“Where ya goin, Love?”
Mathieu rubbed his numb arm, “Half of my body is asleep, need to wake it up again.”
“Comin’ back?”
“Come to bed,” the brunette held out his hand to his partner.
Solomon grasped his fiancé’s hand and shifted to a sitting position with a sharp tug he pulled Mathieu down onto his lap, “Hey now,” the Irishman chuckled as he puts his arms around Solomon’s shoulders.
“I want to help you wake your body up,” Solomon gently pushed Mathieu off his lap and down onto the sofa. He shifted himself so he was lying between Mathieu’s legs. It was in the middle of one, long, spectacularly passionate kiss that Mathieu remembered the little box. The Irishman broke the kiss, “Wait, wait,” he pushed at Solomon’s chest to back the blonde off.
Solomon took a minute to catch his breath before reluctantly sitting back on his knees to let Mathieu up from the sofa. Once the taller brunette was out from under Solomon rolled himself onto his back so he could watch what his partner was doing. In the soft moonlight shining through the sliders Solomon could see the Irishman pick a small box up from the kitchen counter, carry it to the other side of the room, take a blade from the utility drawer and slice the packing tape open. Solomon next saw Mathieu dump the contents of the box into the palm of his hand but he couldn’t quite make out what it was.
The Irishman turns his head and saw Solomon watching him from the sofa so he turned his back to open the velvet, ring box. It was exactly what he described to the jeweler, it was perfect. “This isn’t how I planned to give you this,” Mathieu said as he returned to the sofa after flipping on the light, “but I can’t wait any longer. I couldn’t find one I liked on-line so I had this custom made. That’s why it took so long.” The artist puffed out his chest a little with pride, “I even went to the jewelers by myself. I hope you like it.”
The blonde took the small, velvet box from his partner’s outstretched palm. His blue eyes widened as he gently lifted the silver ring from the box. A single diamond flanked by two blue stones laid in the polished center while Celtic knot work encircled the band, “Oh my, Mathieu, it’s….it’s beautiful.”
“The blue stones are called London Blue Topaz. I picked this blue because London is where we met and live and even though the topaz is deeper it reminds me of your eyes.”
Solomon gave the ring to Mathieu and held out his left hand. The Irishman slipped the ring onto Solomon’s finger; it fit perfectly. Their eyes locked for a moment before Mathieu tackled Solomon to the sofa.
***
Mathieu beat himself up for contacting his mother when, as the weeks passed, she didn’t call him back. The artist called her several times, leaving messages sometimes and other times just hanging up when he heard the prerecorded beep. He tried to harden his heart over it but he couldn’t; he wasn't the type. He had always been sensitive, letting everything affect him so deeply especially when it came to her. When Solomon asked how he was doing he wanted to say ‘fine’ but the word wouldn’t come out, he just clung to the blonde and cried. The Irishman told his partner and his doctor that he felt so stupid for hoping that he’d finally have a relationship with her after years apart. They tell him that it was definitely not his fault and that she would contact him again when she was ready. The artist told them that he never wanted to hear from her again.
Elise was very proud of Mathieu in another way. Her patient had been going out more and more, even though the weather was growing colder. He still suffered from mild symptoms but he would fight through them and remain strong. She thought that the way he bundled himself up against the cold acted as a physical layer of protection in situations where he could become uncomfortable. She knew he hadn’t been in large crowds, like in tube stations or markets yet but that was something he could work his way up too. The doctor reduced Mathieu’s dose of medication and confirmed that he'd be off them entirely by Christmas. Mathieu and Solomon celebrated by spending the following weekend in Stratford upon Avon. The couple stayed at a small bed and breakfast outside the town and Solomon rented a Mercedes E Class to get them there. They went on the Town Ghost Walk (Mathieu swore he saw one), took a tour on the river (Mathieu didn’t get seasick), and Shakespeare’s birthplace.
But once back in London it was hard for Mathieu to keep his mind off his mother. Solomon and Anders tried to keep Mathieu’s spirits up but it was hard when every time the subject was brought up the artist would break down in sobs. Elise let Solomon know that he should watch for signs of depression which would mean more medication for Mathieu and nobody wanted that. Two weeks before, one day, out of the blue, without even thinking about it first, Anders suggested to Mathieu that he throw Solomon a surprise birthday party at the restaurant. Anders hoped that the planning would distract the Irishman from his latest difficulty.
The idea of throwing Solomon a party has just the effect on Mathieu that Anders hoped it would (for about thirty minutes). At first, Mathieu was very excited to be doing something for the man who had done so much for him. He figured that he had to plan the menu, send invitations to Solomon’s coworkers, none of whom he knew, and arrange to get Solomon to the restaurant without Solomon becoming suspicious of anything. His first step was to call Solomon’s work and talk to one of his co-workers. Once he explained why he was calling, the co-worker, Ken, readily agreed to get the rest of Solomon’s mates on board. The menu was easy, they both loved the restaurant and Mathieu decided to let the party goers chose between a steak dish, a fish dish and a chicken dish (he hoped none of them were vegetarians). Sides would be served family style and dessert would, of course, be cake (though Mathieu would've rather have had chocolate soufflés). The easiest thing to do would be to get Solomon to the restaurant; all Mathieu had to do was ask the blonde to go and he would.
Party planning was over seemingly before it began. One phone call and even a text to Adrian and it was over. Not even Anders expected it to go so fast. All Mathieu had to do was sit back and wait for Solomon’s co-workers to call or email with their RSVPs. Mathieu’s gift has been wrapped and waiting for weeks so there wasn’t any shopping to do. Anders suggested making it a triple celebration for Solomon’s birthday, their engagement and Mathieu’s coming off the medication. But that still didn’t leave Mathieu with anything else to do. He had no friends or family to contact and invite and Solomon’s family was in New Zealand. The Irishman was pretty sure they wouldn’t want to fly half-way around the world for a non-milestone birthday or their engagement party and Mathieu was fairly sure Solomon never told them about his disorder. But he sent off an email to Solomon’s mom anyway.
In another attempt to keep Mathieu’s mind occupied Anders contacted Evelyn and asked her to send anything she could Mathieu’s way, even freelance work. He even went as far as to ask Evelyn to contact Mathieu’s boss in the research department and see what she could do to send Mathieu more assignments. The Englishman would love to contact Mathieu’s mother himself but he thought that was a step too far; he’d leave that to Solomon.
Solomon did call Mathieu’s mother but he also had to leave her a message and if it was a little less friendly that he originally wanted it to be he really didn’t care.
By the day of the party Mathieu had gotten acceptance emails from twelve of Solomon’s fifteen coworkers and Solomon’s boss but no response from his text to Adrian. The menu was set, grilled Scottish salmon, 10oz sirloin steak or roasted rosemary/lemon chicken (no vegetarians). The sides would be mixed vegetables and roasted potatoes. Mathieu would make the cake himself from scratch; double chocolate cake which Anders would pick-up that afternoon.
Mathieu decided to make two sheet cakes and stack them to give the cake height, use chocolate pudding as the filling and chocolate buttercream as the frosting. As soon as Solomon was out of the flat Mathieu began the cake. Sugar, flour, baking soda and salt were sifted together into a medium sized bowl and set aside. In a small saucepan butter, cocoa and water were brought to a boil then imm
ediately removed from the heat. The wet ingredients were mixed into the dry. In another bowl eggs were whipped before buttermilk and vanilla got added then poured into the cocoa mixture. The two mixtures were combined well and then poured into greased baking pans to cook for twenty minutes.
The cakes were set aside to cool while the artist started the icing. Butter, cocoa and cream were brought to a boil in a saucepan and removed from the heat. Sugar and vanilla got stirred into the hot saucepan to finish the frosting. Mathieu turned the first sheet cake out onto a tray he borrowed from Anders and spooned out the chocolate pudding (made according to package directions). The pudding was evenly distributed over the cake using a spatula before the second cake was gently set on top. The still-warm buttercream was applied to the top layer of cake. He sliced strawberries and layered them on top of the buttercream to spell out ‘Happy Birthday Solomon’. Toothpicks held up a layer of plastic wrap and the cake was fit into the fridge to wait for Anders to pick it up.
Anders stopped by at noon to pick-up the cake and take Mathieu’s present to the restaurant. Mathieu had already asked Solomon if he’d like to have dinner at the steakhouse for his birthday so the only thing left to do was wait.
***
When Solomon got home Mathieu was already dressed to go. The brunette had on a deep, green button-down shirt with black slacks and a black, green and ivory striped tie. The color of the shirt turned the Irishman’s eyes from golden-brown to hazel and Solomon fell in love all over again. Solomon tried his best to convince his love to celebrate in bed instead of going to the restaurant but Mathieu was having none of it (until later - he promised). The artist all but carried the blonde into the shower telling him to get ready to go.
The next time Mathieu saw Solomon Solomon was wearing a dark blue suit, matching blue tie and white shirt; brown belt and shoes completed the outfit and Mathieu briefly reconsidered Solomon’s offer to celebrate his birthday in bed. Now that he was dressed and ready to go Solomon was strong enough to refuse most of Mathieu’s advances but couldn’t say 'no' when the Irishman backed him up against the counter in the kitchen then dropped to his knees.
They had planned on walking to the steakhouse but with Mathieu’s ‘present’ they were running a little late for their reservation so they grabbed a taxi. Mathieu sent off a text to Anders to let him know they were on their way. The Englishman was waiting by the hostess stand when the couple entered the restaurant. Anders wished Solomon a happy birthday while giving Solomon a hug. They removed their coats and Anders asked the hostess to take them to the coat check room. The chef escorted Solomon and Mathieu to their table. Anders walked them past their ‘usual’ table to the rear of the dining room. Solomon started to get suspicious when he saw that there were folding screens sectioning off that part of the restaurant. Anders dropped back to let Solomon around the screens first. Solomon stepped around the screen and blushed scarlet when he was greeted by his coworkers with a loud “Happy Birthday”.
Solomon shook everyone’s hand, thanked them for coming and introduced them all to Mathieu as they made their way around the table. The Irishman hadn’t thought about it while he was getting their RSVPs but now that everyone was present Mathieu realizes that all of Solomon’s coworkers were men. Mathieu made a mental note to ask Solomon about it later. The guest of honor took a seat with Mathieu next to him. Anders was on Mathieu’s other side to keep the Irishman comfortable. Ian, Solomon’s boss took the chair on Solomon’s right. The rest of the party settled comfortably around the large, round table. Anders had added the choice of soup or salad to the menu, with Mathieu’s consent, and dinner began as the waiters took the starter orders.
While the guests waited for their starters the servers came around with their drinks and the waiters returned to take the entrée orders. As it turned out Solomon’s boss was a vegetarian so Anders handed him a menu and told him to order anything he’d like. Crisis averted. Mathieu listened to the conversations around the table. The artist feared that there would be nothing but talk about finance and the economy so he was pleasantly surprised to hear them talking about everything but. Mathieu heard conversations about sports, music, movies, the restaurant, family matters and other current events.
The hum of conversation and laughter combined with the bustle of the servers and wait staff caused Mathieu to feel a little overwhelmed. The Irishman bowed his head and began to take deep breaths. Anders put an arm around Mathieu’s shoulders and Solomon’s hand rested on Mathieu’s thigh grounding the Irishman. Mathieu covered Solomon’s hand with his own and gave it a squeeze. Solomon turned his head and gave his partner a questioning look; Mathieu smiled and nodded, signaling his “doing okay” status. He’d fight through whatever he had to too make the night special for his partner.
On Anders’ other side was Adam, the youngest of Solomon’s mates from work. He leaned forward to get Mathieu’s attention, “Congratulations on your engagement.”
Mathieu smiled, “Oh, thank you so much.”
“Solomon’s ring is stunning. He said you designed it yourself.”
“Yes. Thank you. I did. I couldn’t find anything I liked on line so I had it made.”
“May I see yours?”
Mathieu asked Anders to excuse his reach as he showed the young man his ring.
Adam took Mathieu’s fingertips lightly in his, “It’s beautiful. Solomon says you’re an artist.”
Mathieu brought his hand back, “Yes, I work in publishing and do some freelance work.”
Anders added, “He also designed the three photo collages that hang on the walls here, which he’s actually never seen in person. Why don’t we go look at them?” The chef knew that Mathieu could use a break from the atmosphere around the table.
The three men pushed their chairs back and walked away from the table but not before Mathieu whispered, “be right back” to Solomon.
Adam was clearly impressed with the photo collages (as was Mathieu). They agreed that the black and white one was particularly striking with its simple white matting and black frame. Anders informed them that it was the one the guests commented on most and that he had even gotten offers from guests looking to purchase it. Adam said that he’d make an offer too if Mathieu would sign it first. The Irishman blushed and said that Solomon was the one who should sign it since he was the one who took the pictures. The information surprised Adam who complimented Solomon on his photography skills when they returned to the table.
Mathieu found out tidbits of information about most of Solomon’s coworkers over the course of the evening; Adam was older than he looked and was born in Berkshire. James was from Ireland like Mathieu and was married with two daughters. Stephen was addicted to X-box games and offered to teach Mathieu how to play. Ian was in theater in his youth and even did “Twelfth Night” in a theater in Bolton. Andy studied visual arts at Lancaster University. Jed was from New Zealand like Solomon. Ken was from Edinburgh and had a son named Bill. Hugo attended school in Bristol briefly before his family moved to Australia and then back to London. Mathieu was so glad that Solomon's coworkers were such interesting people.
Coffee and tea were served around the table and Solomon could tell right away Mathieu made the cake from the strawberries that spell out “Happy Birthday Solomon”. The server brought the cake back into the kitchen to cut and plate it for the guests and Anders had Solomon’s present from Mathieu brought out. Solomon told Mathieu he shouldn’t have gotten him anything, that the party was more than he could’ve asked for. Mathieu kissed the blonde on the cheek and told him to stop being so selfless and open the gift. Solomon unwrapped the gift agonizingly slowly; sliding his finger under the tape holding the paper in place then peeling the paper back to reveal the gift underneath. It was the sketch Mathieu did of the little boy sitting under a tree with a puppy reading the upside down book. Around the sketch were pictures of Solomon at different stages of growing up with his family. There was a picture of baby Solomon being held by his mother, another showed todd
ler Solomon being supported by his father while trying to take his first steps, a picture of a little older Solomon riding his first bicycle, pre-teen Solomon unwrapping Christmas presents, teenage Solomon practicing with a football, another of a teenage Solomon dressed in a suit (looking very uncomfortable) and a picture of Solomon at his graduation from school. There were also a few pictures of Solomon’s parents together and some of other adults Mathieu assumed were aunts and uncles. Tears were in the blonde’s eyes as he looked at the photos then up to Mathieu, “How….? When…..?”
“I emailed your mom after you sent her the scans of the sketches and asked her to send me some pictures of you.”
“You’ve had this for that long?”
“Do you like it?”
“I love it. Thank you so much,” Solomon pulled his partner to him and gave him a deep kiss.
Cheers and whistles erupted when the two kissed. When they broke apart Mathieu blushed and buried his face in Solomon’s shirt.
Things settled down when the cake plates were brought out. Anders let it slip that Solomon’s partner made the cake and everyone gave Mathieu their compliments. Soon after dessert the party wound down and the guests began to take their leave, wishing the couple congratulations and Solomon the best of health.
Before they left Mathieu showed Solomon the photo collages hanging on the walls of the restaurant. They walked hand in hand from the round one next to the bar to the square on the back wall to the black and white one near the coat check room. “Anders says people have offered to buy that one.”
“It’s gorgeous. You did a great job. I can’t believe we haven’t looked at these before.”
“You did a great job with the photography.”
The Sweet Tooth Page 29
