Page 34

Mathéo

“What are you doing? We have to go!” I’m sitting on the toilet watching some pointless videos on Instagram, trying to get my nerves under control. I seem to have lost track of time though.

Things are going getting serious; we’re meeting Micki’s parents for the first time today and I’m terribly tense. I reluctantly get up and walk out of the bathroom. “What if they don’t like me?”

Micki just laughs, “What’s not to like about you? You’re charming and nice and you wrap the ladies around your finger—my mother will love you!” With two skillful movements, he slips the sleeveless, skin-tight turtleneck shirt into his high-waisted pants.

Two small nipples stand out and shit, I want to lick them. But unfortunately, that’s not possible with this fabric. “You should wear more lace.”

Micki looks at me with a teasing look in his eyes. “And why is that?”

I let my thumb circle his nipple and my tongue licks my lips. “Because.”

“When we get back, I’m all yours, but right now we have to go.” And with those words, he grabs my hand pulling me out of the door.

“Um, maybe I should give you a heads up.” Micki’s voice is light and innocent—innocent my ass.

“Why?”

“My parents don’t know about you. This is going to be a surprise.” The words rush out of his mouth, his gaze fixed on the road.

“Okay. But... why?”

“In the beginning, I was constantly afraid that you’d change your mind, and I didn’t want to give my parents false hope.”

I gently place my hand on Micki’s thigh. “You can’t get rid of me.”

Sooner than I’d like, we’re standing outside of his childhood home, waiting for Micki’s parents to answer the door. He jiggles nervously next to me, and it’s driving me crazy. “Mon chou, what’s wrong?” I gently pull him towards me by the waist and he leans against my chest. “Everything is going to be fine.”

I lift his chin with my other hand so that I can look into the most beautiful eyes and kiss the softest lips in the world. All I have to do is lower my head and Micki stands on tiptoes, stretching up towards me. Just as our lips touch, the door opens.

“Michael St?ttler! O mein Gott!” Even I understand that sentence in German. Micki flinches in my arms, then I feel the grin on his lips.

“Qui est Michael?” Who is Michael? I whisper softly.

“C’est moi.” That’s me is all I get, along with a cheeky grin.

Michael. I could have figured that out myself, I almost feel a bit stupid. “It’s not a good sign when she calls me by my first name.”

If he wasn’t still laughing, I’d be worried right now. He slowly turns in my arms and then speaks English. “Hello Mama. I brought someone with me.”

“I can see that, darling. Who is this handsome man and why are we speaking English? Jürgen !”

I quickly hold out my hand to Micki’s mother. “Bonjour Madame St?ttler, I’m Mathéo, Mathéo Gaillard, and I’m Micki’s boyfriend.”

“Ah, bonjour Mathéo, je m’appelle Juliane. And that’s it for my French, I’m afraid. I’m so happy to meet you. Are you from Strasbourg?”

Half an hour later, we’re all sitting on the sofa with a coffee. Jürgen, Micki’s father, is just as welcoming as his wife. “How did you two meet?”

Micki searches my gaze, his raised eyebrows asking if he should tell them, and I nod. “We met at Nika’s and élias’s wedding.”

“That was almost a year ago! Why are you only bringing him home now?” Micki is nervous, I can feel his tension and how difficult it is for him to tell our story.

It’s not difficult for me. In the beginning, I was embarrassed that I didn’t realize what was going on. In the meantime, I’ve seen so many men with the same problem that I don’t feel quite so bad anymore. After all, he’s mine now!

“When I first met Micki, I thought he was a woman. I had never been in love before, and I had never been with a man. So, it took me a bit to accept that I was in love with Micki, regardless of his gender. When I finally got my head wrapped around things and we officially became a couple, Micki was constantly afraid that I would leave him for a woman.”

“And how are you feeling now?” Micki’s mom puts her hand on ours, which are joined on Micki’s thigh.

“Mathéo loves me.” Micki replies with a soft smile in my direction. “And I love him.” Confirming his words, I lean in and kiss him gently.

Micki’s mother puts her hand on her chest. “Oh, that’s so sweet. We’ve been waiting so long for Micki to find a man who loves him unconditionally, who accepts him as he is and doesn’t want to change him.”

***

“Your parents are fantastic.” Micki lies on my chest playing with my happy trail, while my fingers are gliding through his curls.

I’m not jealous, even though I know this conversation would’ve been very different at my home. I wonder if my life might have been different if there had been even a hint of acceptance in my family. Maybe I’d have realized earlier that I liked men if I had been allowed to. Maybe Micki and I wouldn’t have had all the drama at the beginning.

“I’m sorry you’ll never have that with my parents.”

“I’m with you, not with your parents. And we don’t know what’s going to happen yet.” I love Micki’s optimism, and how he always sees the good in everything. I’m not like that; I expect the worst. That’s why I have a job interview tomorrow morning at a big company in Strasbourg.

The fact that I want to get away from my father is nothing new, nor is the fact that nothing is keeping me in Dijon. And I don’t want to commute anymore, I don’t want to say goodbye every Monday, and I don’t want to miss him all week. I want to take him to business lunches, Christmas parties, and summer get-togethers. I want a life with Micki.

***

“Your resume is impressive. We have followed the development of your father’s company since you took over the location in Dijon. The growth is enormous. You have built up something huge there over the last few years. May we ask why you’d like to change your career? We are interested in a long-term contract with whomever we offer this position to, so I want to make sure you’re going to stay.”

I’ve done my research, I know they can’t discriminate against me because of my sexual orientation, but I don’t want to work for a company whose leadership can’t deal with another member of management being with a man.

“I want to change my location, not my career. My partner has both professional and family relations here and I plan moving to be closer to him.”

The three in front of me nod. “You’ll be hearing from us.”