Page 45 of They Were Roommates
“You can say it as one word.Je t’aime,” Frankie corrected, and when Diego repeated it perfectly Frankie let out a mangled groan. “Oh god, Diego, I love you so much.”
They crashed their mouths together, their bodies pressing and rubbing as Diego ground against Frankie. Frankie was getting really close, but he knew his boyfriend’s body so well, he could tell he needed a little more.
Frankie reached around and slid two fingers back inside Diego.
“Oh fuck, Frankie,” he shouted, arching, and squirming back and forth, leaning forward into Frankie and back against his fingers. “I’m not going to last.”
“So, don’t. I want you to come,mon amour.Come inside me.”
They both knew Diego couldn’t actually come inside of Frankie, but it didn’t matter. Frankie played with that spongy spot inside of Diego as he stroked Frankie faster and faster. Soon they were both moaning desperately, writhing against each other as their climaxes hit one after the other.
Diego collapsed onto Frankie, and they lay in a sticky mess for several minutes.“Mon amouris… my love? Likemi amorin Spanish?” Diego finally asked and Frankie nodded.
“We should name next week’s featured drinksmon amourandmi amor. They could be similar blends with different added ingredients.”
Frankie couldn’t stop the laugh that burst out of him. It was light and bubbly like champagne but also thick with tears and love. So much love for his strong, kind, and gorgeous man.
“We can name it whatever you want, D.”
Things didn’t miraculously get better justbecause of their admissions of love and phenomenal sex. Diego still had to drag himself out of bed every morning, but now it seemed that the morning coffee Frankie brought him in the backroom helped him perk up. Diego chatted more with the customers. He even asked Seth about coming up with some new theme nights toattract all the customers his mood may or may not have been scaring off.
Frankie would do just about anything to help Diego return to his former chipper… okay maybe not chipper, but at leasthappierself. He scoured the suggestion box they kept attached to the bulletin board in the cafe and monitored the email address on their website where comments could be sent.
He got a few ideas from this, which led to a beach themed event and a spring break event, but his big idea came from a call he had with Colette. She and Gabby would call on occasion to chat and catch up. On one such evening, Colette was regaling Frankie with stories from the cabaret she had just gone to when an idea struck him. Diego had started to feel better after he went to the transgender meetup group. The meetings allowed Diego to immerse himself in his own community of people who were gender queer, gender questioning, or at the very least willing to consider breaking out of the gender binary. Frankie needed an event, something big, brash, and exciting to stake a name for the cafe in the community, but also something to help Diego feel more like an institutional part of the community. What if… they held a drag brunch.
Frankie proposed the idea to Gabby and Colette, who only knew Diego was trying to get himself out of a slump. They absolutely loved the idea. He called Seth and Obie, and they too were quick to commend him on the idea.
At first, Frankie couldn’t wait to tell Diego. He put on his favorite playlist and danced around the apartment, tidying up dirty dishes and stray paperwork as he imagined their cozy cafe filled with exciting music, extravagant costumes, and gorgeous queens and fabulous kings.
His exuberance began to fade as he sat down to do some project planning. This wasn’t just some theme night where they could buy decorations at the party shop and make somethemed desserts and call it a day. This was going to be a huge undertaking. First, he had to find the kings and queens, then he had to find a host, jazz up the stage, probably expand their brunch menu, or at the very least prepare more pastries, and maybe add some savory dishes, which he would need to find recipes for and… just so many other things Frankie was sure he was forgetting.
By the time Diego got home from his meeting, Frankie had made up his mind. This was going to be something Frankie would do for Diego as a surprise. He didn’t think the added stress and planning were going to have the desired effect of cheering Diego up. In fact, it might spoil the whole experience for him. Diego had fully taken over the books and business administration work now that he was feeling a bit better. Frankie figured he could manage the new project without any help from his partner.
Lo and behold, three weeks later he was totallynotable to get everything done by himself. He’d made huge strides during the first week, organizing all the logistics with Obie and the set designs with Seth and one of their other employees, but he hadn’t quite figured out how to find drag queens to join the show. He couldn’t very well post about it on the bulletin boards if he wanted to surprise Diego, but he had no other ideas on how to find performers.
The solution, oddly enough, came in the form of Maria. Earlier that year, Maria had gotten down on one knee and “proposed” that she and Penelope should live together. Penelope had eagerly accepted, and they now lived in a little fire hazard of a place within walking distance of The Rainbow Bean.
“We haven’t been back to Diego’s bar in so long,” Maria had said one morning while visiting the cafe. “I don’t think it was quite as long ago as the cohabitating proposal, but it’s been awhile! Please tell me you’re free tonight, Franks. They’re having a drag show!”
Frankie very nearly fell out of his chair. “A drag show? Tonight?”
Maria gave him a funny look. “Yes… a drag show. Tonight. I had no idea you were so into drag.”
“Neither did I. Also, can you refill the pastries when you have a moment, Franklin?” Diego called as he bustled by them with a bin full of dirty dishes.
Frankie took one look at the retreating form of his boyfriend and turned back to Maria. “Diego has a meeting tonight, but I’m so in.”
Not only was Frankie in, but he was sold as well – on every single performing drag queen and the singular drag king. The show was great, filled with strobing lights and fast paced music, but what Frankie loved most was the way the queens and king interacted with the audience. He could picture them sashaying through the cafe, twirling on stage, and then winding through the tables to interact with the crowd. The vibe and aesthetic would be different in the cafe, bright light filtering in through the side windows and the smell of coffee replacing the liquor and fried food smells of the bar.
As soon as the show ended, Frankie was out of his seat and racing to talk to Akil, Diego’s old boss. Frankie quickly introduced Maria and then launched into his idea for a drag brunch, peppering Akil with questions, which he did his best to answer.
“You know what? How about I connect you with the best and brightest we have. Her drag name is Sham Pain and she’s phenomenal. Follow me,” Akil said. He led Frankie and Maria down a long hallway, past the bathrooms and to a door marked employees only. He knocked and a chorus of “come ins” followed.
As Akil opened the door, Frankie was overwhelmed by the amount of sequins, spandex, and vibrant colors. Frankie waved shyly to a few of the queens who were touching up their makeup closest to the door, but Akil made a beeline for the back of the room where a drag queen was perched on the edge of a chair, staring intently down at her phone.
“Sham? I have some people who would love to meet you, and potentially proposition you.”
Sham Pain’s pink painted lips pursed, and she tilted her head in a “what can I do for you” sort of manner. She looked Frankie up and down, and then glanced sidelong at Maria and looked her up and down as well.
