Chapter 6
Chapter Six
Warren
For days, Levette waited on me like I was incapable of moving without his help. It was baffling, but overwhelmingly sweet. It had been so long since anyone had looked after me or offered help.
While my body healed, he helped me walk and offered his arm to lean on.
We would walk around the apartment so that I gained my strength back.
He would often go off to deal with business—which I rarely asked about and didn’t have any knowledge of what his career actually was—and come home with boxes of decadent food for me to savor.
He would pick at a beignet while I devoured four, or sip at a glass of aged wine while I lapped a bowl of stew.
Living with Levette for those first few days made me realize how poorly I had been looking after myself.
I had always been slim, but my frame was boney and my face gaunt.
I worked so hard to make sure I could pay rent and have a safe place to live, and then worked so many hours on top that I often forgot to eat meals or make sure I was getting balanced nutrition.
I supposed that my lack of self-care and resulting weakened state was the reason Robert’s attack had caused so much damage to my body. It was a frightening wake up call.
My clothes from the night I was attacked were ruined, stained with blood and grime from the streets.
I had panicked originally, thinking I would have nothing to wear, but Levette guided me to an armoire in the corner of the room I had first woken up in.
I opened it and stifled my shock at the row of clothes I would never be able to afford.
“You may help yourself to any of these, mon ami,” Levette said, pulling out one of the tailored suits to show me.
My fingertips trailed over the luxurious fabric in awe. “I cannot! Levette, these clothes are more than a year’s pay.”
Levette tutted and rolled his eyes. “Nonsense. I insist. It would be rude to decline.”
“We’re hardly the same size, anyway. You’re all…” I trailed off mid-sentence, refusing to utter the words muscled and toned aloud.
“Yes?” Levette asked, amusement clear in his voice. “What am I, dearest Warren?”
“Nothing,” I said, huffing and turning my back to him.
Levette chucked, the rich sound warming my aching bones. He put a hand on my shoulder, turning me to face him. I looked up slowly, wary to catch his eyes and him see my embarrassment. “These clothes will fit you. Just…trust me, please.”
I relented, because arguing with Levette proved futile every time. But, I admit, also because it was nice to feel better than I was. It felt as though I was playing bourgeoisie dress-up, and I didn’t want to give it up so quickly.
Levette handed me the suit he had picked out and left me to try it on.
Each piece fit so perfectly, it was like it had been tailor made to my exact measurements.
I looked at myself in the mirror, for once not hating everything I saw.
I looked like a boy playing as a man, but I refused to let my doubts ruin my few fleeting moments of happiness when I had been so sad and lonely for so long.
My long, coppery hair ran just past my shoulder.
It sat poker straight, as it always had since I was a boy.
My mother had often complained that it was unmanageable, too plain.
My father said it was proof that I had come from Hell, that the fiery locks were made in the pits and it was a sign that I was going to be kin with the witches.
But looking at it as it stood out against the dark grey of my suit, I found I rather liked it.
I let myself gaze at my reflection for a moment more, before turning to see that Levette had been watching me from the doorway. “How long have you been there?”
Levette smirked, shrugging a shoulder nonchalantly. “Just long enough to see you smile. It’s a beautiful thing to witness. Tu es un très bel homme.”
“I’m not handsome,” I replied, shaking my head. “It’s the magic of this suit. I’ve never worn anything like it.”
Strolling towards me, Levette turned me back to the mirror, his hands resting on my shoulders as he stood just slightly behind me. “You make the garments magic, love. They would not look so good on anyone else.”
“How can I ever repay your kindness?” I asked, remarkably unfazed by his close proximity. The more time we spent together, the more gentle touches and small acts of care he sent my way, I felt my walls crumbling.
“Ah, non! You never have to repay me. This is my way of showing gratitude to you, mon ami. It has been a long time since I had any company to enjoy. You bring me light in my very dark world.”
The friendship between us would have been enough for me. But whenever he said such honey-soaked words to me, I felt them seep into me and bloom into something more.
“Merci. It has been a long time for me, too. Perhaps we were what the other needed.”
Levette smiled at me in the mirror, squeezing his hands on my arms. “I have no doubt.”
After almost a week of lazing around an apartment that wasn’t mine, though I felt so comfortable and at ease there, Levette finally agreed that it was time for me to venture outside again.
We waited until evening fell to ensure the dark coverage of the night would allow us to walk together through the Quarter without receiving judgmental looks. Although, Robert was right about one thing—the Quarter was home to more…tolerant people.
Levette had adorned one of his black suits, almost as though he wanted to blend in with the night itself.
I, however, had chosen—after much deliberation, which happened only when one had ample outfits to choose from, it seemed—a pair of taupe pants, throwing on a maroon shirt on top and tucking it loosely inside.
While I was healing nicely, it was from the inside out, and my body was still bruised and grazed.
I had wondered briefly where my lavish wardrobe had come from.
I thought that it may have been left over from one of Levette’s previous friendships, but all the clothes were pristine and smelled of the perfumed tailor shop on the edge of town.
I had never been inside, but the scent was noticeable every time I walked past. Like cardamom and tobacco.
Which meant the clothes were more than likely new; Levette, however, had completely different measurements from me, and so the clothes would not have fit him.
It was a conundrum I couldn’t crack, and so I filed it away for a later date, promising myself I would ask Levette one day.
“Where shall we go?” Levette asked, opening the door for me as we entered the lamplit street.
I chuckled. “You know that I spend most of my time working. I don’t know anywhere.”
“I would suggest The Carousel, but I’ve heard awful things about the staff there,” Levette whispered conspiratorially.
“How amusing,” I said dryly, though it was only a moment before I broke into laughter, having to cover my mouth so as not to gather everyone’s attention. “I’ve heard something similar. The one server everyone likes has taken a leave of absence. We should not go until he returns to work.”
“Je suis d'accord, you are right. Let us take a leisurely stroll until you get tired, oui? I will think of somewhere much more fun to go when you’re properly healed.”
I nodded my head in agreement and let Levette guide me through the streets.
Despite living there almost my entire life, I had never really allowed myself to take in the beauty of Nola.
The bright lights, the scent of fresh baked goods and smoke in the air, the way you could hear live music on every street.
That was the first night I learned to love New Orleans.
I fell in love with the sights and the sounds.
Levette and I’s laughter filled the night as we made up scenarios about all the people we came across, how interesting their lives were.
Levette, far more travelled than I, was much better at it, but he found amusement in my stories, anyway.
The buzz of the city was in full swing as we walked slowly through the Quarter. A bunch of drunk souls at a bar on Bourbon Street called to us to join their revelry as they swayed and sang to the song inside, but Levette declined kindly and led us away.
We found our way to a small fountain hidden away from the party life and I was grateful for the chance to rest. I had been so caught up in enjoying my talk with Levette and how freely we laughed, that I hadn’t noticed my body beginning to wane.
I cursed as I sat down on the stone wall around the fountain, grabbing at my side. “I had forgotten how long it takes the body to heal after being beaten.”
Levette winced, and I realized that it pained him when I joked of my family trauma so casually. “I should have realized you were in pain. I got so…focused on seeing you happy to be outside again that it sidetracked me. I apologize.”
“I’m a big boy, Levette. I didn’t realize, either.”
“Let us rest for a few moments and then we can go home. We’ll try again in a few days. You shouldn’t exert yourself.”
“Can you just hush for a moment and sit down?” I asked, laughing softly as I patted the wall beside me. “Let’s enjoy the night for a moment.”
Levette looked around before sitting beside me, removing his hat and opening the button to his jacket so he could sit more comfortably.
I watched the actions and confess that I paid an indecent amount of attention to his hands as they unbuttoned his jacket.
I imagined, just for a brief second, what it would be like for him to be unbuttoning my shirt.
A fool’s dream, maybe, but a fantasy I would replay.
“Se détendre. You need to relax, mon ami. You look distressed. Does it hurt so terribly?”
I licked my lips, pulling my thoughts back into the moment. I registered Levette’s question and shook my head. “No, no, I’m alright. I just got caught up in my brain for a moment.”
He smiled at me, his face illuminated by the moonlit sky. I wanted to bask in that image forever, hold it close to my heart and never let it go. Levette Fortier was too beautiful for the Earth. If God had wanted to create His masterpiece, I believed Levette to be the result.
“What is that incredible mind thinking of?”
I cleared my throat and tried to look away, but my gaze was locked on him. The water poured from the fountain behind us, creating an exquisite backdrop that only aided Levette's unnatural beauty.
“I should lie, but I find it difficult to disguise the truth around you,” I confessed.
“I have told you more about myself than I even felt comfortable doing. And now, even though I know I should keep the thought to myself and not say it aloud for fear of God hearing and my soul being damned even further, I admit that I was thinking of your beauty. How handsome you appear under the dark sky. How the stars shine on your skin and make it glow.”
Levette was quiet, his eyes studying me as he listened.
When I was finished speaking, he had a small smile on his face that appeared almost timid.
I wondered how long he had been alone and how much time had passed since someone had paid him a compliment.
It made me honored to know I was the one to give him that.
“You look at me with such tenderness and endearment that I, as masterfully emotionless as I am, find myself at a loss for words. To thank you seems inadequate, so I shall tell you how your heart is reflected in your eyes in such an honest way that it makes me yearn for you more than I can articulate. Every part of you is a divine creation and reminds me of when I, too, called out to God because a creature like yourself must have been made by hands not of this world.” Levette reached out, cupping my chin in his hand and tilting my face up towards the sky, letting the light shine on my pale skin.
“You make me utter my truths, too, love, and I am perplexed by my inability to stop it. I find myself eager to give you parts of me that neither of us are ready for, but I so wish we were.”
My heart beat erratically in my chest, and I closed my eyes as his hand moved to cup my cheek. The tender touch and his smooth words made tears spring up and I willed them not to fall.
“Why are you crying, mon cher ami?” Levette asked, swiping my cheek softly before retracting his touch. “I am sorry to have upset you.”
“Tu ne m'as pas contrarié,” I replied. “I am not upset. I am…Nobody has ever looked at me like you do, or said such wondrous things about me.”
Levette pursed his lips, inhaling roughly through his nose. “It angers me how cruelly the world has treated you. Your life should have been filled with amazement and kindness.”
I shrugged. “The past is the past. I won’t linger there, not anymore.
For once, I look forward to the future.” Levette smiled as I looked at him and said, “A future where we will both be ready for those truths. And while we wait on that day, I am happy to share nights like these with you. A simplicity that makes my heart feel at rest.”
Jumping to his feet, Levette bowed and extended his hand to me. I laughed, placing my hand in his and not bothering to check if anyone was watching. I expected him to pull me up, which he did, but not before he placed a swift kiss to the back of my hand.
“To restful hearts, mon cher,” he declared, helping me to my feet. He squeezed gently before letting go of me, taking a respectful step back.
I couldn’t help but return his smile, one that promised secrets and devotion. “To restful hearts.”