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The Huxely was a high-end hotel that catered to the wealthy, both pleasure and business travelers alike. The business guests usually were attired in suits and, while the wealthy weren’t typically that formal, their casual attire generally had the aplomb that went along with spending an obscene amount of money on clothes. Arkady Balagan approved of that; for all that he roamed the Huxely clad in pajamas and without shoes, he had an appreciation for aesthetics and was a snob about other people’s appearances.
There were exceptions, of course, to the type of guest that the Huxely attracted and a whole group of them currently had Balagan cornered in the elevator. It appeared to be a family. At least, they were dressed in matching Hawaiian shirts composed of colors that assuredly didn’t originate in nature. The members of the group were distinguished by their size and by the accouterments that they had with them. The large male had a camera around his neck, the large female had a shoulder bag large enough to fit a pony and the three smaller figures all were peering intently at electronic devices of one order or another. Arkady glared at all of them equally.
Finally, the elevator reached the group’s floor and they tromped off. As the door closed, Balagan heard the father say, “Where’s the snow? Canada’s supposed to have snow year-round. I'm gonna give that travel agent a piece of my mind.”
“Tourists,” Balagan sneered, very happy to have the rest of the trip alone on the elevator.
By the time the Russian chess master got to his suite, he was still irritated. He took a step inside, vaguely surprised to see that the lights were turned off. He always left at least one on; after all, he wasn’t paying the electric bill. Balagan reached for the light switch, but a warm hand over his stopped him.
“No,” Sam’s voice was soft enough that Balagan wasn’t startled. “You’ll ruin the surprise.”
Balagan didn’t have the heart to tell Sam that he didn’t really care for surprises; too many of them in his life had been of the bad variety. Sam was young yet, though, still in graduate school. The younger man hadn’t known the kind of heartbreak that Balagan had and, with a gentleness that would shock most people who knew him, Balagan vowed that Sam would never be taught those heart rending kind of lessons. Not from him, anyway.
“A surprise?” Balagan made sure that pleasure colored his voice. “What kind of surprise?”
“Just a minute.”
There was a rustling sound in the darkness and a soft, wordless exclamation that made Balagan think that Sam had stumbled. The thought caused him to smile; Sam sometimes seemed like young horse that was still getting used to its height.
A little breathless, Sam spoke again. “Okay, here we go.”
There was a small click and then the room was flooded with light. It didn’t come from an overhead light or any of the room’s lamps. Instead, the light emanated from a number of small devices placed around the room. Some were plastic and metal, while others were fabric that was sewn into the shape of a turtle. All emitted small spots of light directed towards the ceiling. The effect was that of being outside, with a canopy of stars overhead.
For once, Arkady Balagan was speechless. He stood, just inside the door, mouth hanging open.
“The night sky is beautiful in the summer,” Sam shifted uncomfortably next to Balagan. “It got me thinking, with your. . . condition. . ., you probably don’t get to see the sky much, so I thought I would bring it to you.”
Balagan was Russian, so it was a given that he was an emotional man. He wasn’t surprised that his eyes filled with tears at the thoughtful gesture. He was naïve to a fault, yet Sam had fulfilled a need that Balagan hadn’t even known he’d had until the night sky showed up in his hotel suite.
“Do you like it?” Sam’s voice sounded uncertain.
Balagan had to swallow a couple of times before he could answer. “It’s beautiful.”
They were both disconcerted when Balagan turned around and impulsively kissed Sam on the mouth. Sam moaned a little and opened his lips for more, but just as quickly stepped back.
“I didn’t do this to push you.” In the artificial starlight, Balagan could see that Sam’s expressive eyes were dark with concern.
Balagan reached out to touch the younger man’s shoulder. “I know, malchik. You aren’t capable of that kind of manipulation.” When Sam looked a little offended at that comment, Balagan laughed softly and patted his cheek. “That’s a compliment, Samuel.”
Their relationship had deepened from chess master and student into something more. What that something was had yet to be determined. Sam didn’t hide his obvious infatuation with Balagan, but neither did he press forward. Balagan was still mourning the death of his fiancé and unborn child. For months after Rosemary’s murder, Balagan didn’t think he would even survive the grief, but Sam’s entrance into his life had eased his heart. Now Balagan knew that someday he’d be able to move the beyond the pain; be able to get over his agoraphobia and leave the hotel. And when he did, Sam would be waiting for him. It was a comforting thought.
“Alcina helped me get some extra blankets and pillows.” Sam took Balagan’s arm and pulled him to the center of the suite’s living room area. Now that his focus wasn’t on the star strewn ceiling, Balagan noticed that the furniture had been pushed aside. In the center was an inviting nest. “I promise, no funny stuff.”
“I never dreamed there would be, Sam. You’re too honorable for that.” Balagan felt disappointed at the notion that there would be no ‘funny business.’ It was faint, but the disappointment was there. Perhaps he was further along in the healing process that he originally thought.
Balagan settled down into the blankets, on his back with his arms behind his head. Sam stretched out next to him. Balagan couldn’t help but compare how at ease Sam was next to him. It was a far cry from just months ago, when Balagan had insisted that Sam sit on the bed with him while they went through a ‘puzzle.’ That Sam had perched there uneasily and almost jumped up when Alcina came in. This Sam was relaxed, as aware of Balagan as the older man was of him, but at ease with it.
“One more thing.” Sam’s smile was downright smug as he fished out the remote to the suite’s sound system. Within a heartbeat, the suite was filled with the noises of the night; crickets, the occasional hooting of an owl, the wind whispering through leaves.
“It’s a beautiful night, Sam.” For once, Balagan’s smile wasn’t tinged with anything but pleasure. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome, Arkady.” Sam looked unsure of himself as he used Balagan’s first name for the first time. It was only weeks ago that Balagan had finally gotten him to drop the “Mr.”
Hesitantly, Balagan reached over and took Sam’s hand. Sam looked surprised, but gave it a small squeeze. Both men look looked up at the artificial sky.
Almost, Balagan, could see Rosemary smiling at them from the stars.
~the end~