to keep a lid on it till the store closed. I’d said enough for him to know that this was more than a holiday fling for me, and he’d said (and done) enough for me to know he felt the same.

Though I’ll confess, I was very curious about his apartment. All I knew for sure was that it was a midcentury single in Mid City, he’d lived there for sixteen years, acquired a cat three years ago after a breakup, and relied on a neighbor for cat sitting when he had to travel.

The funny thing? The neighbor was Gala’s BFF. I think I mentioned I’m not a person who believes in signs, but the coincidences were piling up in a very persuasive way.