Midnight Musicals and Coffee Ice Cream

Zander is an escort, not because he wants to be, but because it's the only way he's found to make the money he and his loved ones need. He had dreams once, mostly forgotten now, and there are times when he fears dreaming again, worried he'll lose those too. He's got some hard and fast rules though, ones he's never allowed a client to break, but when the line between client and something more begins to blur, he finds himself reevaluating those rules, and if he wants to continue on in his profession.

Takashi's job is all-consuming, only because he lets it be. He's worked his way up from intern to executive, but not without sacrificing relationships along the way. It's been years since he's had someone to call his own, and with the holidays approaching, parties to attend and clients to whoo, he's found himself inviting an escort instead of a friend, only he never takes into consideration how many nights it'll take for a friendship to grow.

“And you?” Zander asked. “Do you love what you do?”

“Yes. I might not be creating works of art for a gallery or some grand show, but I’m helping people achieve their dreams through creative promotion and teaching them the best ways to showcase their products.”

The light pull on Takashi’s hand made him turn and look over his shoulder to see the reverent look on Zander’s face as he looked up at one of the statues. Its plaque described it as The Wood Nymph and the Satyr a modern take on classic figures done in recycled car parts.

“This is my favorite,” Zander declared, “which is weird because Greek and Roman mythology contain my least favorite legends and yet, there is something about the faces.”

The studious way in which Zander scrutinized it made Takashi tilt his head back and stare at the spotlight illuminated faces, analyzing their expressions.

“He looks angry, stern, and determined while she looks coy, challenging,” Takashi supplied.

“As if she’s hoping he’ll continue to pursue, play the game a little bit longer before she rewards him.”

“I can see that, from her perspective,” Takashi said. “Though I’m not sure he realizes it’s a game to her.”

“Yeah, I’m pretty sure it’s serious to him. Makes you wonder how it would all turn out, later, you know.”

Takashi gripped his hand and chuckled. “You haven’t been to the heart of the maze then, have you?”

“Nope, only about midway through actually.”

“Then there’s something you should see, come on,” Takashi said, giving his fingers a squeeze. When Zander turned toward him, the moonlight caught his eyes, making them sparkle like the stars. Takashi had to shake his head to clear it before leading him deeper into the maze.

“Did you plan to go into advertising when you went to college?” Zander asked as they walked.

“In a way,” Takashi replied, brushing a hand through his hair. “I’d planned something in the commercial arts or graphic design field, but I hadn’t been set on advertising or anything even remotely related until my internship. That’s when I really fell in love with it because there were so many facets to what a person could be involved in. When I realize just how many creative departments a firm had, from animation to graphics, logo design, video compilation and so much more, I knew it was a field I could never get bored in.”

“How long have you been doing it?”

“Well, let’s see, I went to work at VisionINK right after I graduated. I’d made my intention to apply known during my internship. It made it easier in a way since I’d already formed connections there and had people who could give me references. That was, oh, sixteen years ago now.”

“Wow, I um, didn’t think you were more than thirty-two or thirty-three.”

“Nope, thirty-eight,” Takashi replied, smiling a little. “Thank you though.”

Nodding, Zander flashed him a little grin and swung their hands a bit. “I’m glad we came out here. It’s way nicer than being stuck inside. We should have stockpiled some hors d'oeuvres and a bottle of champagne and brought them with us though.”

Takashi chuckled. “I can’t remember the last time I went on a picnic. Yes, that’s exactly what we should have done. That way, we could have toasted in the New Year while watching the fireworks.”

“At least we’ll still be able to see the fireworks from here and…whoa.”

Takashi glanced over to see Zander, wide-eyed, mouth half hanging open and he grinned when he realized where they were.

Another large statue loomed over the flowers and hedges that surrounded it, only this one was a bit racier, depicting the satyr and the nymph in a passionate embrace, lips fused together, her legs wrapped around his lower half.

“Someone decided to tell the rest of the story after all,” Takashi pointed out.

“That’s…wow.”

Zander had let go of his hand and was slowly circling the statue, inquisitive eyes scanning all the intricate details. A surge of joy shot through him, that he could put that look on Zander’s face with such a simple thing. Finally, Zander made his way back around to Takashi’s side, the full force of his intense grin aimed directly at Takashi.

“Thank you for bringing me here.”

Smiling back, Takashi stepped a little closer. “You’re welcome.”

“I’m pretty sure I have a new favorite now.”

Takashi chuckled, hating the edge of bitterness that chipped away at some of the pride he felt.

“Guess you’ll have to ask to come to see it every time someone brings you here.”

“Nope,” Zander replied with a small shake of his head, shocking Takashi once again. “This was special. Most people don’t care what I want, or like, or enjoy. To them, I’m just an ornament, another prop for the night like their dress, shoes, or car.”

Takashi didn’t know how to respond to that. How could someone keep doing something that so clearly demoralized him? Faint strands of music drifted from the party, so Takashi tugged him forward, surprising them both with his impulsiveness. Zander seemed to recover first, slipping his arms around Takashi’s neck and molding his body against Takashi’s, his head on Takashi’s shoulder, facing inward again. Another impulse hit and Takashi reached up and stroked his hair, assuaging his curiosity about how soft it would be. Time seemed to stand still as they moved, the music fading at times, growing louder at others, and all the while they swayed. Brilliant bursts of color erupted overhead and Takashi tilted his head back to look at the sky.

“Happy New Year, Takashi,” Zander murmured against his neck.

When Takashi looked down, he could see the fireworks reflected in Zander’s eyes, a million times more stunning than seeing them against the sky. He couldn’t resist brushing a kiss against Zander’s forehead, recalling what he’d said about never kissing on the lips.

“Happy New Year, Zander,” he murmured, continuing to hold him close. “Thank you for making this my best New Year in a very long time.”

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