Precious

Chapter 18

Author's note: Happy Holidays everyone. This is for everyone who wanted a look into how Adrian and Sal met.

---

The night worn on with great food, drinks, and friends. Yet, nothing would be as great for Nick as drawing just a little closer to his best friend, the aunt-godparent to his child. Their closeness almost made him forget the flipping of his stomach.

Reclining against the booth, Nick looked over at Adrian whose eyes even in the dim ambient lighting still managed to look preternaturally blue, nearly turquoise. He couldn’t reiterate the fact enough how uncanny Adrian’s appearance was to Elizabeth Taylor. Dressed up or dressed down, Adrian was still a beauty.

Nick tracked the line of Adrian’s sight to the group of men clustered together at the back of the dance floor. Sal’s big body easily stood out of from the rest of the elegantly attired group. As did the occasional pop-up of his head and smile back at Adrian. These two were still a couple of teenagers.

“Adrian.”

His voice penetrated Adrian’s moony haze seconds later. Slightly embarrassed, Adrian blushed, her cheeks glowed a warm fuchsia beneath their rosy powdered finish. “Sorry, what did you say?”

The sappiness was contagious and Nick found himself laughing just a little as well. “Oh, I haven’t asked anything yet. I’d actually been watching you look at Sal.”

“You checking out my man?” Adrian asked in a drier voice with an accompanying brow arched with attitude.

Nick was a little taken aback by Adrian’s change in tone and rushed to assure his friend that he was only teasing. “Oh no--”

“Just teasing, you darling. I know you only have eyes for one man. As do I…” Adrian’s cherry colored lips curved into a gracious smile before he took another quick look in Sal’s direction.

“Right, I was wondering how you two met.” Nick asked.

Adrian straightened his posture. Confusion clouded his face. “Wait, I never told you?” Nick shook his head. “Um.” Adrian slid across the booth to sit directly beside Nick. “I could have sworn I had.”

Shaking his head again, Nick looked giggled as he watched his grandmother being led around the floor by one of Vinny’s associated. “You’ve been promising me all the time. Sadly, you’ve left me hanging.”

Adrian’s face was washed in mock shame. “Well, a thousand pardons, my friend. I guess now is as good of time as any. I need to hone my storytelling skills for when my niece or nephew arrives.”

“Don’t forget to add ‘Godchild’ to that list.”

Adrian squeezed Nick’s hand. “I’ll tell you all about it.”

---

“Bobby, don’t touch that.” The house was more like an asylum than a residence as the kids raced back and forth.

There was a knock at the door. That was the last thing Adrian needed. Between finishing the last touches on Mrs. Murphy’s dresses, cooking dinner, and making sure the house wasn’t destroyed, he really didn’t need the interruption of anyone right now unless they were coming to say they won the sweepstakes.

The guy in the doorway was young and big. Very big, the words kept coming to Adrian’s mind as he waited for the young man to state his purpose. It was unnerving how he stared. Wow, this guy was huge. Wide in the shoulders, long in the leg; making something for a guy like him would be a real challenge.

“Can I help you?” Adrian finally asked.

The question broke the young man from his trance. “Yes, you can. I’m here to pick up Mrs. Constantine’s stuff.”

“Wait here.”

A couple of minutes passed and the noises inside the house only grew louder. A faint ‘come inside’ floated to his ears and the man at the door finally entered.


The baby cried loudly. Its face was angry and splotchy red as big fat tears rolled down its cheeks. “Sssh.” Adrian cooed as he alternated between rocking the baby with both arms and searching for the dresses with his right.

“Give me the baby.”

Adrian turned to the guy and cocked an immaculate brow expertly. “What?”

“ I said pass me the baby, so that you can find the dress.”

“Thanks okay, really.”

“No, I bet I can get it to calm down. I have lots of brothers and sisters too.”

Adrian reluctantly handed over the baby. He watched quietly as the young man took the baby into his arms and alternated between rocking it against his chest and patting its back. Seeing that all was well, Adrian turned back to the pile of clothes next to the sewing table. He dug through the pile of garments, finding everything except what he was looking for. From the corner of his eye, he could still see the baby’s flailing decrease and its cries lessened.

Looking up from the table in despair, Adrian was ready to panic when his eyes landed on the green fluted skirt he’d made for Mrs. Constantine. “Ha! There you are.” Beneath the skirt lay the black jacket-skirt combo and evening dress Adrian had made especially for Mrs. Constantine. He was about to bag it all up when he recalled that he’d put the special gift for Mrs. Constantine’s husband in the closet.

He opened the closet and removed the box. Sparing a glance over his shoulder, his gaze met the young man’s who was pointedly starring at his ass. Adrian coughed loudly, ending the awkwardness of the moment. “Well, here you go.”

It was interesting to watch them swap the baby. Each moved at the same time, trying to pass the other the bundle in their arms. Finally, Adrian had had enough. He laid the boxes down on the table and took the gently cooing baby from the bigger man’s arms. “You’re right. You got her to stop….She hasn’t been this quiet all day.”

The big guy smiled. “Yeah, I told you I had the magic touch.” He smiled softly at Adrian. A genuine true grin and they simply looked at each other. The bang from a dropped pot broke their moment. “You should get going. Tell Mrs. Constantine to let me know if anything needs to be altered or even if it’s all fine.”

Adrian walked the big guy to the front door. As the guy stepped over the threshold and back onto the stoop, he turned, offering Adrian another bright grin, and held out his hand. “I’m Sal.”

Adrian’s brows perked up in surprise. “Adrian.” He replied as he shifted the baby before using his free hand to shake Sal’s. A loud noise sounded behind them. Something that sounded very much like his mother’s plates being destroyed by a rampaging Bobby. “It was nice to meet you, Sal. I hope you understand I gotta go. I need to keep these kids from destroying the house.”

Sal chuckled lightly. His hand was still wrapped around Adrian’s much leaner one. Adrian’s eyes drifted down to where their hands were still joined and back up to Sal who was still smiling goofily.

“Sal--” The big guy realized what he was doing, snatching his hand back a bit too quickly.

“Sorry. Sorry…” Words escaped him. Embarrassment colored his cheeks a bright red. “Okay, well, I’ll see you around hopefully.”

“Hopefully.” Adrian said and closed the front door.

Sal stayed on the steps listening to the sounds of the house for far too much time. The garment bags drooped lazily in his arms.

---

The day had gone from bad to worse. Adrian’s mother had been called into work much earlier than normal, his father was pulling a double shift down at the docks, and there was no food in the house. Adrian figured he could zip in and out during the younger kids’ nap, hit the market, and be back by the start of Sesame Street without anyone of his siblings having known he was gone.

Of course, the story was crowded and the Mr. Petey’s hands shook more and more as he rang up each customer. Of course, he ran into a couple of ladies on the block, who wanted to rave about the work he’d done for him and asked if he would be so kind as to whip something up again. Halfway home, Adrian was on the receiving end of what seemed like an endless stream of catcalls and hollers. His pinned curls in a gauzy blue scarf did nothing to detract from the admirers’ vocal taunts.

He could almost see their house when the sky opened and fat raindrops soaked the grocery bags, making them feel like a thousand pounds of lead.

Adrian clutched the bags tighter as the rain poured heavier. “Let me take those.” A voice said.

“What?” Adrian yelled. There, running to his side, was Sal, his big feet plopping into the puddles as he reached Adrian’s side.

Seeing Adrian’s look of concern, Sal slipped off his head and smiled despite the rain falling in his face. “Hey, it’s just me.” He extended his hands in invitation to receive one of the bags.

“So, I see…Really I don’t need any help.” Adrian managed to say before nearly slipping knee deep into a massive puddle. One of Sal’s large warm hands slipped around his waist and righted him. He was feeling a little warm, flushed no doubt from embarrassement, and not from the feel of Sal’s big hot body besides his.

So, he conceded. “Here, take this bag. We’re almost there.” They raced through the rain. As the reached the landing of the house, the wind whipped suddenly, freeing Adrian’s curls from the confines of the scarf. Inky short tresses hung in his face blinding him, while his wet fingers impeded him from opening the door immediately. Sal wrapped one of his giant hands around Adrian’s slim one, together the key steadied, and turned in the door. They were indeed a perfect fit.

Sal followed Adrian inside the walkup that was surprisingly quiet despite the many obstacles during the course of the simple errand. “No more emergencies?” Sal asked, looking around the still apartment.

Adrian walked them to the kitchen. “None, I guess they’re still asleep.” They set the groceries on the counter. “I don’t smell smoke, so no one has set the house on fire, thank God.”

They began to unpack the bags and Sal just followed Adrian’s lead in finding where to put things. Quiet settled between them/ Rain tip-tapped against the roof and windows, banging out a rhythmic staccato, like the sounds of one of Adrian’s Dad’s old Jazz records.

Sal broke the silence. “I’ve seen you around the neighborhood a lot….” Sal licked his lips, eyeing Adrian sideways. Yeah, he’d done more than just looked at Adrian after the first day they’d met. Everyday, he watched and waited quietly hoping for any glimpse of the dark beauty.
Adrian. When he had a name to go with that face, he finally knew what to call his tall, dark, and elegantly featured angel.

His compliments weren’t having their intended effect. So, he blurbed, “You wear the most amazing clothes! You look better than Liz Taylor.”

Adrian did look up from filling the cabinets. “Thanks. I sew on the side to help my Mom out. ”

“You’re really good.” Sal agreed.

Sal handed Adrian the last can., their fingers touching ever so gently in the transfer. “Did Mrs. Constantine like the outfits.” Adrian took the can and backed off in a flash, turning his back to Sal, who looked wholly disappointed.

“Yeah, she told me to tell you thanks again. So, um…thanks!” They shared a laugh at the sheer awkwardness of the moment. Each was soaking wet and dripping all over Adrian’s mother’s kitchen.

The bigger teen swallowed thickly. The moment felt like everything his dad ever said about falling in love. His palms were sweating, his stomach was boiling and fizzing, his heart raced. Control was something he didn’t have on his body at the moment. “I was hoping I could talk to you again.”

“About what?” Adrian asked gently.

Shuffling his feet, Sal hunched his shoulders and made a proposal to Adrian in a very meek voice. “I was wondering if you wanted to go see the new James Bond movie or something.”

Adrian swept a few curls out of his face. The move of his fingers was followed by Sal’s hunger gaze. “Are you asking me out?”

Sal remained silent before nodding his bent head fervently. “That’s what I’m asking.”

Adrian cocked his hip and leveled his best no-bullshit stare on Sal. “I’m as queer as a three dollar bill. Are you sure you really want to go out with a girl like me?”

Sal laughed. A deep rolling chuckle that seemed to touch all of his insides. “It must be your lucky day then. I love three dollar bills.”

Adrian smirked. “You’re just running a line on me.”

Sal stepped closer. His bigger frame overshadowing Adrian’s far thinner and shorter one. “I kid you not. You are the most beautiful person I’ve ever seen and I’d really like to get to know you.”

Adrian was the one to nod this time, while looking into Sal’s big chocolate eyes. “Sure. Just remember no hanky-panky, Mister. I’m not that kind of girl.”

:”I wouldn’t dream of taking advantage of such a lady.” Sal kiss Adrian’s hand and Adrian blushed.

***
They went to a James Bond movie that Friday.

The following Friday, they went on another date.

The days between seeing each other became fewer and shorter been visits.

Their string of dates became thirty-five plus years together.
***

Adrian caught Sal’s eye from across the room. “—And we lived happily ever after.” He still loved the big guy.

***

TBC/?