Date: Sun, 11 Nov 2012 15:38:11 -0500 (EST)
From: Bwstories8@aol.com
Subject: What They Don't Know, chapter 4

What They Don't Know – By BW
Copyright 2012 by BillWstories
Chapter 4: Suspicions.

The next couple of weeks went very well and Ethan and I continued to grow
closer every day.  Not only did we work, eat and spend a great deal of time
with each other, especially on the weekends, but we were also fortunate
that no one at the office had become aware of the extent of our
relationship.  This was good, because we really enjoyed working in the same
department and being able to have lunch together every afternoon.

We weren't sure if we'd still be able to spend as much time together if
Ethan was forced to transfer to another department due to our relationship.
First of all, we might not have lunch at the same time, due to the
staggered shifts.  Each department manager assigns the employees to one of
the two lunch periods to ensure there is phone coverage in the department
at all times.  If he worked in another department or for another employer
then there would be a good chance we wouldn't have the same lunch hour.  As
far as we were concerned, our current situation was still the best possible
solution for us.

For now, life was good, even though I wouldn't call it great.  It would
definitely be better if we didn't have to return to our own homes every
night and weren't limited to only being able to sleep together on the
weekend, but as long as Ethan and I were together, it was all that
mattered.

To make the time we spent together on the weekend appear less obvious to a
casual observer, we currently alternated where we stayed.  One weekend I
would end up at Ethan's house and the next weekend he would be at mine.  We
both had a pool in our backyard and had the option of swimming at either
place, so the only real difference was that Ethan's house was larger and
much roomier than mine.

Although Ethan's house had more to offer, I didn't have any particular
problems with my place, except for the fact that my second bedroom was so
small.  I've discovered it's even a tight fit as an office, with my
computer desk, the computer, three bookcases and a television stand with a
small TV on it for me to watch while I am working.  There is barely enough
room left over for a chair or space to move about, so it would be even
worse if I attempted to squeeze bedroom furniture in there.  Since it is so
cramped, I seldom spend any time in my office when Ethan stays over,
because we wouldn't both be able to fit in there comfortably at the same
time.  Therefore, it is merely a place where I work on my computer during
the week.

Another difference is that my kitchen is smaller than Ethan's and my
appliances aren't nearly as new or top of the line as the ones he has.
This is partially due to the fact that I'm not into cooking as much as
Ethan is, so I didn't update the kitchen after I moved in.  Since Ethan
likes to cook, he will sometimes fix a meal for us when he stays over at my
place, and other times I will even cook for us, but since he isn't very
fond of my kitchen and I'm not as good a cook as he is, we usually either
order take-out or just go out to eat when we stay at my house.  That serves
me well, although it can also get a little expensive, but it's only a minor
annoyance for now.  Since we've agreed to only spend time together on the
weekends, we have also opted to limit having dinner with each other to only
one evening after work, so we didn't become too obvious as a couple.  I
have no problem living with things the way they were for now, as long as it
meant that neither of us had to change jobs.

I was at home and having a conversation with a visitor one Wednesday
evening, when suddenly my doorbell rang.  Since I wasn't expecting anyone
else, I was a little reluctant to even go and see who was there.  Out of
curiosity though, I decided to sneak a peak out of my living room window
and see if it was anything important.  That's when I noticed Ethan's car in
my driveway.  Relieved, I immediately went to the door to see what he
wanted.

"What took you so long?" Ethan asked, while I was holding the door open for
him to enter.

"I'm sorry, but I have company and opted to take a few seconds to finish my
conversation with him first, before I came to the door," I explained.  "I
wasn't expecting you to show up and figured anyone else could wait until I
was done talking."

"Oh, ok.  So who's here?" Ethan wondered.  "Is it anyone I know?"

"It's one of my neighbors, so why don't you come in and I'll introduce
you," I offered.

Ethan agreed, so I led him back to the dining room where my guest was
waiting for me to return.

"Ethan, this is my neighbor, Joe Esposito," I announced.  "Joe, the is my
very good friend and co-worker, Ethan Hawkes."

Ethan was busy scrutinizing Joe and I think he might have been wondering if
he had competition.  Joe was also good-looking, with black, wavy hair,
brown eyes and a nice smile, plus he was only six or seven years older than
we are.  Even though I noticed Ethan scrutinizing Joe and sensed a possible
hint of jealousy, I chose not to say any more about Joe, unless Ethan
asked.

"Yes, I've seen both him and his car around from time to time," Joe
announced, which caused Ethan to blush slightly.

"Well, Bryan did say we were very good friends," Ethan offered, as a reply.

"Yes, but I'd be willing to wager that's most likely a bit of an
understatement," Joe teased.  "You may not know it, and I didn't mean to
spy on you, but I have seen you guys out in Bryan's pool on a couple of
occasions as well."

This last statement made me wonder what Joe might have seen us doing at the
time.  We occasionally got a little frisky when we were in the pool, but we
usually only did that when we thought it was dark enough that our actions
wouldn't be seen.  Had Joe caught us doing something inappropriate one
evening when the moon was a little brighter than normal and illuminated our
indiscretion?  I think we were both curious about this now, but we chose
not to ask Joe how much he had seen.

"So what do you do for a living?" Ethan asked.

This appeared to be just a friendly question, but he might have also
decided to ask it to move the discussion away from what Joe observe during
our time in the pool.  However, I had my own suspicions about this and
began to wonder if Ethan had a more personal motive for asking this
question.

"I have my own business," Joe told him.  "I'm into property management and
own some apartments and other buildings that I rent out, but I also run a
maintenance firm and have another group that does some minor construction
work as well."

"Wow, that sounds like quite an extensive operation," Ethan observed, while
looking somewhat impressed.

"Yes, it does seem to keep me busy," Joe agreed.

"So you just came over here for a friendly visit then?" Ethan followed.

I had a feeling I knew why he'd just asked this, but I tried not to let on
to this fact.  I think Joe also sensed that the green-eyed monster of
jealousy might be rearing its ugly head, but he didn't react in a way that
might be deemed inappropriate.  I, however, wondered what Joe thought about
his intentions being indirectly put into question.

"No, this is a business call," Joe answered, very calmly.

After hearing Joe's response, Ethan turned toward me and spoke.

"Business?  Are you having some work done?" he wondered.

"No, not at the moment," I told him, "but I actually bought this house from
Joe.  He'd picked it up after it went into foreclosure and then had his men
fix it up so he could put it back on the market.  Before I closed on the
house, I asked Joe to have his men repaint a couple of the rooms for me,
because they had initially painted everything white.  I also had them
expand the closet in the master bedroom, but that's not what he's referring
to.  Joe has me working for him part- time and I'm trying to sort out and
organize his books.  The last person he'd hired must have been brain dead,
because whoever it was really messed things up."

"Yes, I belatedly discovered my former financial person did not do a very
good job," Joe confirmed, "so when I found out Bryan had a business degree
and accounting background, I recruited him to clean up the mess for me.
I've kept him busy reworking all of the books and taking care of the
financial end of my businesses since he moved in.  I'm fairly good at being
able to organize and take care of the work end of the business, but
sometimes the accounting and record- keeping end gets short changed.
That's why I needed his help."

"Oh, I see," Ethan stated, and I noticed him release an almost
imperceptible sigh of relief.

"So what brought you over tonight, Ethan," I asked.  "You don't usually
come over during the week."

"I know, but I wanted to tell you about something that happen earlier and I
didn't want to do it over the phone or wait until tomorrow," Ethan informed
me.  "Chad Finch showed up at my place just before I came over here and
he's never done that before."

"Oh?  So what did he want?" I wondered.

"That's the thing, he didn't really want anything," Ethan explained.  "He
just said he was in the area and thought he'd drop in.  It's not as if we
are close friends or anything like that.  We merely know each other on a
casual basis, because we work in the same building.  He's usually not even
very friendly toward me."

"So you think there was more to it than just being in the area?" I
followed.

"That's why I came over here," Ethan told me.  "I think he might have been
checking to see if we were together tonight.  I'm not sure, but I suspect
he's trying to cause trouble for us.  I know he'd tried to transfer to our
department and wanted the job you eventually got, but our manager must have
shot him down.  It was obvious that Chad was really disappointed when he
didn't get the position you have now, so I have a feeling that he might be
trying to create another opening."

"Oh shit!" I exclaimed.

When I looked up, I could tell that Joe was wondering what we were talking
about, so I thought I'd explain.

"Work has this rule about spouses working together in the same department,
but it also discourages people who work in the same department from dating
too.  That's because it's a security risk," I explained.  "Since you know
that Ethan and I are more than just very good friends, you can guess why
this has us worried."

"Indeed I can," Joe agreed.  "Just watch yourselves.  I'd hate to see
anything like that happen to you, since you just moved here, bought a house
and found a potential partner.  It sounds as if someone else, in particular
a guy who is holding a grudge about not getting your job, might be trying
to throw a monkey wrench into the works and mess things up for you."

"Yes, I definitely agree," I confessed.

"Look, Bry," Ethan began, "I think it might be best if we didn't hang out
together this weekend, just in case Chad is playing detective and trying to
come up with some dirt.  I'll try to plan something for the following
weekend out of town, so he won't find out what we're up to."

"Nah, he knows we're friends and do things together, so we can still hang
out this weekend," I challenged.  "We just won't be able to spend the night
together at either your place or mine."

"Do you really think we can still do things during the day without making
him even more suspicious?" Ethan wondered.

"Of course," I answered, "as long as we don't allow him to see us kiss,
hold hands or do anything else that would prove his hunch to be correct.
As far as anyone is concerned, we're just two friends hanging out and
having some fun."

I then looked over at Joe, to see what he thought about our situation.

"Joe, you agree with me, don't you?" I asked him.

"Hey, I don't know this guy or anything about your company's rules," he
began, "but if there is no policy about co-workers being friends or hanging
out with each other when you're away from the office, then I think you
should be fine.  Just be careful about what you do in public... and maybe
in your pool."

That last comment sort of threw me for a moment, but I realized Joe had
made a valid point.  After a few seconds, I finally regained my composure
and turned toward Ethan.

"See, I told you," I commented, while flashing him a smug glare.

"Ok, that's fine with me," he agreed, "but neither one of us can be tempted
to stay overnight at either place or get too friendly when we're outside,
at least not until this problem has blown over."

"Ok, I can do that if you can," I confirmed.

Ethan nodded in agreement, so I felt this issue was settled for now.

"Hey, I'm going to head back to my place and leave you two alone," Joe
suddenly announced.  "Nice to meet you, Ethan."

"Wait!  Don't let me chase you out," Ethan responded, apologetically.

"No, you aren't," Joe offered.  "Bryan and I had gone over most of the
items I wanted to talk to him about before you showed up and the rest can
wait until later."

"If you're sure," Ethan responded, "and it was nice to meet you too."

"Thanks," Joe replied.  "You boys have a good evening and enjoy whatever
opportunities you have to be with each other."

"We will," I assured him.

Ethan and I then walked Joe to the door and bid him goodnight.  Once he was
gone and the door was closed again, which meant no one could see us, Ethan
pulled me into his arms, guided his head toward mine and kissed me.  This
wasn't just a gentle, passionate kiss – this one was more aggressive.
It told me that he needed to know that things were going to be all right
and we would always remain together.  This was a kiss driven by insecurity
and showed me how much Ethan wanted to make certain that nothing would ever
come between us.

Ethan didn't stay much longer after getting this reassurance from me,
because he was worried that Chad might have stuck around and followed him
over here.  Ethan said that having Joe here when he arrived and then having
Chad see Joe go home, if he'd actually followed him over here, was probably
a blessing in disguise.  Ethan said that way Chad would realize Joe had
been here before he arrived and it would make him wonder why some other guy
had been here with me, both before and during the time Ethan was here.
Since I agreed with his logic, I kissed him goodbye and walked him outside
to his car.  Then, I watched as he backed out of the driveway and headed
back to his place.  I looked around as he was driving away, but I didn't
notice Chad or his car anywhere in the area.

The following week at work was very interesting.  Ethan and I still went to
lunch together every afternoon, because we've been doing that ever since I
started working there, but the major difference was that we noticed Chad in
our department on three separate occasions.  Twice, he made it appear as if
he were just taking a shortcut by coming in the back door to our office,
which was near where his department was located, and then went out the
other door, near the office where he seemed to be heading.

The problem with his ruse was that coming through our department wasn't
actually any shorter than going the other way around.  Besides, he had
never seen Chad cut through our department like this until now, and Ethan
had worked here for two years.

The third time we noticed Chad in our area was when he was standing outside
of Maria Gonzales' cubicle and chatting with her.  He had been doing this
for about fifteen or twenty minutes before our manager spotted him.  When
she did, our boss came out of her office to question Chad about what he was
up to.  Chad quickly claimed that both Maria and he were just finishing up
their lunch hour and concluding a conversation they'd been having, but I'm
not sure our manager bought his story.  I know Ethan and I certainly
didn't.  We got our answer when she told the two of them that if they
wanted to chat about non-business related topics they should do so in the
break room and not where others were trying to conduct business.  She then
shooed Chad out of our department and sent him back to his own.

I think Chad got the message that his hanging out in our office wouldn't be
allowed in the future, but it also appeared as if Marie was a little upset
that he had also gotten her in trouble.  It wasn't as if our boss wrote her
up or anything like that, but Maria didn't like being chewed out for
something someone else did.  I think Chad got the hint too, because she
gave him a very frosty look and didn't say goodbye when he left her cubicle
and headed back to his own department.

Ethan didn't come over to see me that night, because as I've said before,
we weren't going to hook up during the workweek.  He did, however, call
later, so he could ask me a couple of questions.

"Bry, do you think Chad and Maria are dating or was he just using her so he
could watch us?" he began, without pausing for me to answer.  "Come to
think of it, maybe he was trying to recruit her to help him keep an eye on
us."

"They might be dating," I offered, "although I doubt it.  Chad isn't
exactly what you'd call good-looking and he doesn't seem to have much of a
personality.  In my opinion, he's kind of a dud.  Maria, on the other hand,
is attractive, has a very bubbly personality and seems to have a lot of
friends.  I think putting the two of them together would be about the same
as trying to mix oil and water.  Besides, Maria didn't look very happy that
Chad was standing beside her cubicle and trying to chat her up, especially
after she got chewed out by our boss for doing it."

"Yes, you're probably right," Ethan hesitantly agreed.  "I just hope he
hasn't recruited her to help him spy on us."

"First of all, since I don't think she would be likely to date him, I'm not
convinced she'd do any favors for him either," I replied.  "Besides, we
don't do anything at work that isn't allowed, so what could she possibly
see?  If they want to follow us around the building they're welcome to do
that, because all they'll see is us working and occasionally discussing
something.  There's nothing wrong with anything we're doing, so don't get
so paranoid."

"Yeah, ok," Ethan concurred.  "I don't know why I am worrying so much about
this."

I could tell Ethan wanted to say something else, so I remained quiet and
just waited for him to continue with what was on his mind.  I didn't want
to speak prematurely and end up derailing his train of thought.

"Actually, I do know why I worry so much," he finally continued.  "You're
the best thing that's ever happened to me and I don't want to lose you.  I
don't want our great times together to end, either now or ever."

"Awww, that is sooooo sweet," I told him.  "I love you too and I don't want
our time together to end either, so we'll just be extra careful.  We'll let
Chad waste his time either following us around the office or staking out
our places in his futile attempt to catch us doing something wrong.  We're
not going to let him win though, so he's going to end up being one very
disappointed and unhappy camper when this is over."

"Yes, you're right and we're going to make this work," Ethan announced,
resolutely.  "If there's going to be a loser here, then it will be Chad,
not us."

"That's the way to think," I praised him.  "I won't deny that this is going
to be tough on us and I hate the idea that we won't be able to sleep
together for a while.  Even so, I'm certain we'll be able to find a way to
sneak in some quickie sex now and then, without Chad seeing anything or
being able to figure out what we're up to."

"I hope so," Ethan confessed, "because I was suffering from a really bad
case of blue-balls before you moved here.  To correct that situation, I was
spending countless hours watching porn and jacking off to get some relief,
and I definitely don't want to have to go back to doing that again."

"Just make sure you keep the blinds shut and the curtains in your bedroom
closed from now on.  If you do that, I think we'll be able to sneak in some
time alone without having to worry about Chad finding out," I assured him.

"I'm going to hold you to that promise," Ethan stated, before I heard him
release a nervous little laugh.

I would have loved to be able to hug or kiss him at this point, but seeing
we were merely having a phone conversation it really wasn't an option.
Instead, we concluded our conversation by expressing our love for each
other, before hanging up.

That Friday after work, Ethan invited me to have dinner with him at his
place.  He fixed the meal, and seeing it was so lovely out, we ate it out
on his patio, where we also imbibed a couple of glasses of wine.  About an
hour after we finished dinner, the phone rang and Ethan went inside to
answer it.

"Hello," I heard him say.

"Jack don't call me again," I heard Ethan shout.  "I don't understand why
you're trying to revive your obsession with making me miserable, but don't
contact me again."

"No, don't try coming over here either," Ethan stated, forcefully, "or I'll
be forced to call the police.  You may get some sort of childish delight
out of this, but we're not in high school any longer, so grow up."

Ethan then slammed down the phone and came back out to the patio.

"What was that about?" I asked, concerned.  Ethan was obviously upset by
that phone call.

"Jack just called to harass me some more," he stated.  "He said he looked
my name up in the phone book and then decided to call to let me know that
he discovered where I lived.  I hope he's smart enough not to try anything
else, because I'm willing to get law enforcement involved and take legal
action to keep this from getting out of hand."

"What would you do?" I wondered.

"First, I'd file a complaint with the police that he was stalking and
harassing me," Ethan offered, "and if I had to, I'd also be willing to
request a restraining order against him.  He and his friends made my life a
living hell in high school and I'm not going to let that happen again."

"What exactly did they do?" I asked.

"I really don't want to dredge up all the details about my miserable high
school experience," he offered.  "Let's just concentrate on us and forget
about him.  Hopefully, he'll be smart enough not to take this any further."

I could tell Ethan was upset, but didn't want to go into detail about what
had happened to him in high school, so I suggested we should go for a swim
instead.  That way, he could exercise away his frustration and, hopefully,
blot out the memory of his conversation with Jack.

After he agreed with my suggestion, we put on our swim trunks and went back
outside.  We were able to do this because Ethan and I had each purchased an
extra swimsuit, which we left at the other's house.  We also kept a couple
of changes of clothes there as well, just in case of an emergency on the
weekend.  We felt it would be wise to have these things at each other's
place, even if we weren't going to be staying overnight.

We swam for over an hour before it appeared as if Ethan had worked out his
aggravation over the unwanted phone call.  After we got out of the pool and
dried off, we went inside and watched television for a while.  We also
managed to sneak off to Ethan's bedroom for part of the time for a quick
round of oral sex, which did wonders for both us, although I believe it
benefited Ethan more than me.

I know I was sad when I had to get dressed and go back home later, and I
was fairly certain that Ethan wasn't happy about it either.  However, we
both realized this was something we were going to have to live with for
now.

I didn't drive back to Ethan's place until Saturday afternoon and then we
went out to have lunch first, before we went off to play a round of
miniature golf.  I'm not saying this was something I would have normally
chosen to do, because it just isn't my thing, but it did give us an excuse
for being together.  It also helped to make Ethan forget about Chad and
Jack, at least temporarily, plus we had a good time being together.  We
were also out in the open, so if Chad was spying on us he could see we were
just enjoying each other's company as friends and nothing more.

When we finished up there, we went back to Ethan's house.  As soon as we
arrived, we turned the TV on fairly loud, so if anyone was checking up on
us they would think we were merely watching some program.  Instead, we went
back to Ethan's bedroom, so he could make love to me.  This was the second
reason we had for turning the TV on so loudly, because it would also help
to mask the sounds of our lovemaking.

I hate the fact that we can't spend as much time doing these things, as
we'd like to.  I'll admit that I wish we could hold, kiss and cuddle
longer, and I think Ethan does too, but hopefully this restriction won't
last forever.  Ethan has already said that if we have to keep this up for
longer than just a couple more months, he is going to ask for a transfer.
That way, they'll be nothing keeping us apart any longer.  It might screw
up our lunch dates, but it would give us back the rest of the time to be
together again.

After we finished up in the bedroom, we put on our swim trunks and then
went out to the living room, where we watched some television for a brief
time.  Once the program ended, we went out to take a dip in his pool and
unwind.  We stayed out there for another hour or so, before we came back
inside and finished the evening off with a snifter of cognac.  Once I
finished my drink, I said goodbye to Ethan, gave him a very affectionate
kiss and then drove home.

Ethan told me before I left that he'd be over for breakfast in the morning,
around 8:00, so I drove to the grocery store next and picked up a few
things before I went back to my place.  As I was making that side trip, I
kept looking to see if I noticed a car hanging around the area or possibly
even following me, but I never spotted anything out of the ordinary.
Hopefully, if Chad had been watching us, he'd either given up because our
lives are so boring, or he was never following us at all and this had all
been just our imaginations running wild.

True to his word, Ethan rang my doorbell at 7:55.  I had set my alarm for
7:00, so I'd already taken my shower, dressed and was waiting for him to
show up.  As soon as he stepped inside and closed the door, I wrapped my
arms around his neck and pulled his lips to mine.  I kissed him for quite a
few minutes and didn't want to ever stop, so I wasn't certain how long we
actually held on to each other.  I tended to lose all track of time
whenever I was in Ethan's arms or he was in mine.

Unfortunately, Ethan brought me back to reality when he said that we'd
better stop and move into the kitchen.  When I questioned him about this,
he indicated that he'd noticed there was one line of sight that someone
could see into the house and would be able to observe what we were doing,
if they happened to be in the right spot.  Reluctantly, I did as he said
and we broke apart.

Once we were in the kitchen, I guided him to a secluded area near the
fridge, where we were sheltered from the one vantage point he had
discovered.  Once I felt it was safe, I wrapped my arms around him again,
pulled him toward me and slipped my tongue back into his mouth.  I could
have done this forever and never grown tired of it, but that wasn't to be.
Therefore, I hoped we'd eventually find a way to alleviate our concerns
about Chad fairly soon.  If not, I might end up going bonkers and I'm
certain no one would want that to happen, well except for possibly Chad.

When I was finally able to pull myself away from Ethan again, I made each
of us a Western omelet, home fries, sausage, toast and coffee.  Then we sat
down at the dining room table and leisurely devoured our food.  Ethan told
me several times that I'd done very well today, which he possibly felt he
had to do, since I'm not usually a very good cook.  However, this meal
wasn't exactly something that took a rocket scientist to prepare.

After we took our dishes into the kitchen, rinsed them off and loaded them
into the dishwasher, Ethan dragged me off to my bedroom.  When we got
there, he announced that it was my turn to make love to him.  I certainly
wasn't about to argue with him, so I turned on some music and we quickly
stripped out of our clothes.  Once we were naked, I grabbed a condom and
the lube, got us both ready and then lovingly entered my true love.  I
tried my best to take my time and make it last as long as possible, because
I realized this would have to tide us over until next weekend.

When we finished, we went for a swim and stayed outside for the next couple
of hours.  During this time, Joe came over to the fence and yelled 'hi' to
us, so we got out of the pool and talked to him for a brief time.  After a
few minutes, Joe finally said he thought it was time for him to leave us
alone, since he knew we didn't get to spend much time by ourselves any
longer, so we thanked him for his consideration and he took off.

As it started to approach noon, Ethan suggested we should go to a movie and
I readily agreed.  We quickly dried off, went inside to get dressed and
then headed over to the cinema complex.  After selecting the movie we
wanted to see, we purchased our tickets, bought a drink and went in to find
a good seat.  We'd only been in there for about ten minutes when the
previews came on, but a minute or so after the upcoming attractions
started, I noticed Chad slipped into the theater as well.  I then watched
as he moved toward the aisle on the far side of the theater and walked up a
few rows, before taking a seat.  I wasn't sure if this was merely a
coincidence or if he was actually following us around, but I made a point
of letting Ethan know Chad was also in attendance.

Rather than panicking about his presence, we stayed and enjoyed the movie,
but made certain that we didn't do anything more than remain seated next to
each other.  We didn't hold hands, make out or do anything else that would
cause any red flags to pop up.  We were just two friends enjoying a flick
together.

Before the ending credits started to roll, we got ready to head toward the
exit.  Since we both knew that Chad was nearby, we decided to get out of
there before he did and head home as quickly as we could.  We had watched
Chad out of the corner of our eyes from time to time during the flick, just
to see if he was staring in our direction or at the movie.  We figured that
if he was here to spy on us, then it was only fair that we return the favor
and keep track of him as well.  Since neither of us saw anything that
looked suspicious on his part, it didn't appear as if he was here to spy on
us.  Even if that was the case, we still headed for the exits as quickly as
we could, just as soon as the movie was over.

Ethan and I were among the first to make our way out of the theater and we
were pleased to notice that Chad had gotten caught up in the crowd.  Moving
as quickly as we possibly could without running, we made our way back to
where my car was parked and then immediately set out for my place.  As I
drove, I scanned the mirrors to see if I could spot anyone tailing us, but
I never noticed anything out of the ordinary.  I mean Chad wouldn't have
had to follow us, since he knew where both of us lived, but he might have
been trying to do it if he suspected that we might not be going home right
away.

As I considered this possibility, I made a hasty decision and decided not
to return to either of our places.  Instead, I took a couple of quick turns
and continued to drive around until I spotted a place where we could have a
relaxing lunch and possibly a couple of drinks.  I felt I could use some
alcohol to calm my nerves, since I'd gotten myself worked up after seeing
Chad in the theater.

While we were waiting for our meals to be delivered, Ethan and I talked it
over and were prepared to confront Chad, if he happened to show up here as
well, but he never did.  This meant we were able to eat our lunch in peace
and we enjoyed ourselves immensely, as we wound down a little.  I was also
very glad I had decided to do this on a whim.

When we finally made our way back to my house, we both kept a lookout for
Chad and his vehicle.  We even looked down the side streets and eyeballed
every parked car, just in case he had borrowed someone else's vehicle to
use to spy on us.  We did everything we could think of to make sure he
wasn't anywhere around, and this included taking a spin around the block
just to make sure he wasn't merely hanging out somewhere nearby.  Our extra
spin around the block might have looked more than a little suspicious to my
neighbors, or Chad if he was actually there, but I no longer cared.  If
Chad was really watching us, it meant he was already suspicious, so an
extra trip around the block wasn't going to make matters worse.

Ethan stayed at my place for a short time, but then he went home before
dinner.  He thought that if we shared all three meals together today it
might be a bit much under the circumstance, and reluctantly I had to agree
with his logic.  We did make out for a short time before he left though and
then I told him that I'd see him in the morning.  Unfortunately, it was
going to be another long, lonely night.