[AU:BR]Matchmaker in the Making

[François Laffont]

The reunion was going well. At least it was the impression Franck had. He met a few people he had not seen since his college years, some he recognized more than others. Of course, there were also the few he remained in contact with but he tried to talk more to those he had not seen in years. They were the ones he was not likely to meet again, therefore those he should talk to the most.

He was curious to know what everyone did of their life after school. He never thought he would actually find this reunion this interesting. A part of him sure believed it was just a way for those who succeeded to rub it in the face of those who did not. Not to add that old wounds could be reopened there. Not that Franck believed he had any that may hurt again, but others might.

Without being the host or anything close to it, he still had fun going from one circle of people to another and see who came and what they were now doing. But he also needed to fuel up between all that talking and so he left the group he had been with at that moment to get something to drink. As he sipped on it, his eyes wandered across the room at the people gathered here. It was how he caught his gaze. He had been looking at him. For how long however, Franck had a hard time saying. As soon as he noticed however, the other man smiled at him. A charming smile. A flirtatious one? Probably. Franck smiled back but despite how handsome this man looked, he was intrigued. He did not remember him. Sure, many of them changed within the past ten years, both mentally and physically, but if he didn’t know this man, it was also possible he did not came here to attend the reunion but came with someone who was here for the reunion. And if that was the case, suddenly this eye flirting they’ve been doing became very inappropriate. Franck looked away and even turned his back as he finished his drink. He’ll sort it out later.

TAG: Erika Conner (Bellefonte)

[Erika Conner (Bellefonte)]

Erika's brown eyes darted between the familiar French boy, and the eye candy he'd been mentally throwing himself at with a light smirk splayed over her lips. Sighing, her head shook as she issued a faint laugh. Drew had finally talked her into putting her phone in her coat, because no disaster was going to happen, and no one was going to call her, telling her that her children were on fire. Although the married couple needed a weekend off from their busy life in Los Angeles, leaving the kids with their grandparents had been harder than expected.

Excusing herself from the group of people she'd been chatting with, the telekinetic made her way towards Franck. Reaching her hand out, she placed it onto his shoulder as she leaned forward, her head poking over his shoulder. "He's cute," she said, nodding in agreement to her own words. "But hooking up at a reunion is very cliche, no?" She stepped to the side and circled around the boy so that she was finally face to face with him.

It was almost a little funny, how much had changed in the past ten years. Who would have thought that Erika would be happily married to her high school sweetheart, have three children and a successful career as a fashion designer? She surely didn't. Though she had very few complaints and loved her new life, even she had to admit that coming back here brought with it a lot of wonderful memories.

[François Laffont]

There were so many people around. Some were happy to meet old faces or to brag about what they were now doing. Others had some old resentment coming back from the past. Franck tried to ignore everything he got from them. He wanted to enjoy this with his feelings and not that of others. It was actually nice to see everyone and he really hoped that he would get to meet again some of his old friends and acquaintances he lost track of over the years. He knew it was normal to part ways over time and he didn’t have to hold it against them just like they could not blame him but Franck kept this need of being loved by all.

He turned around as a hand touched his shoulder and smiled recognizing his friend. He laughed as she apparently knew what he had been doing here and with who. “It’s also an obvious one-night stand. Or for the weekend, I suppose. Are you suggesting I can myself a little toy to play with during the weekend?” he replied, an amused smile on his face. He might not like discussing the details of his sex life but he no longer was ashamed of admitting he had one. Fifteen years away from any religious influence can do that on someone.

He focused on her, totally ignoring the man who exchanged gazes with him. “It’s nice seeing you,” he told her as he hugged her. “Are Drew and the kids here too?”Franck might not be as close to Drew as he was of Erika but he appreciated the man, if only because he knew how the two of them loved each other. As for her kids, well, he would love to see them too. But maybe they were in L.A. Franck might consider he had a good life too but he certainly could not afford taking a jet from here to Los Angeles any time he wanted.

[Erika Conner (Bellefonte)]

"Of course you can," she replied, her eyes rolling. It was no huge secret that Franck had always been incredibly handsome. He was also a very nice guy, which seemed to attract people like flies. With his personality and looks, he was doomed to have people throw themselves at him left and right. It was inevitable, if nothing else. It came to no surprise that the guy Franck had been checking up seemed interested. Of course he would be.

Hugging Frank back, Erika chuckled softly. "It's nice seeing you too," she offered with a warm, adoring smile. She'd always loved Franck. He'd been her rock so many times throughout her life, and she would always be thankful for that. "Just Drew," she said, gesturing towards her husband chatting to some of the people milling about. "The kids are with their grandparents in Los Angeles. With our busy day-to-day schedule, we figured we deserved the weekend off." Sure, they could easily enough have taken the kids with them and left them with Erika's parents, but this was overall, so much easier.

And they surely needed what little time they could get with one another.

"What about you?" she asked, looking at Franck again. "What's new in the life of the..." she looked over at the guy he'd been checking up. "Busy life of Franck?"

[François Laffont]

He laughed at the simple answer she gave him. He supposed he could. There was no reason for him not to enjoy himself with someone while the reunion was on. A lot might have changed in the world in ten years but sexual desire remained what it had always been. “He probably came with someone. I don’t recognize him,” he pointed out. That meant nothing of course, for ten years could change a face a lot and despite the fact he sued to be a popular kid, he didn’t know everyone back then. He was tempted, that much was sure, but he would focus on meeting with old school mates before thinking about any fun time he could get with some handsome stranger.

Franck was a lot calmer when it came to dealing with other people’s emotions. They could still take the best of him, especially the strong ones but the happiness she felt did nothing more than put a smile on his face, one that he would have anyway just because it was Erika he had before his eyes. He nodded as she mentioned her husband and looked to where he was. He might say hello at some point but they all knew the one he was mostly to talk to in this couple was the wife. “That’s a great idea. You’re staying at your parents during the weekend or you guys picked a hotel room?” He would have loved to see the kids but he could understand they might want to be alone for a while. They worked a lot and were mostly parents when they were not. Although he didn’t doubt one second they loved this life he could see why they might want some time to spend between just the two of them.

He laughed at her choice of words. God, he missed talking like that. “The busy part come from work not boys I’m afraid, but it’s great,” he replied to her. No, he didn’t think he would end his life alone but he was not ready to commit to another relationship just yet. “You know, you should come to my place while you’re in town, if Drew lets you leave the room. I’m starting to make something nice out of it.” Franck had some specific tastes and he was hoping for it to be cozy and relaxing but also great to invite lots of friends over. He thought he did something of a nice balance between the two.

[Erika Conner (Bellefonte)]

"If he looks at you like that and came with someone else, he's clearly not worth your time," she said, brows furrowing. "But," she continued, hand squeezing gently around Franck's shoulder. "There's only one way to find out." After all, Franck wouldn't find out if he didn't ask. Like most things in life, watching from the sidelines generally didn't get you anywhere. She knew that from experience, and the lack of doing the same was the simple fact as to why she was happily married with three children, after all.

"We're staying at a hotel for the night, and will likely continue to do so unless our plans change," she shrugged. After all, they wanted their time alone, and spending it with Erika's parents, whom she didn't like all that much, didn't sound like a good way to do so. They sorely needed a little escape from real life, after all. Back home, the two of them were so busy with their jobs, having three children and everything else that came with being an established adult. They found little time to be alone and enjoy each other as a couple, and they hadn't had much time for that ever since Erika had gotten pregnant at twenty-two. Of course, she wasn't about to complain and she'd always seen her life as charmed and she adored her children to death.

Chuckling softly, the brunette shrugged. "Ah, well, there's plenty of time left for you to find Mr. Right," she mused. Now, she didn't at all doubt that Franck would find life sooner or later. If anyone deserved it, it was him. "I would love to." If Drew let her leave, of course. He was damn good at convincing her, but she saw few issues with it, after all. She smiled warmly at the French boy. "I'm sure we can arrange something during the weekend."

[François Laffont]

He laughed at what she said. “You’re right. I cannot be that guy, right?” he said, still smiling as he said those words. Not that he would ever agree to be ‘the other boy’. Having a bit of fun with a really handsome guy was one thing, playing in that handsome boy’s lover’s back was a whole other. He chuckled again as Erika more or less pushed him to go and talk with him. “He’s not going anywhere,” he said with a shrug. Even if it was from afar, they showed some interest. It shouldn’t be hard for Franck to later end up near him and finally talk with the man, if not do a little more than that.

“You really wanted it to be a moment just for the two of you, right?” he said as she claimed they stayed at the hotel. Her parents still lived there, at least he believed so. It was not like Franck kept tab with her parents. He could understand how unappealing it was however to say at their place. Over the simple fact they were not close, there was some intimacy a married couple wished to have that might be hard to get at her parents’ house.

Inviting her might change her plan a little but it was not like he thought an hour or two of her time would be much of a problem to give him. Plus Drew could hardly be jealous. Of course, if they wanted this to be a romantic getaway, Franck had no problem inviting her some other time. He grinned at her as she claimed she would love to see his place. “That’s great. Of course, if Drew planned something else, there is really no problem. You’re welcome anytime you want, even with your kids,” he assured her. They were not really asking Drew after all and even if Franck was no threat to the man, he might have wished to spend his time differently. “Speaking of your kids, how are they?” Franck was far more interested in her family life than her career.

[Erika Conner (Bellefonte)]

"Never say never," Erika sighed. Though, she wasn't about to press it further. Franck was capable of making his own decisions. That, she'd always known. He might have been far too kind for his own good, but he certainly wasn't incapable of making his own decisions.

Chuckling softly, the brunette nodded. "Yeah," she admitted with a warm smile. "Our busy day to day routine prevents us from having much alone time," she continued with a shrug. She didn't resent their lives. At all. In fact, she was grateful for the life she and her husband shared, but that didn't mean she'd welcome any and all times they could be alone with open arms. Especially now that they didn't come as often as she would have liked. Having jobs and children kept them busy enough as it was - it was all part of life and growing up.

Looking over at Franck, Erika grinned, her hand coming up to pat Franck's shoulder. "Don't worry. I'm sure Drew won't mind... too much," she laughed. She was glad though, that Franck seemed so willing to arrange his own plans around her. She would never ask that of him, of course, but the thought was appreciated nonetheless. The topic was quickly changed to the children, which had Erika's smile widening. "They're doing great. Growing way too fast," she chuckled.

[François Laffont]

“No one’s better make me the home wrecker,” he said. His tone might have been just a tad too bitter though, revealing more than he meant to. Too late, Erika must have picked it. The only thing to do was to change the subject so that would not become their main topic. He looked at the man. Franck could easily go and talk to him. Even flirt. His former embarrassment over all things intimate was long gone and Franck fully assumed it now. He simply didn't feel like flirting more than he had already. His attention was all on his friends. Well... ninety percent on his friend and ten on the guy.

He smiled but also nodded, trying to be serious. “You deserve it. Can you believe it’s been ten years already? You planned anything for that anniversary?” From the feelings he got from Erika, it was clear she still loved her husband as much. Maybe it was as naive and passionate as the first days but it grew into something more stable and still very passionate. Not that it was to surprise him. Erika had always been rather intense in her feelings.

He laughed with her. No, Drew wouldn’t mind too much. “As long as I don’t keep you too long, might not even resent me for that,” he joked back. He didn't think Drew would ever hate him. But Franck wouldn’t try and keep Erika for too long. Just an evening, for a drink or two and a chat. Franck owned a few good bottles for such occasions. Drew was even welcome to join if he wanted to.

Franck grinned, happy to hear about her children. “Right? It’s like you go to bed and wake up to find them big already. None of them are giving you too much of a hard time? I’ll bet they’ll be little heartbreakers when they’ll grow up,” he told her. As much as he was happy for her and loved her kids, this always caused a little pinch to him. Everyone seemed to have kids. Everyone except him. He started to feel left behind somehow.