Larry Sandoval was at his wit's end, miserable, unhappy, feeling like an animal trapped, living in a gilded cage, desperate to leave his troubled marriage when one night, quite by chance, after he finally gets the courage to leave his husband, he me...
Laurent arrived home to his Arlington, Virginia luxury three-bedroom penthouse condo around mid-day Saturday, the day after he'd gone to the Sandoval house; the day after Larry and Sofia's kidnappings. It seemed he now measured everything moving forward from that point.
Though his early morning flight from Brooklyn was quick and uneventful, Laurent felt emotionally drained. It was good to be home, but it seems Laurent brought his feelings of frustration and powerlessness with him. He wasn't used to feeling this way, so not in control. He didn't like it. He was a doer, a problem solver, a man of action. Now, all he was doing was waiting; impatiently waiting and wondering, with his hands proverbially tied. And if he were honest, for the first time ever he was also a bit fearful of where things could go.
He recalled how adamantly Larry had expressed to him how he didn't understand why he couldn't just come home with him, as if it was the simplest thing in the world. They loved each other, after all. They naturally wanted to be together. Larry was leaving his husband, who he'd said he didn't love, and he otherwise had no ties to keep him in New York. So, what could be simpler, indeed. At least, it had been to Larry. And at times like now, under normal circumstances it would be that simple to Laurent too. But circumstances surrounding he and Larry's relationship were anything but simple.
Theirs was still a relationship shrouded in secrecy, at least on his part. It concerned Laurent what would happen once Larry became aware of what he did for a living. Even more, he wondered would it change things for them when Larry became aware of his role in his husband's inevitable downfall. Will Larry be angry? Will it jeopardize Larry's love for him? Will Larry think he somehow betrayed his trust by the things he couldn't tell him at the time?
Dilemmas, dilemmas. But answers to those questions, and more, were getting closer to being revealed. Laurent knew he'd have to answer those questions, and more, if he and Larry's relationship was to move forward. These things are what had occupied much of his thoughts on his flight back home.
Laurent wished he could have just thrown caution to the wind, and had taken Larry up on his simple expectation. That's what couples did, wasn't it, be together? Live together? Or at the very least, live near each other. It was the most natural thing in the world. Normally. And yet....
Walking through the door to his place, Laurent dropped his keys and phone on a small entryway table. He blew out a sigh as he headed towards his bedroom to discard a light jacket he wore and his luggage. He changed into something more comfortable while he shot a glimpse at his king-sized bed. He was looking forward to sleeping in his own bed for a change.
A/N: The front room and two views of the dining room in Laurent's spacious and luxurious penthouse condo near downtown Arlington, Virginia.
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