Edgar Aeternum, Book 1: Tales of Aeternal Love

by Jay Belle Isle

  "It is nice," said Maddi, but I'm pretty warm now. We can shut it off, if you like."

  Edgar ordered the HC to do just that and a second later the fire was gone. "How about some music?" he asked Maddi.

  "Sounds great!" came the response from near the window. Maddi was watching the storm, which had built in intensity. "May I?" he asked Edgar.

  "Certainly," said Edgar, retrieving the empty cocoa mugs and heading for the kitchen. "Have at it."

  "Thanks!" Maddi said. "I'll be right there." Edgar continued to the kitchen. He heard Maddi's voice a moment later. "Computer." The familiar chime sounded and Maddi continued, "Play music, classical, Beethoven Symphony number five." The HC chimed and the symphony began. Edgar was impressed; Maddi chose a perfect piece to accompany a thunderstorm. The younger man joined him in the kitchen moments later.

  "I hope you like it," Maddi said, coming up behind Edgar at the dishwasher and giving him a hug.

  "It's perfect, Maddi," Edgar said. "You definitely have good music sense. I would probably have picked that one, myself." He turned and swept Maddi into an embrace.

  "I thought so, too," Maddi said, burying his face in Edgar's chest. "Need any help?"

  "Actually, yes, thanks," Edgar replied. "Can you open that bottle of wine, please?" he pointed to the bottle of Barolo Riserva in the chiller on the counter. "There's a decanter in the cupboard just above the chiller. Once you've got the bottle open, pour it into the decanter quickly, and then put it into the chiller without the stopper though; we want it to breathe."

  "Sure thing, Chef!" Maddi said cheerfully. "I'm used to it; my roommates are huge wine geeks, and I do this for them all the time. It's funny, I thought they were crazy, but it really makes a difference."

  "It sure will with this one," Edgar said. "Have you had a Barolo before?"

  Maddi paused in his efforts to open the bottle of wine. "I don't believe I have, actually," he said. "So this'll be new; I like new," he smiled.

  Edgar returned the smile and unpacked the necessary ingredients from the 'fridge. He was pulling out a mixing bowl to use for tossing the baby reds as Beethoven's Fifth came to a close. Maddi was pouring the Barolo into the decanter and Edgar turned to ask, "Mind if I pick the next one?"

  "Be my guest," Maddi answered.

  "Play music, twen-cen rock, The Doors, Riders on the Storm," Edgar instructed. The computer chimed and the opening notes of the song filled the kitchen followed by Morrison's sultry voice.

  Maddi closed the chiller door and stood, transfixed by the music. Edgar grinned like the Cheshire Cat, enjoying watching Maddi get lost in the song. He turned back to the task of prepping the baby reds; soon, they were spread on a baking sheet and slid into the oven. Next, Edgar turned his attention to the lamb chops, unwrapped the package, then grabbed olive oil, sea salt, pepper, and a lemon.

  Edgar snuck a peak at Maddi as he lightly coated the chops with olive oil. The younger man stood, leaning against the counter, eyes closed. He was swaying slightly to the music, clearly entranced by it. Edgar washed his hands and ground the salt and pepper over the lamb; he'd finish with a splash of lemon juice just before putting them on a plate next to the indoor grill.

  Once again, he washed up; the song was just about over so, rather than starting the asparagus, he leaned against the counter and watched Maddi. As the song came to a close, Maddi opened his eyes and looked at Edgar as though the man had presented him with the crown jewels. Maddi came to Edgar, rose on his tiptoes and kissed him. Stepping back, he said, "How did I not know about this?"

  Edgar chuckled. "Maybe because it was four hundred years before your time, hmm?"

  Maddi rolled his eyes in mock exaggeration. "It was four hundred years before your time, too! Maybe you should lay off the weed tonight?"

  Edgar belly laughed before he picked Maddi up in a bear hug and swung him 'round the kitchen. "Smart-ass!" he said as he lowered Maddi to the floor.

  "Nope! Just well-trained!" he quipped, giving Edgar a playful smack on the ass. "See? I'm a quick learner."

  "I guess so," Edgar said. He looked at Maddi with a serious expression. "I like that about you. What was it you said? Oh! 'So this'll be new; I like new.' And I like that you're open to new things, even if they are hundreds of years old."

  "Thanks, Edgar. I've been like this forever, it seems. My parents tell me that there wasn't anything, no matter how outrageous or dangerous, that I wouldn't try as a kid," he said. "It keeps life interesting; otherwise, it's just the same old thing, day in-day out, and who could cope with that level of boredom? I know I sure can't."

  Edgar shook his head once and looked at Maddi, smiling again. "You never cease to amaze me, Maddox Bristow, and I hardly know you. Yet," he said.

  "Likewise, Edgar Aeternum. If I have any say in the matter, though, we'll both know each other much better as time goes by," Maddi said, also smiling. "Unless you send me away, I don't intend to disappear from your life any time soon."

  Edgar's heart skipped a beat at Maddi's words. Partly because they were exactly what he wanted to hear and partly because the secret of his immortality would eventually become an issue. Mostly, he admitted to himself, it was the former; the latter hardly seemed worth a thought, surprisingly. He walked toward Maddi and took the younger man's hands in his own. "Unless you try to kill me in my sleep, I can't imagine sending you away, Maddi," he paused, looking down into Maddi's upturned face. "I can't explain it, but you are exactly what I need most in my life. You're like a breath of fresh air after a long, long shuttle ride. I don't know the future, but I can tell you one thing: As long as you'll have me, I want to keep doing whatever it is we're doing here. It feels so right and so much better than anything I've experienced in quite a while."

  Maddi looked up at Edgar, grinning from ear to ear. "You've got a deal, Edgar. No chance I'm gonna try to kill you in your sleep. Seriously though, you took the words right out of my mouth. You're not a psy'er, are you?" he stepped back a little.

  "Me? Hell no. I don't like people playing around in my head and I wouldn't want to do that to anyone else," Edgar said.

  "Cool," Maddi replied. "I had a bad experience with a psy'er once. I tend to avoid them. Back to us..." he continued, "I'm with you all the way. This evening is turning out better than I imagined. I hoped we'd hit it off, but this... It feels like we've always been close. Who knows - and who cares - what the future holds. The present is this," he squeezed Edgar's hands, "and that's all I care about."

  Edgar pulled Maddi in for a hug, planting a kiss on the top of his head. The young man was absolutely correct in that this wasn't a time to let the future interfere. "I agree," Edgar said. "So, shall we get this dinner going, speaking of the present?"

  "Sounds good," Maddi said. "More music? That last one was amazing! Are you an amateur archaeosociologist or something?"

  Edgar laughed. "Or something," he said. "Actually, I suppose you could say I am, but I find that a lot of their theories are a little... crazy." He waited for Maddi's reaction. The look on Maddi's face said that he pretty much agreed. "They just don't make sense to me," Edgar said, not mentioning, of course, that he knew the truth about the period from first-hand experience.

  "Yeah," Maddi said. "I could never wrap my head around the concept that some punk-kid pop star won the popular vote for president. It just didn't make sense; neither did that bit about a disease almost wiping out humanity. I mean, it was an STD! I'm sure people would've been smart enough to just not fuck without a condom."

  Edgar shook his head, laughing. "Yeah, I remember hearing about that first one. Justin Bieber as president? Not a freakin' chance! First off, he was Canadian and never became a U.S. citizen. Sadly, the second one is true. You'd think it would've been easy to contain the disease, but many people didn't know they had it. It was a great day when the Swedes found the cure."

  "Wow," Maddi said. "I had no idea that was true."

  "Yep," Edgar said. "Some of the archaeosocs get it right, but it's really hit and
miss. Ah!" Edgar had a thought. "Play music, twen-cen, rock, Tina Turner, I Can't Stand the Rain."

  "How appropriate," Maddi said. "After my trip through it, I find myself in total agreement with Miss Turner."

  "I can imagine," said Edgar. "It's a beautiful song. The title is appropriate to our weather, but it's actually a song about missing a loved one. I like it though; it's got a good groove."

  Maddi leaned against the counter again and closed his eyes, losing himself in the song. "Yes it does," he said, swaying slightly.

  "Enjoy," Edgar whispered and began setting the table for dinner. Once finished, he went to his desk, tapped the onscreen microphone and ordered a playlist he thought Maddi would enjoy. Tina was almost to the end of the song as Edgar returned to the kitchen. Maddi was still swaying to the music, but his robe had come undone.

  Edgar stood, watching his young companion moving fluidly to Tina's smoky voice. Every move that Maddi made, every roll of his hips, every tilt of his head, flowed like water and Edgar drank eyes drank him in as though life depended on it. Starting at his face, eyes closed, lips slightly parted and trailing down his lithe body to the small brown triangle above his cock and balls. Maddi's movements were so graceful that even those parts moved like liquid, framed on either side by his lean, muscular legs. Edgar's visual journey ended at the younger man's feet, slender like the rest of his body, toes flexing and relaxing with each surge of the music.

  Edgar was as lost in Maddi as Maddi was in the music. Vaguely, he recognized the denouement of the song and stopped staring like a peeping Tom. He moved further into the kitchen and gently cleared his throat. As the last notes of the song faded, Maddi's eyes fluttered open as though he rose from a trance. It took him a few seconds to realize his robe was open and he lazily closed it again.

  "Amazing," he said, but it came out as a dreamy half-whisper. He swallowed and tried again. "That was amazing, Edgar. Did she do more?"

  Edgar chuckled and gave Maddi's shoulder a squeeze. "She had an awesome career, Maddi. She performed and recorded for decades. I remember seeing her once..." he caught himself, "...in a photograph. It was taken at a concert on her farewell tour; it was her fiftieth anniversary tour. At sixty-eight, she looked amazing. Nowadays, it's nothing to see a person of that age looking like they're in their forties, but back then it was an accomplishment, unless you had surgical intervention. She was also known for her stage presence. She moved, I don't mean walking back and forth on the stage, she danced and fast! And she had a boyfriend several years younger than she was."

  Maddi soaked in the information as though it would be on an exam; he found it fascinating. He was about to ask Edgar if he had any vid records when the next song began. Sticking with the rain theme, the first notes of Toto's Africa sounded in the kitchen wiping away the question from Maddi's thoughts. He looked at Edgar, mouth open. Edgar just smiled and ruffled Maddi's hair.

  "If you want, I can leave the two of you alone," he joked. "But I'll warn you, while he's a good HC, he gives lousy head."

  Maddi laughed and threw himself into Edgar's arms. "Don't you dare leave!" he said, looking up at Edgar happily.

  Edgar held him closer and said, "Deal. No leaving. It's just cool to watch how intensely you get into the music, like you're tranced out or something."

  "I kinda am," Maddi replied. "I love music almost as much as I love animals. If I wasn't going to be a vet, I would've become a professional musician. I just love the way music makes me feel. This music," he waved a free arm at the air, "is so different to me; it feels like pure freedom."

  "Maddi," Edgar said, "you just summed up why I like it so much. Many of my favorites are from the 1980's. Music like this was played every day and night. I'm so glad you like it! I play this stuff more than anything else, to be honest."

  "No complaints here," Maddi said. "I look forward to hearing more."

  "Stick around and you will," Edgar said with a smile.

  "Count on it!" Maddie replied.

  "I will," replied Edgar. He checked on the potatoes, found them at the right stage in roasting to start the chops and asparagus and did so. The HC's enviro-system whisked away the smoke from the hot grill so perfectly that only the aroma of the meat filled the air. Toto finished blessing the rains as Edgar took the decanter of Barolo out of the chiller. He handed it to Maddi and the boy took it to the dining table.

  As Maddi came back the kitchen, Madonna took center stage on the speakers, with Rain. True to form, Maddi was mesmerized by the powerful comparison of rain to the experience of being with one's lover. At the first "your love's coming down like rain," Maddi came to the grill and wrapped himself around Edgar, who returned the embrace, resting his chin on the top of the younger man's head. "I take it you like," he said.

  "I do. I had no idea I was missing such great music. Thank you again for sharing this with me," Maddi said.

  "My pleasure," Edgar replied. "I have a few more rain-related songs queued up, but there's so much more from that period that I left the theme." Edgar released Maddi and turned back to the grill. "Chops and veggies are almost done! I hope you're hungry!"

  Maddi laid a hand on Edgar's back feeling a need for continued contact. He said, "Hungry? I could eat the whole animal at this point. Don't be alarmed, but I eat a lot and I don't do the whole 'eat like a bird 'cuz I'm on a date' thing."

  Edgar laughed. "You'll be right at home, then. I could eat this entire meal by myself and still have room to polish off the whole dessert."

  "My kinda man!" Maddi said approvingly. "I hate faking being full when I could be going for seconds."

  "You'll never have to fake anything here," Edgar said, feeling a slight twinge of guilt realizing that he was faking being a "normal" human. The feeling quickly passed as Maddi began massaging his back. "That feels so good," he said. "You should probably stop though or I'm going to burn these chops."

  "Well," Maddi replied, stopping, "I don't want you to burn your meat. Or, make it dry. I like my meat juicy."

  "You're incorrigible!" Edgar said, putting the chops and veg on a serving platter. "Don't ever change that."

  "Ha! I wouldn't hold my breath looking for that change," Maddi said. "Not. Gonna. Happen. Can I help with anything?"

  "Yes. Could you grab that bowl of French bread, please? Then all we need to do is sit down and dig in," Edgar answered.

  "You got it," Maddi said, grabbing the bowl and following Edgar to the table. "Wow!" he said upon seeing the well-appointed table, complete with lit tapers in black jade holders. "This is some serious fine dining!"

  "Only the best for the best," Edgar said, taking a seat.

  "Thank you," Maddi said, also sitting. "Shall we say grace?" he asked deadpan.

  Edgar looked at him, not quite sure if he was joking. Maddi just returned the look, waiting for an answer. Edgar sat, disbelieving.

  Finally, Maddi cracked a smile and said, "I had you, didn't I? You seriously thought I meant it!"

  Edgar breathed a sigh of relief before replying, "Yes. Yes you did. I was wondering how to quietly escape my own apartment. I don't fare too well with, um, those of religious persuasion. A visit to Genesis definitely confirmed that I don't mix well with that particular topic. They're too judgy for me and I'm too 'immoral' for them. Good joke, though!"

  Maddi laughed. "Yeah, I can imagine. It's not like I'm a big fan, either. My parents took me to Genesis on a vacation once when I was fourteen. They thought it would be cool to see the moon and a good exposure for me to other cultures. They were partially right; the moon was awesome. The 'other culture' though... Even my parents got fed up with it. By the time the week was up, they were happy to come home. Personally, I would've been happy to return the second day. Sorry if my joke crossed a line," he said.

  "No need to apologize," Edgar said, putting his hand gently over Maddi's. "I'm good with jokes and it was a damned good one. Just know, though, that turnabout's fair play," he winked, withdrawing his hand to pour the wine. "Help yourself," he told
Maddi, gesturing with his free hand at the platter.

  "Mmmm... sounds good," Maddi said, reaching for the serving tongs. "And," he added, "I promise, I can take as good as I give. But you already know how good I am at taking it."

  Edgar put down the decanter and raised his glass to Maddi, "I certainly do. I wonder how good you are at giving things other than jokes."

  Maddi clinked glasses with Edgar and they both took a sip of the Barolo. "Mmmm..." Maddi said. "This is a delicious wine! Rich, full-bodied; I love the tannins. For the record, I'll ride you hard and put you away wet, if you want me to," he gave Edgar a hungry look that had nothing to do with the lamb on his plate.

  Edgar took another sip of the wine and said, "It is a great wine. For the record," he paused, "I look forward to experiencing that ride."

  "Here's to it," Maddi responded. "If we don't change the subject though, this delicious dinner will never get eaten."

  "Agreed," Edgar nodded, passing the bread. Maddi took a piece and they both looked out the window as a spectacular lightning flare lit the sky. Moments later, the colossal boom of thunder temporarily drowned out Eddie Rabbit professing his love for a rainy night. Once the boom tapered to a rolling growl, Edgar said, "Forgive me if I'm being presumptuous, but given the weather, would you like to stay the night?"

  Maddi pretended to think about it for a moment. "If I must," he said. "Just because of the weather, of course," he smirked.

  Edgar chuckled and shook his head. "I survived a magna crash three years ago, but damn, you're gonna give me a run for my money. One I'll gladly take," he added.

  "Never a dull moment," Maddi retorted, smiling.

  "Here's to that," said Edgar, raising his glass again. Maddi returned the gesture and they both drank. Eddie Rabbit faded away, replaced by the pulsing beat of Eurhythmics' Here Comes the Rain Again. "On second thought, it would be highly inappropriate of us to spend the night together on a first date. Maybe you should go home after."