Bear Hunting

Chapter 6: Cliffy’s Cafe

Chapter 6: Cliffy’s Cafe

March 29, 20—

Cliffy’s Cafe

7:00 P.M.

There’s a piano man performing Billy Joel tunes inside Cliffy’s Café. He’s seated at a grand, perpendicular to the bar. Peach-faced waiters in tight black T-shirts wait on the patrons. Cherry-flavored cigar smoke fills the bar, which Toby doesn’t seem to mind. About a dozen men and women sit around the piano and its performer. Some of the patrons are dressed to the nines while others are less formal. Toby wears a pair of khaki slacks, white dress shirt, and leather loafers with just a few scuffs. He sips at two fingers of whiskey in a glass tumbler, feeling numb and comfortable, listening to the Billy Joel wannabe.

Blue arrives ten minutes late and apologizes. He’s dressed in the same outfit as Toby, which sort of blows Toby’s mind. His shirt is unbuttoned to the center of his pecs and Toby studies the man’s black coils of hair on his bearish chest. Blue says, “I had a million things to do at the college. Time got away from me.”

“No problem. I was just enjoying the music and my drink. Glad you didn’t stand me up.” The two men shake hands.

Blue finds a seat in the empty chair next to Toby. “It’s not in my nature to stand attractive men up.” He winks at Toby and shares a polite smile. The light flirting is soon interrupted by a young waiter with bright red hair, freckles, and an adorable cleft in the center of his chin. Blue orders the same drink as Toby, and adds, “And bring my friend here another one.”

After the gingerhead vanishes from the two-person table, Toby says, “That was kind of you.”

“Kind would be you lending me your blogs so I can use them to teach with.”

Toby contemplates his next comment before sharing it out loud. He doesn’t think Blue rude. Instead, he finds the man sexy as hell, and likes how he gets to the thick of the matter. Blue seems to have a lot of balls. After rubbing his chin with two fingertips, he asks, “If I lend you my blogs for your summer class, what will I get in exchange?”

“What’s a guy like you want?”

Toby winces and laughs. The laugh is more like a happy sigh than a laugh. “This is going to sound strange.”

Blue shakes his head. “I expect nothing less from a professional blogger.”

“Should I be offended by that comment or not?”

“Of course not. I simply meant that you’re strangely interesting. I’m attracted to you and don’t even know why.”

Toby raises the right side of his mouth in a half-smile. There’s something about Blue—besides his name, of course—that is also strangely interesting, a bit pushy, and attractive, all mixed together. Feeling confident, Toby says, “Let me tell you what I want from you for the use of my blogs.”

“What?” Blue says, grinning, proving that he’s delighted to be at this meeting with Toby and maybe thinking that he’s not wasting his time. “Spill it. Tell me what’s on your mind.”

“A date with me. That’s what I want.” This request comes out as confident and exactly how Toby wants it to sound. Deep inside he knows that Blue will say yes, finding Toby attractive.

And Blue does say yes.