15 A Great Word

"Remember when I told you about my friend from school and her restaurant? I invite you to lunch there."

"What?"

"You will meet new, nice people. The ones who don't care about your fame."

"Actually ..."

"No excuses. If I'm going to make a portfolio for you, I have to see you in different situations. Anyway, I need some fresh air and I really want Mrs. Zosia's buckwheat stuffed cabbage, and I have to keep an eye on you, ergo - you are coming with me."

Dominik looked at him for a moment, completely overwhelmed by what Andrzej was saying. His eyes were huge, like the eyes of a cat in an animated story, and just as cute. He gave the impression that he wanted to flinch in a moment, so Nowicki was surprised when he heard:

"I agree."

The word was spoken softly, but emphatically, as if Śliwiński was convincing himself with it. Who knows, maybe he was?

"I'll come for you at thirteen" Andrzej felt very nice and light. "Thanks for the pancakes," he stood up, "they were really great. But you will see how Mrs. Zosia's buckwheat stuffed cabbage is unmatched. Mmm… real heaven in my mouth. I'm going to come home to get my car and finally get a decent shower."

"You can shower at my place ..."

"Hey, don't invite any random man to your house, it could end badly for you."

"As far as I remember, today I invited you for the first time. Earlier you came by yourself," he replied in a joking tone.

"Maybe," he admitted, feeling confused for a moment.

Dominik gave a sparkling laugh. There was something very beautiful and attractive about that laughter.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" He asked, still amused.

Exactly, why?

Andrzej could not find any meaningful answer. His thoughts and language were completely tangled as he spoke:

"Thought I already knew why you were so popular with women. You should laugh more often."

For some reason, Dominik blushed and looked away.

"Anyway" said Andrzej changing the subject "I'll be here at 1pm. Try not to get into trouble until then."

It was supposed to be a joke to say goodbye in a cheerful atmosphere, but it did not came out completely.

"I'll try," Dominik promised without looking up.

Nowicki felt the weight of this moment's weirdness.

"Then I'll go. See you soon."

"Yes. See you soon."

Andrzej left Śliwiński's house and smiled to himself. The sun was shining brightly, heralding another heat day, but the photographer had to admit that Dominik's smile warmed more intensely. The actor was one of the few people whose inner light was so strong that it also touched the surroundings. It was very pleasant, and Andrzej thought he was lucky to have met this man.

Eighteen years ago, Andrzej's car was one of the best in its class, now it has had its heyday and its only advantage was relatively cheap maintenance. And while he didn't look great, he rarely broke down and didn't use too much gasoline. Nowicki did not drive it often - during his studies he got used to public transport, which was cheaper and in most cases fulfilled his needs. The car served him on special occasions like dates, going out of town or so on.

Andrzej drove up to Dominik's house two minutes after 1pm. The delay wasn't long or deliberate, yet it made him uncomfortable. He hoped that Śliwiński would not turn out to be petty about it. Nowicki always valued punctuality, but sometimes it was simply impossible to avoid being late, even after making corrections for traffic jams. He got out of the car and headed for the front door.

The gate was ajar and the door swung open before he could ring the bell.

Dominik was wearing a beige, silk shirt that looked as if it had been made to order at the most expensive tailor, but it was the actor's eyes that caught Andrzej's attention. The irises in a shade of deep, light blue shone dazzlingly with a dose of uncertainty and excitement.

"Ready?" Nowicki asked.

"Yes. Where are we going?"

"Praga. I was born and raised there."

"Oh!" Dominik found it interesting. "But you don't speak with a typical Warsaw accent."

"High school and college knocked it out of my head, but occasionally when I'm nervous I'm speaking like true Warsaw man."

Dominik smiled as he closed the door.

"I had to work a lot to get rid of my accent. It was not very blatant, but people recognized that I came from eastern Poland. In my first film it wasn't a problem, on the contrary, it helped me get the part, but then it wasn't so sweet."

They got into the car, which did not quite correspond to the dazzling appearance of Śliwiński and Andrzej felt a bit embarrassed.

"Sorry about my car. It is not used to transporting stars."

"A car is a car," Dominik answered lightly, "and yours is not so bad. You would try to fit a family of five into a maluch[1]."

"Seriously?" Andrzej bared his teeth in a smile. "Are they still running?"

"This one is not. My brother crashed it as soon as he got his driving license."

Nowicki joined the traffic and glanced at the actor's profile, which was as attractive as the front view. A clearly defined, definitely masculine jaw, a prominent Adam's apple, a long, straight nose made it clear that he was a hundred percent guy, but long black eyelashes and delicate, slightly parted lips were as sexy as a woman's. They could undoubtedly seduce even a man.

Although Andrzej saw Dominik having sex with the guy, he couldn't convince himself of the idea that the young actor was gay. He had no doubts that Śliwiński had something especially in common with his manager (or at least that was the case until recently), but he watched Dominik for a nice few days and there was nothing faggy about him. He was behaving quite normally (except that he hardly left the house). If he had not seen it with his own eyes, Andrzej would never have suspected him of homosexual inclinations. It might seem a little suspicious that someone of his beauty and popularity did not meet any woman, but with Dominik's shyness it ceased to be surprising.

'I wonder why Dominik sleeps with his manager?'

"You want to ask me something, right?" said Śliwiński.

"Actually ..."

Andrzej could not, however, bring himself to ask this question. Dominik's private life was his own affair. It was not only tactless to ask about such intimate matters as his love life, but also gross meddling. It is true that the actor had already said that if he considered the question too personal, he would not answer it, but Nowicki could not do his task anyway. Maybe because they were only two acquaintances sharing a few secrets?

"I thought you would want to become invisible with your dislike of people," he said instead. "Meanwhile, you are very eye-catching."

"Would you prefer if I wear something else?" He asked excitedly.

"No! You look great," Andrzej assured Dominik. "But are you not afraid of being recognized?"

"My photographer and friend invited me to lunch. It would be suspicious if I wanted to hide this fact."

'Friend?'

For some reason, Andrzej was pleased with the Dominik's answer. Friend. It was a great word, at least for Nowicki, and although he had many acquaintances, he could only call Paulina a friend.

[1] Maluch is a common name for Fiat 126p, little car with 2 doors, very popular in Poland in last decades of 20th century and at the beginning of 21th century.