The following is a work of fiction. The story may contain profanity and references to gay sex. Any relation to similar events or persons, fiction or real, is completely fortuitous. If such content offends you please leave now. The author retains all rights to the story. Do not copy or use without written authority from the author. Write Bobby at brokendreamboi@yahoo.com with your comments.


Have you forgotten all I know, and all we had?
You saw me mourning my love for you
And touched my hand
I knew you loved me then

I believe in you
I'll give up everything just to find you
I have to be with you, to live, to breathe
You're taking over me

Taking Over Me © by Evanescence, 2003

Control. It's extraordinary the tactics people employ to obtain it. Some rely on deception while others engage in outright trickery. Then there are those who resort to extortion. Why do we fight so hard for control? Because we know to lose it is to put our fate in the hands of others. And what could be more dangerous?

© by Marc Cherry, 2005

Taking Over Me 20

Waking up in an unfamiliar room can be disorientating at first. Not knowing where you are or what that strange smell is. Did you stay here based on free will? Or are you a damsel in distress yet again? But then memory quickly returns and you realize you're safe, you're where you need to be. You realize that the strange smell isn't strange. It just isn't what you're used to calling home.

On a normal Saturday morning I'd start the day off with a run and a smoothie afterwards. Now I don't feel like moving from the bed. There isn't any noise in the apartment. Is Dan still asleep? I'm in a completely different part of the city. I'll have to make a route for myself. Perhaps today will be my easy day. Walking, not running. And probably no smoothie, or at least not if Dan is still sleeping. For any of this to happen, however, I'd have to remove myself from these warm blankets cocooning my body. Ugh, get over it. I can't stay in bed all bloody day weighing my options.

I threw back the covers and planted my feet on the beige carpet. The apartment, or at least my room, felt awfully chilly. Dan didn't mention anything about not running the heater. Would he get mad if I turned it on? A few minutes of heat couldn't hurt anything, especially not an electric bill. Quietly, almost ninja-like, I opened my bedroom door and peaked out. All the blinds were still closed. There was no mess in the kitchen. No smell of coffee. His bedroom door remained shut just a few feet away from mine. The thermostat was just out of arms length. Odd thing was the temperature readout said seventy-two degrees. The hallway does seem warmer than my room. I closed the door.

Ah! The vent!

Looking around, the single vent was situated almost in the middle of the ceiling. I reached up and felt no air coming through. A small dial was nestled inside one of the openings, so I thumbed it and voila!

"Much better," I cooed. Hot air came rushing from the metal cover. I jumped into bed and covered back up. I can exercise another time. My first morning in a new place is a perfect excuse not to go on a safari. I need to learn my new surroundings first, duh.

I snatched up the remote control and pushed the power button. The TV and DirecTV box turned on, illuminating in a royal blue. Luckily back home we had the same provider so I'm already accustomed to all the channels. It didn't take long for me to skip browsing and just turn it onto Nat Geo Wild. What else is an animal-slash-science lover supposed to watch? Time crawled by. An hour or so later my phone chimed.

Hey! What's up?

Ben.

Just in bed. You?

Don't judge but feeling like I need the D ;)

LOL is that a fact?

Wow, that didn't just turn me the hell on. If he wants to have sex, I don't know where we could do it. I can't very well invite him here on my first day. That wouldn't be right . . . right? Damn it. All I can think about now is his naked body. There's no way Dan is home. It's nearly ten and I haven't heard a sound in the apartment.

YESSS and I know this guy who could give me my fix.......but he has to invite me over......

Ugh I'm in my new place. Idk. Lemme check to see if my roommate is gone.

Using the ninja skills I summoned earlier, I snuck up to Dan's bedroom door and listened for any sound. After several seconds it became clear he wasn't here. To be extra sure I went to the front window and tried to spot his truck. Gone. He must be working today or something.

I don't know how long I'm alone. COME NOW!! ;))) I texted Ben when I got back to bed, also giving him the address to the apartment complex.

A new energy invigorated me. I felt incredibly giddy and extremely turned on. First day in a new place and I'm already christening the bed. All right! Hopefully Dan doesn't show between now and when I finish in Ben's sweet little bottom. How embarrassing would that be anyway? Pushing those horrid thoughts from my mind, I grabbed a change of clothes and went to take a shower. Ten minutes later I was fresh and clean and ready for Ben. He should be arriving any minute, given that the apartment is closer to his house than my previous location was. It didn't take too much longer for the familiar sound of a diesel engine to break silence and slowly creep closer and closer.

I was practically undressing him before the door was closed. We were all over each other. Clawing, groping, panting into each other's hungry mouths. Before anything happened right in the living room, I dragged him into the bedroom.


Ben lay in the crook of my underarm, half draped across my chest. I was still trying to catch my breath. His hair was a hot mess, sticking in every which way. Our bodies were partially covered by the heavy down that I bought specifically for this bed. Between that and the afterglow I was sweating like a gay in Romney's house. Ben didn't seem to mind, though. In fact, I think he liked it. He made no attempt to separate the contact nor did he act disgusted. The cuddling was nice. Very relaxing and . . . sweet, although I must push those thoughts out of my head. Ben isn't interested in me. I'd be a fool to pursue him.

"I forgot how big you are." Ben breathed out. I could almost feel the smile on his lips.

I chuckled. "Well, hopefully my roommate didn't come home and hear you. I never even told him I'm gay."

"Not my fault your dick causes extreme pleasure."

"Oh no, definitely not your fault." Sarcastically, I replied. "After all, who'd expect you to just grin and bear it instead of waking the whole damn neighborhood?"

"Shut up," he slapped my chest playfully and giggled.

A comfortable silence overcame us. But finally I couldn't take it anymore. I had to say what I was feeling.

"This is nice,"

"Yeah," he said.

My heart began to thump faster, and not from post-sex. "This'd be nice if it happened more, I mean."

"Travers . . ." Ben sighed, sitting up on his elbow. "I really do like you, but I just don't have that feeling for you. I'm sorry." He slid out of bed and started to dress.

"Probably should've kept my trap shut." I covered my eyes with an arm. I felt stupid for even saying anything.

Ben sighed again, kneeling back on the bed. "You're a catch. You're a stud. Any guy would be lucky to have you, you know?"

"Yeah, yeah," Great, the pitiful you're-a-good-guy talk has begun.

"I'm serious. Maybe I'm the stupid one for not feeling anything for you. You're hot, you're smart . . . you're incredibly talented in bed." I blushed. "Incredibly talented," He spoke in a whisper.

The bed sank in next to me. He slowly pulled the blanket off my body, exposing my semi.


"All right, well see you later." I said, giving him a quick kiss. I was saddened to see Ben go, but he had errands to run for his parents. Plus, it's not like we're dating or anything. This was just a quick hook up.

He returned kiss. This one considerably more erotic than mine.

"I had fun," he grinned. "This needs to happen again soon."

A little while after he left I was on the phone with Claire making plans to have a movie night at Olivia's place tonight. Her parents are going out and she's babysitting her brother by herself. What a perfect opportunity for her best friends to come over and aid in her effort to survive the trials of babysitting. Claire volunteered to bring the pizza, Lizzie would be bringing the dessert, and I'll be bringing the beer. Olivia, being the host, would obviously not have to supply anything. That being said, however, her parents do have an assortment of liquor themselves. Who needs beer when you have Goldschlager, tequila, and whiskey? Of course, showing evidence of our inebriation by downing their supply would only anger the parentals. We wouldn't want that, now would we?

I managed to kill the next few hours with Netflix. For the past couple of months I've lagged on my shows. Fortunately, Netflix is usually able to provide the opportunity to catch up. I could've watched my favorite show for hours, but the time came for me to shower quickly. I definitely couldn't show up smelling of cum and sweat. Post-shower, I drove over to the house to ask Tyler or Jared to buy me a case of beer.

"Please," I said for the fourth time. "It's not like we're not going out partying or anything. We're staying at Olivia's house."

Tyler was getting close to caving in; not that he was putting up much of a fight in the first place. They should know by now how responsible I am. I'd never drink and drive. Well actually I'd never get sloshed and drive. A couple of beers affect me in the least, though tequila is another story, in which case I wouldn't be dumb enough to sit behind the wheel.

"Okay, okay," Tyler grinned. "Lucky for you I actually picked up a twelve pack earlier. Promise me you'll actually be responsible, though. Olivia's parents really like you and I'd hate for something to happen that would change that."

I nodded. "You worry too much. Everything will be fine. We probably won't even start drinking until her brother knocks out."

"Yeah, yeah," he chuckled. "So, how's the new room?"

"Not bad. I like it. Haven't seen Dan since last night, though. I didn't think he'd work on weekends."

"Well, when you need money you work more than usual. I wish I could do that, but alas I am but a meager educator."

"Meager my ass,"

"Um, so, speaking of moving out and all that, we're having a Realtor come and look at the house tomorrow. She's just going to take a walk-through and tell us what she thinks. Nothing is happening yet." The anxiety and stress in his voice was almost comical. To think he'd be that way when telling me a bout of news. I was hoping they'd somehow manage to keep the house, but I guess that's unrealistic at this point if they're calling in an agent already. Perhaps she won't think the house will sell for the price they're asking. That would probably make them not want to go through with it. I mean, they have to make money, right?

"Well that sucks," I couldn't think of anything better to say.

"Jared and I have to talk to the bank first. We have a meeting with them tomorrow, but it will just bring bad news. We've already been denied for refinancing and loan modification. Assuming they approve it, we'll have to do a short sale."

"Like a literal short sale or is that some fancy real estate jargon?"

"Basically it's selling the house for less than what is left on our mortgage. And we won't receive any profit from the sale. A short sale will suck,"

"Then why do it?"

"We don't have a choice, Travers. We've already gone over this with you. There is nothing else that can help us."

If a short sale won't bring any profit, then how will they be able to afford a new house? I don't understand that. And why would the bank even consider taking a hit? That doesn't sound like something they'd ever do.

"None of this makes sense. Why can't you just sell the house like normal?"

"We owe too much on it. Today's market isn't what it was a while back. The house isn't worth the mortgage."

I braced myself against the island. "This doesn't make any sense!" Why does everything have to be so complicated? It'd be easier if they could sell the house, keep a small piece of the profit, and pay the rest to the bank. Then they could put their profit on a new house and continue paying the bank monthly.

"I know it doesn't. I'm still trying to understand most of it. And if the bank doesn't approve the sale, then we run the risk of being so delinquent that we end up in foreclosure." Tyler's face was contorted in anguish. I can tell selling the house is just as painful for him if not more. After all, he did live here well before I came along. There are many more memories for him than me.

I explained my idea to him.

"That wouldn't work. We would still need a second mortgage to purchase the new house. We'd be making double the payments. Our credit wouldn't take a hit, but we'd be in the same position as before."

"Ugh, this is so dumb! There's nothing else you can do?"

"No," he sighed. "We have run out of options. Grandma and grandpa offered to help, but neither one are working. Taking money from them would be like stealing from a charity. And Jared and I don't feel comfortable borrowing money from family, anyways."

I thought of something else. "Can't Jared's aunt help? She must know about this stuff."

"The agent coming tomorrow is her referral. We decided not to involve her in all of this." An uncomfortable silence came over the room. I stared at the counter top trying to come up with any idea possible. "Bottom line is we are selling the house."

Something he said earlier suddenly caught my attention.

"What do you mean delinquent?"

He grimaced. "We didn't tell you everything the night we had our little meeting. We haven't made a mortgage payment in four months."

"What? Why not!?" I don't think my eyes could have opened any further.

"Because we've been trying to save money. I'm being involuntarily transferred to another district. I'll be making $5,000 less than what I am now." This just keeps getting better and better. Tyler cleared his throat. "So, I'll go grab you the beer from the basement. You'll definitely be needing it now."

He left the kitchen and went downstairs into the basement. All of this new information was swimming through my mind, seizing what was left of my sanity. None of this feels real. They've been keeping so much from me and now all of a sudden I'm being bombarded with bad news. I'm not immature. I can handle my own. Why keep something so serious from me?

Before Tyler could come back upstairs, I decided to leave. He can keep his beer. He'll be needing it more than me. The girls and I don't need beer, anyway. Olivia's parents have enough beer and liquor. We'll just have to be careful not to drink a noticeable amount. We've gotten away with it before. Wait until they hear the gossip.

Olivia's parents were leaving as I pulled up. Both Claire and Lizzie were already inside. I said a quick good bye to her parents and let myself in. Zachary came running up to me, embracing me in a hug. It has been a long time since I last saw him.

"Hey, goob!" I said. Goob has been his nickname since the day I first met him.

"Travers! Olivia didn't tell me you were coming!" he gushed.

"Perhaps she wanted to surprise you. Where is your sister?"

Zachary released me and grabbed my hand. "They're in the living room. Come on,"

Two boxes of pizza were stacked on top of each other on the small coffee table. Claire, Lizzie, and Olivia were stuffing their faces when Zachary dragged me in.

"Hey, you made it," Olivia smiled. "Grab a plate and a slice."

Lizzie studied me for a moment. "What? No beer?"

I rolled my eyes. "Long story,"

I helped myself to some pizza, then began explaining what's going on with the house. They were all surprised, though Claire already knew a little bit. Not wanting to bring down the mood, I didn't dwell on the subject. The only thing on my mind was alcohol. Olivia fetched the tequila and poured the four of us a shot.

"To Travers's future new home," We threw back our poison and grimaced as it burnt its way down our throats.

"Bleh," Claire groaned. "Speaking of new homes, how's the roommate?"

"I don't know," I laughed. "I only saw him when I moved in last night. He wasn't home at all today . . . which is why I had Ben over."

Lizzie blurted out, "Details!"

I looked over towards the dining room where Zachary was eating his pizza. The girls followed my gaze and understood.

"Hey, Zachary," Olivia called, "wanna go eat that in your room?"

His little eyes nearly bugged out of their sockets. "You'll really let me?"

"Just don't make a mess, yeah?"

"Sure!" Zachary grabbed his plate and fled to his room like a bat out of hell.

I regaled them of when Ben paid me a visit. Leaving out the finer details, they were still enthralled by the tale. For some reason my best friends are fascinated by gay sex, even Olivia, who is bar none the most proper of us all. Claire once confided in me that she found the idea of two guys having sex incredibly arousing. I don't know what that's about. I mean, I find it arousing too, then again I am gay so it doesn't count, right? Lizzie is just Lizzie. Her intrigue of gay sex is simply her own intrigue of sex in general. Not a whore but not a saint either, she draws a fine line between what is innocent and what is not. Olivia, though not being a virgin, isn't the most sexual person on the planet. She'll talk about guys and listen to our raunchy stories, but she's hardly ever given many details of her own encounters, not that I'm judging or anything. To each their own.

Zachary came down for more pizza. Olivia quickly gave him two more slices and sent him on his way. She poured us another round of shots as well. I finished my Ben story and began asking Claire about the guy she's been seeing for a few weeks now.

"Well, the sex is great." Claire laughed, the rest of us following suit. "Other than that it's just okay. He's a nice guy and all, but he lacks something and I can't put my finger on it yet."

Olivia commented, "Maybe you're just thinking too much into it. I mean, if everything is good, then it sounds like you're trying to find something wrong."

"She has a point," I said, taking a bite of pizza. The effects of the tequila were beginning to consume me.

"And if the sex is great, what else could be more important?" Lizzie chimed in.

I shook my head. "Plenty,"

"Yeah," Olivia echoed. She threw a pillow at Lizzie.

"I don't know," Claire sighed. "It's not like I'm thinking of dumping him or anything. It's just that feeling I can't shake. Maybe it is just nothing and me wanting to make it something."

"Most likely," I softly spoke.

"Okay, enough with the heavy," Olivia made up another round of shots. "Time for the partying to begin!"


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