A Demon Inside

Chapter 4-2

“How did you know I loved Vietnamese?” Hunter speared a shrimp from the green papaya salad on the table. One of the outings Nana used to take him on was down here to Argyle Street, where there were blocks of Vietnamese restaurants, and the pair would gorge themselves on pho, bun, and all manner of rice and noodle dishes. “And how did you know that, of all the Vietnamese places around here, Hai Yen was my favorite?”

Jay looked up from his steaming bowl of pho, the steam from the soup making his complexion ruddy. “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you. You’d say it was too much of a coincidence.”

“Try me.”

Jay stirred his rice noodles with his chopsticks. “It’s my favorite too. I’ve been up and down Argyle and have tried ‘em all, but none are as consistently good as this one.”

“Well, you’re right about that, so I suppose it’s not such a coincidence.”

Hunter looked around at the other diners, all laughing and engaged in conversation, while the waitstaff hurried between tables, taking and delivering orders. He watched Jay too as he tried valiantly to manipulate his chopsticks. He might have been a veteran of Chicago’s finest Vietnamese restaurants, but he was a rank amateur when it came to using chopsticks. When a steaming pile of noodles and a slice of beef tendon slid down the front of his red T-shirt, Hunter couldn’t contain his laughter. Jay looked up at him.

“I’m so sorry!”

Jay joined in the laughter. “Don’t be. It’s good to hear you laugh, even if it is at my expense.” Jay smiled at Hunter and dabbed at his shirt with a napkin. “You think they’d at least give you the option of a fork.”

“I’m sure if you asked, they would.”

“No, no. Look at you, like you were born to it.”

“Well, at least let me give you some pointers. For one, you need to keep one stick stationary.” And Hunter showed him. Their eyes met across the table. Hunter looked away. When he looked back, Jay was still staring, grinning.

“What?”

“You’re blushing. I find that so cute.”

“Oh, please!” Hunter felt his face getting even more heated. And then it occurred to him what Jay had just said. Cute? Was that the kind of thing a man said to another man? Was it so obvious that he was gay?

“What? Your expression just took a nosedive.”

“Oh, nothing. Thanks, I guess.”

“You didn’t think I knew you were gay?” Jay leaned forward and said confidentially, “Honey, I’d hoped from the minute I laid eyes on you, and as I got to know you, I was pretty sure, from the way you looked at me, that you were. My gaydar is pretty good. But I wasn’t a hundred percent sure until just now. There was a lot of pleasure mixed in with the surprise on your face. So my little test worked. But the compliment was sincere.”

Hunter didn’t know what to say. He barely had breath to put behind the words, “I think you’re cute too.”

“You don’t have to say that.”

“No, I mean it.”

“Good. That makes two of us.”

Two cute guys? Or does he mean he thinks he’s cute too? Whatever, it was true. Hunter surprised himself by saying, “This has been fun. I hope we can do it again.” He toyed with a piece of mint on his plate. “I mean…if you’re up for it.”

“Oh, I’m up for it.”

“Well, we’ll have to plan something soon.”

“How about tonight?”

Hunter hadn’t expected things to go so fast, but he found he didn’t mind. Again, what would he do all alone this evening, anyway?

Jay put his hand over Hunter’s and squeezed. The touch was electric, and Hunter almost jerked his hand away. The simple touch had him fully hard, and he could feel heat rising to his face once more. What was wrong with him? He turned his hand over so their palms touched.

“Okay.”