Where the Devil Says Goodnight (Folk Lore 1)

Adam licked his lips. It was one thing to distill spirit for one’s own use, but to sell it? “Isn’t that illegal? Are you sure you want to take that risk?” He did not want to even touch upon Emil’s legendary bad luck, but worry was stuck at the back of his mind like a ragged splinter.

Emil shrugged. “No one checks this stuff around here, Adam. I make a batch every year, and the chief of the Border Guard is my best customer. He was friends with my granddad, actually.”

Adam tapped his hands against his cheeks and slumped in the chair. He had no arguments to win this battle. “Okay, fine. Just tell me if you need money,” he said, but when Emil’s eyes settled on him from across the table, heat shot up his neck, and he opened the menu. “I-ah... I was thinking that you’re doing so much for me. Will you let me buy lunch as a thank you?”

Emil smirked and wiggled his eyebrows. “Is this a date?” At least he had the sense to lower his voice despite there being no other patrons seated close by, but under the table, Emil snuck his steel-toed combat boot between Adam’s feet.

Arousal was potent like blood in clear water, and Adam spread his thighs slightly wider, not wanting to put pressure on his cock, though the way Emil was looking at him had goosebumps erupting all over his flesh already. “Is that a trick question?”

Emil leaned forward over the table with a sly smile, never taking his eyes off Adam. “I don’t know. Is it? Are you my boyfriend, Adam?”

Words were stuck in Adam’s throat, but as Emil tapped his boot against Adam’s sneaker, sending his mind into a world where answering such a question would have been as natural as walking, a familiar voice made him eye the entrance to the café.

“Your barista has completely burned the coffee. If we were in Milan, you’d be out of business within the week,” Mrs. Golonko said, pointing her finger at the server, who curled her hands in front of her stomach in clear discomfort.

“I’m very sorry. I can ask him to make another one.”

“Oh, no! If that’s the quality you choose to serve a customer, I will not be dining here ever again!” She raised her voice and got up with a swish of the coat she wore on her shoulders as a cape. Made of reddish fur, it was far too warm for the sunny weather, but its purpose was surely to remind everyone that her husband co-owned one of the most profitable businesses in the area, a fox fur farm.

Emil bit his lip, fighting a burst of laughter, but he did snort a little, which made Mrs. Golonko notice them.

Adam wished she’d have just shaken her head in disapproval, but she stormed toward them instead. “Praise be,” he said, acutely aware that he was dressed for a day out with Emil, and didn’t even wear a priest’s collar.

“I’m surprised to see you here, Emil. What are you up to all the way in Sanok?”

Emil shrugged. “Just a day trip with Father Adam. I’m showing him around, since you know I have a lot of time on my hands.”

“That’s right. Father Marek said I needed to see how beautifully the city was restored,” he said, and the lie rolled off his tongue as if it was second nature. Maybe it was. Either way, the true reasons behind their visit were none of her business.

“Oh,” Mrs. Golonko said flatly. “Have a good day, Father. And Emil? I would have a look at that horse of yours if I were you. He seemed a bit sickly last time I saw him. Might not be a good time to leave him alone for long periods of time.”

“I will do that, Mrs. Golonko,” Emil said, but Adam noticed his shoulders going rigid.

Since when was Mrs. Golonko interested in Jinx anyway?

Adam was glad when the storm cloud of Mrs. Golonko’s presence was gone, and they could go back to their day together. Conversation moved away from the issue of maybe-possibly being boyfriends, but as they ate their meals chatting about everything from local tourist attractions to the ridiculous way the mayor officially opened the new public pool after it had been in use for two months already, Adam’s thoughts kept circling back to Emil’s question, like a boomerang that refused to fall into the grass.

Would they still meet up like this in Warsaw? He could take Emil to his favorite café. It had a rainbow flag sticker on the door, and he was pretty sure the two female owners were a couple, so he only patronized it in civilian clothes. But they baked the most divine desserts. Adam wasn’t sure if Emil would have appreciated any of the fancy flavors, but when it came to food, Adam was a hipster at heart and loved everything matcha, especially the meringues.