One Plus Two Equals... - 40

Several hours later, Julyan slipped out of the building with his belongings in a carry-on bag and a large backpack. When he was several blocks away he flagged down a cab to take him to the airport. While that was happening, Duane was making a much more public departure, carrying a garment bag and two suitcases which stood by his feet as he waited for the airport shuttle to pick him up.

Once at the airport the two men ignored each other while they waited to board their flight. When they took their seats Duane was in first class with Julyan behind him in the economy section. The whole scenario played out in reverse when they arrived in New York, although this time Julyan took the shuttle while Duane shared a cab into the city with two other passengers.

Julyan exited the shuttle at the small residence hotel which would be his home for the foreseeable future, at least technically. Once he settled in, he called Duane. "I'm here," he announced when his lover answered.

Duane chuckled. "I would hope so since we took the same flight. Do as we planned and I'll pick you up in half an hour."

As soon as Duane hung up, Julyan unpacked the bag, hanging the shirts and slacks in the small closet. Necessities—duplicates of what were in the backpack—he stashed in the bathroom. Undressing, he tossed what he'd been wearing on the bed and put on jeans, a T-shirt, and a warm hoodie. Then he closed the pack, slung it over his shoulders, and left, locking the door behind him.

He felt like someone out of a spy movie as he made his way down the fire stairs to the ground floor of the hotel, leaving by the side exit. Following the directions Duane had given him that morning, he made his way to a small coffee shop. Ten minutes later a cab pulled up in front. Julyan smiled to himself when he saw the driver was Auden.

"Ready to see your new digs?" Auden asked after Julyan was seated in back.

"Damned straight. I hope they're better than the hotel's."

"Trust me, they are."

It took fifteen minutes to arrive at the building. Auden pulled into the parking garage, returned the cab to its real driver, and led the way to the elevator. When they reached the tenth floor and he opened the door to the condo, Auden couldn't help laughing at the look on Julyan's face. "Told you it was better than your hotel."

"That would be the understatement of the year."

The living room was huge with a highly polished wood floor and banks of windows on two of the four walls. The third wall held a large fireplace with a sofa facing it. There were two more sofas, one in front of an entertainment center, the other in front of one long window at the end of the room, flanked on either side by bookcases.