In the Eye of the Beholder

Daniel and Eric or what happens when sheer stupidity, lack of self preservation, annoying stubbornness and immaturity meet calm acceptance, incredible patience and deep,real life experience and knowledge!?!Happens what we see between these pages - two so different people trying to find a path toward each other and failing miserably in finding a way to express what they feel, who they are and what they really want. It's so well written, I literally felt the bitterness Daniel was oozing all the time. It was so heavily permeating the air of their story. In the rare moments when it wasn't there because the focus of the plot was on the other character Eric - the tidal wave of his grief was trying to choke me. Between the 2 of them, while they were trying to sort their feelings, deal with their dark miserable past and how everything could fit in the present, there wasn't a dull moment on page. Daniel's heavy sarcasm was another way of entertainment and in the rare moments when Eric wasn't frowning or scowling, they even had conversations.
The beginning of their unusual story starts when Daniel's life spirals out of control unexpectedly, after the ex boyfriend of his best friend throws him “under the bus” or in this case draws the attention of the BRATVA /the russian mafia/. Why and how is too much spoilerish. But when this happens Daniel has a brutal and fast slide on the learning curve of how little, how slippery and how imaginative is the control he has over his own life. After 3 years of silent treatment and calm observation, sitting on a stool and drinking the best Manhatans, in the rundown establishment where Daniel works as a bartender, walking home turns into a life altering event for both of them. Eric stumbles onto a vicious scene of physical assault and helps Daniel gain advantage and save himself.
This unforgettable night is actually the beginning of tortuously slow burnish romance even though I use the word “romance” loosely. Step by small step Daniel and Eric learn how to live in each other's personal space and how to open up the floodgates of painful memories, exorcise the demons of the past tormenting their lives and build up deliciously exquisite level of intimacy. The big surprise was that i enjoyed the maddening pace of slow building a bridge that connects them emotionally and physically on a whole new level of bonding.