Michael Parker

Michael portrayed by Odette A.Bach.

**Michael Parker** is Louis Mésange's love interest in ***I Want To Kiss You In Public***. He begins attending Colette International in January 2008 following his sudden move from London with his mother.

Michael doesn't seem to like nicknames and prefers to be called by his full name. He's kind-hearted and soft-spoken. His parents are an important influence in his life. Because he's nice to everyone and he's handsome, he's liked by everyone he meets.

## Appearance

Michael has inherited his Italian mother's tan, as well as her dark green eyes. He's very tall, at 6'2" (189 cm).

Louis describes Michael as being "the hottest thing identified on the planet since that asteroid that wiped out the dinosaurs" and often comments on his shiny, bouncy curls and his dimpled smile. In the book, Michael is eighteen but already dresses like a man.

In the novel *You're The One For Me*, set two years after the events of *I Want To Kiss You in Public*, Zak mentions Michael's good looks several times, even calling him an "eye-candy". He states, "Though he was no Alberto, he was undeniably pretty, and his arms and stomach more defined than the last time I saw him."

In the extra *I Know What You Did Last Christmas*, one of Michael's coworkers is clearly infatuated with him, another testimony to Michael's good looks.

## Personality

Though he's liked by everyone and doesn't suffer from anxiety like Louis, Michael also struggles with a lack of self-esteem. In the extras, he worries about being too boring to keep Louis interested. That's likely the reason he didn't defend himself when Louis attacked him in chapter 25 of the novel.

Michael has an easygoing personality and goes with the flow. He enjoys walks and museums, and art in general. He and Alberto share a love for Korean films, and cinema in general. Michael likes to listen to classical music but he doesn't like to advertise it.

Michael also exhibits signs of being possessive, cheeky, and enthusiastic in bed. The extras show him being constantly horny for Louis. When Zak calls Louis a psycho, Michael reacts with laughter, demonstrating he's not in the least bothered by Louis's eccentricities.

Michael is a loyal friend and lover. In *You're The One For Me*, he shows immediate concern for Zak, and he appears to be supportive of Eric. He also doesn't hesitate to take part in the kiddie race to help Zak out. Michael only shows signs of impatience or aggressivity when people are seriously unkind to Louis, and he even threatens his ex in the extra *Unfinished Business*.

## Relationships

Michael could be called obsessed with Louis. In *I Want To Kiss You In Public*, he admits to being attracted to Louis from the moment he saw him in the mirror, looking like he was "pulled from a magazine". In *Unfinished Business*, he confesses to masturbating to Louis's image before they were together.

Michael is friends with François and Sacha, but he didn't like how aggressively Sacha pursued him. That's why he told her he had a girlfriend, Abby, even though they were long broken up. Michael also seems to be aware of François's crush on Louis in the novel, and in the extras he complains about François's obsession with Louis. Of The Golden Fork, Yasmine is clearly his favourite. In *You're The One For Me*, Michael calls Yasmine his best friend. He seems to share everything with her, including his sexual encounters with Louis, which shocks Zak.

Michael has a great relationship with his parents, and he usually spends Christmas visiting his extended family.

## Sexuality

Michael confirms at the end of the novel that he's gay. He discovered his sexual orientation at the age of seventeen, when he was dating Abby. He met and fell in love with her brother, who strung him along for some time.

Zelda French said Michael was worried on his first day at Colette, and was talking to himself in the men's room about starting over and not falling for another closeted gay boy, when he noticed Louis from the corner of his eye.

## Trivia

* Michael's mother, Anne Landi-Parker, is a second generation Italian immigrant. Michael still has family in Florence.
* His favourite composers are Debussy and Ravel.
* His favourite animal is the otter.
* His favourite alcoholic beverage is red wine.
* His favourite dish is sukiyaki.
* Michael wants to become a director and enters film school in London in 2008.
* Zelda said Michael later became a documentary filmmaker.
* As of December 2011, Michael was living in London with Louis, as stated in the extra *A Very Victorian Christmas Nightmare*.