Jaafar Abu Tarab

A Shadow in a Dream Jaafar Abu Tarab

A short novel about two men who fall in love with one another.  One of them is Johnny:

Johnny Harcourt belted out the last words of Old Man River as he turned off the taps in his shower. He came through the shower curtain and stepped naked into the steam-filled bathroom, fragrant with the smells of soap and shampoo. As he dripped water onto the floor, he grabbed a towel from the rack and rubbed the steam off the mirror.
He looked into the mirror and grimaced. Same old face.  Then he grinned.  Johnny had a fine mouth with strong thin lips, blue eyes, ruddy cheeks, and a snub nose. When he smiled, his face lit up the world. 
Johnny knew he had a charming smile.  He used it as a weapon in his police work.  He found it useful to be underestimated.


The other is Lucien:



The dark-haired, youthful stranger was strikingly handsome.  He had a thoughtful face, with a fine nose and resolute eyebrows which gave him a sensitive, or even melancholy, appearance.  He was wearing a dinner-jacket of graceful cut, a sort Johnny had not seen before.  His tie was fastened with careless elegance.  His clothing was finely-draped, and revealed the graceful physique of an athlete.
"I want him."  The thought tiptoed into Johnny's mind and took him by surprise.

Johnny is a hard-working San Francisco detective (and a writer).  Lucien is a medical student from Paris, who enjoys drawing pictures.

Can they make it work?