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November
We didn't say much the next morning. We both ate cereal and
had coffee. We had to drive separately as my car was there. We walked into the
office building together. We nodded to a few people, but neither of us spoke.
Mitchell and I got on the elevator together. We each pushed the buttons to our
respective floors. We were the only two on the elevator. When the doors opened,
he started to step off. Then he turned around and stood before me. He gave me a
kiss. Not passionate but not a peck. It was a kiss.
"Have a good day," he said. "I love you."
I didn't reply.
In terms of productivity, my morning would have been
considered a new low. My focus was everywhere: trust, interest rates,
Mitchell's book, the Landwirth account, Derek's dick, Raisin Bran (the wrong
kind), Halloween candy, Friendsgiving, haunted orgasms. I was a mess.
I looked at my wall calendar. I flipped the page to
November. I didn't get Corey on Thanksgiving Day, but I did that weekend. The
weekend of Friendsgiving was free and clear in those parental terms.
An email came through. It was from Mitch.
"I have a lunch meeting tomorrow, but can we do lunch on
Thursday?"
"Okay," was all I wrote.
That night I put on music. I had plugged in the CD player in
the electronic equipment. I didn't play CDs much anymore, but I wanted to make
sure it worked. I put in Taylor Swift's first album. I still liked it. I
remember Natalie had given it to me. She liked it too.
"At least 95 percent," I said aloud to myself and no one
else in particular. I felt I had at least that much put way. Not a whole lot
was left. A few boxes needed organization more than anything else. I decided if
it didn't have a place, I didn't need it. I tossed a few more items.
It wasn't too late. I texted Laramie. "Want to do dinner
once I get out of my AA meeting tomorrow?"
I broke down two more boxes. I felt a few were "worthy" of
keeping. Most were going to be taken to the recycling dumpster outside of our
office building tomorrow.
I heard a text come in on my phone.
"Shit! I would have loved to, but I told someone I would
meet them at The Black Stallion tomorrow evening."
"No problem."
"Come with me!"
No way. I couldn't dance to begin with. I sure couldn't two-step.
"Thanks for the invite. You wouldn't want to be seen with
me there."
My phone rang.
"That's bullshit. Why wouldn't I want to be seen with you?"
"Laramie, I can't dance. I'd be a tree stump there."
"It's line dancing. You can jump right in."
I laughed, scoffing at the idea. Then he was quiet.
"Cooper, I'm ... I'm not doing something wrong by tempting you
to go to a bar, am I?"
"No. That's not it."
"I'm sorry if it was. You're my friend. I just wanted you
there. That was insensitive of me. I'm very sorry."
"Don't worry. You know I have nothing to wear that would fit
that place," I said, trying to make him feel less guilty.
"Oh please. You have jeans. If you have a solid color shirt
and don't wear sneakers, you'd fit fine."
Somehow within the next three minutes, I had been finagled
into going. I dreaded it already, but I dreaded just sitting alone at the house
even more.
Growing up, the music of my older siblings
was pop rock. None of us were into heavy metal or anything too hard. Even more
so, we all hated country music. I had no real exposure to it other than what
might appear in movies or on speaker systems while shopping. Walking into a
country and western bar would make me feel as comfortable as being at (or being
in) a drag show not!
The Black Stallion wasn't threatening whatsoever. Not being
a dancer and being married to Natalie who didn't drink bars were not my thing.
Dealing with business clients would take me to one on a rare occasion, but I
had only a small level of experience with them. I never danced; it would just
be social time with clients. I would drink.
Some of the walls were covered in wood paneling. Others had
physical wood. Even though it was a gay bar, there was a women's room as well
as men's. Both had barn doors. I thought it was cute. It was more subdued than
bright red and white, but the idea was still conveyed. I felt it had more of a
ranch motif rather than "farm." The lighting was not dim, but by no means
bright. Country music permeated the entire space. On one side was a bar. It was
long with seating all the way around. The bartenders had vests on but no
shirts. Those with hairy chests caught my attention. There were tin roof awnings
about the room and one over the bar. The state flag as well as those from Texas
and Tennessee bordered in aged wood frames were mounted over the cocktail
tables. There were a few tables that were lower, which I assumed would
accommodate a wheelchair, but the majority of them were taller with higher bar
stools. About a quarter of the place was a large wooden dance floor.
Overall, the place was fun, and even though I wasn't a fan
of country music, it seemed appropriate. I looked around to locate Laramie. It
was not busy as it was a weeknight and not particularly late. Laramie saw me
first and waved me over. As I made my way across the room, I realized half the
men in it were wearing cowboy hats. Laramie was as well. It fit him well. The
western look on him was quite hot.
He introduced me to his friends.
"Cooper, this is C.J. And this is his boyfriend, Spencer."
"Hi. It's nice to meet you," I said, with them echoing the
same sentiments.
"C.J. was a customer of mine three years ago. We actually
went on a couple of dates."
"I was 26. I was still a stupid kid in many ways. I was in a
phase where I had no intentions of getting serious, so ... it was actually three
dates ... I let him go so that I wouldn't develop feelings for anyone. Let him
go is a polite way of me saying blew him off."
"But look now. You and Spencer have been together seven
months. You've changed quite a bit."
"I have to give Spencer a lot of credit for that. I fell in
love with him pretty fast. Eventually, the idea of playing the field seemed
like too much work and not as much fun. The rewards of a relationship were
staring me in the face."
The couple smiled at each other and kissed.
"C.J. came into the store a few weeks ago for a project on
his study. It was nice to see him again," Laramie offered.
"I'm surprised Larry even talked to me after I had treated
him so badly. Thankfully, he had no hard feelings. He does great work."
"I know," I jumped in. "He just worked on my new house."
The four of us talked for a while. They asked about my
house. I inquired about their jobs. It was friendly. Just visiting with people
was good for me. I tried not bring up Mitch. I didn't want them to think I was a
clueless clod.
C.J. looked at Spencer. "I'm ready for another. You?" His
boyfriend nodded. C.J. looked at us. "Can I get you gents something?"
"Another Yuengling for me," Laramie said.
"If they have any flavored sparkling sodas, I'll take one.
If not, orange juice, please."
I could tell the couple were eyeing me up. They were
deciding if I was either an alcoholic or a wimp. I saw C.J.'s eyes give a
one-second glance to Laramie, who gave a simple nod.
"Care to dance, handsome?" a voice said, startling me.
"Uh ... um, I'm actually here with friends. But ... uh ... thank
you," I said to someone I found strikingly good looking.
"He was a hunk," said Spencer, as my would-be dance partner
moved on.
"Yeah. I guess. However, I saved him the ultimate
embarrassment of being on the dance floor with me."
After C.J. returned with drinks, conversation was still
good. More people had entered the dance floor for two-stepping. I enjoyed
watching them. I was envious of them. Dancing in front of others required
courage I didn't have. I noticed the music had increased in volume even if
slightly. The lights were a tad dimmer as well. This was the ambience I
expected of a bar, but it was still easy enough to see and understand what
others were saying. I was momentarily mesmerized by men dancing with each
other. Although I had experienced it once before, the joy on their faces was
heartwarming. Once again, I felt like a misfit. This time though, it was
surprisingly enjoyable to watch those that did fit in.
"Gotta pee. I'll be right back," said Laramie.
The three of us watched the dance floor.
"Soooo..." C.J. said.
"Don't," said Spencer.
"Oh, why not?" C.J. scolded. "Cooper, we had hoped to
introduce Larry to someone later. He was held up and won't be coming until
later. But ..." He paused. "YOU are way more handsome. He invited you. What's
the story between you two. Are there sparks? What's the story?"
"We're just friends."
"You sure? I see the way he looks at you."
"Really, we're just friends. I ... I have a lot of baggage.
I'm getting over a breakup ... well, I was ... but I kind of am ... again ... and..." I
froze. "I have a LOT of baggage."
The two them gave me an empathic look. I could tell they
didn't know what to say. I shuffled a foot and then rested it on its toe.
"He's a good friend. I've enjoyed Laramie's company a lot.
He's helped me through just talking things out."
"Fair enough. How did you meet?"
"Coffee collision at Joe's."
They laughed.
"Too bad," said C.J. "You're a nice man, Cooper."
"Well ... thanks. He's way better off with whomever you hope
to set him up with later."
I decided Mitchell was right. I needed to talk things out
with someone. I was in this inane whirlpool of no progress for weeks now. If
that Derek incident wasn't going to ever resolve itself, then I needed help.
Twenty minutes later I was all but lassoed onto the dance
floor.
"Just follow me," Laramie said, as we were on the end of one
of the lines on the dance floor.
I tried to follow the steps. They were never too
complicated, but I always felt a step behind. Truth be told, I was horrible,
but I knew I was enjoying myself. After 10 minutes of this line dancing
challenge to my machismo and self-bravado, I knew I was having fun. Terrible as
I was, no one stared at me.
Back at our table, a new round of drinks had arrived. I
believe it was the third for all of them. I visited the restroom. I imagined
they asked if I was an alcoholic in my absence. If I knew Laramie, he would be
embarrassed about sharing my private life but probably confirmed it.
When I returned, I noticed the three of them were all
wearing cowboy boots. I had never had a pair on in my life. C.J. had a hat,
Spencer did not. As I looked around, I thought everyone who was wearing a
cowboy hat was good looking. I saw a few baseballs caps. I liked them too, but
I was finding this countrified edge alluring. Perhaps I should consider buying
one. I then decided that would look like a grandmother on a motorcycle and
became self-aware it was not a good fit.
We laughed through another song as various people
two-stepped behind us.
A slow song came on. Laramie grabbed my arm. "Dance with
me."
I was jerked from the table with no time to even say "wait."
"You didn't even let me agree," I said smiling as he put his
arms around me.
We had been on the dance floor for most of the song. I don't
know how much dancing I had actually been doing. It was a lot of swaying, but
it was simple. And tender. And nice. Much of the time my chin was near
Laramie's shoulder; his chin was upon mine. The brim of his cowboy hat bumped
into my ear a couple of times. I pulled my head and shoulders back to look up
at it.
"I'm not sure what it is with me and hats, but this cowboy
hat makes you look sexy as hell," I smiled.
"Y'think?"
"Yeah, I do. Do you own many?"
"Four. Two are pretty nice, this one and a brown one."
"Oh, then this one then. Black is really sexy."
We smiled at each other as we continued to sway. Then our
smiles faded, and we looked into each other's eyes. We continued to sway. My
arms let go of him and lifted up to take his hat off his head. We continued to
sway. I held his hat behind his back. We continued to sway as our eyes
continued to stay locked. We leaned in and kissed.
And kissed. And kissed. And we continued to sway.
The song ended.
As a new country, two-step song started, I put his hat back
on. Our chins rested on each other's shoulders. We lifted our mouths to the ear
of our dance partner. "I'm sorry," we both said in unison.
His hand was on my shoulder as we walked back to our table.
"I'm sorry," he said again.
"No, I'm sorry," I rebutted. "You must think the worst of
me. I am trying to forgive Mitch and make things right with him, and now I'm ...
I'm ... dear God, Laramie. I'm a screwed-up mess. I feel like an enormous
hypocrite."
"It was just a kiss," Laramie said softly.
"I feel like I initiated it."
"Blame me."
"No! We both wanted to. I should have stopped the situation.
I I'm messed up. I'm fucked up. You should run from me. I'm one hopeless
idiot."
"Maybe. Maybe. Even so, I think you are the most beautiful,
wonderful hopeless idiot I've ever known," he said, his eyes all but sparkling
with Disney magic. It was just the lights from the dance floor, but I had never
found him more attractive. Or masculine. "Coop. You don't know how amazing you
are. Maybe, one day ... maybe." He stopped. "Maybe one day we will have that
first date. When you're ready and you choose."
I smiled. He reached for my hand and moved it to his crotch
below the table. I could feel his jeans bulging with a titanium rod entrapped
within. Then he put my hand on the table.
C.J. came back to the table following that song. His look
clearly conveyed he had seen us kiss on the dance floor. He raised an eyebrow.
"Let it go," Laramie softly said.
C.J. winked at both of us. For the next half hour, none of
us said a whole lot. We watched others dance. Both C.J. and his boyfriend
danced with many men. One more slow dance song came on. C.J. and Spencer took
each other's hands and stepped out onto the dance floor. We watched them kiss
as they danced.
"I should probably head out," I said.
Laramie looked up. It sounded abrupt.
"You sure? Are you okay?"
"I am. I have work in the morning, so ..."
He reached for my hand. "Are you okay?"
"Other than being a moron, yeah. Thanks for asking me. It
was ... fun. Tell the guys it was nice to meet them."
"Why don't you wait until the song is over and say goodbye."
My head bobbed side to side as I acquiesced. "Okay."
The gentlemen stayed on the floor after the slow song was
over. I knew some other friend of theirs was coming soon. It would be better if
I was gone. I patted Laramie's hand.
"Good night."
I woke up and turned off the alarm. I lay there in bed,
feeling like a hypocrite. As I took a shower, I felt like a showering hypocrite.
As I fixed my hair and looked in the mirror, I pondered what I would look like
in a cowboy hat. My answer was a fish-out-water, blonde hypocrite.
My drive to work was not much better. Mitch had arranged
lunch today. We hadn't talked much since his verbal faux pas on Halloween. I
knew when I saw him, things would snap into place as they should be. Hopefully.
Maybe.
"Fuck!!" I screamed at myself. "Why am I so fucked
up!?"
My teeth were clenched, and my breath seethed between them.
Now I was a cussing hypocrite. I tried to think about anything to calm me.
Anything! My thoughts turned to Corey. I took in a deep breath. I thought of
the next time I would see him. I thought of things we might do that weekend now
that most everything in the house was in place.
As I sat my attachι down on my desk, I looked at the picture
of Corey I had there.
"Please don't think of me as dopey or sappy, but as I
look at the picture of you on my desk, I am so happy you are my son. Just
wanted to remind you that you mean the world to me. Have a great day," I
texted.
I knew he was in school and shouldn't acknowledge that text
until lunch time. I hoped my son was following school cell phone protocol.
Maybe he thought it was too lame to respond to.
I was focused again and made major headway on a new account.
It was a productive morning.
Just before lunch, a text came in. Corey sent a thumbs-up
emoji. I felt that appropriate enough for a father's out-of-the-blue mushy
text.
Mitchell stepped into my door at 11:30. "Lunch is still on,
right?"
I smiled. It was nice to see him. "Yes, indeed."
"Okay. I'll wrap up what I am working on and be back in
about 15 minutes."
I couldn't finish in 15 minutes, so I let my mind wander.
Every time I see Mitchell, for some reason, I just light up. Until I have trust
issues. Until I think of Derek. Now I had my own actions with Laramie to rub in
my face. My calm was slipping away. I loved Mitch, there was no question with
that. But was our relationship healthy? If I was wrestling with all these things,
was it good for me? Was it fair for him? We really made progress over the
summer. Now it feels like we are strained again, like spring is here all over.
What would Corey think about all this? What would he think of his father? What
kind of a role model was I being?
"Let's go," Mitch said, snapping me out of my thousand
questions. I hadn't realized 15 minutes had even slipped by.
Before we stepped into the hallway, he gave me a quick kiss.
I accepted it. We hugged a moment. I felt he needed that comfort a moment. I
probably had caused his uneasiness stemming from Halloween night.
People said hellos as we made our way to the elevator as a
couple.
As we stepped into the November sunlight, there was a slight
chill to the air, but the sun and upper 50s made it pleasant. As we rounded the
corner of the building to the side where Mitch was parked. A FedEx truck was
parked there. I immediately paused and stiffened. Mitchell grabbed my hand
tightly.
"Just keep walking!" he said firmly. He held my hand and
continued to guide me to his car. I said nothing.
We got in. I stared out the windshield, blankly. He got
behind the wheel and started the car.
"Just don't think about it, Cooper. It's probably not even
him. Just ... don't think."
Seconds later, a FedEx driver a woman came out the door
and went to the truck.
"See?"
I said nothing. I was blank.
Five minutes later, Mitch parked at a simple corner cafι.
Lydia's was a small place that was actually converted from an old home. The
white porch rail gave the quaint place wonderful charm. The living room, dining
room and den had been converted into the dining space for the cafι.
I was blank. My eyes glazed over at the menu. I ordered a
bowl of the baked potato soup and that was all. Mitch opted for a club
sandwich. We handed our menus back to the server. I had already forgotten her
name by the time she had brought us iced tea.
"Cooper? Honey? Please talk to me."
"I can't form the words to express what I feel."
"It's all okay," he said. "We're going to be fine."
"I don't think so," I said flatly.
"Please don't say that."
"I don't feel good," I said, emotionless.
"Like sick sick?"
"No. Not stomach illness or anything. I just don't feel
good. I don't like myself. I don't think I'm good for you, either."
"What?! I love you. Of course, you are good for me."
"Am I? I'm a mess. I am totally thrown by a truck. A TRUCK!"
A nearby table turned to look. I become embarrassed and
looked down at the white tablecloth with laced touches.
"I don't know ..." he started.
"Yes, you screwed up last year. You owned up to it. I
thought I forgave you ... and then Derek surfaced last month and ... and ... I feel
very lost Mitchell."
"I'm with you, Coop. Let me be with you."
"But I don't think I'm good for you if I can't get past
this. If I freak out all the time now, what do I have to offer you?"
The concern of where I might be headed washed over his face
like a wave that would cause a skilled surfer to crash below the surface.
"No. Cooper, I love you. You're not breaking up with me, are
you?" he said, with just a hint of a whimper to his voice.
"I don't think so. No. But ... I love you too. But I don't
know if that's enough."
I hadn't realized it, but I had wrestled with my cloth
napkin. It was tangled into a curved rope. I unfolded it and placed the messily
creased fabric on my lap. I wasn't sure what I wanted to tell Mitchell. I just
knew it was time to say it, whatever it was.
"Mitch, I don't think I can give you what you need. You
deserve more than ... than me."
"Stop saying that. I love you. I have always loved you."
"You slept with Derek."
"God. I am so sorry about that. I've told you a million
times; he means nothing."
"Don't you see? You think that makes me feel better, but ...
you said you loved me, and then you screwed a guy that meant nothing to you.
What does that say to ME? You cheated because of nothing?? It did mean something! It was someone who was
NOT me."
I saw the server walk toward our table and went quiet. She
served us each our dish. I just had a bowl of soup and still wondered how I
would finish it all.
"Can I get you gentlemen anything else?" she offered.
"It looks very good," Mitch replied.
The server topped off his tea and then headed toward one of
her other tables.
My soup looked good. It smelled good. I stared at it until I
was hypnotized by the melting shreds of cheese merging with the creamed liquid.
Crumbled bacon and chives formed a field of stars that transported me to a
secondary universe in which I was floating adrift. Mitchell crunched on a
kettle chip that snapped me back to the dining room. I picked up my spoon and
took my first taste. It was excellent, but I wasn't enjoying it.
"Cooper, that day with Derek was the biggest mistake of my
life. I so wish it never happened."
"Yet, when we split afterward, you slept with him again,
right?"
He didn't answer.
"Right? You finished what I interrupted."
"That isn't fair," his voice quivered. "We were split at
that point. You and I weren't together."
"But he had something that you wanted. Something I don't
have."
"That's not it."
"It is it. You have your entire book of men you slept with.
You keep track and take notes. What are you looking for?"
"It's ... it's just a journal."
"You write about all the ..." I looked around and lowered my
voice. "... sex you've had. You want more than me, Mitch. Admit it."
"No. That's not true."
"I ... I'm not sure I will ever feel you want only me."
"I love you, Cooper."
"You keep saying that ... but is it really enough? If I asked
you to give up your book to throw it away would you?"
"What ...? Why would you ... What would that ...?"
"See? You hesitate. You don't want to get rid of it. You
love me, but ... admit it, you like sex with other people."
"That's not fair! I have done nothing but prove my loyalty
these past months. What do I have to do to convince you I love you? Let's not
forget your cheated on your wife with me."
Mitchell had never thrown that in my face. We didn't say
anything for a few minutes. We knew we had probably garnered some glances and
stares. His sandwich was cut into quarters. He ate one of them but mostly
crunched on chips. I made it halfway through my soup. The server checked on us
to see if we were enjoying our lunch. We nodded.
"I give you permission," I softly said.
"Huh? Permission?"
"You can sleep with whoever you want. Go out with whoever
you want."
"What? Why? No. Cooper, please don't break up."
"I'm not. I hope we can still see each other. I'd like to
still go out. Heaven knows every time I see you, I can't wait to be naked with
you again."
Mitchell's lips bent slightly into the slightest of smiles.
"Me too," he whispered.
"But I don't know where my head is at. I'm not being fair.
If all I have is doubt ... suspicions ... then that isn't fair to you. I'm not who
you need me to be. If I can't trust either of us, then we're far from a
committed relationship."
"Please don't break up," he whispered, pleading.
"I'm not ... specifically. I'm just giving you freedom.
Guilt-free freedom. Until I can be sure, you deserve better. And I don't know
how to get there."
Mitchell ate another quarter of his club sandwich. I
finished my soup.
"I have a friend. He's a ... therapist. We went to college
together. His name is Logan. Dr. Logan Horwood to be exact. If you want, I can
give you his contact info. Maybe talking to him or someone might help."
"Maybe."
"Just ... just don't give up on us, babe."
"I'll try. I'm not sure what you need, but I know I am not
in a good place to provide it. I'm not a good boyfriend. You deserve better."
"No. I deserve you. You're all I want. I'll go with you to
see Logan if that will help."
"If I see him, I think it would be better if I went alone."
We had paid the bill and were driving back to the office.
Mitch darted between lanes a couple of times that generated just enough
frustration with me to push my self-pity out of the way.
"How about I come over tomorrow night. It can be our first
night in the new house. We could ... y'know ... `christen' the house," Mitchell
said with a smile.
I nodded. "I think I'd like that."
"Fuck, that feels good!" Mitchell called out as my dick slid
into his hole. He was on his hands and knees on my bed. My cock glistened with
clear lube before it pushed all the way into Mitchell. I groaned, and he called
out, "Oh yeah!"
My hands had a firm grip on his hips. I had lit a candle
next to the bed. I reached around with
one of my hands, exploring underneath his hips. My grip found his erection.
Mitchell often would go a bit flaccid while being screwed, but he was still
firm.
"Stroke me, babe."
I leaned over some. My other arm hugged his chest. I
continued to push up into his hole. I grunted as he screamed.
"Ohhhh, Cooper. I love you inside me. I love that we can be
loud."
"You like being loud now?" I said, trying to sound sexy.
"Fuck! Yeah! Fuck! Me! Oh, God. Fuck me, Cooper."
I leaned back up. I grabbed his hips and started a pounding
rhythm. Sex was always good with Mitchell and me. We knew how to make each
other feel incredible while making love. Tonight was no exception. My groans
became grunts as he uttered "Ungh! Ungh. Ungh. Ungh!" in a measured chorus in
four-four time with my thrusts.
Mitchell reached down and started stroking his cock. His
head tilted back reaching toward the ceiling as he pleasured his erection and I shoved meat into his hole. His groans
momentarily became growls. He was louder than me, which pleased me to no end.
This newer version of Mitchell was even more fun, but I wasn't far behind. Our
first night in my house was going to blow the roof off.
We enjoyed sex in that position for a few minutes. It felt
incredibly sensual. My dick was throbbing in overtime. But I wasn't close to
coming. Mitchell was. He stroked his hard-on with a fast tempo that was only
trumped by his euphoric screaming. My name was called. Jesus' name was called
out. Most of the vowels were called out.
"Cooper! Fuck me. I'm close. Make me come, baby."
I heard our skin slap as I battered his ass. We were
yelling. It caused us both to perspire. The nerves continued to surge up and
down my driving pole. I shoved harder in some impossible attempt to drive my
dick inside him further than the length of my hard flesh.
"Oh, fuck, yeah! Oh, fuck, YEAH!!"
I could tell by the quaking of his body that Mitch was
spasming spurt after spurt of cum onto the towel below us.
"Oooooohhhhhh," he moaned as the
last of his seed dripped from his cock.
"Can I still fuck you some more?"
"Yeah. Oh, yeah. Stay in me."
"Lay down," I directed.
He looked at his cum, but I nudged him to lay in it. He
smiled up at me. I lifted his legs. He held them as I positioned my rod at his
channel. I thrust into him again.
"Oh yes. That's so good."
Mitchell's cock, still fairly rigid, flopped and flipped as
I continued to move my dick in and out of his hole. I knew my face was twisted
in sexual pleasure. It probably looked ridiculous, but Mitch looked beautiful
in the candlelight.
"Yeah, babe, keep it up. Fuck me with your cock. I love it.
I love you, Cooper."
He spread his legs even wider. He took one of his hands off
his leg and started tugging at the light hair I had on my pecs. I held that leg
and smeared the perspiration on my face into the hair on its calf.
"Don't stop, Cooper."
I moaned louder.
"Keep going. Keep fucking me."
I moaned louder, "Ohhh, Ohhh I'm getting close."
"That's it. Make that cock explode in me. Come inside me,
Cooper."
I pushed harder. "Ohhh, I'm almost there."
"That's it babe, don't stop."
"Oh yes! Mitchell. Mitchell." I was panting. "Mitchell.
Mitchell!!"
"Yeah!"
"Oh, yes!" Then I screamed as if seeing a murder. A
beautiful, sex-filled, orgasm-centered, masculine, gasping murder.
I felt my dick pulse, squeezing my semen into bullet streams
of power inside my lover. One after another. I kept coming. It was the longest
climax I had experienced in weeks. Mitch somehow spread his legs wider, and my
body collapsed onto his. We kissed for several minutes. He wrapped his legs
around mine.
"Think the neighbors heard?" I smiled, looking into his
eyes.
"Definitely. MY neighbors heard."
After a laugh, the towel and a washcloth cleaned us up.
"We're sleeping naked, right?" he asked.
"If we want to do it right, we are."
He chuckled. I blew out the candle.
"Were you and Natalie loud?" he asked.
"Sometimes, a little. Nothing as loud as we were tonight."
"What kinds of things did you say?"
I kissed him on the lips. "Let's not go there. Now shut up
and go to sleep."
We were the first at Joe. Emory came in a few minutes after
me. He joined me with his coffee. I watched him pour his brown packets of raw
sugar into his cup and stir.
"This is a big table," he said.
"We have guests today."
"Oh?"
Before I could explain, Mike and Trent entered the coffee
shop. I waved at them, and then they headed to the counter to order.
"Is that who I think it is?" Emory asked.
"Who do you think it is?" I responded.
"Is that Trent Kyriazi?"
"Yes. And his husband Mike."
"Holy shit. How awesome that they are joining us."
"Why is that so awesome?"
"He's a radio personality!" Emory said in a loud whisper.
"And a playwright. But more importantly, he's
my friend." I leaned forward. "He's just a regular guy. Don't be too weird."
The handsome couple joined our table a minute later.
"Trent, Mike ... I'd like to introduce you to my friend Emory.
You may remember him as the man who spilled coffee down my leg in February."
"Oh, swell. That's a great introduction," Emory said,
shaking the hands of both gentlemen. "It's very nice to meet you."
"Thank you," they both acknowledged.
"I'm somewhat of a big fan. Now that I'm fully retired, I
try to catch your show each morning as often as I can."
"Thank you. I enjoy my work," Trent said.
"I'm looking forward to your next play."
"Thank you," Trent graciously acknowledged. "Did you see The
Brutal Reality?"
Emory felt awkward. "I wanted to. By the time I heard about
it, it was sold out. I heard great things though."
Trent paused a moment. "Signposts is different, but I
think it has a happier ending. It is beginning production and casting. Some
songs are being written right now. I have to approve them though. I think next
fall will be the debut. But I really don't know."
"I remember the news when it was purchased."
Emory gushed over Trent for a few minutes. Mike and I just
looked at each other as if we weren't even at the table.
Laramie entered. I stood to hug him and introduced him to
Mike and Trent.
"I believe Lance has spoken about you," Mike noted.
Laramie shrunk into a crumpled ball of aluminum foil. "oh"
"They enjoyed meeting you over the summer."
"I thought he and his husband Jakob were solid fellas. Great
guys."
Laramie did have a great time with them prior to his
emotional episode. I could tell he was hoping that was what Lance had told them
about, not his brother's suicide.
"You'll get to see them again at Friendsgiving very soon," I
added. "It's nice that I was able to introduce the two of you to these
gentlemen here before the event. Back there..." The group turned toward the counter.
"... that's Brad. I've asked him too. And Mitchell."
"The more the merrier," Trent added. "I've heard a lot about
you guys through my walks with Cooper. It's nice to put faces to it."
Mitchell returned from the bathroom. The table was full now.
He acknowledged Laramie's arrival. The group let me talk for a while. The new
house was an appropriate conversation. They listened to what I loved, as well
as the minor quibbles. They were pleased that Corey was excited about his own
room, in addition to the whole house. Having a guest room, an office and a game
room was nice. It wasn't enormous, but I knew it was bigger than what Natalie
and I had.
As the conversation was spread among the group, I could
sense Trent watching me. He took notice of how often I looked at Laramie in
comparison to Mitch. I reached for Mitchell's hand on top of the table and held
it.
Mike and Trent spoke of some of the food they intended to
serve at Friendsgiving. It sounded good, but, of course, food was secondary. I
had only taken Mitch before. Having more friends come with me was going to be
nice, not to mention my friendship with Trent and Mike had grown. As we
visited, we asked the hosts if there was something we could contribute.
Graciously saying that wasn't necessary, I knew the event had grown, so Mike
and Trent noted a couple simple things that would prove beneficial: ice, chips,
bottled waters.
An incredibly handsome man walked past. Despite the season,
his clothing was on the lighter side for 45 degrees, not to mention a size too
small. All of us looked. Brad smiled at our group as he approached us. Mitch
continued to look at him, then he noticed me watching. Feeling sheepish and
awkward, he turned from my glance. I leaned in.
"You can ask him for his number if you want. You aren't tied
down to me," I whispered.
"Cooper, please stop," he admonished.
Although I had given Mitchell freedom, it felt good that he
was still fighting for "us."
I had run that afternoon. Things turned over in my mind.
Mitchell. Derek. The holidays. The Stricker's account. My family. Laramie's
kiss. Derek. Mitchell. Derek. FedEx. Laramie. Thanksgiving. Derek. I knew I
wasn't in a good place.
I lit a strawberry-scented candle and dimmed the lights. The
tea kettle whistled, and I started steeping some hot tea. I stared out the
French doors of the back patio. I liked how it turned out. I began mulling over
what trees would work well in the backyard.
Minutes later I reclined on our new couch. A cold front had
pushed through, and it was notably chillier than during my run. All the
conversations I was having inside my head that afternoon invaded my thoughts
again. I analyzed all the things in my life. I felt like I was learning to play
a new game of cards, but all the other players only spoke Spanish. I recognized
the cards I was dealt, but I didn't know what to do. Mentally, I knew I wasn't
healthy.
Ten minutes later, I put my cup in the sink.
"Hi, babe," Mitchell answered. "What's up? I just saw you
this morning."
"Mitch, I I I don't think ... that that I'm okay. I'm no
better off trying to figure out things. For me, for you, for us, I think I'll
see your friend. The therapist guy. Can you send me his contact information?"
"Logan? Sure. Sure. I really think he can help you, Cooper.
I'm glad you're trying. I'll email it when I get to my desk in the morning,
okay?"
"Okay."
"I love you, baby. Thanks for calling. Are you okay right
now? Need to talk?"
"No. That's all I wanted. Thanks. See you tomorrow. Good
night."
"Thanks for fitting me in. It's nice to meet you .. uh ... uh Dr. Horwood. Mitch speaks well of you."
"Nice to meet you, too, Cooper. He says great things about
you as well. Please, please. Sit."
I had slipped out of work 40 minutes early to be Dr.
Horwood's last appointment. It wasn't too far from the center where we held the
AA meetings. I just decided to treat myself to dinner out in-between.
"Tell me why you're here, Cooper."
"Well." I had to pause to figure out how to phrase my
doubts, my inability to get past Derek, my lack of confidence in the gay world.
Jeez, we could be tied up for years. "Well, Dr. uh ... uh ... am I supposed to call
you Dr. Horwood? I'm sorry. I'm not sure what the professional thing to do is."
He smiled. "What would make you the most comfortable? Would
Logan be better?"
"I think. Saying the word doctor makes it sound like
something is wrong with me, like I'm sick, you know?" He smiled at my comment.
"Am I sick??!"
"Just because you want to be better, doesn't mean you are
sick or that something is wrong with you. Sometimes things in life just throw
us off course."
That made me feel better. A little.
"Well, I'm not sure how to start. I don't know what all
Mitchell told you."
"Don't worry about Mitchell. I'm here to help you.
Let's start with telling me a little about you."
A "little" turned into 15 minutes telling him about my
religious upbringing, my marriage, my acceptance that I was gay. I let him know
I felt horrible about what I did to Natalie. I told him how much I loved my
son. He took a few notes, but basically, he gave me his attention. I wasn't
used to really being the center of conversation talking about my life for
such a long period of time. It was both awkward and contemplative at the same
time.
"And you and Mitch how did you two start while you were
married?"
"Well, I guess you know that much then. I was drinking
heavily for several months at that point. That last year of my marriage I knew
I was gay. I knew I was living a total lie. I thought drinking would either
push it away or make me forget, but ... neither happened. It was just one more
problem that developed."
Logan jotted some words on a pad.
"I'm not sure, actually. I mean Mitch had worked there for
more than a year at that point. I had seen him in meetings here or there. I
think I noticed he had grown a beard and..."
"He can never make up his mind," Logan said. "He doesn't
think it fits him, and then he'll shave it and then grow it again like eight
months later. Oops. I'm sorry for interrupting."
"But that's it. He had grown it and I thought it was sexy. I
guess I always thought he was pretty attractive, but with the beard ... I guess
he caught me staring. For a few weeks when we saw each other ... there was a
glance here, a smile there, a lingering look too long. I found myself trying ...
you know, making an effort ... to cross paths with him. We were in a staff
meeting one day. We both stood next to each other. His elbow bumped mine, and
then ... our arms just lingered pressed against each other. Soon we were flirting
a bit. Then kissing. By the time it became ... sexual ..." I paused. "Is that too
much to say? I don't know what I can or can't say here."
Logan smiled. "Cooper, it is safe to say anything here. It's
just between us."
"By the time I started exploring ... you know, taking it to a
sexual level, I knew my marriage needed to end. I was lying to Natalie. When
Mitch and I started our ... relationship, tryst ... I had been in AA for two or
three weeks, I think. I'm not exactly sure. It's all a bit of a blur. When ...
when I finally came clean to Nat and told her I was gay, Mitchell and I were ...
well, I guess we were a couple. I'm not sure if that's the right term. We
seemed to be falling for each other, but I was completely hiding it. Once
Natalie and I split, Mitch helped me get set up on my own. Despite my broken
marriage and my alcoholism, he stuck with me. Had he broken it off, I might
have started drinking again."
"I hear the program is more effective if people become
independent and sober before attempting a relationship."
"Right. And that's probably true, but we were in it already
and it was getting heavier."
"You haven't had a drink since?"
"One night. I caught Mitchell kissing a coworker. I had a
relapse. Then I saw a picture of Corey, and it grounded me. I remembered
shoving him one night I was drunk. I try to keep Corey as my rock."
Logan jotted a couple more notes.
"You forgave him in that instance, correct?"
"Yeah. I guess. We worked through it. For a year we were
fantastic. We had moved in together. We were just about to the point to where
we were going to get a house. He loved Corey. Corey loved him. We were a
family. And then ... then ..."
"And then you caught him cheating."
"You know, huh?"
"Mitchell and I are college friends. We talk about once a
month probably. Occasionally we will meet, but it's usually just a phone call.
He was rather distraught about the consequences of his actions."
"Yeah. He was upset. But I I I ... was completely
destroyed. My life was upside down in a blink. I so wanted to drink that day."
My eyes glazed over, and I stopped talking. I became transfixed at the sheer
nothingness in the center of the room. It was if the ether had me hypnotized.
Snapping back, I continued. "But I didn't. I was so grateful I didn't relapse.
It could have been bad. I just kept Corey front and center."
"This was close to a year ago. Why are you seeing me now?"
For the remainder of our session, I told him about seeing
Derek and the walls I had built up.
"I love him, but ... but ... but I'm not sure how I can ever get
over this. Get around this."
"He cheated on you. Do you know why you still love him?"
I thought. "I just do. I knew nothing about being gay. He
was a link to the gay world."
"The gay world?"
"I was a Baptist kid that knew nothing. At 36, I was pretty
much a gay virgin. The sex, the culture, the background ... Mitch was my only
connection to it. Without him, I felt adrift. I didn't know how to react ... how
to live. It took me a month to feel even brave enough to enter a gay coffeeshop
on my own. Mitch was my lighthouse, my bridge. I was helpless."
"Let's stop there. First, Cooper, you aren't helpless. You
have shared a lot about yourself. I appreciate that. With some patients, it
takes weeks to get to that point. I appreciate your trust."
We shook hands. I confirmed an appointment for next week.
"Hi, I'm Cooper. I'm an alcoholic."
"Hi, Cooper," the group replied.
"I finally admitted I needed help. For me to make things
right with Mitch, I knew I was going to have to see someone to help me get my
head around it. It was a little scary. But ... just being able to talk about it
specifically ... I think was helpful. I've been able to mention things to
friends, but they don't want to be put into a position to advise me what to do.
They care, but they aren't trained in this kind of thing. I know a counselor
won't fix it overnight, but I hope it doesn't take a long, long time. I'm not
sure how healthy this is for me to continue wrestling with thoughts and
feelings and doubts.
"But accepting help I think is a good thing. Thank you."
The group clapped.
A man I hadn't seen before walked to the front. He was
built!
"Hi, I'm Rex. I'm an alcoholic."
"Hi, Rex," the group replied.
"I've made it three weeks without a drink. Two months ago I
would have thought that impossible. When I turned 30, I ... I kind of gave up. I
was still alone, so I started drinking more. And more. And more. You see, I've
wanted to fall in love with ... with anybody since I graduated college. And ... and
it's never happened. Turning the big 3 0 with nothing on the horizon. My
enjoyment of a drink here or there became nightly. Then several nightly.
"I'm very committed to working out at least an hour a day. A
rigorous workout."
Rex was ripped. His shirt sleeves could barely contain his
arms. His body looked like Duane Johnson's.
"I was on the football team in college. I've held a good
build for my adult life. I think I dress nice. I kept working out thinking a
woman might notice me. When I see my body in the mirror, I think I've done a
good job. Then I look myself in the eyes. And I know. I know I'm not handsome.
Nice body. If I can be so blunt, I'm not too bad `down there' either. But year
after year I see it. Women will see my body and come up to me, but when they
see my face, they smile and move on. I know I'm not handsome. Of all the things
in my control, that's not one of them. Finally, I tried to bury my
disappointment in alcohol. I worked out harder to make sure I kept the pounds
off. But when I saw that I had put on five pounds even after working out, I
stared into my garbage can. Full of bottles. I knew I had a problem. Drinking
wasn't my solution. So hard as it was, I threw it all out. Whenever I feel like
drinking, I run. Or do jumping jacks in the house if it's late."
I looked at Rex. He was so hard on himself. But he wasn't
too far off. His face wasn't really that attractive. His hair was fine, but his
nose had a peculiar shape. There was a discoloration to his cheek. An
indentation to the right of his eye seemed like it didn't belong. He just
didn't have attractive facial features. I immediately felt pity for him. I've
been told all my life that I'm good looking. I'm pretty content with my
appearance. Other than my dick, that is. I could sympathize for Rex, but I could
not relate to him in any way. What pain that must feel like. And what a crappy
world we lived in that makes people feel this way.
"So, they recommend newcomers to the program not date. Get
sober first. And, you know, I'm going to do just that. I'm not going to worry
about meeting the right one. Or anyone. For a while, I'm just going to try to
like me. If I can't, how can I expect someone else to, you know? Maybe it will
happen one day; maybe it won't.
"I've never told anyone any of this. I have never had enough
courage. Pride was always in the way. Thank you for listening."
The group clapped. Rex returned to his seat and hung his
head.
"Hi, I'm Ophelia. I'm an alcoholic."
"Hi, Ophelia," the group replied.
"We decided last weekend that both my family and my
husband's family will meet at our house for Thanksgiving. Both families. We
haven't done that in about eight years. Certainly not since I became an
alcoholic. It's taken a few years for his family to even acknowledge me again.
We're all in a good place now. So, I'm thrilled. It's the best news I've had in
a long time.
"Thank you."
The group clapped.
When the meeting was over, there was still half a pot of
coffee. Instead of going out, O and I decided to just finish it off. I asked
Rex if he would like some company. I think he felt it was nice to be asked. We
each poured ourselves a cup and then cleaned the area. The room wouldn't be
needed for another 45 minutes. We put away all the chairs except for our three.
"Cooper, I'm glad you are seeing someone to help you with
your struggles," Ophelia said.
"Thanks. It's a bit odd, but I think it could help. If not,
I don't know what will make things better, other than a time machine."
"I don't mean to pry..." Rex said.
I gave him a two-minute synopsis of my relationship with
Mitch and how I was struggling with fixing it.
"Man, I wouldn't have guessed you to be gay. Don't take that
the wrong way. You're everything I wish I could be. I am surprised that you
aren't using your looks on women."
Ophelia shifted awkwardly in her seat.
"I was married for a while. It ... it was a lie. I drank to
push the truth away."
"Wow. You've had a lot on your plate."
"Kind of. I was good for a while, but even so, I'm also
thankful for what I have."
"You are very handsome too. I wish I had your looks."
"I wish I had your body. And ... I don't mean that in a ... a
flirty way."
"I'll take the compliment." He smiled.
"Don't take the artificiality of dating too much to heart,"
Ophelia told Rex. "Someone will see the true you one day. You'll be ready. It's
... it's hard to force it."
We talked for about ten more minutes, then Rex shook our
hands and thanked us for our time.
Mitch and I enjoyed lunch together. Before returning to our
offices, we kissed. When things were good, they were really good. Hopefully, my
sessions with Logan would help me get rid of my doubts.
One thing in my life that was certainly on track was work.
In this past year, a promotion and a few bonuses on major accounts put things
in a comfortable state. I wasn't rich by any means, but I could easily handle
house payments with my own salary. If Corey or I needed something, I could
sensibly get it. I wasn't planning on buying a Porsche or anything foolish, but
I was in a much better situation than when I left Natalie, or even when Mitch
and I split and I had to get the single bedroom
apartment to begin with.
It was 4 o'clock and I felt I had my work for the day
accomplished. Our firm was not on a time clock by typical standards, but there
was an implied level of obligation to be available in the building. In years
past, I would have poured myself a drink. I treated myself to a Dr. Pepper.
As the carbonated gurgle of fizz bubbles subsided in my glass,
I pulled out my phone and texted Laramie.
"Hi buddy. How did the night finish up at Black Stallion
the other night?"
I wondered if he did get introduced to someone by his
friends. If they happened to hit it off, I admitted to myself that it could
simplify life a lot.
He didn't respond.
It was just before 8. I heard my phone signal a tone that a
text came in.
"Sorry. Hard day at work. Just saw this on my phone."
"It was okay."
Hmm. I couldn't tell what that meant. Was he hesitant to
tell me he enjoyed being with someone else? Was it no big deal? Was the guy a
jerk? A Romeo? A stud? Rich? Asian? Had three thumbs? I had nothing to go on.
Oh well. It wasn't really my business. If it worked out for
him, good. It would certainly uncomplicate things in one small area. Laramie
was a distraction from what I really needed to focus on: Mitchell.
Another text came in.
"Just showered. Going to grab a burger. Want to join?"
I had eaten.
"Just put my dinner dishes in the washer. I can come if
you need company."
I had nothing pressing, but there were always things to fine
tune with the new house.
"Nah. No biggie.
I'm fine."
I called. Laramie answered.
"When someone says they're fine, that usually means
something is up. Anything wrong?"
"No. I didn't imply that. I meant I would be okay on my own.
I'm used to that. No worries."
"Okay. But I wouldn't have minded if you wanted company."
"I always enjoy your company, but that would be needless
since you've eaten. Plus, you joined me the other night. C.J. liked you."
"Your friends were nice. How late did you all stay?"
"Well, I bailed probably a little before midnight. Which was
too late. The next day at work was sort of not my A game. Who knows how late
they stayed."
"Ah. Did you continue to dance."
"Yeah. Some. Another friend of theirs joined us."
"I see."
"I kind of think it was a setup. They hadn't mentioned him
when they invited me."
"Oh? How was he?" I said innocently.
`Um. Okay. Just a guy. I could smell smoke on him. It
reminded me of my dad. No sparks there." He chuckled.
"Oh well. I'm sorry it didn't work out."
"He wasn't
you."
I'm not sure if I was supposed to hear that mumble or not,
but I did.
"I enjoyed myself. It was nice of you to ask. I'm not sure I
see myself doing it on my own, but it was fun."
"Good. Will I see you Sunday?"
"At Joe? If Corey wants to."
I picked up Corey at school. He didn't seem to mind hanging
about the campus for either Natalie or me to get off. At 14, we felt fairly
comfortable letting him stay. He and a few choir friends chilled out. I'm glad
he had good friends.
"Mitch is staying with us this weekend," I said.
"Great."
"He's picking up pizza right now. Is pepperoni fine?"
"Are there mushrooms on the whole thing?"
"Only my half. Your half has broccoli."
"What?!"
"Just kidding. I think Mitchell wants hamburger on the other
side."
"That's fine. Sounds good."
As the empty and grease-stained pizza box was stood next to
the trash, I noticed how much more Corey was eating nowadays. He was growing.
He was due a growth spurt, so it could possibly be on the horizon.
I wasn't sure if I thought it was a good idea, but Mitchell
wanted to teach Corey how to play poker. I didn't have anything against it from
a moral standpoint, but a parent always wonders when you introduce children to
an adult vice alcohol, gambling, cuss words, R-rated movies was it a smart
move? I admitted they can't be innocent souls forever, but still ... the thought
of Corey throwing down big wads of money on the table in the years ahead made
me cringe. As did me thinking of him smoking pot, getting drunk or being naked
with ... ANYbody. I think above all that was me
picturing him behind the wheel of a car.
Forty minutes into it, Corey didn't have to look at the
chart of what hand beat what anymore. He picked up on that pretty well. Once
Corey got the idea of one game, Mitchell taught him a variation of it. Mitchell
had about half the Skittles, and Corey about a third. My pile was the smallest.
Finally, I had a killer hand. I wasn't good at bluffing, but
I did well at raising the pot as far as I could. I got a nice sugary windfall
with that.
When all was said and done, Corey did fairly well for
himself. He played conservatively, but Mitchell always had the biggest pot of
Skittles.
I loved watching the two of them. Corey was having a ball.
Once the news came on, we called it quits. The local news covered Friday night
football, so Corey was interested in that, a little at least. He was paying
attention to the high school he would enter next year. For the first time, I thought
about how nice it would be if he could be at the school where Mike taught. Sadly,
the zones didn't work out that way.
Can I stay up and play video games?" he asked me when we
hugged good night.
"Midnight is the cutoff, okay?"
"Okay."
"Plus, some of them get loud. Even though you are now
upstairs, put on the headphones, okay?"
"Fine. That's fine."
"Yes. Oh, yeah. Ungh! Mitchell! Ungh! UNGH!!"
I was coming deep in his ass. My arms squeezed him tight
below his chest. Once the last drops of cum fired from my erection, the full
weight of my body crashed onto his back.
"Stay in me, Cooper."
We melded into one. My cock continued to pulse inside him
with phantom ejaculations. A minute later, my erection had retreated, and I
pulled out. I wiped it with a warm washcloth in the bathroom. Upon my return to
the bed, Mitchell was now on his back. His cock looked as glorious as ever.
For several minutes, I slurped loudly on his flesh. He
softly moaned.
"You've got 30 more minutes before he takes off the headphones.
You can be louder," I said.
"What if he goes to the bathroom or something."
"Well, I'm not telling you to yell `FIRE!' or anything. But
enjoy yourself."
He did. It was a wonderful blowjob if I was able to
compliment myself. His erection was good, but I could feel it stiffening
further. Mitchell was close.
"Come on my face," I said, taking my mouth of his cock.
"Whaaaattt?!!"
"I want you to."
"You do?"
"Yeah. Will you do it?"
We scrambled in our positions. Now on my back, I watched my
lover straddle my chest. His fist pounded his bright, red phallus. It was
inches from my face. He leaned a bit forward, and the tip of my tongue licked
pre-cum from his rod.
I knew Mitch's mannerisms. His body's language communicated
his orgasm was rising.
"That's it, babe," I said. "Shoot it on me."
Mitch really didn't shoot. Not like me. His cum came out
more in silent gurgles. I inhaled the musk of his crotch right above me.
Slightly sweaty, 100 percent masculine. I breathed in his passion.
"I'm coming!" he whispered loudly.
For the first time in my life, I felt cum hit my face. For
Mitchell, it was fairly good distance. As the further spasms dripped, he thrust
his hips forward to aim it at my mouth and neck. When he was spent, he touched
the end of his cock to my lips. I devoured the flesh, almost all of it,
bringing in some cum with it. I held it captive for more than a minute, not
letting him remove it. My hands gripped on his butt cheeks to let me suckle his
dick as I felt its firmness decrease. My tongue swirled and swam all over the
length of his manhood.
He pulled his body away and grabbed the washcloth to clean
my face. I smiled.
Moving his body to position next to mine, one of his arms
moved across my chest.
"Where did that come from? Did Logan tell you to do that?"
I laughed. "Good lord, no. I've only seen him one time. We
wouldn't have talked about anything like that."
"How did it go?" he asked, putting his head on my shoulder.
"Good, I guess. I felt comfortable talking to him. He's
nice."
"What did you talk about?"
"Well. I really think I should keep that between him and
me."
"I suppose. I hope it helps." He kissed me. "I'm glad you're
seeing him. I hope it's a good thing. Thanks for doing it for us."
Was I? I guessed so. It was more for me to get past my walls,
my demons, my roadblocks. I supposed that would make things better for us.
Brad didn't want to let go of Corey as they hugged. I was no
longer worried about Corey being in the pseudo-gay environment of Joe, but it
still struck me curious as this young teen was so taken with a gay coffee
barista.
"I swear you've grown an inch in the last week," Brad told
him. "Next week you're going to have a moustache."
Following taking our order at the counter, Brad shooed us to
a table, informing us that he would deliver our beverages.
Emory had a large table for us. He shook all our hands. Had
it just been me, he probably would have stood for a hug.
"I'm excited for this Saturday," he said.
"Friendsgiving? I know. It should be great. Want to ride
with us or drive on your own?"
"If you're willing, I'll ride with you."
"That probably will help with the parking situation."
I provided Emory with our new address and the time we wanted
to leave on Saturday.
Brad delivered our coffees.
Laramie walked in and walked to our table. He ran his hand
through Corey's hair to muss it all up. My son giggled.
"Cappuccino," Laramie said to Brad and flipped him a ten.
"Cinnamon roll?" Laramie nodded.
I saw Corey crane his neck toward the flavor pumps. He
looked at me, and I nodded. "Go ahead."
As he walked over, I softly told the others, "I know
Saturday is about friends, but I just wanted to tell you all now how much I appreciate how well you have treated my son.
It means so much to me. I had been worried about what the divorce and, duh,
finding out your dad is gay would do to him. You guys have really made him
see ... us ... as typical people. Thank you so much."
"Speak for yourself. Who wants to be typical?" Emory joked.
"I meant that in a `non-scary' kind of way."
"He's great," said Laramie. "You've done a great job raising
him."
"Natalie deserves most of the credit. I'm kind of proud of
who I am with him right now. I think I've been a good dad, but ... whoo, those alcohol years ... I'm very ashamed of those."
"He seems to have moved past those," said Emory. "I can tell
he loves being with you."
I smiled at my friends. They had been a great support group.
I grabbed Mitch's hand.
Corey returned and told me he had chosen French Vanilla.
"You never put anything in yours, do you, Dad?"
"On occasion. I learned to like it black. I will every now
and then."
He tasted his, then tasted mine. I could tell he was
comparing. I felt he liked his best.
Brad brought Laramie his items.
"What smells good?" Corey asked him.
"Well, kiddo," Brad said, leaning over Corey. "Carlos has
just pulled cherry and strawberry cheesecake Danishes from the oven."
"Bring him one of each," Laramie said, handing him another
ten, plus a couple extra bucks.
"Hey. He doesn't need that much," I said.
"Bring extra forks," Corey said. Laramie winked at him.
For an hour, we all visited and had great conversation.
Corey acted very adult but not pretentious. As we went to our cars, all of us
hugged and mentioned we would be looking forward to Friendsgiving over the weekend.
Natalie called me Tuesday night. "What have you done?"
"What are you talking about?"
"When I asked Corey to start making a Christmas list for
relatives, the first thing he asked for was a coffee maker."
I laughed out loud.
"What made you fall in love with Mitchell?" Logan asked.
"Well, I think he is good looking, so that's a start; it's
what attracted me to him at least. But the more we spent time with each other,
the more fun I had. Being gay was fun. For my whole life, I had been led to believe
the gay lifestyle was seedy and sinful and filthy ... but ... I enjoyed it with
Mitch. Not just the sex part, I I I just felt like ... me. You know? It was
like I wasn't lying anymore."
Logan nodded and jotted a note down.
"Can I be honest?" I asked.
"That's the point," he replied.
"Sex was better with him." Logan smiled. "I mean, it was ...
fine ... with Natalie. I enjoyed it. It was obviously enough for me to get ...
well, we had a child. But sex with Mitch was ... like ... like a Broadway show."
Logan looked confused. "Sex with Natalie was enjoyable, but when I was with
Mitch it was a wow." He nodded.
"Can I ask if those are the only two people you have slept
with?"
"Yes." I lied. I wasn't counting Emory. That was its own
thing. Like an alternate universe. Then I felt like a hypocrite. Why was I
entitled to the multiverse, but Mitch wasn't? I defended my stance that I never
would have agreed to Emory's proposal if Mitch and I were in a committed
relationship. I somehow was still allowing myself special circumstances.
"Cooper?"
"Oh. Sorry. I I just liked who I was with Mitchell more
than I did with Natalie."
"Do you feel he brought out the best in you?"
"More like he brought out the truth."
"So. He cheated on you, and you
guys split. Why go back?"
I was quiet a moment. "Because I still loved him."
"Even though he cheated."
"Even though I saw him fuck someone else." I felt
embarrassed that I cussed in front of a doctor.
"Do you feel you could experience your truth with anyone
else?"
"To be honest, probably not. Mitch was so kind with me being
such a ... gay newbie when we started. How many people are willing to do that?
Who would want someone like me when they can have a person who had experience?"
"Cooper, you've dated one man. There certainly will be other
people who would be interested."
Actually, since I had all my fears materialize last winter,
Emory and Laramie had both developed feelings for me. I slept with one and have
kissed the other. I felt like a major hypocrite.
"Maybe."
"Do you have any reason to believe that Mitch has cheated
again?"
"No. Derek walked into his office, but he wasn't expecting
him. Then he accidentally called me Derek on Halloween..."
"Ouch."
"Yeah. It was a blunder. Mitch said he hadn't been with
Derek since we started seeing each other."
"And you believe him?"
"I do. The sad part is all it takes is for me to see a FedEx
truck to retreat back into a hole." Logan looked confused. "Derek worked for
FedEx."
"So. How long do you think that will go on?"
"I have no idea! That's why I'm here. It's just ... just ... a
WALL I can't get past. I want to forgive Mitch. But those triggers bring me
right back to the moment I walked in on ... them."
"So maybe forgiving and forgetting isn't the problem. Do you
think you are hanging on to the pain for any reason?"
"No. I can't see what good that would do."
"Let's try to see things like Mitchell does. How do you
think he feels?"
"About ...?"
"About everything."
"Well, as far as Derek goes, he has clearly conveyed he
regrets it. All of it. He says it was all a terrible mistake."
"And do you believe him?"
"I ... I don't know. I do believe he loves me. He's been
faithful since we started seeing each other. I feel it is now more my issue
than his. He wants to make it work."
"And so now he is in this terrarium you've created where he
is tiptoeing through it, afraid to bend even a blade of grass."
"I wouldn't say I have come off that harshly. We've been
good together, but ... yeah. He has tarnished my level of trust. Again. I feel
this is my issue now."
"Do you think of yourself as fair?"
"I don't know if it is fair or unfair more than just how I
feel." I paused. "I knew that it was hard for him to know what to do. He still
wants to make us work, but ... it was hard for me to ... well, I can't get over or
around the wall. Finally, whether I am fair or not, I didn't think it was fair
for him to ... as you say, tiptoe around me. I never wanted him to be on
eggshells while we reconciled." I contemplated sharing my recent move. "I gave
him permission to see whoever he wanted. We're still dating. Sex is still
great, but ... I've let him out of any commitment. If I'm a mess, he doesn't
deserve that."
"Really?"
"Yes. He can date whoever he wants."
"And do you think he is?"
"No. I think he is staying loyal to me."
"I see. Good. And does that mean anything to you?"
"I love him. So, yes, it does."
"And does your release from commitment extend to you as well?"
"I didn't tell Mitch that so I could date other people."
"Okay. So no one else is in your picture."
I went silent. My brain could not form an answer. I wanted
to say there was no one else I was interested in. But I couldn't say the words.
I had kissed Laramie more than once. It was a flirtatious attraction, but I
knew I was in love with Mitchell. Laramie and I were just good friends. I just
let it go too far. That's all that was. And just that made me feel more like
Captain Hypocrite.
"Cooper?"
Logan had broken my trance. "I'm ... I'm not ... seeing
anyone else."
"Why did that sound like you were trying to convince
yourself?" Do you have feelings for someone other than Mitch?"
"No. Yeah. No. I don't know."
"Hmmm." He jotted notes. "This sounds worth exploring, but
it also sounds too big to delve into with just a few minutes remaining. Let's
stop there."
"okay."
I didn't know why, but I felt exposed.
"Our offices will be closed next week. I do hope you have a
great Thanksgiving, and I'll see you after the holiday."
We shook hands before I exited.
Mitch, Laramie and Emory all met at my house. I gave a tour
for Emory before we headed to Mike and Trent's place. He thought it was
beautiful. I noted I needed to get a few more works of art for the wall since the
house was much bigger than the apartment.
Twenty minutes later we pulled up to Mike and Trent's house.
I was glad we carpooled as the street was already fairly full. There was never
a set start and end time, but I never wanted to be the first to arrive.
Clearly, we were not.
We found Mike first. He was near the door. I introduced
Laramie. He knew everyone else. Emory and Laramie had never been to the house.
Mike gave them a quick tour. Those at the event were fairly divided between
indoors and outdoors. Upper 40s for November wasn't out of the norm, but it was
a bit cool for some people. Because it was sunny and there was no wind, many
people enjoyed the afternoon air in our hosts' backyard. I could tell Jakob's
touch had accented the tables. I had not seen him or Lance.
A text came in.
"I am so sorry not to be there this year. How is it?"
It was from Ophelia. She had family obligations this year.
"We haven't been here long, but it looks nice."
"Give my best to the hosts. Surely Lance and Jakob will
be there. Give them huge hugs from me."
"Will do. Have a great weekend. I am thankful for your
friendship, O."
She replied with a heart emoji.
Before I could even search out Lance and Jakob, I was almost
tackled. Lance squeezed me from behind. As I turned, he placed a big smooch on
my cheek. I giggled. We embraced with a firm hold. He started to pull away, and
I grabbed him again.
"This one's from Ophelia."
"I'm so bummed she can't come."
"She is too. But sends her love." Lance was alone. "Where's
Jakob?"
"I honestly have no idea. I think he works more than
socializes at this thing. But he loves it. Try the kitchen."
Before stepping away, Emory and Laramie joined me outside. I
introduced Emory to Lance. They shook hands.
"Nice to meet you. Larry, I'm so glad to see you again."
I saw Laramie smile. He had felt so awkward with his
emotional episode at Lance's and Jakob's house during the summer. I was glad he
felt welcome.
Inside, Jakob was adding appetizers to a table and accenting
their presentation. When he saw me, he ran to me and kissed me on the lips.
"Cooper! Cooper, Cooper, Cooper. I'm so glad to see you." He
squeezed me tight.
"Me too. You look great. Ophelia sends her love."
"Aw. I miss her." He turned to the table. "The artichoke dip
is heaven, but I just took these toasted raviolis out of the oven. They're
great."
I popped one in my mouth. It was piping hot, so I should
have let it cool a moment. I'm sure I looked a bit comical as it scaled the
inside of my mouth.
A text came in. It was Brad.
"I assume by all the cars that I am at the right place.
Do I just walk in?"
"Yes, that's fine."
A moment later, he was at the door. Mike welcomed him. I
knew Brad would know almost nobody. I darted over there to be a familiar face
as Mike reintroduced himself, having only talked to Mike once at Joe. Brad
smiled but looked terribly awkward.
"Hi! Brad, I'm glad you could come. Mike, Brad is one of the
nicest people I know. I'm so glad to have met him this year. He's a good
friend."
A smile slightly formed on Brad's mouth. I took him to the
backyard. He would know people there. Once we were outside, Trent had Amadeus
visiting with people. He was excited, but thankfully he was still in control.
He was a great dog, as long as people were giving him attention.
Although a bit concerned about making sure my friends had a
good time, I didn't need to worry much. Emory was enthralled being at the home
of his local idol. Mitch had met enough of them either in the previous two
years or at Lance's and Jakob's wedding. People mingled well. It wasn't a gay
gathering; Mike invited teachers from his school, and Trent had people from the
station. It wasn't an alcoholic event; our small group was just a portion of
attendees. It was a friendship thing.
I saw Dr. Owens. I remembered him from Lance and Jakob's
wedding. I went over to say hello.
The temperature was dropping. Most people moved inside
before the sun had set. The food tables never seemed to get empty. Trent, Mike
and Jakob always seemed to be bringing out something new. Our hosts had a great
selection of nonalcoholic offerings. I had never seen my friends laugh so much.
Trent gathered us near the piano. As in the past, we lit a
candle for Tyler. For those new to the event, Trent explained who Tyler was,
and that he was the reason the event started. He then read a poem about
friendship. There were several one-armed hugs and hands on shoulders. Mitch
wrapped his arms around me as he stood behind me. We all felt great.
As he had in the past, Trent had written a song. The intro
to the song was a slow melody. Trent's voice joined in beautifully:
"The sun shines to the horizon
My path stretches farther than I can see
I make choices along the way
But I know some things are chosen for me
Lightning crashes in our hearts
At times we feel like we're on our own
People are with me along the way
I know I know that I'm never alone
You're the foundation that keeps me on the ground
You are the lifeguard that watches the beach
When I'm lost you make sure that I'm found
You are the ladder that allows me to reach
You are my friend
New friends, old friends join our road
We can never know how long they'll stay
How they touch us they may never know
But true friends will never really drift away
You're the foundation that keeps me on the ground
You are the lifeguard that watches the beach
When I'm lost you make sure that I'm found
You are the ladder that allows me to reach
You are my friend
We all take, we all receive
Gifts are given to us all
Friends are gifts, I truly believe
Friends are the greatest gifts of all
You're the foundation that keeps me on the ground
You are the lifeguard that watches the beach
When I'm lost you make sure that I'm found
You are the ladder that allows me to reach
You are my friend
You are my friend."
We all applauded. He then burst into "Thank You for Being a
Friend," the song written by Andrew Gold and released in 1978, but it was made
much more famous as being the theme song to The Golden Girls. Everyone
joined in. Suddenly, forty voices filled the room. At the end of the song,
everyone cheered. Brad cheered the loudest.
Jakob and Mike had two kinds of champagne ready, so that
those in AA would have something nonalcoholic to enjoy as well.
Trent made a toast: "It would be easy to just make a toast
to friendship, but today I wish to look at it from a different angle. You are
here because someone loves you. You are here because you make someone's life
better. You are here because you mean something. You are something wonderful.
You are a gift. So, as friends gather to celebrate our friendship with each
other, I'd like to make a toast to each of you and how awesome you are. To
you!"
"To ME!" the crowd cheered and smiled and laughed, as they
raised their glasses.
I kissed Mitchell. And then Emory. And then Laramie. And
Lance.
Brad had stepped over to the side of the room.
"Are you okay?" I asked, walking up to him.
"Very much so," he said earnestly, looking into my eyes.
"I've .. I've never been to
anything like this. I've been to parties some that weren't a great decision
but..." Brad stopped.
He set down his drink. He walked up to me and wrapped his
arms around me.
"You have no idea what you have done for me today."
"Me?"
"I don't know if I can explain it. I mean, I have friends.
Quite a few. I have fun with them. I enjoy their company. But this was a
different kind of friendship. Cooper, today you made me feel like I mattered by
being here." He looked me in the eyes. "Thank you. Thank you for being my
friend."
We looked at each other in the eyes and leaned in for a
simple kiss. We hugged again.
"I'm very glad you are in my life," I softly said into
Brad's ear.
He squeezed me tighter and gave me a big smooch on the
cheek.
He let me go and motioned me back over to Mitch.
"He's fun," Trent said to me.
"Brad's awesome. He's really good with Corey too. I was
worried about bringing Corey into ... gay things. The people, the culture. Brad
took an instant liking to him. In that regard, I'm so much better than I was
last winter."
"That regard ..." Trent started. "Are things good with Mitch?"
"I'm not sure. I mean, yes, we're ... fine. I guess. I mean,
we are still having great sex and everything."
I was astonished I could say something so bold. For Lance,
it would have been a kindergarten comment.
"Is there a `but' coming?"
"I'm seeing a therapist to kind of work through obstacles I
feel are in my way."
"Oh. Well, I hope it helps."
Trent instantly felt awkward. I couldn't blame him for not
knowing what to say. He shifted his weight.
"You know, Laramie is handsome. He's kind of hot," he said,
trying to change the subject.
"You should see him in a cowboy hat. Yum."
Trent turned from Laramie to look at me.
"Oh?" he said, raising an eyebrow.
"We're ... we're just friends. That's all."
"Oh?" Again, the eyebrow went up. "Sounds like we need to
take a run next week. How about the day after Thanksgiving?"
I agreed. I had a therapist but talking to a friend could be
a good idea too.
Thirty minutes later, Brad came up to me and grabbed my
hands. "Thank you again for inviting me, Cooper. I had a really great time."
"Thank you for coming, my friend."
We hugged, and Brad said his goodbyes to the rest of our
coffee group. He waved to a few friends he had made.
Our carpool stayed until the group had dwindled down to
about a dozen. We offered to help Mike and Trent clean up, but they refused.
My final moments were with Lance and Jakob.
"Cooper, we'd like to come visit you at Christmas."
"I'd love that. I should have a dinner party. And then the
two of you could stay the night for a longer visit."
"We'd love that," Jakob said. "We miss you so much."
"I'm sure you have new friends in Von."
"We do. But no one can replace the relationships we had in
our group. We love you, Cooper."
"Thank you. And I you. I will be sure to send your regards
to the group. I'm sure Richard would like to hear about how well you are doing."
Eventually we were in the car.
"That. Was. Awesome!" Emory said.
The rest of us laughed. "Well, I'm glad you had a good time.
I'm glad all of you came."
"Agreed," they all said. "It was really nice."
"I can't believe I was in Trent Kyriazi's
house," Emory said. "And he acted just like a normal guy."
"Because he is," I said.
Mitch grabbed my hand. Our fingers interlocked. I smiled at
him. As my gaze returned to the road ahead, my eyes glanced into the rear view
mirror. Laramie was looking out the window. I thought he looked beautiful. And
hot.
"I'm surprisingly tired," I said as I moved to my side of
the bed.
"Me too, but in a good way. Maybe it was all the standing at
Mike and Trent's place."
"How many drinks did you have?"
"Um ... with the toast ... three? Four?" I turned the light out.
Mitchell pulled me close. "Does that bother you?"
"No. Not at all. I remember in my drinking days that I just
had no energy after a few drinks."
"Hm. I don't think that's it, necessarily. I think it is the
change of the seasons. Ever since daylight saving time ended, my mind gets
weird." I chuckled. After kissing me on the lips, he said, "I'm glad it didn't
bother you. I wouldn't do it if it did. I just knew I didn't have to drive."
Mitchell had a T-shirt on with his briefs. I only had on
boxers. His hand roamed over my chest. I loved his touch. Eventually it slid
down under my waistband. He groped my cock and balls. I was not hard.
"I'm tired. Is it okay if we don't have sex tonight?"
"Sure."
I reached over to Mitchell's crotch. His briefs held an
I-beam.
"Oh."
"Don't worry. I'm fine."
I moved my arm to wrap around his chest. I teased his chest
hair a little. "You sure?"
"Mmm. I have an idea."
"Oh?"
"We've been doing things out of the norm lately. This
wouldn't require you to put forth any effort."
I laughed out loud. "Do I need to leave the room?"
He returned the laugh. He turned me over onto my stomach and
moved his body atop mine. His head leaned to my ear. "Can I come on your back?"
I found it interesting. "Okay."
He reached into the nightstand on his side and grabbed a
towel. The lube was on my side. He asked if I would reach for it.
Mitch pulled his T-shirt off. He positioned his body to straddle
mine. His hands started rubbing my back, massaging it from my shoulder blades
down to the pelvis. I moaned in the physical gesture. "Nice." After two minutes
of massage, I could tell he was removing his underwear to be naked above me.
His hands gripped my boxers and pulled them down my legs.
"Lift up," he instructed. He moved the towel to stretch
below me.
I jumped a bit when I felt a line of lube drip above my ass
crack. After squirting some in his hand, I heard the lid snap closed. The sound
of him coating his cock was apparent. He wiped his hands.
Leaning down over me again, he pushed his erection above my
ass crack and up into the small of my back. He continued rubbing his dick back
and forth. It moved lower down into the crevice of my ass, but his intention
was not to penetrate me. He just thrust his cock up and down my waist and back.
Mitchell moaned as he frotted his slickened manhood
up and down my body. A minute or two into it, he began groaning. I was enjoying
this new experience, even though it required nothing of me. As he pleasured
himself, Mitchell began panting.
That's when it hit me. Even though he had brushed his teeth,
the slightest hint of booze coming from his breath and off his skin made me
distracted. Did I smell like that when I was drunk? Could Natalie smell it?
Corey? My coworkers???
"Ungh!! Ungh!!" Mitchell screamed as he pushed harder in his
self-pleasure. Like a carpenter sawing his dick back and forth across my crack
and back, Mitchell's moaning was new. He was enjoying this. He leaned down to
gently bite my neck.
"Cooper," he whispered. "Ungh! Cooper."
His cock was so hard it felt like a broom handle sliding up
and down my crack. He worked his hands under me and gripped my pecs. His waist
continued to thrust and push itself along my body. For a few minutes, he let
the weight of his body rest on mine as he kept thrusting into my back.
"Cooper, I love you so much."
Then Mitch got really loud. We were alone in the house. He
screamed in my ear. "I'm so close, baby. It feels so good!!"
"Come for me, Mitch," I offered.
His chest adhered to mine with the sweat he worked up.
"I'm gonna come."
"Come for me."
"I'm gonna come!"
"Do it."
Mitchell moved up onto stiff arms.
"FUCK! God, I'm coming!!!"
The base of his rod pushed into the end of my crack hard
and I felt warm liquid land on my back. He screamed in pleasure that borderline
sounded like anguish. Soon, his cum was landing in small droplets. The
sensation on my skin was fun. His cum had never been there before.
He collapsed on me. Our bodies smeared the cum between our
warmed skin. He wriggled his cock into my back. It was slippery and sticky and
warm and masculine.
As his breathing returned to normal, all I could think about
was the alcohol on his breath as he panted into my neck.
"Love you, Cooper."
Mitch and I joined Emory. I noted that Laramie had to go in
to work since he joined everyone for Friendsgiving yesterday.
"Thank you so much for inviting me. I had such a good time,"
Emory beamed.
All of us got our coffee at the counter. Mitch added pumpkin
spice at the flavor counter. Blasphemer.
As Emory stirred sugar into his, he looked at me and smiled.
"Can I go next year?"
I laughed, and Mitch joined in.
"Assuming we're all still in this little group, sure." I
smiled at his childish enthusiasm. "You didn't do anything crazy to have Trent
blackball you, did you?"
"Does he do that?" Emory asked in alarm.
"No. Of course not," I chuckled.
"He and his husband are a beautiful couple."
"Yes, they are," I agreed.
Brad set a blueberry kalachi in front of me. He kissed me on
the top of my head. "On the house."
I winked at him.
During conversation, I became aware of Emory having to spend
the holiday alone. I sympathized, but he waved it away.
"I already have some traditional meal items in the freezer.
It's no big deal."
"Well, I'd much rather spend it with you than my family, but
that's a cross I have to bear."
"I'm fine. Don't give it a second thought."
I nodded, but I knew deep down he would miss his old
partner, Gene. It reminded me of Richard from AA and how Christmas affected
him. Holidays weren't always great.
I took a deep breath and opened the front door.
"Happy Thanksgiving," I called out.
My mother met me with a hug, emerging from the kitchen. I
was pleased to see Uncle Randy was there. He was always a shelter in the storm.
I hugged him firmly, letting him know how happy I was to see him. We sat down
for a few minutes, and I just let him talk about his work. I didn't mind
hearing about things at the church. It was easy enough for me to relate to it.
Judith and Wayne were there. They walked past us. Thomas
came up, and I encouraged him to call Corey. He was more than happy to do so.
My father was in the garage. I went out to say hello. He had
just pulled down some Christmas boxes. Since the weather was turning colder
tomorrow, he wanted to get a few of the decorations out in the front yard. I
helped him with the boxes of lights. He was too old to get on a ladder to
outline the roof's trim, but he and Mom still liked lights in the bushes.
Simple but festive.
We both talked about work a bit. He was just a couple of
years from retiring. He was delighted to hear about the bonuses and raises I
had received. My father was always impressed with money. That was the sign of
true success and happiness. It made me realize I didn't call him enough to
share such things. Conversations with family always seemed to be a walk across
a field with landmines.
He told me a few "don't tell your mother I told you" things
about her health. Nothing sounded serious, but he confided the issues concerned
her. I told him I would keep it private but appreciated him sharing, as well as
to keep me in the loop.
Dad had two-dimensional wooden figures he put out each year.
I helped carry them. I commented on how I remembered the very first ones he
made when I was in junior high. Those were a tad more primitive, but in the
years following, he had done a fine job with these. I think we had snowmen for
more than two decades. Santa's sleigh piled with toys was his finest work. The
gifts stretched about nine feet tall. Because it was the most susceptible to
wind, it had extra bracing. We got all the stakes pounded in.
Curtis and Anita had arrived while we had been working. They
didn't come over to us, but they waved to acknowledge our presence.
Dad usually steered clear of my personal life. He held the
breakup of my marriage as an embarrassment to the family, although he never
voiced that opinion. His body language said enough. When he asked how things
were between Mitchell and myself, I was taken aback.
I wished to avoid the cement-mixer love life with Mitch, not
to mention my seeking therapy and my flirtations with Laramie.
"Mitchell and I are okay, but I still have to deal with
things. His cheating on me created some demons. But ... you know, I'm trying to
work through them."
I felt Friendsgiving was a much safer topic, so I shifted
the conversation to how much I enjoyed last Saturday.
It was after 4 when we went back inside. The chill was starting
to get to me. I thought it was about five degrees cooler than when we started.
Mom greeted us both with a mug of hot chocolate.
"Smells good," I said.
"Dinner will be at 6," he firmly confirmed.
Thomas was playing video games in the back room.
"And how are you doing?" Anita asked me with no warmth in
her voice.
I kept conversation about work and how well the company was
doing. I didn't want to brag much about my promotion and raises.
Surprisingly no one asked about the new house. No one. I
pulled out my cell phone and showed some pictures. Mother came out of the
kitchen to see. I thought the pictures made the house look really nice.
"It looks a little big for just you and Corey. What all did
you put in there?" asked Judith.
I explained there was an office and a game room. Two guest
rooms allowed for company, but one of them one day may be converted to a
library/study.
The excitement level was flat. Some simple smiles and nods,
but no one exhibited any enthusiasm.
I told them about Laramie, explaining him as one of my
coffee friends and our initial crash encounter. I pulled up a picture of the
shelving he did in the office.
I steered that to talk of Friendsgiving last weekend.
"So, it was like a homosexual alcoholic party?" Anita asked.
"Good lord, no," I answered scornfully. "Trent Kyriazi has
hosted it for a few years. I feel kind of honored that I'm invited, but it is a
large gathering of people of several occupations to celebrate friendship."
Crickets.
I'm sure they all pictured a gay orgy.
"Isn't that the gay guy on the radio?" Judith asked.
"Trent is a successful radio personality, yes. He has become
quite successful at a young age. The Morning Show is hardly about homosexual
activity, you know. He's just a regular guy."
"Well, he might be if he weren't gay."
An earthquake began below the soles of my feet and worked
its way up to my legs, then my torso, then my shoulders. When my hands formed
two fists, Uncle Randy grabbed my arm and pulled me to the door.
"Cooper, I made a mistake. I meant to bring a bag of ice,"
he said, stuffing a couple of dollars in my hand. "Would you dart down to QT on
the corner and grab a bag."
I looked at him startled.
"Just go," he whispered. "Give yourself a break."
I took a deep breath and nodded.
Once at the convenience store, I texted Emory.
"Thanksgiving with my family is going no better than I
expected. Is it sad that I am envious of you? I know you are alone, but I'd
trade places in a heartbeat."
I walked to the counter and paid for a bag of ice. I heard a
text come in. Once I tossed my purchase in the trunk, I checked the phone.
"You'll survive. And don't worry about me. I'm fine."
I called Mitchell. Surprisingly he didn't pick up. I left a
voice message to wish his family Happy Thanksgiving.
My thoughts drifted to Laramie. I wondered what he was
doing. I missed him.
Mom and Judith had started setting the table. The men were
watching football on television. How typical. My mother was insistent that the
Cowboys game be turned off once dinner started. Judith went in to tell Thomas
he'd have to end his game in ten minutes.
I wanted to avoid any conversation at that point. Corey was
always safe. Corey and I had filmed a hello on my phone last weekend. I played
it for Anita. They smiled at seeing him and his greeting made for them.
"It's a shame Thomas doesn't get to play with Corey much
anymore," Anita said.
"I think Corey misses it to."
"We hardly ever see him at all."
"You've seen we have two guest rooms. Judith and Wayne can
bring Thomas any time they would actually like to visit."
"Like Judy would stay in your house," Anita muttered.
"And what's that supposed to mean?!"
"Nothing."
Judith returned and stood next to us. The husbands sat
nearby but kept their attention on the game.
"It's just a shame that Corey doesn't get to see family
anymore," Anita continued to prod.
I stood silent.
"I know," Judith said.
"When you chose that lifestyle, it really changed
things for a lot of people," scoffed Anita.
"First, it's not a lifestyle. I'm simply gay. Second, I
obviously didn't choose to be this way. I just am. I don't understand
how you would think I would just choose this, particularly with our
family. These past years have been hard for me too, Anita."
"You say you're gay, but you don't have to act on it.
You could live alone and not date."
"And you think you'd be happier with that?"
"Removing the sexual immorality would be better, yes."
"Well, I'm not a big advocate of removing love from my
life," I snapped.
"What you should have done is just prayed for God to heal
you."
"I'm gay! I don't have cancer. You just can't pray gay
away," I argued.
"God is all powerful, Cooper. He can do anything. You didn't
spend time in prayer with Him. Don't sell God short."
"So, He will just do whatever you pray about. Surely YOU
prayed that I wasn't gay. He must have told you `no.' I don't think God answers
prayers that way."
"Don't speak of God like that! Who are you to say what he
does and doesn't do? Who are you to say what power he has or doesn't have?!"
"So you really think that if I prayed to God, he would make
my true feelings vanish?"
"Yes! I think he would answer your prayers," she glared.
"I prayed for years, Anita!" The husbands finally turned
their attention to us. "So you think Judy can just pray to be half a foot
taller and poof she's taller."
"Now you're just being..."
"And you could pray to God to no longer be flat chested, and
He'd just fix all that!"
"How dare you!!!!" Anita screamed.
"How dare YOU!" I yelled back. "You seem to have your hands
all over my life and how I need to fix it when you don't have the slightest
idea."
"Hey, Cooper. Be careful how you talk to my wife," Curtis
said. "Watch yourself or ..."
"Or what!?" I retaliated.
Curtis moved closer to me. I was two inches taller than him
and as kids, I never walked away from a scuffle between the two of us.
"I could handle you when we were kids. And I sure can now.
And if I can't, one of my boyfriends can! So ... so bring it on." What did I
just say?
They all looked at me blankly.
"I have no idea what all this is about," said Mom, entering
the living room. "But it ends now. Okay??! Dinner is almost ready. Wash up and
come to the dining room."
Very few of us talked during dinner. I said nothing further.
It took the tradition of going around the table saying what we were thankful
for to force me to speak. I gave thanks for Corey and said I loved him very
much. I replayed the hello video so everyone could see it.
I couldn't wait to get away.
"Everything was delicious, Mom," I softly said, as I carried
my dishes to the kitchen.
"Thank you, dear."
Uncle Randy followed me. He didn't say anything. We both put
our plates in the dishwasher. Then he hugged me and held me. I sniffed a moment
but didn't allow myself to cry. He just squeezed me tighter. "I love you just
as you are," he said.
"Thank you. I love you too, Uncle Randy. I ... I ... I hate it
here."
"Time heals all wounds."
"I doubt it."
After enjoying a slice of pumpkin pie, I hugged my parents
and mumbled "Happy Thanksgiving" to everyone and worked my way to the door. As
I put on my coat, I didn't even want to look back. I just headed to the car
ready for the drive back to Jackson Bend.
"GAHHH!" I screamed, slamming my hands on the steering
wheel. "Fuck!"
I then hated myself for cussing. Nothing was really working
in my life except work.
Thirty minutes into the drive I had fought back watery eyes
once or twice. I finally called Laramie through the Blue Tooth.
"Hey! Happy Thanksgiving!" he answered.
"Yeah. You too." I paused. "I
really don't know what you had planned today."
After a moment of silence, he said, "Not much. All my family
is out of state."
"Were you alone?"
"Amos from work invited me to his place for lunch. He and
his girlfriend most likely felt sorry for me being alone."
"I'm sorry. If it makes you feel any better, I would have
traded places with you."
"Uh oh. What happened?"
I summarized my feelings in less than two minutes, but I
must have sounded incredibly pathetic.
"How long until you're back here? Why don't you stop by?"
"I'm not good company."
"Cooper, what did last Saturday teach us? That's what
friends are for."
In less than an hour, I pulled up to Laramie's house. He
greeted me at the door with a hug and kiss on the cheek.
I noticed an empty beer can on the coffee table and he was
into a second one. He offered me a glass of tea, and I accepted it.
We both sat on the couch, and my body just slumped over into
his shoulder with a loud groan.
"Want to talk about it?"
"Can we talk about anything else?" I whined.
He chuckled and put his arm around me. When he did that, it
made me momentarily recall my comment about "one of my boyfriends." Why had I
said that? I didn't have two boyfriends! That just blurted out. But what made
me say it?! I truly didn't have a grasp on my emotions.
"Did you talk to any family today?" I asked.
"My mother. This is one of the few days we talk on the
phone."
"Oh, good."
"Yep. We talked for about 90 seconds. Happy Thanksgiving.
Happy Thanksgiving. What's the weather there like? How's Dad? Okay, goodbye."
"Man."
"When was the last time you saw them?"
"Seven years ago."
"Really?! Not since?"
"No. I can relate to your day, Cooper. Trust me."
I slunk further into his body. My face buried itself into
his chest; I let my arm swing around to hold him. Gently, he combed his fingers
through my hair. We sat in silence for two minutes without moving.
Football seemed to be over, so Laramie clicked through
channels. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer had just started on a cable
channel showing Christmas specials all day.
"Can we?" I said, just wanting something light.
He chuckled.
As we watched the show, we commented on how there were
really cruel aspects to this story. The message of acceptance at the end didn't
really make up for the treatment of other people or animals or snowmen or ...
whatever which was disconcerting to watch as adults. As children, we didn't
pick up on those things. Not to mention, everyone was always white. Watching
classics a half-century old didn't always hold up under a 21st century lens.
I felt I should head home. At the door, Laramie hugged me
again. We looked into each other's eyes. We leaned into kiss. After a first kiss,
our lips met for a longer, more tender kiss. I knew I needed to stop doing
this. I placed my hands on his chest and pushed us gently apart. His arms were
still around me. He leaned to whisper in my ear.
"I'm always here. Friend or more, I'm always here. I love
you." He kissed me on the cheek.
Between those words and the kiss, I felt my dick get hard
walking to the car. Before I shut the door, a text came in. It was Mitch.
"Happy Thanksgiving! Sorry I missed your call. No matter
how late, call me when you get home from your folks. I love you."
I arrived at Trent's and Mike's house Friday afternoon.
Mike was attempting some Black Friday shopping for some
electronics. The sun was out, so even though it was 45 degrees, a run would
still be nice. Trent's expression looked off.
"How was your Thanksgiving?" I asked.
"It was fine. Good." Trent's lower lip quivered, and he
gasped to take in any air.
"Trent, what's wrong?"
"We got a call this morning. Dr. Owens passed away the night
before Thanksgiving."
"That's horrible," I said sincerely. "Wait. I just ... he was
here last Saturday, right?"
"Yeah. Who would have thought that would be the last time we
saw him."
"Wow. That's so sudden."
"Mrs. Owens didn't want to ruin anyone's Thanksgiving, so
she waited to inform people this morning."
"Man. That timing is horrible. The holiday will always
remind her of his passing. Man."
Trent started crying. "I'm sorry," he blubbered. "I have
just let it hit me."
I hugged him. "Well, of course."
"You know, he felt like family. It's hitting me that way."
He sniffed in some snot that was beginning to run from his nose. I hugged him
harder. "Jakob is devastated. The two of them had worked together on projects
up in Von."
"I'll call him today."
"Cooper, I'm sorry. I I I don't think I'm up for a run
today. I'm sorry."
"Understood. We'll do it next month."
"I'm sorry."
"It's not a problem at all. I'll give you space here."
I reached in for a final hug and walked to the car.
A few minutes later, I used the car's Blue Tooth to call
Lance.
"Hi there," he answered.
"Hey. How was your Thanksgiving?"
"Um. Good. We are at my parents, right now."
"Trent just shared the news with me about Dr. Owens."
"Yeah," Lance said softly.
"We just saw him last week!" I remarked.
"I know. It's unbelievable. Heart attacks can just be so
unpredictable."
"So sudden."
"I've never seen Jakob so torn up about something. It has
hit him hard. Dr. Owens was like family to him."
I heard some muttering. I could tell Jakob had walked into
the room. Lance explained it was me on the call.
"H h hey, Cooper," Jakob said, taking the phone.
"I was calling to check on you guys. I'm so sorry about Dr.
Owens."
"Thanks. He was ... we had become really close in the last
couple years. He ... he was like family, you know?"
"Right." I paused. "Anyway, if there is anything I can do
for you guys, let me know."
"Thanks. It's nice of you to check on us, Cooper."
"We're friends. Of course. I love you both."
"We love you too. Take care."
The call was short.
I was ten minutes from my house. I just stared blankly
through the windshield. My friends' words rang through my ears.
Trent: "He felt like family."
Lance: "Dr. Owens was like family..."
Jakob: "He was like family."
Like family.
Like family.
Like family.
I stared blankly out the window.
Like family.
I turned a corner and blankly blinked. Oddly I felt
emotionless.
Like family.
The thought of one of my family members passing entered my
mind.
I blinked blankly. I felt nothing.
"Like family," I unknowingly whispered.
I still felt nothing.
I was suddenly overwhelmed that I felt nothing. It was an
elephant on my shoulders that the loss of my siblings would make me feel
nothing. Surely, I would be sad if Mom or Dad died, right? Surely. I felt
nothing.
The fact that I could stir up no emotions from these
thoughts added another elephant. How horrible of a brother am I? A son? I was
horrible. Horrible!! Tears started running down my cheeks. Not from the thought
of losing a family member. Not for Dr. Owens. I was bawling that I had no
emotional connections to my family. If they passed, it wouldn't hit me. I would
be numb. I would feel nothing. And I cried for several minutes once I entered
the house. I cried because I was a horrible human being.
I felt like I should call Mitchell. Or Laramie. Or Emory. Or
Logan. Maybe I could get an earlier appointment with Logan next week.
"My family enjoyed your video," I told Corey as I picked him
Saturday morning. He smiled.
"How was your Thanksgiving?" Natalie asked.
I waited for Corey to go get his bag. I then turned to her
with an eye roll. "Hell."
"Uh oh."
"I don't care if I ever see them again. I just go through
the motions for Mom and Dad."
"Cooper, no."
"Nat, you have no idea what it is like. After the divorce ...
I'm not just a black sheep, I'm demon spawn."
"I'm sure you are exaggerating."
"I dread Christmas. I dread it."
Corey came back. I became silent.
"Well, we had a good Thanksgiving. Right, Corey?"
"I ate SO MUCH, Dad. It was embarrassing."
I laughed. "Thanksgiving is kind of a free pass on that."
"My grandparents asked about you," Natalie told me.
"Oh. Nice. That's ... that's nice. I miss them."
"They miss you too."
My eyes watered at thoughts of her family missing me. I knew
mine wouldn't care.
"We should head on, buddy," I said, wiping my eyes.
Our first topic was lunch options. Corey was eager to fix me
dinner. Excited even. I got caught up in his enthusiasm. I asked if he needed
any special ingredients. He said he had a recipe, and we could check for what
we would need at the house. Pizza was on the agenda when lunch rolled around.
Roman Column served us a fantastic pepperoni and sausage thin crust. After
that, we strolled the grocery store looking for cumin, a bulb of garlic and a
green bell pepper. I picked up some more flavored waters for me. Corey grabbed
some more Cokes for himself. Fresh chicken was the protein for tonight's
course.
That afternoon, Corey wanted to start the latest Star Wars
episodes that had begun streaming. We had loved The Mandalorian and Book
of Boba Fett, so we were willing to give Andor
a try. We had waited to start because we wanted the season to be mostly
available.
A text came in from Nat.
"Okay you. Since you have our son
all hyped up to own a coffee maker, give me some suggestions. I plan on doing
some Christmas shopping this weekend."
I smiled, trying not to give Corey a reason to look. I
texted Natalie the brand I owned. He would be familiar with that.
After two episodes, we admitted it was different. We said we
would need a few more under our belt until we could tell if we liked it.
"Hey, Cor'. Have you thought about Christmas? Anything on
your wish list? I'm always up for suggestions."
He looked ahead and then down.
"I ... I wrote down some things for Mom and her side of the
family. I guess you could call her and see what they might be choosing."
He looked odd. His expression and body posture were awkward.
Something had been triggered. He walked away.
A minute later I heard him piddling about in the kitchen. I
walked in to freshen my drink. He was gathering pans and ingredients needed for
dinner. I poured a new carbonated water with lemon over my ice. As the fizz
continued to crackle, I stood behind him scratching his back. Suddenly Corey
whirled around and embraced me in a tight hug.
I was startled. "Well, hey."
"I'm sorry, Dad," he softly said with his head buried in my
shoulder.
I pulled us apart.
"I don't understand. What are you sorry for?"
"I put everything on my Christmas list for Mom. I I I
didn't even think about holding back something for you. I feel bad that you
have to ask Mom for whatever is left over. I'm sorry, Dad. I didn't think."
He hugged me again.
"Hey, buddy. Don't give this a second thought." I pulled us
to the dinette table. "I've done okay these past couple of years, right? I was
just seeing if you had suggestions of what you might like. I'm fine." How
mature he was becoming. "But it means something to me that you care about my
feelings. Thank you for that."
I took a drink of my now-silent beverage.
"Have you heard your mother say she needs anything?"
"You're divorced. Are you planning on getting her
something."
"I think I'd like to. I mean, it can't be mushy or too
personal. I don't think Daryl would like that."
Corey shrugged.
"I really have no ideas though. I think she drops hints to
me about things that don't cost much."
"If you want to give her something bigger, I can help out
with that."
"I hate to just take your money."
"You could earn it."
"How?"
I could give you two tasks a month. We now have a yard, so
there will be things to do there. Wash the car. Paint things..."
"Paint?!"
"Maybe. We'll see. The house is big. I'm sure I will need a
hand or two from time to time."
"I'd be willing to do that."
"Won't be long until you are 16 and you will be driving to a
job of your own."
"Dad, are you rich now?"
I laughed. "Hardly. I had a good year at work. A bonus
commission or two has been very helpful this year. I'm in a pretty good place.
My work deals with money as you know. I'm very good at investing it. Why, were
you going to ask for a car?"
He rolled his eyes. "No! Of course not." He walked back to
his ingredients. "But. I know Mom can't afford it, but I think I'd like a
keyboard."
"Interesting. You want to learn to play?"
"Yeah. But more than that, I'd like to write songs."
"Wow."
For a moment I thought about introducing him to Trent. I had
heard songs Trent had written in both his play and at Friendsgiving.
"We'll see. It would hardly be a surprise."
"I wouldn't know what kind..." he said with a sneaky grin.
"Right! And I could paint it light purple and bedazzle it
with jewels."
"Please don't."
I laughed and he joined in with a chuckle.
"Man! This is awesome," I said, waving my fork as I spoke. "Did
Daryl teach you this dish?"
"No."
"Your mother?"
"Good grief, no. Mom's so boring." He paused. "I shouldn't
have said that. I like what she fixes. But we don't try many new things. I had
this at a friend's house, and I asked his parents for the recipe. They had
different potatoes, but I think what we had here works."
"Absolutely. I like how your friends are introducing new
cultures and cuisines."
Corey had seared a cumin chicken dish with picante, and the
side dish was sauteed onions and peppers over seasoned potatoes.
"They had mushrooms on the potatoes too, but ... I'm not a big
fan of them."
"Thank you for cooking for me. What a treat."
"You made the salad."
"Oh, right. I labored over that."
As I got up to carry my plate to the dishwasher, I kissed
him on the top of his head. "You're an awesome kid."
"You're my dad. You have to say that."
"I don't have to do anything. You ARE an awesome kid."
"Whatever."
I returned to the table. "Corey, you're my world. I couldn't
be luckier. You've been so understanding when my life got so uprooted. You are
so forgiving ... and so kind ... and understanding. I'm so very proud of you."
"All right already. I never would have cooked if I knew you
were going to get so mushy."
I leapt to his side and gave him a sloppy, noisy smooch on
his cheek. He giggled immensely. Then he shoved me away.
"I love you," I said as I carried his plate to the
dishwasher.
"Yeah, yeah. Love you too. Now stop."
It warmed my heart every time I saw Brad and Corey embrace.
We were the first to arrive today. I knew Mitch was coming,
but I figured since Emory or Laramie didn't travel for the holiday, they would
most likely be here.
We carried our coffees to the table. It was a table for
four. I peeled my lid off. I noticed Corey did the same. He tried drinking his
coffee black like me. After about five minutes, he stirred half a packet of
sugar in it.
"Dad, we have a coffee maker at home. Why do you come here
for coffee?"
"Do you not like Joe?"
"Yeah. I do. I just wondered."
"Well, you know how sometimes you cook at home, but there
are times when you just want to go out?"
"I guess."
"It's like that. We have friends here. Sometimes people just
need to be social. Like you going over to your friends' houses."
"Sure. That makes sense."
"And look at all the flavor choices here."
"Which you don't use."
"Should we just bring Brad home and let him serve us there?"
Corey laughed. "I like him."
"It's hard not to like Brad."
"Thank you!" he called from behind the counter. The man must
have exceptional hearing.
A minute later a free cinnamon roll had been placed on our
table. "You're welcome!" Brad announced with a fierce whirl to his body as he strutted
away. The two of us smiled.
"Are all these businesses around here gay?"
Yikes.
"Um. I suppose they cater to a gay clientele, but obviously,
anyone can shop there or dance there or eat there."
Corey took inventory of all the places he could see out the
window. As he noted each one, he casually said, "My girlfriend knows you are
gay, and she has been asking all these..."
"YOUR GIRLFRIEND!?"
Corey snapped his head to look at me. "I mean my friend. She's my friend."
"Oooooo. Tell me everything," I
swooned.
"Stop. Stop right now. This is why kids don't tell their
parents anything. Don't be weird."
"Your dad? Weird? Surely not," said Emory as he
pulled out a chair.
"Yes. He's a total dork."
"But such a lovable dork," Emory defended.
"Corey was just telling me about his latest romantic
conquest," I said sarcastically.
"Ugh. I hate you."
"You love him, and you know it," Emory said.
"Of course I do. He's an awesome dad. Until two minutes
ago, he was."
"Okay, okay." I got serious. "You said that sheeee..."
"Grace."
"You said that Grace had questions about gaaaayyyy
... places? People? Me?"
"I think she has a gay uncle and ... I don't know ... she likes
him ... I think ... I guess she's just trying to wrap her head around it. She's
asked me a few questions."
"Like?"
"Geez, Dad, I don't know. Just questions. I think she just
wants to understand."
I patted him on the top of his hand. "Well, I know you are a
good friend in that regard. Hopefully she hasn't teased you."
"Oh, no. Most my friends are cool. The assholes probably
don't say any crap to my face."
"Your mother would love your phrasing, I'm sure."
"Whatev."
"So, how serious are you two?"
He was quiet. His face got just a hint of red to it. "We
haven't kissed."
"Do you want to?"
"Yeah, of course."
"Just do it," said Emory. "She wants to, you want to. Just
lead with your lips. You two will figure it all out."
"Well, thanks, DAD!" I said, glaring at Emory.
"Meh. He's at the right age. Kissing is fine."
"There you go, Corey. This is why we come here for coffee.
It's where you get all your dating advice."
Corey almost spit out his coffee laughing.
"What's going on?" asked Laramie, sitting down.
"Please! Can we start a new subject?" moaned Corey.
"Um. I'm lost," said Laramie. "Emory, how was your
Thanksgiving?"
"Solo."
"Ah, about like mine. But at least we all had
Friendsgiving."
"Tell me about that," Corey asked.
Everyone shared their favorite moments at being at Mike's
and Trent's house. It was so much better than being with my family.
Friendsgiving was so full of love. Thanksgiving was a festival of animosity.
Corey described the holiday being at his grandparents. I listened fondly,
remembering people I long cared about but no longer got to see. I figured once
Jakob stopped grieving over Dr. Owens, I might visit his store and buy some
things for Natalie and her relatives. I felt overly generous this Christmas.
"Thanks for seeing me today," I said to Logan.
"I had a cancelation. My secretary made it sound a bit
urgent."
"I'm a mess."
"What's happened?" Logan asked.
I shared the Cliff's Notes of Thanksgiving joy.
"I'm a horrible person. The thought that I wouldn't even cry
or be bothered if my family members passed away ... who does that? I'm awful."
"I am sure you would miss them. Certainly your parents.
Right now they are shooting a quiver of arrows your direction, and you are
dodging them. If it were to come to a halt, you would feel relief. But ... that
won't last forever."
"I don't know. You haven't met them."
"Did you like them when you were married to your ex-wife?"
"Yeah. I guess. I suppose. They all loved Natalie. We got
along. When the kids were little, we all loved watching them play. And grow
up."
"And that has now changed," Logan said in a matter-of-fact
tone.
"Yeah. I guess I messed it all up for them."
"No. I said it changed. I didn't say you messed it up. What
I would like for you to do is to flip this 180 degrees. Try to see it from
their perspective."
"Huh?"
"Instead of feeling like it is an attack on you, see it
through their eyes. Try to feel the pain they are with the change. I'm not
saying it's fair. And I certainly don't think you need to agree with them. But
it might make you feel better if you realize they are processing the change.
You said they are all religious, correct?"
"Oh yeah."
"And you were too at one point. In their minds, you are now
living a sinful life because you are a homosexual. Is that a fair assessment?"
"Oh yeah."
"And they think you're going to hell."
"Yep."
"So from their point of view, that hurts. That pains them.
I'll admit, they are terrible at expressing their concerns, but if you see it
as a lobsided attempt to show they care about your ... life, your soul, the
afterlife ... maybe it won't hurt so bad that way."
I contemplated his point. It was absurd yet so logical.
Maybe he had a point. Or maybe my family was a bunch of dicks. I couldn't
control them, but I could control how I felt about them.
"You know, I'll try that at Christmas. We'll see. I'm not
sure, but ... I ... I think you might be on to something."
"From what I jotted down from last time, you seemed
indecisive if you had feelings for someone else. Am I correct in that assessment?"
"Probably," I sad with a scowl.
"Hm. Not the response I would have expected."
I sighed.
"I'm supposed to be here to work out things with Mitch. I
love Mitch."
"But...?"
"Gah!! I feel like a total hypocrite. I build these walls
because Mitch cheated. And then ... then I find myself attracted to someone
else."
"Attracted."
"Yeah."
"So you haven't acted on these feelings."
"No. Yes. No. Not really. Maybe."
"Let me know when you have your final answer."
"He's awesome. I'm drawn to him. We've ... um ... kissed a
couple of times. But he knows I'm with Mitchell, and I'm trying to ignore what
I'm feeling."
"You said before you gave Mitchell permission to see other
people. Was that so you could see ... do you feel comfortable telling me his
name?"
I didn't want to. I just wanted my attraction to Laramie to dry
up so I could fix Mitch and me.
"Laramie."
"Laramie. Interesting."
"He hates it. He tells people to call him Larry. For some
reason, I love it. I find it ... exotic. In a Western way."
Logan smiled. He started to say something.
"But we're just friends!" I blurted.
"Friends who kiss."
"Well, this year I've become comfortable kissing friends."
"Does Laramie think that's what it is? A friendly kiss?"
"No. He says he has feelings for me."
"And this causes you conflict."
"Yes! I love Mitch. I love him. But ... I'm drawn to Laramie.
I'm not doing a good job fighting it."
"Since you told Mitch he could see other people, do you feel
you are entitled to do the same?"
"I ... I wasn't intending to. I just knew I wasn't able to
give Mitch the commitment he needed, that he deserved."
"He cheated on you. Why do you think he deserved your
commitment?"
I paused. "Aren't you his friend?
Aren't you supposed to be helping us get back together?"
"I'm not a matchmaker, Cooper. I'm here to help you work
through things. You are my client, not Mitch."
"Are you telling me to date Laramie?"
"I'm not telling you to do anything. I want you to figure
out what you want."
"If I knew that, I wouldn't be here."
"Exactly. Let me ask you this. You're sitting home. You are
feeling blah, alone. Suddenly the phone rings and you hope it is someone asking
you to go out. Who do you want it to be?"
"Will sex follow afterward?"
Logan laughed.
"Maybe."
"Well, if sex is on the table, then I hope Mitch calls. But
... if it's just going out, I love being with Laramie."
"Sex with Laramie is off limits then."
"If I'm seeing Mitch."
"But Mitch has the freedom to date and screw anyone he
wants, correct?"
"Well, I wouldn't have worded it that way. Jeez."
"Did you give him that freedom?"
"Yes."
"And if he wanted to go fuck ..."
"Derek!"
"Oh. Okay, Derek. That's okay with you?"
"I said he could, so ... yeah. If I give him permission, then
... then it doesn't hurt. As much."
Logan jotted some notes on the pad. I wondered what words he
used to describe me.
"But would it hurt?"
"I'd be lying if I said `no.'"
"Then why give permission when you felt he had been faithful
these last months?"
"Because my head wasn't on straight. If I can't give him the
100% commitment he deserves, then ... he should be free to see if someone else
can."
"Hmm."
I glared at Logan. "And what does `hmm' mean?"
"Nothing. It's just an ... interesting approach."
"Everyone deserves to be happy. So if I can't be the perfect
fit for Mitch, then maybe someone else is."
"What if Mitch isn't the perfect fit for you? What feelings
do you have for this Laramie fellow?"
"We're just friends."
"Clearly, you've indicated it's more than that."
"That's what it should be."
"Why?"
"I want Mitchell and me to work out."
"But you are already admitting there are problems there."
"MY problems."
"But they are still there," he countered. "Did you ever
date?"
"Men or women?"
"Both."
"Natalie and I did for a few years. Mitchell and I just
jumped into a romance at work. I wouldn't say there was dating, per se."
Logan jotted a couple of notes. I didn't know why, but I
started to hate that when he did it.
"What do you keep writing about me?"
"Don't mind that. It's just to help me." He put the pad
down. "So. You've never dated `around'?" he asked using air quotes.
"You mean like multiple people?"
"Exactly."
"No. I guess not."
"But you pinpointed Natalie was right for you and then Mitch
was right for you. How did you reach these conclusions?"
"Well, with Natalie, it was all the things a person would
want in a girlfriend. I liked all the things about her."
"But?"
"I felt people expected me to propose. I'm sure I felt
Natalie did. You know, it was several years in college, so... it just seems like
I was supposed to."
"But you didn't desire it, crave it, just had to spend your
life with her?"
"Probably not. It just seemed like the thing to do." I
stared into nothingness for a moment. "Man. It's odd that I couldn't see that
at the time."
"And Mitch?"
"Well, we were sort of a fling at work. Just admitting I was
gay, exploring it ... it was like ... seeing life in color for the first time. Sex
was suddenly WOW!"
"And why is Mitch `the one'?"
"I didn't know how to be gay. He accepted me in spite of
that. Taught me things."
"Like what things?"
"Geez, I don't know. He definitely helped me sexually.
Gentle, tender, patient. But he showed me things about the gay world. Movies,
authors, music."
"Do you feel others couldn't do this? You seem to enjoy the
company of this Laramie."
"It just doesn't seem fair to Mitchell."
"Fair? The main screwed some Derek in your own bed."
"Mitchell didn't tell me you were so blunt. You should meet
my friend Lance."
"Back to the question. Mitchell cheated. Why did he deserve
fairness?"
I was momentarily stumped. My mind was an escape room trying
to unlock each clue. Why was I so loyal to Mitch? Why did Mitchell's
friend seem to be working against him? What was it about Laramie's company that
I had learned to enjoy it more than Mitchell's? Was I afraid to open up to someone
else? Did I think the next boyfriend would cheat on me too? Why did I never
think of a "next boyfriend" as being a possibility?
"To be honest, I don't know. I just knew who I was. I
wanted to be fair. I wanted to make the noble choices, to be the upstanding
one."
"Would you say that is a product of your upbringing?"
"Absolutely. 100 percent."
He jotted some words.
"Stop that," I snapped. "I don't like it when you are
writing things about me. It's like secrets or something."
"Sorry. I didn't know that bothered you. No problem."
"Actually, you're just doing your job. I'm sorry I snapped."
"You've actually made a lot of headway today."
"You think so?"
"Well, you seem open to trying different approaches with
your family. You are questioning your loyal attachment to Mitch. And I think
you are pondering finding your own path without him."
"So you think I should date other people."
"What I think is irrelevant. I want you to make decisions
that will make you happy. You deserve to be happy. Do you believe that?"
"I guess."
"Say it."
"Say it?"
"Say you deserve to be happy."
"Everyone deserves to be happy."
"That's not it."
"Okay, I deserve to be happy."
"Say it again."
"I deserve to be happy."
"Louder."
"I deserve to be happy!"
"Good. I'll see you next week."
It was 8 o'clock. I picked up my phone. I set my phone back
down.
It was 8:12. I picked up my phone. I opened my contacts. I
set my phone down.
It was 8:18. I texted Laramie: "Would you like to go out
tomorrow?" I erased the message. I set the phone down.
8:23. While at Black Stallion, Laramie had taken a picture
of our group. I opened that image. He looked so handsome in that cowboy hat.
Just enough chest hair showed through the opening of his shirt. I tried to
remember the brief moments I had seen him shirtless. I pictured that glimpse of
him walking by his bedroom door naked. I wanted to see him naked.
I had an erection that was a crowbar.
8:32. I dialed.
"Hi, you, what's up?" he answered.
"One time you told me you hoped one day you could have a
first date with me. How about tomorrow night?"
It was quiet on his end. The pregnant silence was too
prolonged.
"Laramie?"
"I I don't know what to say. What happened with Mitch?"
"Nothing."
"I don't understand."
"Would you like a date or not?" I said in embarrassment and
panic.
"Um. Okay. Sure."
I exhaled. "Nice. I'm craving Mexican food."
"Sounds good. I could probably be ready around 7:00."
"I can give you until 7:30. Do you know where Jalisco is?"
"I do."
"We can talk more tomorrow. A lot tomorrow. It's a date."
We said goodbye. I hadn't realized my heart was beating a
mile a minute. I smiled. It was a kind of smile I didn't remember ever making.
To: Mitchell Sanders
From: Cooper Snow
Can we have lunch in your office today? I have some papers I want you to look
over.
To: Cooper Snow
From: Mitchell Sanders
I was hoping you'd have those papers ready.
Mitch closed the door to his office. He gave me a nice kiss.
I put my arms around him, and we held each other.
"If you really meant lunch, I have brought nothing," he
said.
"I've ordered Panera. It should be here in ten minutes.
Nadine will text me when it is delivered to the lobby."
"Good." He kissed me more deeply. "If it were after hours, I
might just have you out of those slacks for ten minutes."
"Tempter."
We both groped each other's crotch. Within a minute we were
hard.
"Let's sit down," I said. "We need to talk."
Those four words always make people nervous. An expression
of concern was vivid on Mitchell's face.
He sat behind his desk. I moved a chair in front of it.
"As you know, I've been seeing Dr. Horwood."
"Right. Right. How's that going?"
"Can someone really tell? I guess fine. We just talk a lot.
Mostly me. He seems to love to ask questions."
"Psychologists, right?" he mocked with an eye roll. "They
want you to come up with the answers."
"Yeah. He's helping me sort out things. My family. Us.
Experiences. Whatever. Is it helping? Maybe with some things. We still need
more sessions to get through everything."
"What do you talk about when it's us?" he cautiously asked.
"I think I should keep our sessions between him and me. But,
in trying to help me uncomplicate my feelings with ... Derek ... and you ... and just
me as a person in general, he points out that I don't have anything to compare
it to."
"I don't understand."
"Obviously, I was married to Natalie, but you are the only
man I've been with."
A lie. But the night with Emory was in an alternate
universe. That wasn't really me.
"Sooo...?"
"I want to be upfront and honest. I'm going to go on a few
dates."
"My friend is telling you to date other people??!"
"He didn't tell me to date other people. That's not it. To
help me get a handle on it, he feels I haven't determined what I even want."
"What?? That makes no sense."
"In a way, it does. The walls are there. Perhaps if I have
something to compare it to, I know what I want and I can get around those
walls. Or take them down."
"We love each other. I don't like this."
"I'm not giving up on us. Don't think that. This might help
me get perspective."
"It might help you go to bed with someone else!"
"That's not the point. I've given you freedom to date
whomever you want and..."
"I didn't ask for that. I just want you."
"I'm ... I'm just being honest here. I don't want secrets."
"This is weird. I don't like it." Mitchell had an expression
between a child's pout and shocked outrage. "How long? Do the two of us still
get to be with each other?"
"Of course."
"Good. Can it be this weekend? I'm going to give you the
loudest, wildest sex of your life. The shingles will fly off."
I laughed. "Friday night?"
"Can I have you the whole weekend?"
"Sounds nice."
A text indicated the sandwiches had arrived. I went down to
retrieve them. The conversation had been awkward, but I made it through better
than I thought. It is no surprise that he is distraught, but I felt good that I
wasn't going to be hiding anything. A thin sliver of my brain also felt slight
satisfaction that Mitchell would see what it feels like. Not that I was
necessarily going to pursue sex with Laramie, but ... it could happen. If
Mitchell felt that, then it might do him some good.
Back in his office, he unwrapped his Turkey & Avocado
BLT. The Thai Chicken Soup was another favorite of his. I had the Citrus Asian
Crunch Salad with Chicken and Creamy Tomato Soup.
"I have a date tonight," I said, taking my first bite.
"Already?? With who?"
"That's not important. I just wanted you to know."
"Will you have sex?"
"It's a first date. We just have dinner set up."
"Hm. Maybe I'll text `I love you" every ten minutes during
your dinner."
I laughed. "I do love you, Mitch."
"This is strange."
I drove into the Jalisco parking lot. There were more cars
than I expected on a Tuesday night. I saw Laramie near the door.
"It's busier than I thought," I said, walking up. We hugged.
"Must be the nice weather."
The wait list wasn't long, but the hostess told us it would
be about 20 minutes.
"I'm going to grab a margarita from the bar. Want one?"
Laramie asked.
"I'm fine," I said, slightly amused.
Laramie hadn't realized what he had done. I gave him less
than two minutes for it to hit him. After he gave his order to the bartender, I
noticed his shoulders slump and his head bowed. He realized he had offered to
buy an alcoholic a drink. He said something else to the bartender.
He came back and handed me an ice water. "Cooper, I'm..."
I smiled. "It's okay."
"I'm sorry. I ... I'm ... that was so stupid. Please forgive
me."
"It was an honest mistake."
"I was just excited for us to be on a real date that I
slipped into auto pilot."
"Well, as you can see, I come with baggage."
"Huh. I'm the king of horrible first impressions. At least
my streak continues strong."
It was fairly loud in the waiting area, but I did thank him
for bringing me a water. We only had to wait twelve minutes, so we were seated
shortly thereafter.
After a few minutes with the menu, I ordered the shrimp
tacos. Laramie ordered something called Volcαn
Bαrcena, apparently named after a volcano in Mexico.
I could only imagine what stomach-churning ingredients he was after tonight.
After handing the menus to our server, we looked at each
other. Neither of us were sure how to start conversation.
"I'm nervous," he said.
"Me too. Isn't that funny. We've known each other for
months."
"So ... you and Mitch. I'm not sure what's going on."
"Well, prepare to run away from me screaming after tonight...
"
"Never," he tenderly said.
"... but this is going to be a night of total honestly.
Mitchell encouraged me to ... see somebody to help me work through the issues ...
the walls I felt ... the hesitations ... the demons I've grappled with."
"Like a therapist?"
"Yeah."
"And this therapist told you to go out with me?"
I laughed. "Not exactly."
A basket of chips and bowl of salsa were placed on the
table. We didn't hesitate to dive in. Over the next 50 seconds, conversation
was replaced with the crack and crunch of chips. I liked the salsa. It was
thick enough to stay on the chip. Some restaurants had watery salsa, and I
invariably would drip on my clothes. I purposefully wore a
red long sleeve tonight. Laramie had a suede vest over a turquoise
western shirt.
"You look nice," I said.
"You look gorgeous. You always do."
I smiled. For the briefest second, I thought of Rex. I was
confident that he had never heard those words in his life. I've always thought
I was handsome enough, but nothing overly special. Life wasn't fair. Rex never
got that. But I had my own problems. Life wasn't fair.
"Laramie, let me be honest. In sorting out my feelings ... and
fears ... with my therapist, I'm working through some things. I'm not going to
say I don't love Mitch. I do. But ..." I paused.
"But...?"
"I'd be lying if I said there wasn't an attraction between
us."
"Agreed."
"As I try to sort this out, I don't want you to be misled.
Mitch is my only reference point. He's the only man I've ever loved. And I
still do, but the stumbling blocks make me wonder if it is love or a comfort
zone. I'm not getting past him cheating on me with Derek, and ..."
"Cooper, hold on." Laramie looked stern. "If we are being
honest, I love you. I know that. I've share that with you. I know you aren't in
the same place. If we just remain friends or take it further with this date,
I've accepted either outcome, but ... I don't want to be used for some kind of
revenge against Mitch."
"No! Of course not. That's not my intention." I grabbed his
hand. "Please know I care about you. A lot. I will never use you, nor will I do
anything that I think would hurt you. But full disclosure, if we start seeing
each other, I'll be seeing him too."
Laramie pondered my words. His eyes roamed the room and the
table and nothing in particular.
"Fair enough. It's not like everyone else on the planet
hasn't dated multiple people before."
"Yeah, in their teens and 20s. I'm almost 40. But if all I
know is being with Mitchell, do I really know how I feel? What I want?"
"And what's my role then?"
"Just be you. If I can be honest and you can accept me and
my baggage and my garbage..."
"I wouldn't call the shrimp tacos garbage," our server said,
sliding my entrιe in front of me. "I think you'll find them excellent."
We laughed. I looked at Laramie's dinner. It looked
combative.
"What is that?"
"It's a burrito stuffed with spicy chorizo and green chilis,
smothered in hot queso, fresh jalapenos and a zigzag of habanero cream," the
server described.
"Does it come with a side of Roll-Aids?" I said in
astonishment.
The server made sure we were all set. Laramie had half his
margarita left and said he was fine. He asked for a glass of ice water, and our
server topped off my glass.
Two minutes into dinner, we both agreed that our selections
were outstanding.
"We kind of stopped talking," he said.
"I know. I guess I was saying that if you can accept me for
who I am and where I am, I'm kind of interested in seeing if there is
something there. I'd like to see how I feel when it isn't Mitchell. But I don't
want to hurt you. And if all this is a dealbreaker, I totally understand. I
like you, Laramie. I would never want to lose our friendship. That's the most
important thing to me."
He crunched a chip.
"Agreed." He dipped another chip in the salsa. "If the two
of us can go into this and ... and if it doesn't work ... or you and Mitch work
things out, I don't want to go any further if it means we can't be friends
anymore. Whether we can be a thing or not isn't as vital as you being in my
life. You've introduced me to friends, and I'm happier than I've been in several
years."
"Wow. I'm not sure if I am responsible for all that."
"People are as happy as they make their minds up to be, but
... you made an impression. I've never met anyone like you before. You're the
best friend I have, outside of a guy from college. In town, no question."
"How am I that different? And please don't say gorgeous."
He laughed. "Do you know how some girls are drawn to the bad
boys in high school? You know, the ones that get in trouble, that smoke, that
disrespect teachers?"
"I suppose."
"I'm drawn to you for just the opposite reason. Don't take
offense, but ... you have an innocence that is ... radiant." A look of surprise most
likely overtook my face. "You are so kind and so moral and such a good father,
and you love your friends, and you treat people with such respect..."
"You make me sound like a goody two shoes."
"You're magnificent. From the moment you splashed coffee on
me and took care of me, I was struck. As I got to know you, I loved everything
about you. You are very easy to love."
I looked at him blankly. "Wow." I reached for his hand
again. "Thank you."
We returned to our dishes. Our server checked on us. We
declined more chips.
"Laramie," I started. "I reached for your hand. Does it
bother you that I did that in public?"
"Nope. Back in my years on the farm, I would have been
terrified for anyone to see that. Now ... eh. You could stick your tongue down my
throat right here, and I wouldn't care."
I laughed loudly. The tables on both sides of us turned to
look. I blushed for a moment. Laramie casually forked another bite of venomous
food substance in his mouth.
"I was in denial all those years. I never could have dreamed
of doing something like that. Just looking at another man would freak me out."
I exhaled. "I amaze myself that I didn't clue in earlier than I did. I mean, at
some level, I probably knew. I guess I just figured most guys would look at
other men now and then, but that I just hadn't worked up the right amount of
gusto for women."
"Gusto." He smiled. "You're adorable."
"And you're sexy as hell."
He looked up and our eyes met. "Don't cuss. I like that you
don't cuss." I smiled at him. "Except when we have sex, you can scream
the cuss words during sex."
I laughed loudly again. The entire dining room looked at me
then.
My shrimp tacos were easier to finish than his monumental
burrito, but he did. Our server cleared our plates. I knew Laramie wanted to
order another margarita when the server offered, but he glanced at me and
declined. Our server stepped away.
"It's okay if you want another one," I said.
He was quiet.
"Let me say this. If we are eating out as friends, I'll have
something to drink. If you and I are on a date, out of respect for you, I will
not drink."
"That's kind. You don't have to do that though," I
responded, but I knew those simple words sounded like the most amazing thing
anyone had ever said to me.
"I wanted this first date. I wanted to have a chance. If you
feel I'm not complicating your life or our friendship I want to do it
right."
"And here we were nervous earlier," I responded.
We leaned over the table and gave a simple kiss. The dining
room was only half full now, but we didn't care who saw. From what we could
tell, no one reacted.
"Cooper, that stupid sex comment earlier ..." Laramie paused.
"I ... I don't want to pressure you into anything. I think you want to take
things slow. That was just a joke. Kind of. Take things as slow as you need.
You're worth waiting for."
"Man. You have a nice way with words."
"Well, I'll need something. I'm not as handsome as Mitch."
"Sexy as hell, remember."
"He's probably bigger than me ...'down there' ... too. I'm just
average." He paused. "Maybe a touch more than average."
"That's irrelevant. And I'm not even that. If that is a
dealbreaker, then you need to pack your chips and go."
Laramie had the most gigantic grin on his face.
"What?"
"I love everything about you."
"Stop," I said, completely blushing.
When our server brought our third bowl of chips, we were
down to one of two tables. We acknowledged the cleaning work and closing duties
the staff had to do, so we paid the bill and said we were fine. We tipped huge.
For thirty more minutes we talked about anything. Carpentry.
Farm equipment. Women's "cycles." Tax returns. Star Wars. Investments.
Gutters. Heat levels of chili peppers.
It was almost closing time, and we knew we should leave. Our
server saw us departing. She wished us goodnight, then she discreetly said,
"You two are beautiful together." We smiled at her.
As I leaned against my car, Laramie put his arms around me.
In the past, I felt his touch was the wrong thing. Tonight, I welcomed the
slightest whisper of his skin next to mine. We leaned
in. We kissed. We had become good friends in the past month. Tonight I had
learned more about Laramie; I loved it all. It felt good. Dating is supposed to
be agonizing. Tonight was easy. We kissed in the parking lot for a solid five
minutes. One car drove by and shouted "woo hoo!" at
us. We weren't certain of its sincerity, but we didn't care. Our lips didn't
come apart.
With our arms still around each other, he finally pulled
back. "So now what?"
"What do you think?"
"I was going to let you take the lead."
We had both been grinding our hard-ons into each other's
jeans for the last five minutes. We wanted each other.
"Want to follow me home?" I offered.
"You sure?" he softly asked.
"Yeah."
"I'm not pressuring you. We can go slow."
I put my mouth to his ear and whispered, "I want to scream
cuss words to the neighborhood."
He laughed and then kissed me.
"If I follow you home, will you ask your mom if you can keep
me?"
We had eaten a year's supply of chips at the restaurant, but
an hour later we were somehow having a bowl of ice cream in my kitchen.
It was 11:20. With both of us having to work in the morning,
we knew we should move things along. I felt nervous again. Laramie carried a
small overnight bag into the bedroom. I smiled at him.
"I wasn't being presumptuous. I just wanted to be prepared
if ... you know."
I lit a candle in the bedroom and stripped down to boxers. I
entered the bathroom to brush my teeth. Laramie followed with a travel kit of
toiletries. He had taken off his clothes leaving boxers and a T-shirt. By the
time we had both taken a piss and brushed our teeth, the bedroom already had
the fragrance of strawberry and cream. The candle wasn't bright, but we had
enough illumination to see each other when all the lights were turned out.
Laramie was someone new. I wasn't sure how to approach
things. We were both in bed but not yet naked. We lay on our sides facing each
other. We smiled, but we weren't sure what to say.
"I'm nervous again," I said.
"Me too."
We kissed. Soon we were in each other's arms.
Laramie's stomach growled with rebellious volume. We
snickered.
"See? Right now your stomach is planning a protest. It's
rallying the other organs to make the picket signs."
He laughed, then kissed me again.
"Not all the organs."
I reached for his cock. It felt like a lead pipe below the
fabric. I couldn't wait to suck it.
His tongue entered my mouth, and our kissing became more
passionate. I loved this. I felt good about this. One of his hands pulled from
behind me and wriggled between us. He groped my cock below after slipping his
hand beneath the waistband. I moaned at his touch.
His stomach roiled again. We laughed.
We pushed our bodies together and starting grinding our
erections into each other. I moaned a bit more. He echoed my volume. Our lips
were conjoined in a crusade to never separate. This was hot. I was glad I
allowed myself to do this.
Suddenly Laramie pulled away from me.
"No."
"Huh?"
"Oh no. Damn. I'm sorry."
Still confused, I saw Laramie turn to the side of the bed.
He stood. What was going on?
"Fuck," he said, and started heading to the bathroom.
The door closed, and the fan was turned on. For two minutes
there was no disguising the sounds of gastronomic rebellion. It was a hideous
episode. I smiled at both the poor embarrassment I knew he was feeling as well
as finally! a small victory for his stomach. A moment later, the toilet
flushed. I could hear the sound of aerosol being sprayed.
Laramie returned to the edge of the bed.
"Well. I sort of killed that." He turned to his bag. "I
should go."
"Don't be silly. Lay down."
He reclined next to me. I held his hand.
"I'm sorry I killed the mood." He sighed a sorrowful sigh.
"I should go."
"I want you to stay."
"I can't say all `that' is necessarily done."
"Well. Maybe if you treated your stomach with more respect..."
"You only live once," he said.
"Until your stomach is dissolved by all the acid, and you
die."
"I should go."
"Relax and just hold me awhile."
He put his arms around me. We had both lost our erections.
He was hard as a rock when he went into the bathroom. Sitting down with an
erection alone had to be an embarrassing challenge. Bless his heart.
The night was ending weirdly, but I was okay with it, even
if it wasn't what we envisioned.
He held me tighter. At some point I knew the candle would
need to be blown out, but I didn't want out of his embrace. The simplicity of
pressing our bodies together was pleasurable. It wasn't sexual, but there was
still a sensuality to it.
Six minutes later. "Damn it!" he said.
He got up and went to the bathroom.
Act II.
Flush. Spray. The light went out. The bathroom door opened.
"I should..."
"Shut up and blow out the candle."
He did. In the darkness he crawled back into bed. Our lips
found each other.
"Good night," we said in unison.
I maneuvered back into his arms. Neither of us said anything
after that. We were sculpted in that position for the remainder of the night.
I looked at the clock. 12:07. He must have thought I drifted
off to sleep. I heard him whisper into my neck, "I love you, Cooper." He didn't
realize I had heard it.
I must have drifted off shortly thereafter because I didn't
remember anything else.
It wouldn't be until the morning that I realized I had not
thought of Mitchell the entire night.
The alarm went off at 7:15. I intended to immediately shut
it off, but my hand was below the waistband of Laramie's boxers. I was gripping
his butt cheek just like I did with Mitchell.
After turning off the alarm. I walked to the kitchen to
start a pot of coffee.
Upon my return, I went into the bathroom to drain all the
liquid I had consumed at Jalisco.
Filtered sunlight had entered the bedroom. I could easily
tell Laramie was awake. I leaned over him and gave him a peck on the lips.
"Good morning."
"Morning."
"How do you feel?"
"The stomach is fine. You slept through it, but there was a
round three at about 4:45. My god, can I be any worse at first impressions? I'm
batting a thousand here."
I combed my fingers through his hair. "It's just one night."
"Our first date." He groaned. "I'm an idiot."
"But a cute one." I kissed him again. "I have coffee
brewing."
He smiled and gripped my arm with his hand.
"If you'd like, we can do a quickie before you go to work."
I paused before responding. "No. I don't want our first time
to be intimate to be a quickie. I'd feel better about it that way."
"Understood. I'm sorry."
"Stop saying that." I stood. "I do have somewhat of a
compromise, maybe?"
He turned to look into my face.
"It might be nice to shower together."
"Indeed," he smiled.
Laramie went to the bathroom to pee.
"Do you need coffee before your shower?" I said, walking to
the kitchen.
"Nah. I can wait."
I looked in the freezer and fridge to see if I could offer
him anything for breakfast. My entire selection was raspberry yogurt.
"I'm embarrassed to say that all I have to offer is yogurt,"
I said entering the bathroom.
Laramie stood naked before me. He had started the shower
spray. He saw me looking at him. I started at his neck and enjoyed the soft fur
of chest hair that went down the middle. Laramie worked with his hands. His
line of work was physical. His arms were very built. I hadn't noticed a tattoo
that encircled one arm before. His belly was furry. His legs were sturdy and
masculine. Between them hung a three-inch cock, but it was moving in mid-rise.
Four. The penis jutted from a bush that I thought had the right amount of hair.
His feet were manly. The toenails looked well groomed. Five. I returned my gaze
to his face. He looked at me for approval. He had trimmed his beard for our
date last night. I had noticed. Even though his hair was a morning mess, he was
handsome. Almost six. It was a sundial pointing to his left nipple.
I grabbed two towels and put them on the hooks. When I
designed this nice large shower for the house, I intentionally installed two
hooks near it, thinking of Mitchell at the time.
I pulled my boxers over my raging erection and threw them to
the clothes basket in the closet.
We both stepped in. The water poured over our bodies. We
began with a kiss. And then a grope. And then our arms wrapped around each
other. We didn't let go. We just let the water wash the moment continuously
over our bodies.
I initiated the cleaning process. I started by shampooing
his hair. He softly hummed as my fingers massaged his scalp. I squeezed body
wash into the loofah and began sudsing his entire body. His chest got extra
seconds. His cock received both my hands. I pulled it. I tugged it. I squeezed
it. I held it.
"You feel good," I said into his ear. He hummed again in response
to my words.
I put more body wash on two fingers and worked them into his
ass.
"Smoke is still coming out," I said.
"Shut up," he replied.
I finished with cleaning his face. I tapped my finger on the
tip of his nose to indicate he could rinse.
Laramie repeated the process on me. "Your soaps smell good,"
he threw in. I didn't just hum, I moaned at certain moments. The shampoo, the
groping of my cock. The fingering of my ass.
Laramie dropped to his knees. My cock felt his tongue lasso
my erection into his mouth. He tasted my freshly washed skin and suckled my
flesh for breakfast. It was less than a minute, but I loved it. It was
accentuated by the warm cascade flowing down my back.
He stood, and we kissed deeply. Our tongues explored. He
positioned his mouth at my ear.
"I'm so sorry about last night," he softly said.
"Let's just think about this. It's nice."
We kissed again and I turned to let the heated water flow
between us as we thrust our cocks into each other.
I patted his chest. "I do have a meeting, so..."
"Right."
Thirty minutes later we were standing in the driveway.
"We'll talk." I then kissed him goodbye.
I was out of my meeting by 10:30. At 10:45 my office line
rang.
"How did the date go?"
"Miiiitchellll," I groaned
"Tell me. How did it go?"
"Fine. Good. Hit and miss. A disaster. Okay."
"Is it a multiple choice question?"
"Let's not have this conversation."
"Did you have sex with him?"
"No."
But we intended to. We started to. By certain stretches of
the definition we might have qualified as sort of having sex, but we really
didn't actually have sex. We probably would in the future but who knew for
sure? I wanted to.
"No," I succinctly repeated. "It was only our first date,
Mitchell." I hoped that might be a softening diversion, if not the whole truth.
"Are you going to see him again?"
"We have no plans at the moment."
He was quiet for several seconds.
"But I get you this weekend, right?"
"Absolutely."
"Great. I love you, Cooper. Please know that."
"I love you too."
After hanging up, I uttered to myself, "Now what?" I did
love Mitch, but feelings for Laramie were there. Pronounced feelings. I wasn't
denying them. I accepted them. I loved them. This "free to date" scenario I had
concocted was enjoyable, but at some point eventually I would come to some
conclusion. I was sure of it. I just had no idea how to get there. And
hopefully I wouldn't cause calamity while doing so.
"Hi, I'm Cooper. I'm an alcoholic."
"Hi, Cooper," the group replied.
"Work is good; can't complain. Things are good with my son.
I love my house. That's all good. My love life is upside down. It's a mess. I
can't stand to be with my family. They are wretched. I'm getting some
counseling. I think that will help with my family.
"My love life is a different story. I'm trying to work on a
relationship with my boyfriend. But... I'm feeling things. New things. I'm hoping
something is going to pinpoint what I need to do. Dating at my age is scary.
But there are some thrilling moments too. I'm sort of a mess in that regard. But.
But I'm not sad. And all these things coming at me from different directions
don't make me want to drink. I feel very successful about that. I used to bury
stuff. Now ... I'm allowing myself to experience things. I'm just crossing my
fingers that I don't make the wrong decisions.
"Thank you."
The group clapped.
I sat alone tonight. I knew half the people here.
Reflecting on my words, a few years ago, I was a drunk. I
knew I was gay. I just wouldn't admit it. I drank to make me forget. I now felt
confident. I didn't hide it. I owned it. I was finally figuring myself out. I
didn't regret my time with Laramie. Everyone on the planet can date different
people to see who fits. I wasn't going to feel guilty about it.
At least right now.
* * * *
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