Coda 05 -Paris a to Z

he said. “This part at the end is me, see? „I possess nothing worthy to give you.” He shrugged. “Theres only me.”
He said it as if it was an insufficient offering. I could not have disagreed more. I put down the book and took his hand, turning it over so I

    could kiss his palm. “Angel,” I told him, “youre all I ever wanted anyway.”
    I F THERE was anything magical about Paris, it sure wasnt evident in the airport. Underneath the warm smell of fresh-baked bread was the unmistakable odor of urine and stale smoke. After the recycled air on the plane, it was a bit overwhelming, and whatever appetite Id had was suddenly gone.
    Cole had a car waiting for us, and Angelo wasnt the only one staring out the window with wide eyes as we made our way to the hotel, which turned out to be located in a wide open plaza that Angelo told me was called the Place Vendôme.
    The hotel lobby was spacious, with dark wood counters and chairs upholstered in deep green velvet. There was marble everywhere, in every shade imaginable—white, green, gold, brown, and gray—including a huge mosaic on the floor. I could tell as soon as we walked through the door that it was probably unbelievably expensive.
    Matt, Jared, and Angelo were still outside dealing with bellboys and our bags. I went to the front desk to check in. It turned out I didnt need to do much but give them my name and pick up my key. “Mr. Davenport is on his way down to greet you,” the girl behind the desk told me. And sure enough, Cole arrived only a moment later.
    He reminded me of Angelo in some ways. He was a bit taller, but with the same slim build. His skin was just a shade or two lighter than Angelos. And just like Ang, his hair seemed to hang in his eyes about half the time; although in his case, it seemed to have been cut that way on purpose. “Hello, Zach,” he said, taking my hand between his and looking up at me. “Weve really never met before, have we?”
    “Not really, no.”
“Im pleased that you came.”
“Thank you for having us,” I said, although it seemed like an
    incredibly weak sentiment considering what hed done for us—flying us all the way to Paris and paying for a hotel that was obviously ridiculouslyexpensive.
    His soft hands were still holding mine, and his gaze was cautious but friendly. “I hope things wont be awkward between us.”
“Why would they be?” I asked.
He was taken aback by that, I could tell, and his eyebrows went up in surprise. “My goodness, lovey. I cant tell if youre being sarcastic or if you actually mean that.” I couldnt blame him for being unsure. After all, he was marrying my ex and had screwed around with my current boyfriend.
“It wasnt sarcasm,” I assured him. “I have no hard feelings about Jon, or about Angelo.”
He ducked his head a little, so that his hair blocked his eyes from me. It reminded me of Angelo, although when Ang did it, it was incidental. With Cole, it seemed deliberate. “I hope youre not worried about it happening again?”
I couldnt help but smile. “Youll cross Jons lines long before Angelo crosses mine.”
“You sound pretty sure about that.”
“I am.”
He flipped his hair out of the way again and regarded me appraisingly. “Youre different than I expected. Jonny said you were easygoing, but given how uptight he is, that might have meant nothing more than that you actually know the purpose of a snooze button.”
I should have laughed at that, but I couldnt quite manage it. “I hate to think what Jon must have told you.”
He shook his head. “He never said much. Although, he did imply youd rather drive nails through your eyes than see him again.”
“He wasnt far off.”
“Were things so bad with him?”
“No,” I said, shaking my head. The truth was, wed had a lot of good times. But when I looked back, I found they were hard to remember. I could barely see them through the lies and the arguments that had plagued the last few months of our relationship. “It just didnt end well.”

    “So much so that you would have preferred to stay home?” “Yes.”
“Then why did you come?” There was no challenge in his question. He genuinely wanted to know.
“For Angelo.” And it seemed like as good a time as any to say what I wanted to say. “I want to thank you for giving him this. I want you to know how much it means to him. Hell never be able to tell you on his own. Hes only been out of Colorado a few times, and now, getting to come here, it means more