Mitchell's Presence Read Online Free PDF

cares? he muttered to himself, we get to spend an entire evening and morning together.
    Arthur tried to busy himself as best he could but quickly ran out of errands; he’d already cleaned the apartment, shopped for dinner supplies, washed his car—inside and out—and had even ironed his favorite shirt and changed the sheets on the bed, checking to be sure he had condoms and lube in the bedside table. He was prepared for an evening with the most incredible man he’d ever met.
    As Mitchell exited the building, Arthur couldn’t help but notice the smile on Mitchell’s face. Is it because of me, or because he finds something gratifying in volunteering? Arthur didn’t really like the question that had popped into his head, so he dismissed it. He got out of the car, walking quickly to the other side and opening the door for Mitchell, sure the younger man would appreciate getting into a warm car after four hours of helping the homeless. Arthur couldn’t help but smile, seeing the look on Mitchell’s face as the younger man stowed his bag in the back seat and sank into the heated leather seat.
    “Good day?” Mitchell asked as he leaned over and kissed Arthur’s lips.
    “Lonely, boring, and you?” Arthur chuckled to himself as Mitchell nodded, smile still on his face. “Why do I get the feeling sometimes that you never have a bad day?”
    “Because I don’t.”
    “Never?”
    “No.”
    “People don’t piss you off, get on your nerves, do stupid things?”
    “All the time, but that doesn’t mean it’s a bad day.” Mitchell put his hand on Arthur’s thigh, and Arthur’s pants feeling a little tighter. “It’s all a matter of perspective.”
    “I should try that sometime, especially with my family.”
    “You should,” Mitchell nodded his agreement, squeezing Arthur’s thigh lightly, playfully. “It’s too easy to find the negative in everything. That’s boring to me.”
    “You are…” Arthur shook his head, grinning, “something else.”
    “See,” Mitchell affirmed, “my point exactly. You could dwell on what you don’t like about your family or think about something else.”
    “I haven’t stopped thinking about you since I met you.”
    “You’re an enigma, Arthur.”
    Arthur looked over but did not see any judgment or malice in Mitchell’s expression. “I’ll take that as a good thing.”
    “As it was meant.”
    Arthur grasped Mitchell’s hand and placed a kiss on the knuckles before pulling into his garage. “Here we are.” Arthur exited the vehicle, grabbed Mitchell’s bag for him, and walked around to lead the other man to the kitchen.
    “Wow,” Mitchell said with awe, “my entire apartment could fit in these two rooms.”
    Arthur didn’t say anything but let his eyes follow Mitchell as he made his way around the kitchen and then into the dining room. He was amused and interested at how the younger man seemed more drawn by the little mementos Arthur had collected over the years than the pricy pieces of art he’d acquired as family heirlooms or through art galleries. Mitchell seemed especially drawn by a set of three black bowls, simple, elegant, each with one Chinese character.
    “Those were a gift from my mother,” Arthur explained, a look of barely contained disgust on his face, “from the last time they were in Beijing.”
    “What do the characters mean, do you know?” Arthur pointed to each of the characters in turn and explained that the symbols meant peace, love, prosperity . Mitchell turned to Arthur, “What a nice thought.”
    “Yeah,” Arthur harrumphed, “my mother has a lot of those.”
    “Sore subject?”
    “No, not really,” Arthur conceded, “I know she means well, but I’m- I can’t- I don’t know,” Arthur motioned Mitchell to the stairs. “Come on, I’ll show you where everything is, and then I’ll feed you.”
    Mitchell stopped on the stairs, looking down at the older man. “You know, Arthur, “I don’t know about you, but I’m not