Chapter 7 #2
“Correct,” Reno said, feeling his chest warm. He was incredibly lucky to have a parent who accepted him so easily. “He would like to do art all the time, but is responsible. He lives here in the States.”
“That is far," his mom said. “How will that work?”
“I call you every night, don’t I?”
“I am your mother!” she replied. “This man is not your family. Do you think he would pick up if you called every day?”
Reno finished his drink and set it to the side then tipped his head up to look at the sky. The moon was rising, half full.
“I don’t know. We are still getting to know each other.”
“You didn’t tell me about that girl all that time ago. What has changed?”
“I’m ten years older?” Reno said. “It feels different. Intentional. I want to take care of him. I want to choose to be with him.”
“Does he feel this way?” His mother always asked the important questions. When Reno didn’t respond right away she sighed, “You haven’t asked, have you?”
“No.”
“Reckless," she said. “When you liked that girl, did it feel like a choice?”
“Not really," Reno answered honestly. “It really felt like I was tossed into it, a whirlwind. Next thing I knew she was in my life and bed and I wasn’t sure how I got there.”
“Don’t say those filthy things to your mother.” She made a disgusted noise. “I do not need to know who is in your bed.”
“Sorry.” Reno felt himself crack a small smile again. “Is it wrong that I don’t feel that way this time? I am still excited, but it doesn’t feel like, um, what is the way to say it?”
“A whirlwind is the word you used.”
“Yeah, it’s not that. Is that wrong?”
His mother scoffed. “It is bad if it is a whirlwind. Love shouldn’t be out of your control.
That kind of love will crash and burn. Good love will pick to be present every day, like your father and I did.
If we had married because we were swept up in crazy feelings then we would have divorced and certainly we would not have had you and your sisters. ”
Reno felt the familiar pang in his chest whenever his father was brought up. He’d been gone for so long, but the loss never went away. He asked, “What did it feel like when you met him?”
“Like magic, he was so handsome. He looked like a movie star.” His mother paused and Reno could picture her smiling. “Rich too.”
Reno laughed. “Yes, yes but what did you feel?”
“Excited!” she said, “Then, the excitement went away and I was left feeling warm and content. He took good care of me, never yelled at me, made time to nurture our love. You have to do that, you know? If you stop making time to make your love happen it will go away. He always made time to help me remember that he loved me. When you were born he never expected me to take care of you alone. The warm, content feeling never left because we both picked to keep those feelings alive all the time.”
“That sounds nice.” He remembered how much more his father was around compared to his friends when he was a kid.
Some of his favorite memories were the ones where his father had told his mother to stay home and relax, then took Reno out to play.
Just them, the boys exploring the city together.
“I am happy you had that. And that I got to see it.”
“Tell that to your sisters. They keep trying to get me to make an online dating profile! Horrible children, wanting to pawn their loving mother off on another man.”
“Maybe you should listen to them?” Reno picked up the empty can and got up from the bench; his knees were starting to ache from the chilly night. “What if you found someone who loved you that much again?”
“No, no,” she protested. “No one wants this old lady. The girls come home to me every night. I am okay.”
Reno dropped the can in a nearby trash bin and started the walk back to the motel. “We want you. Me, and Hana, and Himari. Don’t say you are unwanted.”
“My good son, calling me from the United States every night to tell me about a boy while he tours the world.”
“You sound proud of me,” he teased, and his mom blustered, denying it.
“Foolish career. Strutting around on stage in makeup and so little clothes like a peacock playing nonsense music. You’re an embarrassment. You should be playing violin.”
“So I’ve been told.” He could hear in her voice how much she didn’t mean it. “I will have Sage record me playing for you when I am home.”
“Play the Tchaikovsky I like.” She sounded pleased. “How is Sage?”
“She’s good, still working at the coffee shop. If you want to complain about tattoos, you should see she has a whole sleeve now. It’s very bright.”
“Such a bad influence. These British people are unreasonable.”
“Historically so, yes,” Reno agreed. “I am almost back from my walk and need to sleep. We drive to Pittsburgh tomorrow.”
“Good luck with your show," she said. She did every single night they talked.
“Thank you, I love you.”
“Bye-bye.” She hung up and Reno rounded the corner, seeing the motel come back into view.
Christoph was no longer outside, as he most likely had gone back to his shared room with Angel to sleep.
Reno climbed the stairs and when he got inside his room, he found Arnaud already asleep in bed.
He crept around, trying to make as little noise as possible as he got into the shower to warm up after being outside so long.
Luka
Writing a new song sounds like fun :) Angel is the bassist for HnH right? I'm trying to keep track of everyone's names the best I can lol
I've just been working on a comic. I only have a few pages left to sketch before I start on the ink but I don't think i'll finish them tonight
Hope u are ok, I am dozing off <3 gn
sry handsome I was on the phone with my mom :) I'd love to see this comic when ur ready to show it off. Angel is the bassist for them, yeah! They are very talented at composing. I am leaning some new things from them.
Sleep well <3
He left Sage’s message for another time and made quick work of the shower and brushing his teeth before drying off and leaving the towel on the door hook.
He threw on shorts and a large t-shirt and slid into bed with Arnaud, pushing him to the side to make room.
Arnaud barely stirred, only turning over and wrapping his long arms around Reno.
Reno relaxed into it, the warmth welcoming and familiar, and he tucked his head against Arnaud’s chest as he slipped into a deep, dreamless sleep.
When the sun hit him in the face in the morning, Reno felt like he’d barely slept at all. Arnaud was waking, pulling himself away from Reno to sit and stretch slowly. Reno peeked at his phone and saw it was still early, so he closed his eyes again, turning away from the sunbeam.
“Coffee?” Arnaud asked, leaning over to brush Reno’s hair away from his face. “I think I saw a shop down the street.”
“Get your morning breath away from me, you monster,” Reno mumbled and swatted blindly at Arnaud, missing. Arnaud laughed and bent down to blow in Reno’s face, then smacked a wet kiss to his cheek. Reno squirmed away, complaining, “Disgusting.”
Arnaud bounced away, proving himself more of a morning person than Reno. He left for the bathroom and returned shortly.
“How much sugar for the princess today?”
“Enough to kill me. Extra shot of espresso, too,” Reno mumbled, half his face still buried in the pillow.
“D’accord, la mort pour toi aujourd'hui4.” Arnaud slipped on his shoes and left the room, and the silence in his absence was blissful.
By the time he returned with his arms full of pastries and coffee, Reno was feeling slightly more ready to face the world. The sleep-fuzzy feeling was gentle this round of waking when Arnaud gave him another kiss on the cheek and then pulled him to sit.
Reno stayed limp as Arnaud yanked, dramatic on purpose as he groaned, “Les matins. Les pires5.”
“Je sais6.” Arnaud sounded unsympathetic. “Drink your horrible milkshake.”
“Frappe,” Reno corrected. “Oh, caramel and whipped cream, you do love me.”
“Of course I do.” Arnaud pulled a pastry out of the bag and took it with him as he left to wake up the other band members with their own coffees.
Reno dug through the bag and found some kind of egg soufflé pastry and started in on it as a knock came from the door.
He set it aside to answer the door and Kandi came in, looking much more awake than he was. She was wearing a charming cream blouse with a touch of ruffles around the neckline and dark, fitted slacks. The chunky pearl necklace peeking out from the ruffles was a good touch.
She invited herself in and took the armchair, saying, “Good morning. Please tell me that isn’t what I think it is.”
“It is a soufflé,” Reno said as he took a long drink of his frappe and picked up the soufflé with his other hand to show her.
“If you break out, it is not my fault.” She pointed at the sugary coffee. “Is everyone else up yet?”
“Arnaud is bringing them breakfast now.”
“Good man.” She complimented Arnaud, like usual. Reno had a sneaking suspicion she liked him the most because he made them work. “We need to get going in the next thirty minutes. Oh, while I have you though, Arnaud was asking about New York.”
Right on cue, Arnaud came back into the room. “Bonjour madame, would you like a pastry?”
“Bonjour," she replied, her London accent sounding almost as bad as Reno’s when he attempted to speak French. At least Kandi didn’t have to fight a Tokyo dialect on top of it. It made Arnaud happy when they tried, though. “Actually, oui.”
Arnaud snickered a little but grabbed the bag for her. “Have your pick. I heard something about New York?”
She rifled through the bag before picking a bagel out.
“Yes, is there cream cheese? Oh, merci. We will be in New York in about a week for our last show in America.” She took the cream cheese tub Reno pulled from the other bag.
“I was telling Reno how we were chatting about it. Where was it you wanted to go again?”
“The Met, if we have time. I want to see the Denial of Saint Peter.”