Date: Mon, 29 Jan 2001 17:16:51 -0600 From: Kevin Mac Subject: RA Adventures Chapter 6 RA Adventures (C) KV 2000 If you're offended by sexual activities between men, or if you're younger than 18, it is my (sad) duty to ask you to leave. If you're over 18 and meant to be here, please, kick back, relax and enjoy! The response to the story thus far has far exceeded my expectations (especially with this being my first story). All I can say is thank you. There's more on the way, though please be patient with me. There's a lot going on right now with the simple (?) art of living that demands my immediate attention. Nevertheless, I will do my best to keep the writing coming. ----------------------------- Chapter 6 Several hours and a throbbing headache later, after looking at over a hundred blank walls and empty pieces of furniture, not to even mention the huge stack of paperwork laying on my desk, I was finally done with the bulk of checkout. Discarded items littered the halls making it appear as though some natural disaster of great caliber had come through our dorm. I was more than a little glad it was the last time I would have to put up with the nitty-gritty details of dorm life. The only people on my floor that hadn't already moved out were Clint and I. The time had come to patch things up with Matt, so I picked up the phone and punched in his number. "Hello?" answered a deep voice. "Hey bud, it's Kev." "Hey!! I was worried you might not call before things let out." "No such luck. Wanna come over and have a couple of drinks?" I pleaded with him. "Ah...the ulterior motive," he laughed, "Sure, I'll be over in a minute bearing gifts." "Thanks bud. See you in a couple." I hung up already feeling relieved. I was pleased we hadn't gotten into some really deep emotional conversation. Right now all I wanted was a stiff drink and some sleep before graduation. I washed up some glasses and turned on the lamp I had standing in the corner. I switched off the room light and stretched out on the couch waiting for Matt. I must have dozed off a bit, because I woke up to Matt gently shaking my arm and holding out a drink to me. "Hey sleepyhead," he said softly. "Thought this might cheer you up." He handed me one of his famous screwdrivers and scooted my legs over so he could sit beside me. "Thanks, bud." I took the drink and massaged my temple with my other hand. I was exhausted. Matt picked up on it. "Tired?" he asked. "Yeah, I'm beat. I think the stress and the sun from this weekend has finally caught up with me." "I understand. I think I overdid it this weekend too...at least in the sun department." He smiled at me and got up to deposit his glass in the sink. "Kev, I think I'm gonna jet. You need your rest. I'll catch you in the morning." "Thanks bud, you're the best." Matt leaned down and planted a kiss on my forehead. "Love you, man," he whispered. "You too, Matt." With that, he turned and walked out the door. I let out a big sigh and crawled over to my bed. I was out like a light. ------------------------- "Kevin McReardon, Bachelor of Arts, Summa cum laude," boomed a huge voice. I couldn't believe it...here was the moment I had been waiting for. I confidently crossed the stage, in spite of the sudden explosion of butterflies in my stomach. I took my diploma and walked back to my seat, a more-than-a-little-pleased smile plastered across my face. I glanced over to the stands where my family and friends sat, reciprocating my overjoyed expression. It was finally over...no more undergraduate busywork...ever! After the ceremony I walked over to them...dressed in full graduation regalia. My parents and sister were chatting with Matt and Michelle, and evidently Clint had introduced himself as well. There were several others of my close friends there, and Chris was the first to bound over to me and plant a huge kiss on my lips as she hugged me. "I'm **so* proud of you, babe!" she beamed. "Thanks. I'm so glad you were here to see it. I couldn't have made it without you, ya know." She shot me a winner smile and dragged me over to my parents. After all the congratulating was finished, we all proceeded to lunch at a nice restaurant where my parents had reservations for us all. There were over thirty of us, so it wasn't exactly nice and personal. I sat with my family while my friends sat on the end, chatting avidly amongst themselves. I knew we'd be spending time together later, so I wasn't too concerned about it. My parents asked about my apartment situation and I told them about Clint's offer. They seemed very pleased, so I let my excitement about it show through as well...at least some of it. Just then Clint looked up at me, caught my eye, and smiled at me. I melted and smiled back. I'm sure I had the goofiest grin on my face. He called me and gestured for me to come to that end. I jumped at the chance to get away from my aunts' prying questions and excused myself. I sauntered down to their end of the table and pulled up a chair on the end between Matt and Clint. Christine was beside Clint, and Michelle next to Matt. I wondered if Matt would ever discuss what happened between us with Michelle. I doubted it. Clint leaned over and whispered loudly enough for all of us to hear, but softly enough so that it wouldn't filter down to the family, "You had that 'help me!' look on your face. I hope I didn't interrupt anything terribly important." "No, no, just an impending migraine. I was just trying to explain for the umpteenth time why I don't have a girlfriend. A couple more minutes and I would have been 'fixed up' with half the county." They all laughed at that. The rest of the meal went well and after saying the necessary good-byes to the family I drove back to the dorm. I spent the rest of the day packing stuff up and finalizing move out procedures. Clint and I sat down and compared notes about apartments. We decided on a nicer complex a little way out of town. We wanted to be close enough to where Clint could finish up his last semester and yet distant enough to not be sucked into the bubble that is our college. We went and scoped the new place out the next day and liked what we saw. Clint seemed thrilled at the idea of having his own "pad". His excitement was contagious and I was quite relieved at having the unknowns out of the way. At least now I knew **where* I would be living. Now we had preparations to take care of. We went to what had to be ALL of the local furniture stores looking for things we liked. From those we picked things we could afford. We ended up with some really nice things that we agreed to have delivered the following day. After that we made our way over to the apartment complex and signed the necessary forms. We eventually straggled back to the dorm to take care of last minute packing and a short night's rest. ----------------------------- Moving was a bitch, as always, but it went relatively smoothly. I was pleased -- needless to say. As luck would have it, the furniture people arrived about an hour after we did. Many, many shopping trips, house arrangements and sore muscles later we finally sat down in our new living room on our new sofa and breathed a well-deserved sigh of relief. "Dude, I don't know about you, but I don't want to do that again anytime soon!" Clint muttered as he rolled off the sofa and collapsed on the floor next to it. I stretched my legs out and lay full across the plump cushions. "No kidding, bro. That was a nightmare, but I'm glad it's over. Now maybe we can settle down and start a new life. You know, get some nice stuff, couple of kids..." I tried my best to keep a straight face. He looked me straight in the face. "Baby, I just don't know if I'm ready for kids. It's not you, honey, it's me." After his last remark we both couldn't hold it in anymore. We laughed and laughed until our sides hurt and tears were running down our cheeks. Everything we did after that was immediately funny and we laughed for the rest of the evening. The next few weeks passed incredibly quickly. I was trying to fit into a new job and Clint was working a lot as well at an internship he had taken at a law firm over the summer. His relationship with Christine also seemed to be blossoming. I was happy for them both, but slightly jealous of each. I did my best to shrug it off and stuck to concentrating on my new job. The twins and I had spent some time together before they had left to go home. Matt and I also talked a fair amount. All in all my life was returning to 'normal'. I really wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not. We had finally settled into our apartment and we had gotten enough things to really make it nice. It helped that we were both working and bringing in a decent income. After a very long day/week at work I jumped in the car ready for a fantastic weekend of sleep. I could visualize it all -- a leisurely Saturday beside the pool, sleeping as late as I pleased -- overall just enjoying the weekend as restfully as possible. I pulled into my usual parking spot and bounded up the stairs. I let myself in and chunked my briefcase on the floor and changed into some flannel pants. I shucked my shirt and the cool air in our apartment felt great against my skin. We usually kept the temperature around sixty degrees to compensate for the stifling heat outside. I walked to the kitchen to pour myself a glass of white zinfandel I had bought for just such an occasion. As I reached the fridge I found a note from Clint. 'Kev, Went out with Chris - be back later. Oh, found this and thought you might be looking for it. Later, C.' Behind the note was my ticket to the Requiem. I had completely forgotten about it! I immediately looked at the date and was relieved to see that it was for the following night. I silently cursed myself for getting just one ticket. Then again, the person I would normally invite was Christine. This was getting too complicated. I walked into the living room and lit some candles we had placed around the room. I popped one of my favorite "classical" CDs into the stereo and relaxed on the sofa. The atmosphere was perfect. Perfect lighting, perfect music, and excellent wine...I suddenly was filled with an intense ache to share it with somebody. My romantic interests seemed to have waned after the whole Matt incident. I was pleased that we had come out of the situation with our friendship intact, but I still longed for the closeness that our relationship had the potential of providing. The frustrating thing was that I really didn't have **anyone* in mind. I had thought that living with Clint would put a spark into my life, but thus far there had been nothing. We had a great friendship and got along perfectly, but that was as far as it went... that and my occasional lascivious glances. I chuckled as I got up to pour myself another glass of wine. I felt my skin flushing slightly with the alcohol. Clint was a jock, straight as they come -- albeit open minded -- and he was dating my best friend. We had a very open friendship. We were extremely comfortable around one another and I often thought that we acted more like family than friends. My mind was spinning, and not just from the alcohol. I sighed, rolled my eyes at the world and flipped on the TV. I began feeling pretty comfortable -- very comfortable. The words from the tube began to run together and suddenly I really couldn't remember what I was watching in the first place. ----------------------------- I woke up with a start to see Clint plop his muscular frame down on the sofa next to my feet. "Shit, dude! You scared the hell out of me," I muttered as I rubbed the sleep from my eyes. "Sorry, bud." He ran his fingers through his sleek black hair and propped his arms along the back of the sofa. I could see the sweater he had worn that night stretched tautly across his chest. I got up and walked over to the kitchen and poured myself a glass of water. "You want something while I'm up?" I called into the living room. "Nah. Thanks, though." I walked back in, glass of water in hand, and plunked down in my warm spot on the sofa. Clint turned and locked those incredible gray eyes onto mine. "Have a good time tonight?" he asked. "Yeah, it was relaxing. I just chilled and thought about stuff; it was kinda nice, for a change. How'd the date go?" "Great. We went to dinner at a little Japanese place -- nice taste, by the way. Chris said you introduced it to her." I smiled and nodded. Christine and I had sampled most of the 'fine dining' establishments in the area and had come up with an informal list of which ones we preferred. The Japanese place was close to the top. "Yeah, it's a fun little place. A lot of atmosphere." Clint nodded and flashed me one of those bright smiles that I was fond of. "Oh, I almost forgot," he said, "don't forget that my cousin Michael is coming into town tomorrow night on his way to some meeting or other." I had forgotten -- AGAIN! I told Clint as much and we had a good laugh about my memory lapses of the day. "So, what's the plan with Michael?" "Well, tomorrow night I think we'll just go out and catch up while you're at the concert. His flight leaves early afternoon and then, we can do whatever for the rest of the weekend. To be honest I hadn't really thought that far ahead." "Sounds cool. Look, I'd be glad to hang with Matt or something tomorrow night and let you guys catch up." His eyes fell at my suggestion. "Um...well...you do what you gotta do, Kev, but I thought we might hang out or whatever. I mean, I guess I just assumed..." he trailed off. "No dude, hanging out is cool. I just wanted to make sure I wasn't gonna be in the way." He punched me in the arm with a stern look on his face. "You're an ass, you know that?" He said. His look softened and he grinned slightly. I caught his gaze and for the first time I felt like he was really looking into my eyes, not just making eye contact, but really trying to read something there. His face looked perfect. His strong jaw, full lips, lightest dusting of stubble framed by jet black hair that just made his eyes stand out all the more. I decided I'd better cut the moment short before my mind ran away and left me somewhere I wasn't sure I wanted to be, so I grinned back and picked myself up off the couch. "I'm bushed. I'm gonna hit the sack." I called behind me as I took my wine glass into the kitchen and deposited it in the sink. "Yeah, me too. It's gonna be a long day tomorrow." "Night, bro." "G'night Kev." I walked into the bedroom and stripped down to my boxers and proceeded into the bathroom. I was in the middle of my nightly ritual of teeth brushing and face washing when Clint walked in and playfully slapped me on the ass. "Ehuse me?!" I muttered through a mouthful of toothpaste. Clint laughed at me, scooted me over and proceeded to brush his teeth. I finished up and dried my face. "Well, Mr. Impatient, I'm off to bed." Clint looked at me in the mirror and winked at me. I rolled my eyes playfully and padded into the bedroom. With that I pulled back the sheet and climbed into bed. I knew I was going to have to do some serious soul searching soon...I could see it coming like a storm on the horizon. It was on its way, but it wouldn't hit tonight. I drifted off to a dreamless sleep. ----------------------------- I woke up to the sun shining in my face. I glanced over at my alarm clock, which was, thankfully, silent -- 9 o'clock. I got up and wandered into the kitchen and looked around at the unused pots and pans. What the hell, I thought to myself. I hadn't cooked in what seemed like forever, and a down home breakfast sounded just about right. I had just about finished when Clint staggered in wearing just his boxers, a sleepy expression plastered to his face. "Good morning." I said, a little too chipper for my own taste. "Morning yourself. What in the devil are you doing up so early?" "Side effect of getting up early **every* morning, I suppose. I can't sleep in anymore. Anyway, don't complain, bitch. Breakfast is served." "You'll make somebody a great wife, one day," he snickered as he poured two glasses of orange juice and set them on the table. "Bite me." "Faggot..." he mumbled under his breath as he looked up defiantly. "I'll spit in your eggs," I taunted him. "You go ahead and see what happens." "Big talk, Wallace, big talk..." I turned around, bent over and loaded the pans into the dishwasher. In so doing I didn't notice Clint sneak up behind me. The next thing I knew my boxers were around my ankles and my roommate was rolling with laughter. I calmly finished loading the dishes and pulled up my boxers and adjusted an imaginary tie on my chest in an attempt to appear dignified. Clint roared. "Well, I'm glad **somebody* found your prank funny." "Oh no, the prank was stupid, it's your ASS that's funny!" and with that he started cackling all over again. I just shook my head at him. "Cheap thrills," I muttered. I joined in laughing and we sparred back and forth all through breakfast. After breakfast and my shower I started cleaning up the place. Neither of us was really messy, but the past week of neglect with both of us working had left things in a greater state of disarray than we would have liked. I finished loading the dishwasher and started cleaning off the layer of dust that had accumulated on our coffee table. Clint sauntered out of the bathroom clad in a blue towel neatly knotted around his waist. I averted my gaze and ducked into the bathroom and hopped in the shower. I had almost finished rinsing the soap off my body when I hear the door open and Clint strode in. In another life, it might have bothered me, but this was normal behavior for both of us. I slid the shower curtain open and noticed I had forgotten to take a towel out. "Hey, pass me a towel, would ya?" Clint gave me a playful once-over and whistled at me as he tossed a towel in my direction. "You know you want it, Wallace." "Yeah, yeah. Don't flatter yourself." I finished toweling off and slid past him. I finished dressing and found Clint making up his bed. "Hey, I'm gonna head up to the mall and grab some stuff for tonight. Need anything?" I asked. He looked up at me. "Nope, but thanks. I guess I'll see you when you get back tonight. Michael's flight should arrive in about 45 minutes, so I'm going to go ahead and make my way over there. After that I'll show him around our 'fabulous metropolis' and whatnot." "Cool deal. Well, I'll see ya later." "Have fun!" he said, grinning mischievously. I thanked him and was out the door before I regretted not asking him what that look was all about. After finding a new shirt and tie to compliment my suit I grabbed a sandwich from a local deli that I frequented. The deli/bakery was in a quaint quasi-castle-shaped building, which also housed a rather preppy bookstore and music store. After a leisurely lunch I meandered up to the second floor to visit the bookstore and browse the new titles. My reading preferences are pretty varied, so I just took my time taking in titles and making mental notes about what to buy. I couldn't resist buying the latest novel in my favorite sci-fi series...a real classic. The series had been left unfinished, due to the untimely death of the author. As fortune would have it, his son was the author of the newest addition to the saga. Glancing down at my watch I decided to make my way back to the apartment. I'd have just enough time to pull myself together casually without that chicken-with-the- head-cut-off feeling that I detested. I arrived without any driving catastrophe and got ready with just enough time to make too much of a fuss over my hair. I silently cursed my vanity. I grabbed my ubiquitous cell phone, concert ticket and proceeded out the door. A suitable parking place finally located, I quickly walked inside. A couple beads of sweat on my brow quickly reminded me why I normally do not attend summer concerts. At least the sun had almost completely dipped below the horizon, I thought to myself. I walked through the maze of people and entered the auditorium, glancing down at the seat numbers to find my seat. Note to self: buy season tickets next year. I finally located my assigned row and obliviously filed into my seat. I sat down heavily, sighed and proceeded to turn my cell phone ringer off. I kept it as a precaution but would NEVER keep in on in a performance. My years as a performer in college had taught me the extreme bad taste of doing so. No sooner had I finished slipping the phone back into my suit coat pocket than a feminine voice next to me startled me out of my stupor. "You know, you really shouldn't bring those things." I flushed in embarrassment and quickly turned to face the source of the reprimand. Beside me in a fantastic sleeveless gold blouse sat Christine, giving me the same mischievous grin Clint had. "You sneak! What are you doing here?!" I asked as I leaned over and gave her a peck on the cheek. "Oh Kev, c'mon. Tell me you **really* wanted to be here all alone..." "Shut up. Anyway...um...h-how?..." I stammered. "Forgotten so soon?" she flashed me puppy-dog eyes and feigned hurt. "Aunt Nancy plays in the symphony and gets comp tickets...Clint called me about the solo ticket...you do the math." "What would I do without you, babe?" I said as I smiled at her. "Well, I guess you would be a hell of a lot more lonely," she said as the lights began to dim. I laughed softly as I settled back into my seat. I leaned over and whispered a thank you into Chris' ear. She just smiled back and winked at me. The performance was exceptional. With this work Mozart had revealed an entirely different aspect of himself. I couldn't help but wonder if he had known of his fast- approaching death when he began to write this piece. When the last chords were played and the last notes sung I was overflowing with emotions. The pervading phrase, "Donna eis requiem"...give us rest...kept coursing through my brain. I've always marveled at the incredible way music could move my soul, and this occasion was definitely one for the books. I looked over and met Christine's gaze and saw the same expression in her eyes. "That's why I love you, you know?" I whispered to her. "Why?" "Because I can look at you, and look into your eyes and know you're feeling the same thing." She just smiled. "I've missed you, Kev," she said as she pulled me tight. "You too, babe." We decided to go to a local coffee shop and enjoy each other's company before heading home. We sat and chatted, catching up on what was going on in the other's life and just basking in that warm friendship glow that occasionally develops and is not to be wasted. I asked about Clint and she told me they were taking things very slowly. Her motto of "if you're going to do it, do it right" sprang to mind. I contemplated telling her about the Matthew incident, but chickened out at the last minute. She noticed and tried to pry the information out of me but relented when I promised to tell her later. The storm on the horizon image sprang to mind again. "So," I asked, subtly changing the topic, "How is the job hunting going?" Chris had been looking far and wide for a job opening that suited her tastes. Not an easy feat. "Umm...S-O-L would be the accurate term, I believe." I chuckled in spite of myself. "That bad, eh?" "Worse, really," she grinned, "No, actually I have several interviews coming up and I'm waiting to hear back from a couple of companies." "Well, I'm sure --" I was interrupted by my cell phone vibrating obnoxiously in my pocket -- still in 'silent mode'. I fished it out and answered it. "Hello?" "Hey. It's me," said a deep voice on the other end. I recognized it as Clint's voice. "Hey bud. What's up?" "Nothing much. Um, you still with Chris?" "Yeah, you need to talk to her?" I asked as I caught Christine's eye. "Oh, um, n-no. I just was wondering if you were gonna be late coming in." I was confused. I looked over at Chris and the confused look on her face mirrored my own. "Uh, no. We're just having a, um, cup of coffee and we'll be on the way back. Everything ok?" "Yeah, yeah. Just curious. I guess I'll see you in a while, then. Later." "Bye." I said as I hung up. I pocketed my phone and Chris' expression hadn't changed. "What was **that* all about?" she asked. "I have no idea. I guess I'll find out when we get back." We shrugged simultaneously. ----------------------------- There it is, chapter 6. It's a little longer, so I'm hoping that it will last accordingly. Right. If you enjoyed it, or even if you didn't, drop me a note and share your thoughts. If I have missed getting back to you, I offer my most sincere apologies (though I hope I haven't missed anyone). More is in the works. Also, some people have mentioned an update list...right now it's very informal, but if you'd like to be added, just let me know and I'll do my best to keep you up-to-date. Farscape20@hotmail.com