Chapter 5
Jon was still sleeping. Levi was trying to convince himself that the previous night wasn’t a dream, but the way Jon looked bathed in the glow of morning sunlight made him question the reality of the moment. He looked even more striking than he had the previous night.
Jon stirred from his sleep and rolled over towards Levi. His arm went around him, and his head nuzzled into Levi’s chest. Levi gently put his arm around Jon.
“Good morning, Levi,” he whispered with his eyes still closed.
“Good morning, Jon,” Levi whispered back.
Jon lifted his head and struggled to open his eyes.
“Last night was amazing. I’ve never been that spontaneous before.”
Levi kissed his forehead and chuckled. “Well, you sure as hell caught me off-guard, and that’s not easy to do,” He looked into the deep ocean of Jon’s eyes, now fully open and looking up at him, “and I am awfully glad you did. I would’ve never even dreamed of hitting on you. Not only did I think you were out of my league the moment I saw you, but it’s also a gamble in this town… whether you get let down or punched.”
Jon frowned. “I didn’t even think about that. I’m not from around here, and never even stopped to think…” he trailed off and Levi could tell he was contemplating worse outcomes than being rejected. “This is all so new to me.”
Levi listened intently as this young man bared his soul. The story of his coming to live in Derecho, how and why he had come out to his parents. How they cut him out of their lives. How his sister took him in, even though Jon thought she felt the same way as their parents. As he spoke, he kept his face away from Levi to hide his tears.
“It’ll be ok,” Levi whispered and placed his hand on the young man’s back. “Is it though?” Levi thought. “If his sister doesn’t like her brother being gay, and took him to a bar here and insisted he hit on a random guy, was she setting him up to get hurt?” Levi kept his suspicions about her motives to himself. Jon didn’t need to think about that now.
He looked up at Levi, with tears forming in his eyes.
“It will?” he asked.
“Yes, it will,” Levi replied as he rubbed the young man’s back. “No matter what, as long as you don’t let them keep you down and keep on fighting to do better for yourself, it’ll always be ok.”
Jon nodded and nestled his head on Levi’s shoulder.
“Thank you. I think I needed to hear that.”
“Are you up for breakfast? My story is like yours, and I’d be happy to share while I cook.”
He wiped the tears from his eyes. “Absolutely. I’m starving - I feel like I just ran a marathon.” Jon got up, and Levi couldn’t resist staring as he put on his clothes from the previous night.
“Um… I don’t think I have a shirt,” he said sheepishly.
“I don’t think you need one at the moment. I kinda like the view,” Levi said as he slipped on a pair of shorts.
Blushing, Jon said, “I don’t think you do either.”
Levi laughed, “Fair enough. I won’t even think of putting one on.”
Levi took the young man by the hand and kissed him. “Let’s get to the kitchen. I’m starving too.”
Jon sat at the counter while Levi opened the refrigerator.
“What would you like? Pancakes, toast, biscuits, bacon, sausage?”
“Pancakes and sausage sounds good. I haven’t had pancakes in years.”
“Pancakes it is then.”
“Do you need any help?”
“Nah, just keep on sitting there and relax while I fill you in on me.”
As he started talking, Levi opened up more than he had with anyone. Normally Levi would have just given enough detail to show the young man that he understood, but something about Jon reminded him of himself, and how he would’ve liked for this morning to go if the roles were reversed - so he started at the beginning.
He told him about how he grew up in a small town in Louisiana and had never let himself even think about the fact that he was gay, let alone act on it. He came out to his mother a week after his high school graduation, but he held back from the worst details of that night though. No reason to traumatize the kid.
Levi slid the last pancake onto the serving plate. Jon was looking at him with pain in his eyes.
“But,” Levi sighed, “I’ve come to accept that everything happens for a reason. I’ve met some nice guys, some not so nice, and a few in between, but no one that I’ve really connected with. Every one of them has been a lesson.”
He set a plate down in front of Jon. He looked at it and then up at Levi.
“Eat up handsome, you don’t want it to get cold.”
Jon took a bite, and his face lit up. “These are good!”
“I’m glad you like them.”
“So how did you end up at the Ivory Dragon?”
Levi took a bite. “Well, that’s a much happier story. After I left home that night, I had a full tank of gas and thought that if I was in another state, I could truly get a fresh start. I was sure I had enough gas to get to Houston, but I didn’t. So, I stopped at the Derecho exit and slept in my car. I only had $5 on me, not enough to get to Houston, but thought I’d grab a bite, and maybe busk a little for some more cash since the banks were closed. I was walking around, looking for a place to grab a bite, and I literally ran into Gus. Once we both got over the initial shock, I helped him up off the ground. I was apologizing like crazy and insisted he let me help him inside. Gus has a way of listening and getting people to open up, and after a few minutes of conversation, he had teased out my story. He fixed me a meal, and we talked some more. He offered to let me stay in the apartment above the Dragon off the books and work there to get on my feet. I guess I was more fortunate than most in that situation.”
“That was awfully generous of him.”
“It was. At first, I was skeptical, but I took a chance. Mostly because it was better than sleeping in my car. I learned his son had recently died. I never found out exactly what happened, but I know he was close to my age, and I think that could’ve had something to do with it.”
“Did it never come up?”
“It did occasionally, but I never pressed the issue.”
Jon nodded. “I get that. Can I ask you something?”
“I’m an open book babe, you can ask me anything, and I’ll never lie - the truth is stranger than fiction,” he said with a grin.
Jon looked up at him. “I know I don’t know a lot about this place yet, or you, hell or even myself, but one thing I do know is I don’t want this to be a one time thing.” He looked down quickly, avoiding looking at Levi, fearing the rejection he was certain would follow.
Levi reached across the table and gently placed his hand on Jon’s clenched fist. He saw him look at their hands on the table and could feel the fear from across the table.
“Jon, I had an amazing night last night, and I would love to see you again, and we can see where things go.”
His hand opened and took hold of Levi’s. “Can you give me a ride to my sister’s house so I can get some real clothes on, and maybe you can show me around town? I want to see it with you, to see what kept you here for the last 12 years.”
“Absolutely! Let me get dressed,” Levi headed to the bedroom.
Jon followed. “I’m not letting you out of my sight.”