Chapter Fifteen – {09-2018 - 12-2018}

"Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday, my love Cody, happy birthday to you," I sang as we sat staring out the window.

"Twenty-two revolutions around the sun."

"Yup. Excited about your party?"

"I've never had a birthday party."

"I know. That's why Luke and I were so adamant about throwing you a party."

"It is a sweet thing. I'm a little concerned about the cake."

"Why? Luke's got this."

"Maybe, I should say, I'm concerned about Luke and the cake."

"Baby, he really does have this."

"Okay. If you say so."

"Did you look at what he's done?"

"Huh?"

"He made the cake yesterday while you were out. Each layer is wrapped tightly in plastic wrap to keep it moist. He has taken to baking like a man possessed."

"Cool. I just thought it was a lot for him to take on."

"He really, and I do mean really, wants to do this."

Cody gave me a big grin.

"What else are we having?"

"I'm picking up barbeque, mac and cheese, black-eyed corn, and coleslaw."

"Which barbeque?"

"Pulled pork, beef brisket, and pulled chicken."

"Sweet!"

"What else?"

"Leave us a few surprises," I said.

"Oh, okay."

Luke walked in with a mug of coffee.

"Morning," Cody said.

"Morning to you both. It's eight; don't you need to get your shower?"

"Huh?" Cody grunted.

"Casey will be here at nine," I said. "He is taking you away for a bro day together while Luke and I get everything ready for your party."

The look on Cody's face was priceless.

"Go get cleaned up, and you can have a quick breakfast with us."

Cody hurried down the hall while Luke and I chuckled.

"I'll help with breakfast," Luke said.

As we started pulling things together, I said to Luke, "Cody was concerned about you doing the cake."

"I'm not that bad."

"Not his concern. He was afraid you were taking on too much."

"This has been fun!"

"I made him think he's having a layer cake."

"Thanks!"

We had breakfast ready when Cody reappeared. The three of us had just finished eating when the doorbell rang. Cody ran out of the kitchen. I looked at Luke, and we smiled at each other.

We walked into the foyer, finding both Casey and Kyle.

"Going with them?" I asked Kyle.

"No. It's their bro date. I thought I could help out with party preparations."

"That would be great," Luke said.

"We're heading out," Casey said. "We'll be back promptly at three."

"The six-hour party countdown has begun," Luke said.

As soon as the door closed, Luke turned to Kyle and asked, "Do you know what Casey has planned?"

"Yep, he's taking Cody to this place in Manassas for a spa day."

"Spa day on a bro date?"

"It's a men's place. They are getting a manicure, which the place calls a Man-O-Cure, a pedicure, the place's signature shave, and something called a neanderthal facial. After that, they are having a light lunch. I'm not sure what else he has planned."

"Sounds like he planned it well," I said.

"You're paying for it, aren't you?" Kyle asked.

"I'm sharing the cost with Casey. I didn't want Cody to think about how much we were spending on him. Having Casey do this is keeping him from realizing it. I hope."

"What do you need me to do?"

"You and I can work on set-up and party decorations."

"I'm on cake detail," Luke said.

"Follow me," I said.

Kyle and I went downstairs, and I grabbed the key for the playroom.

"I'm glad I've seen this before," Kyle said.

"Would be an abrupt way to learn about it. Grab that box," I said, pointing. "We'll come back for the tables."

We carried the stuff upstairs, set up the tables, and then opened the boxes.

"I haven't seen stuff like this since I was ten."

"That's the idea. We're hosting a retro birthday party for the boy who never once had a birthday party."

"He what?" Kyle's voice was incredulous.

"He never had a birthday party, never got to go trick-or-treating – nothing that most kids enjoy. They celebrated Christmas, but evidently only with a small amount of gift exchange. The focus was on the religious part of Christmas."

"This is going to be fun!"

Kyle and I took the time to decorate the room. Tablecloths, streamers, and balloons everywhere. On the table by the door, Kyle put a stack of party hats. I put noisemakers and other kitsch items on the tables.

Once we had things set up, we walked into the kitchen.

"That is wild," Kyle said.

I had known what Luke planned, but I was amazed at what he had created.

"What have you done?" Kyle asked.

"The bottom is a thin cake baked in a jellyroll pan. I flipped it onto our largest cutting board. The cake is chocolate; has to be if it's for Cody, the green frosting is mint-flavored. I used modeling chocolate to make the tracks. The train cars are chocolate cakes that I baked in cleaned, baked bean cans. I used chocolate frosting and then the candies to make the windows, smoke stack, and wheels."

"What's the smoke? Cotton?"

"It's white cotton candy."

"It looks amazing," Kyle said.

"Look at this," Luke said. He handed his phone to Kyle.

"They look almost the same."

"That's the cake my mom made for me when I was eight," Luke said.

"She'll be proud of you."

"I've been sending her pictures all morning. She seems impressed."

"Want to go with me to pick up the food?" I asked Kyle.

"Sure!"

I looked at Luke and said, "We should be back in forty-five minutes to an hour."

"Sounds good. I'll set up the drinks."

Kyle followed me out to the Jeep. As I drove us out of the community, I asked, "I'm curious, how much of this is similar to what Casey went through?"

"From what I've learned, it was not very similar until the night his dad found out he was gay. Casey's upbringing was conservative, but it sounds like Cody's was ultra-conservative."

"Cody's family were members of the Rock Church, which is conservative and evangelical, but I think his father's family is stricter than even that church. His mom's side seems far less strict."

"You said no birthdays, no Halloween, and limited Christmas."

"Yep. Changing the subject, how are the wedding plans coming along?"

"Great. We're planning to do it in the backyard. Casey has got a lot of plans."

"You don't sound as enthused."

"I want, need, and will get married to him. I don't need it to be fancy."

"He wants it to be fancy?"

"He wants the wedding to be... amazing, I think, is the word he uses most."

"You don't?"

"Our definitions of amazing differ, and we continue to discuss what we each want.

"That's good."

"I'm the simple, jock type. He's more the artsy, creative type. I won't say I'm jealous of his talents, but he is definitely the one that drives the discussions."

"Fair. Sounds like you are working on this with a level head and good communication."

"We are."

"Anything set as yet?"

"Seersucker," he replied.

"Seersucker? In what way?"

"It's a summertime outdoor wedding, and we agreed on seersucker suits. We are working with a tailor in town to get them fitted."

"Nice."

I pulled into a parking space, and we went into the restaurant. Kyle being with me helped get things into the car much quicker.

With everything set up at home, the three of us cleaned up for the party. The guests started arriving at two thirty.

"I'm glad you're here," I said to Kyle. We were in the kitchen checking on things.

"Thanks. Why's that?"

"You know all the guests. I haven't met any of them."

"They are our friends. Some are from Casey's classes, but most are classmates of Cody and me. We have lunch, hang on campus, etcetera."

"Cool. I'm glad Cody's been making friends."

"They're here." I heard Luke's voice boom.

Kyle and I walked out, grabbed our party hats, and stood with folks. A moment later, Cody, followed by Casey, came through the front door.

"Happy Birthday!" We all called out.

Cody's face was an interesting study. I could tell he was intrigued and curious about the party, but there was something else. Luke handed them both their party hats, and the party got started.

Things had been going for a short time when Cody walked up to me with a young lady.

"Coulter, this is Mindy. Mindy, this is Coulter."

"It's nice to finally meet you. Cody talks about you and Luke all the time."

"Nice to meet you as well."

"What you've done for Cody is amazing. I wish there were more people like you. Then again, I guess love leads you there."

"That it does. He means a lot to us."

"I can see!"

The party continued, and folks ate, talked, and otherwise had a good time. Finally, it was time for the cake. Luke had hidden the cake, and I saw Kyle helping him carry it into the dining room.

"Folks, if everyone would please join us in the dining room. It's time for the birthday boy to blow out the candles!"

Cody was more towards the back of the crowd, so mostly everyone was in the room. He walked in, saw the cake, and started crying. The crying quickly turned to sobs. Casey and Mindy were closest, and they enveloped him in a hug.

Once he regained his composure, he said, "This is absolutely amazing. For those of you who don't know, this is the first time in my life I've had a birthday cake. A couple years ago, Coulter took me to a restaurant for a slice of cake and put a birthday candle on it. That was my first time blowing out candles. Looking at this freaking amazing train cake that Luke made, by the way, it's my first. It's so wonderful to have a family that loves you!"

I looked around the room, and there wasn't a dry eye in the place.

Kyle pulled out a lighter and started lighting the candles. With that, we started singing Happy Birthday. When the first verse ended, Luke and I started the second verse, singing, "Hope you're going to get some tonight. Hope you're going to get some tonight. Hope you're going to get some... cake and ice cream. Hope you're going to get some, tonight!"

That got us a round of applause mixed with laughter.

Mindy said, "Make a wish and blow out those candles!"

Cody looked up for a minute, then blew all the candles out.

"Your wish will come true," one of the guests said.

"It already has," Cody said.

-----

I started coughing soon after I woke up. I was standing in the bathroom, trying to get my day started, when Luke walked in and said, "You don't sound good."

"I got congested overnight, and it is draining down my throat."

"Cold?"

"That or a sinus problem." He looked at me with an odd expression. "Yes, I'm going to stay home today. Yes, I'll call the doctor."

"Good man."

Having given up on going to the office, I went to the kitchen and grabbed a mug of coffee. I'd been standing there a few minutes when Cody walked in with a concerned look on his face.

"Luke said you're not feeling well."

"Cold or sinus problem. The phlegm is draining down my throat. It's making me cough, and my throat is getting sore. And, yes, I'm going to the doctor."

"Good. Luke said he'd drop me off at school so you could have a vehicle."

"Thanks!"

I took my coffee into the den, set up my work laptop, and signed in. I sent Lucinda a note that I was a bit under the weather, planning to see the doctor, and would work as I could. Before I logged off, she responded, telling me to take good care of myself.

I heard footsteps approach and turned to find Luke behind me.

"We're heading out."

"Have a great day. I'd give you a kiss, but," I said.

He came over and kissed me on the top of my head. I sat at my desk, going through a few e-mails. Finally, at eight, I called the doctor and made an appointment. I hadn't been happy to leave my last doctor, but the fifteen-mile drive could take an hour. My new doctor was growing on me. Plus, the practice had other doctors and several physician's assistants to spread out the work load. Finally, he was close by.

I went to the bedroom, cleaned up, and got dressed. I chose comfort over style for the day. I went back to work but admitted I wasn't focused.

I got to the doctor's office just before ten and was soon ushered into an exam room. The nurse took my vitals and noted a few things on my chart. A few minutes later, the PA came in and checked me over.

"Quite the sinus infection," she finally said. "I'm afraid it will get a bit worse before the antibiotics kick in."

"Wonderful."

"You should be in good shape by the weekend," she admitted. "I'd recommend staying home, resting, and most importantly, being mindful of your voice."

"Huh?"

"You are draining a lot of mucus and phlegm down your throat. It is already red and irritated. You could lose your voice if you're not careful."

"Something I should take?"

"I'd use cough drops, hot tea, and steam; and of course, a lot of rest."

"Thanks."

-----

"Not going tonight?" Cody asked me as he got ready for school.

"No. I want to give this one more day before I go out," I explained.

"Okay, I'll come home and take care of you."

"That's not necessary. You and Luke have a good time."

"But you've been sick and..."

"I'm fine; it was a mild thing, and I should be able to go into work tomorrow."

That night, I was lying in bed reading when I heard my phone chirp.

`He's here' Cody sent.

`Fine'

`Luke's upset'

`Tell him to chill. James isn't worth it.'

`Will do'

I fell asleep before the guys got home. I was sleeping in Luke's room, so I didn't pass anything on to them. The next morning, I was up and getting ready for my day when I heard someone come up behind me in the bathroom.

"TGIF!" Luke said.

"Definitely better than Sure Happy It's Thursday!"

He took a moment to think about the acronym and then burst into laughter.

"I take it you're going to work."

"Yup, I feel fine and don't want to kill all my sick leave. You had fun last night?"

"Yeah. Talked to Kyle mostly and a little to Angus. He was there last night."

"I know. Cody sent me a text."

"Cody wouldn't let me tell him to fuck off."

"I asked him to keep you away from him. I've decided it just isn't worth it to me."

"It's just..."

"Luke, look. George said something to me the first night about not letting James fuck up my groove. He told me that again last Thursday. I've got you. I've got Cody. And I couldn't be fuckin' happier! Plus, Cody cornered me the other day."

"About James?"

"About forgiveness. Cody grew up in Rock Church. I grew up in a Methodist and then a Presbyterian church. You spend a lot of time hearing about forgiveness. I can forgive James for what he did. It's been four years, and my life is far better because of his mistake. I won't forget what he did. I don't really want to be around him. However, I'm not going to fuck up my groove over him."

Luke looked at me as if I had two heads.

"We need to get ready and hit the road, or we'll miss the train. We can talk more about the way to work."

He nodded and started getting ready.

-----

"Have you thought about Halloween?" I asked Cody.

"Yes. I want to enhance Luke's graveyard idea. I was thinking about adding a dancing skeleton scene."

"A what?"

"You put a sheet of white fabric up and then project this dancing skeleton scene onto it. They look like ghosts."

"So, we'd need a projector?"

"It's sold as a system. It's under a hundred dollars."

"Seems reasonable."

"I thought we could stretch the fabric between the two trees project the scene behind the graveyard."

"It would look like ghost skeletons dancing in the graveyard."

"Exactly! I'd also like to get the fencing we saw put it around the graveyard. I figured we could use it around a flower bed during the summer."

"Reasonable," I said. I guess the smile on my face said more than I liked his idea.

"What?"

"I'm happy, you're happy, and I'm happy you're not worrying about money."

"It's been tough, but I do get it. It doesn't mean I won't be conservative about spending money. But I get it; you're my family!"

He put his arm around my shoulder, pulled me a bit closer, and kissed me on the cheek.

"The best family anyone could ask for," he added.

"Speaking of family, what time is Luke due home?"

"His text said he'd planned to leave the office at seven. I was impressed that the company is paying for Lyft."

"It's a good company, and they treat their employees right. He's been working a lot of hours on that new testing environment, missing trains, etc. They have inconvenienced his life a good bit."

"He said his boss is really excited about the project, and things will be a big boost."

"I would think she'll get a promotion or a bonus out of this."

"What about Luke?"

"He's too new for a promotion. He might get a reward for all his hard work."

"A reward?"

"The company has a rewards and recognition program. They have small things like twenty-five-dollar gift cards that any supervisor can give out quickly and easily to global awards that include a trip to the awards ceremony."

"No money?"

"The global award is about recognition. If he were to get something like that, it would be a clear signal that he's going somewhere in the company. I think he'll probably get one of the bigger cash awards – five hundred or a thousand. That's my guess."

"Wow."

"That's one of the things I think folks should ask about during an interview."

"Huh?"

"Everyone asks about salary, benefits, or office culture. But they never seem to ask about rewards and recognition. That's another clear indication of how a company treats its people."

"What about your company?"

"We're small, and we're still developing things. We recognize accomplishments. We're still in the office party or office lunch realm for those. Managers are not able to earn bonuses. Staff salaries have been improving. But you're right, we need to think about a rewards and recognition program."

"I didn't..."

"You didn't say it, but you made me think about it. Thanks!"

-----

"You look worn out," I said to Luke as we sat on the train to work.

"Thanks, what a compliment."

The smile on his face and the tone of his voice let me know he wasn't mad.

"All these long nights are getting to me," he admitted.

"How soon till you're done?"

"The testing environment is scheduled to go online in two more weeks."

"Good."

"We're back on schedule, so that should reduce the late nights."

"That's a good thing."

By this point, the train was getting close to my station.

"Have a great day, and try to relax a bit," I said.

"I will."

I grabbed my stuff, stood, bent a bit, and kissed Luke goodbye. I said, "Love you," then turned and walked off.

I'd gotten through the SCRUM and a brief team meeting when I heard my phone chirp. Since I wasn't too busy, I turned it over and found a text from Luke.

`Taking l8r train home – mtg push 2 1630'

Okay, so he's going to be later, but not horribly late.

`I'll get Cody to pick me up. Leave Jeep for you.'

`Can do Lyft'

`Naw, Cody pickup'

`Thanks'

That settled, and I sent Cody a text asking him to pick me up.

On the train ride home, I got to thinking about how tired and worn-down Luke was getting. By the time the train pulled into Burke Center station, I had a plan worked out.

"Hey handsome," I said as I climbed into the car.

"Hey."

"How was your day?"

"Good. Classes, lunch with the gang, got my homework done, and got some laundry done."

"Sweet."

"How was yours?"

"Good. Good. The usual stuff, really. I did get to thinking about Luke."

"Oh?"

"Have you noticed how rundown he's getting?"

"Yeah. I'll be glad when this project is over."

"I was thinking he needed a little pampering."

"What do you have in mind?"

"Before we get too far, head for the grocery store."

"Okay."

"Let's get some steaks," I said. "We can do his favorite food. Then a massage. Then, if he can get it up, some sex."

"He'll be able to get it up. Remember he's at Super Double Sex Fiend."

That got me laughing.

We did a quick shop at the store, and upon arriving home, Cody and I divided and conquered getting dinner ready.

Our phones chirped at one point.

`Missed 331 on 333'

"So, he'll be home around six thirty," Cody said.

"Yep, maybe a few minutes after, depending on traffic. At least it's not one of the later trains yet again."

"Go get into some comfy clothes," Cody said. "I'll watch the food, then change when you get back."

I went to the bedroom and changed into a pair of boxers and a tee. When I returned, Cody went and did the same.

"Smells good." We heard Luke's voice from the front door. I looked at the clock: six forty-one.

He came into the kitchen looking like a studly office man and said, "It really does smell good. What are we having?"

"It's our all about Luke dinner," Cody said. "Black and bleu filet, roasted Brussels sprouts, parmesan mashed potatoes, and brownie a la mode."

"Holy cow. That sounds great. Thanks!"

He came over and hugged us both.

"Go get into the appropriate dress," I said.

Luke disappeared for a few minutes, returning in boxers and a tee.

Cody and I got the food plated while Luke put silverware on the table and filled the water glasses. We sat down at the table and ate as Luke filled us in on his day.

After dinner, the three of us cleaned up and put everything away.

Cody took Luke's hand and led him towards the bedroom.

"What's up?"

"This is phase two of an all-about Luke evening," I said.

I grabbed the big beach towel and put it on the bed.

"Strip and lie face down," I said.

"Yippee, massage time," Luke said.

Cody and I sat at the foot of the bed, slicked our hands with cream, and started working on Luke's feet. We'd talk about our plans while making dinner, so we slowly worked our way up Luke's body in unison. We'd been working to relax him for about forty-five minutes when we told him to flip.

We again started at his feet and worked in tandem, quietly up his body. We purposefully avoided his hardening dick and continued to his chest. As we finished what we'd planned, I noticed that Luke's eyes were closed. Cody nodded his head toward Luke's crotch. I nodded in agreement, and we moved down the bed a bit.

"Oh, fuck!" Luke exclaimed as I took his cock in my mouth and worked to the base.

Cody moved in and started working on Luke's balls.

I kept sucking Luke, bringing him close, then letting him relax a bit. Cody would join me on his shaft, our tongues working together to tease him.

"I need to get fucked," Luke finally said.

I pulled off Luke's cock and gave Cody a look. He shrugged his shoulders. I moved between Luke's legs and pushed his knees towards his chest. I got my face down between his ass cheeks and started teasing his hole with my tongue. I felt the bed move, and I figured Cody was repositioning himself.

"Fuck me!" Luke urged.

I reached over and grabbed the lube, as I didn't feel I'd loosened his hole enough. I coated my dick and his hole and started pushing the head in.

"That's it, Coulter. Fuck me! Fuck me hard!"

I took him at his word. Once I felt his hole was ready, I got into a plank position and started doing pushups into his ass.

"Oh, FUCK! That's what I need!" He all but screamed.

Cody chuckled at Luke's outburst.

Since Luke wanted it hard, that's what I gave him. Hard, deep, pummeling strokes in and out of his. He would grunt when I bottomed out and sigh when I pulled back. Sometimes, I would let the head slip out of his hole, and he would whine a bit.

I changed positions, moving into a standard missionary position, and then Cody moved in behind me, playing with my tits. It didn't take many moments until, I yelled, "Fuck!" and buried my cock deep in Luke's ass. This planted a huge load in him.

I recovered enough to pull out and move over, giving Cody room to start fucking Luke's ass.

We relaxed him and wore him out. He slept really well that night.

-----

"Do you have to work this weekend?" Cody asked Luke.

"Nope. I'm off. The environment is pretty much set. We got the green light yesterday. And my boss gave me twenty hours of comp time."

"Comp time?" Cody asked.

"Stands for compensatory time," I explained. "Companies will give comp time instead of paying overtime when you're an exempt employee, and if the overtime is..." I paused for a minute. "If the overtime worked is infrequent, I think that's the term. How soon do you have to use it?"

"This year," Luke replied.

"Reasonable," I said.

"What did you mean by an exempt employee?" Cody asked.

"For most companies, there are two types of employees: exempt and not exempt. The non-exempt employees are covered, or maybe I should say protected, by the Fair Labor Standards Act. If you're non-exempt, you have to be paid time-and-a-half for work over forty hours in most places."

"How do you know if you are exempt or not?" Cody asked.

"There's a test for the position. Blue-collar work is non-exempt automatically. In the IT field, there are a lot of rules. The company must pay a certain rate for salary or hourly work. It's complex, but a good HR department stays on top of it."

"I'm learning so much! How do you know all this?"

"Some of our entry-level positions are non-exempt and then evolve into exempt."

"Which is better?"

"Depends on your perspective. Non-exempt get paid time and a half for overtime but cannot work more than forty hours in a week unless OT is approved. You can't flex your hours across a bi-week either, so if you're a bit short on leave, you're stuck."

"Huh?"

"So, you want to work half a day on Friday? You'll make up the hours next week. Exempt, fine. Non-exempt, nope."

"Oh."

"If the company is an honest company, neither is bad. If the company is a shit company, either or both can be bad."

"Huh?"

"Bad companies can work the crap out of exempt employees without any compensation. You're not a team player. You're not pulling your weight. Your next performance review will be horrible. There was a consulting firm I heard about that used college hires as cannon fodder. Worked them till they dropped. If they persevered for a number of years, then they reaped some benefits. Their attrition rate was horrible. But a lot of young folks saw it as the way to the top."

"Ick."

"Agreed. Not for me."

"So, Luke's company is a good place, in your opinion?"

"Pretty good. I worked there for a number of years. They treat their folks right. Is everything perfect? No, but no company is. If you interview at a place and they paint a picture of the hallways lined in gold and all the employees partying all the time, run the other way."

"Back to my original thought. I don't have any homework this weekend. What should we do?" Cody asked.

"I'd like something low-key, quiet, and relaxing," Luke said.

"It's supposed to be a really nice day today. How about we each grab a book, curl up in the hammock, and read?" I suggested.

"You're in the middle," Luke said.

"Deal!"

We went off to find our books and get ready for hammock time. I had the blankets and my books in hand as I walked out back. I put the blankets and the second book on the little table next to the hammock.

"What'd you pick?" Cody asked.

"I've got Life Probe and Procyon's Promise," I replied.

"Science fiction?"

"Yep, I discovered this author and am going through his books."

"Cool."

"What about you?"

"The Rise and Fall of Dinosaurs," he explained.

"Non-fiction?" I asked.

"Yes. Supposed to be a good exploration into the evolution and disappearance."

"Cool."

"What did you bring?" Cody asked Luke.

"Bareback," Luke said. "It's about a ranch foreman who realizes he's gay."

"Very cool," Cody replied.

"Blankets?" I asked.

"I don't think we need them now," Luke said.

I climbed into the hammock, and my guys snuggled up against me. I was somewhat spooned to Luke with one arm under his neck and one hand up holding my book. Cody's was spooned behind me, his left hand holding his book against my side.

We read for quite a few hours, and finally I said, "I need my other book."

"You do read fast," Cody commented.

"Bathroom break," Luke said. "Anyone want something to drink? Eat?"

"Let's get up, stretch, get a nibble and a drink, then round two." I suggested.

-----

"Morning," Cody said as he joined me in the den.

"Good morning to you."

"Yesterday was so relaxing."

"Lots of snuggle time and three books read."

"I got through one."

"Yours was non-fiction, scientific, and a good bit more complex, I would imagine."

"Admit it, you're a very fast reader. You got through what a thousand pages yesterday?"

"True."

"Anything on your agenda for today?"

"Laundry, grocery shopping, cleaning, all the fun stuff in life," I said.

"What needs cleaned?"

"The gym and the bathroom down there."

"We should get them dirty before we clean them."

"A good workout added to the list would be fine."

"Well, sex with you two is a great workout!"

"Oh, you mean really dirty."

We started laughing.

"What am I missing?" Luke asked as he joined us.

"I was saying we needed to clean downstairs, and Cody said we should get the gym dirty before cleaning it."

"Sex in the gym. I'm game."

"That was what caused the laughter."

Luke gave me an odd look.

"Sex dirty instead of workout dirty."

He chuckled at that.

"How about we have breakfast, get things as dirty as we can, then clean up, do the grocery shopping, and then clean the house?" Cody suggested.

"Works for me," Luke said.

"We have biscuits and sausage cooked," I said. "I can make some gravy quickly."

"Yum. I haven't had biscuits and gravy in a long time," Luke said.

"Let me up, and I'll get things going."

Cody and Luke followed me to the kitchen, and it didn't take long for breakfast to be served.

"Workout? Or workout?" Cody asked.

"How about a light workout and then a fun workout?" Luke said. "I don't want to wear out on the actual exercise."

"Deal," I said.

We traipsed downstairs, changed, and got into our routines. I kept my weights lighter as I moved through my workout so that I wouldn't get tired.

After about an hour, Luke pulled off his tee, dropped his shorts, and said, "Enough of this; time for sex."

"I need to be fucked," Cody said as he stripped off his clothing.

"Works for me," I said. I looked at Luke and asked, "Heads or tails?"

"I'll fuck the front. You get the back, at least for now."

Cody bent over the weight bench, and I crouched behind him. I pushed his legs apart a bit more and got my face between his cheeks.

"Eat me," Cody urged.

I worked my tongue into his hole and started working it up and down, then in and out. Cody let out a deep moan as my tongue pushed through the exterior ring. I couldn't really see much other than Cody's delectable ass, but I could hear Luke's moans as he fucked his cock in and out of Cody's mouth.

Once I felt I had Cody's hole ready, I stood, went over to the cabinet, grabbed the lube, slicked my dick, and started sliding in. It didn't take me long to bottom out in his hole. I grabbed his hips and thrust in and out a good bit.

Luke had his hands on the back of Cody's head and was doing a good job fucking his face. I leaned forward a bit, put my hand behind Luke's head, and we started kissing. The combination of kissing and fucking got my system overheated. I let go of Luke and pulled out of Cody.

"Switch!" I said.

Luke nodded. I grabbed a rag and wiped off my cock before sliding it into Cody's waiting mouth. Like Luke, I put my hands behind his head and fucked his throat deep.

After a good bit, Luke looked at me and said, switch.

This time, I started fucking Cody's ass hard. I mean, really hard. His grunts were somewhat muffled as his mouth was full of Luke's cock, but you could tell I was hitting all the right spots.

"Mmmmph," Cody let out. I felt his ass ring clench on my cock and his body spasm.

"Fuck!" Luke yelped. I watched his body shiver as he obviously came into Luke's mouth.

"Damn!" I said loudly as I shot into Cody's hole.

Once I went soft, I pulled out of Cody's ass. He collapsed on the bench. Luke and I used other equipment to sit on to regain our strength.

"And that is how you get the exercise equipment dirty!" Cody said.

Luke and I both chuckled.

"Shower time," I said.

This was the fun part. We each built up a good bit of lather in our hands and used it to wash the others. The touching, stroking, and, most importantly, love were comforting.

-----

James missed the next week. The following week he showed with his coworker. This evening, he was alone and chose to sit at the bar.

"I can say something to him," Luke said.

"First, he doesn't know you. Second, it's not really appropriate."

"Third, he's still fucking up your groove," Luke interjected.

"I need to stop letting him impact me," I said. "I can forgive him for what he did. I can't forget what he did."

"I'd say it differently," Luke said.

I raised an eyebrow.

"You could forgive him if he left you alone. You can't forget what he did because he's stalking you. Most importantly, I think you want to know why he did what he did."

"I'd never thought about it that way."

I sat there and pondered for a while. Finally, I said, "You're right. If he just disappeared from my life, I'd forget and forgive. With him always stalking me, I do want to know why. Why did he cheat? Why's he stalking you? Why, after all this time, he won't he just leave me alone?"

"Could it be he wants forgiveness?" Luke asked.

"Another profound thought," I said. "Absolution. He may need it to move on. But that leads to a path where we would have to have a conversation that I'm not sure I want to have."

"Think about it," Luke said. "We may be barking up the wrong tree."

"Or you may have hit the nail on the head."

"What are you singing tonight?"

"Make Me Wanna."

"Who's that by?"

"Thomas Rhett," I said.

"I know the song, just not the artist," he explained. "What's Cody doing?"

"He and Casey are covering No More Tears," I explained.

"Who's that by?"

"Donna Summer and Barbra Streisand," I said.

"Is that the enough is enough song?"

I nodded my head.

Cody and Casey walked up to the table with a tray of drinks.

"You're good at this," I said.

"They are short-staffed tonight," Cody explained.

"Thanks for the drink, dude," Luke said.

"Welcome," he said. He leaned over and kissed Luke.

Darryl sat down next to me and said, "He is a strange bird."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"His ex is here. His ex-friends are here. His ex-coworker is here. You said he hates karaoke. Why bother coming?"

"Luke thinks he wants to talk. Maybe he wants absolution for his sins."

"He cheated. You can forgive him. But he'll always be a cheater, and no one will trust him."

"People do change," I said.

"Yes. And if he would walk over, stick his hand out, apologize, and leave," Darryl said.

"Then it would be over. But this..."

"He's stalking you, and that annoys us all."

I started to say something, but Darryl put his hand up. He said, "Look, we're following your lead. The rest of us would just as soon go and tell him off."

"Thanks."

"Changing the subject, what are you three doing on Halloween?"

"Handing out candy. You should see the yard."

"Oh?"

"Cody has been hard at work. The gels are on the landscape lighting, so the house is bathed in orange. He's been wrapping the trees and Crepe Myrtle in purple lights. Finally, he's setting up a graveyard."

"Ten kids?"

"Thirty last year."

"A lot of work."

"He never got to do it as a kid."

"I get it."

I smiled.

The lights flashed, and Georgia got the evening started.

-----

Saturday morning, I sat, enjoying my coffee. I figured it was at least two hours before Luke awoke. Cody, on the other hand, I expected to join me soon. It wasn't fifteen minutes later when Cody walked in holding a mug of coffee.

"Morning."

"Good morning," he replied.

"I assume no homework."

"Nope. I have my classes under control. All I need to do this weekend is buy candy for Halloween."

"We can pick it up when we do grocery shopping."

"Works."

"Any preferences?"

"Don't you usually hand out full-sized bars?"

"Yes, but I don't really care. We can get fun-sized and give out several. I'm open to what you want to do."

"Thanks. How about we get some different candy and give out a mixture?"

"That's fine. Pick out what you like. Is there anything else you want to do to the house?"

"I wanted to do something with the light in the foyer."

"Huh?"

"It's pretty bright, and I'd like it to be darker."

"Easy fix: take a lamp and put it on the table by the door."

"Cool."

"Get one of the little ones out of the guest bedroom and use a low-wattage bulb."

"That'll work well."

"You doing a costume?"

"Wrestler," he explained.

"Works. We could all wear them if you want."

"That's up to you and Luke. You know how much Halloween, my birthday, and Christmas mean to me these days."

"I get it."

"Thanks for indulging me."

I gave him a big smile.

"Anything else needs to get done this weekend?" he asked.

"Not really. Yard work is dwindling. You're keeping the house clean."

"Cool."

"We could hit one of the historic sites, a museum, or do something else fun."

"It's supposed to be rainy all day. How about we binge-watch something? Or maybe we could do a movie marathon."

"That could work."

"Coupling!"

"You've seen that."

"But Luke hasn't. He doesn't understand snogging."

"I'm game if you are."

"We could make bangers and mash for dinner tonight," Cody said.

"You're on a theme, that's for sure."

"We have those sausages. Making mashed potatoes and gravy isn't hard."

"And we do have peas."

"Sounds like a plan," Cody said.

"Unless Luke objects."

"Throw in sex, and we've got him."

I had to laugh at that. We sat there snuggled up for a while until Luke appeared.

"Ugly out," Luke said. He was standing at the doorway, looking out the windows. As Cody had said, the weather had turned foul and the rain had started.

"And it's supposed to get worse," Cody said. "High of fifty and rain all day."

"Stay home, dry, and warm," Luke said.

"We need to do grocery shopping, but the weather should be nicer tomorrow," Cody said. "We were talking about introducing you to Coupling."

"I've already been coupled. But wouldn't that be tripling?" he said with a laugh.

"He means the sitcom, Coupling," I explained.

"Oh, okay. That's where he got that term..."

"Snogging," Cody finished Luke's thought. "I figured we could binge the show, and tonight for dinner, have bangers and mashed."

"I'm game."

"In the meantime, we'll have a more traditional US breakfast," I said. "Eggs, bacon, and pancakes."

"Also works," Luke said. By this point, he was curled up next to me. "But I'm not hungry yet and need more snuggle time."

"I'll get things started," Cody said.

"Thanks," Luke replied. After Cody went to the kitchen, Luke said, "It's good he likes to cook."

"Yep, and it's good you like to bake."

"True, true."

"Sleep well?"

"I did."

"What time did you come to bed?"

"Eleven."

"Your late nights are getting earlier."

"I live with two morning people. Either I adjust or I will get fatigued."

"Hey, you could sleep in every day."

"But then I wouldn't get to commute with you. I like my Coulter time."

"I like my Luke time."

"We should go help, shouldn't we?"

"Probably should."

We got up and joined Cody in the kitchen.

"How can we help?" Luke asked.

"Bacon or eggs."

"I'll do the bacon," Luke said.

"I'll get the eggs."

The three of us made short work of breakfast. We had our food on the tray tables, and I grabbed the DVDs out of the cabinet.

"Ready?" I asked.

"Sure," Luke said.

I popped in the first DVD, and our binge day started.

"Should we work on dinner?" Cody asked.

"It's a funny show," Luke said. "A dinner break seems good."

"Bangers and mash?" I asked.

"Sure," Luke said.

"I'll cook the sausages," Cody said.

"I'll get the mashed potatoes and gravy," I said.

"That leaves the peas to me," Luke said.

We worked together to get dinner cooked and plated. We went back and watched another two episodes of Coupling. As we cleaned up our dinner stuff, Luke looked at Cody and I and said, "Time for some personal coupling."

"Or, as you said earlier, tripling," Cody added with a laugh.

-----

"Grocery shopping today?" Luke asked.

"Yep."

"Where?"

"I'd like to hit one of the Korean markets for veggies and then one of the basic places."

"Cody's got a lot of candy listed."

"It's for Halloween."

"Oh, that makes sense. When do you want to go?"

"I'm ready whenever you two are ready. That is, if you two want to go."

"Of course, it's not your chore alone."

"I don't see grocery shopping as a chore."

Luke gave me a funny look.

"I see it as an opportunity. I buy what I want, shaping upcoming meals."

His odd look continued.

"Think of it this way; it's fall, and I plan on buying acorn squash. Yes, it's available year-round, but for me, it's a seasonal flavor."

"What do you do with it?" Luke asked.

"I roast it, then take the meat and create a casserole that my mom made."

"What's in it?"

"Squash, cream, coconut; I don't remember the entire recipe."

"Sounds like my mom's baked pumpkin."

"Probably very similar."

"Yum!"

Cody walked into the kitchen at this point. He asked, "Ready to go?"

We both shook our heads. The three of us grabbed our jackets and headed out.

-----

"Trick or treat." I heard the kids from where I sat in the den. "Wow!" and "Thanks!" also came from the distant voices.

A few moments later, Cody rejoined Luke and me in the den.

"The parents commented that the house really looked great and thanked us for making Halloween special in the neighborhood."

"I did notice a few other houses were decorating this year," Luke said.

The doorbell rang, and Cody ran to answer it.

"He's having so much fun," I commented.

"Ya think," Luke said it with a huge grin.

Cody no sooner walked back into the den when the doorbell rang again.

"We're popular tonight," he said. He turned and ran to the door.

"I hope we have enough candy," Luke said.

"If we start running low, one of us can go get more."

"True."

"He could also give out less."

"Not happening. He's so thrilled to be... How did he put it? Lavish!"

I had to laugh at that.

We could hear voices, but Cody didn't return.

"We should go see the munchkins," Luke said.

"Sure."

We got up and walked to the foyer. We found Cody standing there, handing out candy to a group of trick-or-treaters. As the kids left, he closed the door, turned to us, and said, "We've had more so far tonight than we got last year."

"I'm surprised."

"A couple of parents said they'd seen the graveyard on their walks. They came back and saw the lights. Thus, they brought their kids."

"Cool," Luke said.

"Another parent said that the kids in the neighborhood have been talking about the full-sized bars."

"I'm glad we stuck to them. How's your supply?"

"So far, so good," he said. "I've been giving one full-sized and two of the small ones in general. I've got thirty more to go."

"Let us know if you need more," Luke said.

The doorbell rang, and Cody pounced.

"Trick or treat!"

I looked at the door as the voices sounded much older than I expected.

"Mason students?" Cody asked.

"Yeah!"

"Great costumes! I'm a senior there."

"Cool. Juniors here. Thanks!" With that, the trio of guys took off.

Cody didn't close the door, so I wondered if he was watching the college dudes walk off. However, a few moments later, a group of kids showed up at the door.

It was about eight thirty when Cody joined Luke and me in the den and said, "I think that's it."

"Did you turn off the lights?" I asked.

"Not yet. I figured I'd do that at nine."

"Seems reasonable," I said.

"That was fun!"

I put a broad smile on my face.

-----

"Welcome," the host said as we walked into the restaurant. "Table for three?"

I nodded my head.

We were seated quickly.

"How was work?" Cody asked.

"Not too bad," Luke said. "Lots of meetings and a lot of writing."

"Two big meetings," I said. "We have a release going into production this weekend. It's not big, but it will have some impacts on our customers."

"How was school?" Luke asked.

"I think I did well on my Human Factors test today. I got an A on my cryptography test."

"Super!" I said.

"Congrats," Luke said.

"How's your design project going?" I asked.

"My advisor is happy with my progress. Of course, I won't finish things until next semester."

"How's your coding going?"

"Good."

The waiter walked up, and our conversation halted while we ordered.

"Are you performing tonight?" Luke asked Cody.

"Casey and I are doing We Don't Talk Any More."

"Love that," Luke said. "You doing Charlie Puth's part?"

"No, Selena Gomez's."

"What about you?" Luke asked me.

"Kane Brown's Heaven."

"You love that song, don't you?" Luke asked.

"Damn right. Soulful, beautiful, and most importantly, spot on. How could heaven be better than waking up with the two of you in bed with me?"

"Aw, that's sweet," Cody said.

"My life has been so good, so much better, with the two of you."

They both looked at me with an odd expression on their faces.

"Look. I didn't realize how much less happy I was with James. I won't call it unhappy, but it was not as happy. I didn't realize I wasn't really in love with James."

"Huh?" Cody grunted.

"I love you. I love Luke. When I say that, I mean a passionate, deep, abiding love. With James, I was comfortable and satisfied, but..." I paused. "Something was missing, and I found it with you two."

The looks on their faces were priceless.

Our food was brought to us, and we started eating. We got to the club about thirty minutes before karaoke started. Cody and I went up to Georgia's booth to sign up, while Luke went to get our drinks. The three of us got to the table first and staked out our seats.

"Good evening, gentlemen," Darryl said as he walked up and sat down.

"Not using the term loosely tonight?" Luke asked.

"Things look pretty tight to me tonight."

That got me laughing.

"Hey guys!" Stephen said as he and Chris walked up.

"Sure Happy It's Thursday," I said with a smile.

Everyone looked at me for a moment, and a chuckle went around the table.

The lights were flipped on and off to signal the start. As things started to settle down, Justin, Angus, Casey, and Kyle walked up.

"Evening," Kyle said.

"Woo hoo, the gang's all here," Luke said.

Everyone got settled, and Georgia started the show. It was after the first song that Luke's face screwed up.

"He's here," I mouthed.

Luke nodded his head.

I held up two fingers. He again nodded his head.

So, James and his colleague were here again.

I didn't have a lot of time to think about it as Georgia called me to the stage. I got into position, and the music started. I thought I did a good job covering Kane Brown's soulful song. I didn't realize how good it was until I headed back to my seat. Before I could sit, Cody came, wrapped his arms around me, and kissed me deeply. I noticed that he'd been crying. After the kiss ended, he went back to his seat. I sat, and Luke plopped down in my lap. He put my arms around me and kissed me deeply. Like Cody, it was clear he'd been crying.

Darryl leaned over and whispered into my ear, "Good job. Your guys really liked it."

That made me smile.

At the end of the evening, Rochelle came over.

"Coulter, splendid performance as always. I'm guessing that performance was for this young man."

"He's a big part of it, yes. That one over there as well."

I was surprised when she smiled, nodded, and said, "Congrats on your extended relationship."

As we stood around, I noticed that James avoided me completely. I hoped he got the point.

-----

Tuesday afternoon, things were quiet, and my mind was wandering. But it came back to the same subject repeatedly. It irritated the crap out of me. I grabbed my phone and sent a text to Casey.

`You free to chat tonight?'

`Sure' came back quickly.

Before I could get my next message type, I got another.

`@GMU till 6'

I cleared my message. `Come over for dinner? Kyle?'

`Lemme check' About five minutes later, I got another message. `Deal'

`See you then'

I then sent a message to Cody and Luke. `Casey/Kyle coming for dinner'

`Cool' I got back from Cody quickly.

An hour later, I got `Ok???' from Luke.

I was standing on the platform when I got `3rd' from Luke. I positioned myself to board the third car and waited.

"Hey!" Luke said as I sat across from him.

"Hi, handsome," I said quietly.

"What's up with dinner?"

"I wanted to talk to Casey. He's going to be on campus till six, so I invited him for dinner."

"Which means Kyle's coming."

"Yup."

"Why do you need to talk to Casey?"

"I can forgive James. I can't ignore him. I could forget about it if he'd leave me alone. His showing up each week is messin' with me. I want to figure out a way to get him to stop. Much as I try, he is fucking up my groove."

"I'll tell him!"

"My concern is that his employee comes. I don't want a scene. Plus, he is the customer."

"A bit more subtle, huh?"

"Yup! Guess I've been too subtle so far."

"Love songs aren't making him understand, huh?" Luke said, with a smile.

"Nope."

Luke and I talked quietly the rest of the ride home. I got to explain it all again when Cody met us at the door, wondering why Casey and Kyle were coming.

"What's for dinner? What's the plan?" Cody asked. "They get here in forty-five minutes."

"Panic much?" I teased him. "They aren't coming to inspect the house. Just talk and have dinner. Let's see what's in the fridge."

The guys followed me into the kitchen.

I grabbed a container of chicken tenderloins and handed them to Cody. "Here, get these breaded."

Reaching back into the fridge, I grabbed carrots and celery and handed them to Luke. "Figured it out?"

"Yup."

He got to work peeling the carrots.

"Fries or onion rings?"

"Onion rings!" Cody said.

I grabbed the deep fryer, got it filled with peanut oil, and then grabbed a bag of onion rings from the freezer. We had things ready to go before our guests arrived.

When the doorbell rang, Cody took off. Luke gave me a look that I interpreted as amused. Cody's relationship with Casey continued to evolve, but they were definitely in the BFF category.

"Hey!" I heard Cody say from the front.

"Hey," Kyle's deep voice responded.

I couldn't hear the rest, but within moments, Kyle, Casey, and Cody joined us in the kitchen.

"Hey guys," I said.

They both waved at me.

"How'd you bread the chicken?" Casey asked.

"Don't ask me," I said, pointing at Cody.

"Dip in egg and milk, then flour, back to the egg and milk, then a mixture of regular and panko breadcrumbs," he explained.

"Fry and then buffalo sauce?"

"Yup!"

"Wonderful!" he said to Cody. He turned to me and said, "So what did you want to talk about?"

"I'm trying to figure out a way to send a pointed message to James without coming out and saying fuck off."

"Why not just ask him to leave you alone?" Kyle asked.

"He comes with a lady from his office. Officially, he is the lead for one of my customers. It's awkward."

"Cody and I tried it the night of the competition. He didn't take the hint," Casey said.

"True, but as far as he knew, that's what we planned to sing all along."

"You want the perfect song?" Casey asked.

"Yes!"

"There are a ton of country and pop songs that would work. But you want the perfect and exact message."

"Well, I could go through dad's library and find something."

"Huh?" Luke grunted.

"Justin has a huge music library."

"I didn't know you called him dad," Luke said.

"Well, he couldn't adopt me as I turned eighteen too fast after we met, but he is my dad!"

"Nice!"

"I thought you knew," Cody said.

"Casey isn't my brother," Luke replied.

That got a laugh out of Kyle.

"It's true!" Luke said.

"Oh, I know. Casey has developed quite the extended family!" Kyle said.

"Yup, and he's about to officially add more to it soon!" I teased.

"Damn right!" Kyle agreed.

We talked more about song choices while I fried the chicken, then the onion rings.

"Pull the baskets from the cupboard," I said to Cody. Then to Luke, "Grab some wax paper."

We had chicken tender baskets ready quickly.

"Blue cheese or ranch?" I asked.

"Both!" Kyle replied.

"You're going to go broke keeping him fed," Cody teased.

"He's getting an IT degree, so he better make enough to feed himself well," Casey laughed.

We'd been eating for a few minutes when Kyle spoke up. "These are good! You'll need the recipe."

"That's why I asked. I also saw what buffalo sauce they used. It's all up here."

"He's the cook. I do clean-up detail!"

"That always works," I admitted.

"So, why only a song to get the point across?" Kyle asked.

"Like I said, I don't want to be too in your face with him. He's my company's customer."

"Sorry, I didn't ask the right question," Kyle said and paused. "When you want to get the message across, you need to make it loud and clear."

"Yes..."

"Get everyone involved. Well, not everyone, but... get all your friends involved."

"How?"

"I get it!" Casey said. "You're good at this."

"Spell it out for the old man," I said.

"We'll contact everyone we know," Casey started. "Get the lineup stacked with as many cheating songs, I'm over you songs, and then finish with something special from you."

"Who's everyone?"

"Brian and Oscar, team Ginger, Stephen, Angus," Casey started.

"Got it," I admitted. "I'm not sure."

"Dude, they're friends and will be willing to help out," Kyle said.

"But..."

"You want him gone. You don't want a confrontation. You've got to pick something," Kyle explained.

"Okay, you're right. I've never been one for fights or anything. I like things smooth and."

"And being non-confrontational got you where, with James?" Kyle said.

"True. Okay, what's the plan?"

"We use that special thing," Casey said.

"Huh?"

"Got it," Cody said. "Remember a couple months ago, Georgia announced that the second half of the evening was a healing session? If you wanted to participate, you had to choose a song that fit the healing vibe. It was about loss that night."

"Cathy, cataracts, car something," Luke started.

"Catharsis?" I asked.

"That was it," Casey said.

"We ask for catharsis!" Cody said.

-----

Thursday night, I was sitting at the table when Luke's face screwed up.

"Same table?" I asked.

"Yup."

"With someone?"

"Yup. Same lady."

Before I could say anything else, George announced, "Sign up time, folks! We have a request for catharsis tonight. If you'd like to participate, your song has to fit the theme. The catharsis will start after the intermission."

"Going with option one?" Casey asked before I could stand up.

"Yup!"

"I'll get us signed up and talk to George."

Casey walked over to the sign-up table. He motioned George over and had a quiet discussion.

"All set," Casey said as he sat back down next to Cody.

During the first half of the show, folks covered a good variety of songs.

George got up on the stage after intermission. "Catharsis is the purifying or cleansing of emotions. Periodically, we host a cathartic session to help one of our family members. For the second half of the evening, please enjoy these songs meant to help cleanse the emotions. Tonight's healing session is about the end of a relationship."

With that, he called Brian to the stage. Brian covered Laur Elle's Fade and was followed by Oscar, who did Clean Bandit's Tears. I was silently singing along, my lips moving to the words. As Oscar sang, `I don't need you to call me tonight. I don't need you to see if I'm alright,' my hands started moving with the words. It garnered a look from Luke and then a grin. He could tell this was helping me a lot.

Tee of Team Ginger followed with Betcha Never, and then Greg and Freddie covered The Band Perry's Done. Ginger got up and did I Learned From the Best so well that Whitney would have been proud. Angus was next with Kelsea Ballerini's Get Over Yourself. I had to chuckle a bit hearing a country song done in a Scottish brogue.

"Next up are Cody and Luke," George said. "I think we're in for a treat. Luke doesn't perform often, but when he does, it's tops. Doing Joey and Rory's Cheater, Cheater, give a round for Cody and Luke."

Cody covered Joey's parts, and Luke did Rory's backup vocals. The crowd roared in laughter after Cody sang, "Hey, I wish him well as he rots in hell, and you can tell her I said so. Cheater, cheater, where'd you meet that no good, white trash ho?" The laughter grew as the lines continued to trash the cheater and the white trash ho.

A round of applause went up, and George walked onto the stage again. My mind went through the last twenty-four hours. Casey had flooded my phone with song suggestions. In addition, Luke and Cody had suggested more. For me, it came down to a few, and I'd made my selection: option one.

"One last performance tonight, folks. Here's a pairing I've been waiting for Coulter and Casey covering Sugarland's Babe."

I started singing, "What a shame. Didn't wanna be the one that got away, yeah."

As I continued the lament originally sung by Jennifer Nettles, the words seemed very appropriate. When I got to the chorus, Casey joined in Taylor Swift's part.

"How could you do this, babe? You really blew this, babe. We ain't gettin' through this one, babe," we sang.

I didn't look at James. I looked at Casey, Kyle, Cody, and Luke.

The song continued, and as we got to the bridge, we sang, "Since you admitted it, I keep picturin', his lips on your neck; I can't unsee it; I hate that because of you; I can't love you, babe."

With this, I looked directly at James. He closed his eyes, but I could read the expression. I was sure I'd gotten my point across.

I finished the song to a good bit of applause. I sat down, and within seconds, Luke plopped himself in my lap, as he frequently did. I wrapped my arms around him and started to relax. He talked to folks for a few moments, but for me, it was time to be quiet. Finally, Luke stood, and I went to grab my bag from below the table. Before I could stand up, I felt a tap on my shoulder and turned to find Rochelle.

"That was wonderful," she said. "Your voice fit the song really well, and you really conveyed a lot of emotion! I'm hoping whoever the catharsis was for, got what they needed."

"I'm sure they did. Thanks for the compliments. You should sign up to perform next time you visit," I replied.

"I might just, next time."

She moved on to speak to Casey and Cody.

"I'll say it again; you have an amazing voice," James said as he walked up.

Before I could respond, he stepped slightly closer and lowered his voice.

"I got the message; I'll leave you alone. I am truly, truly sorry. I fucked up. May I ask one question?"

"Ask; I may choose not to answer."

"Why won't you talk with me?"

"That's easy." His face quickly showed a stunned expression. "You didn't talk with me. Something was missing, something was wrong, and instead of talking, you cheated. That, James, is the end of the conversation."

His face looked sad, with a few other emotions mixed in; he turned and joined Rochelle.

I stood there, quiet, and somber. I'd finally gotten to say exactly what I wanted.

"What'd he say?" Luke asked in a soft voice.

"He complimented my voice, told me he'd leave me alone, and apologized for fucking up."

"Fuck yeah," Luke said quietly. "There was something else, something more. You said something, and his face made me think of that subreddit called `watch people die inside.'"

"He asked why I wouldn't talk with him. I asked him why he didn't talk to me instead of cheating."

"That's what killed his face."

That made me chuckle. Luke stayed glued to me as friends and acquaintances walked up to talk. It was a short time later that I noticed James and Rochelle walk out the front door.

Before I could say anything, Luke loudly announced to the gang, "It worked!"

Cheers and hoots went up.

"He apologized for fuckin' up and told me he'd leave me alone," I said.

More cheers.

"Thanks everybody!"

I walked over to Kyle and extended my hand. "Thanks! Your idea was perfect."

He pulled me into a hug. "Glad it worked," he said into my ear. "The three of you deserve the best!"

After Kyle disengaged, Luke wrapped an arm around me. A moment later, Cody walked up to me and wrapped his arm around me as well.

"Time to go home," Cody said.

"Yup!"

-----

The following Monday, I came home and found Cody waiting for me at the door.

"Hello..."

"Hey, I wanted to get to you as soon as you got home."

"What's up?

"Luke's getting warped."

"What's wrong?" I was concerned, as I knew of nothing that would cause any issues.

"He wants to come out to his folks," Cody explained.

"Huh? He's already. Oh, shit. You don't mean the gay thing; you mean our relationship."

"Yeah. He's tired of hiding and tired of us not being with you for the holidays. Evidently, he got emails from his folks talking about doing Thanksgiving at his brother's and the two of us flying out there."

"The three of us should talk. Where is he?"

"He's down working out. I told him to get some of the energy out!"

"Smart boy."

"How many times have I been sent to the gym to burn off energy and start getting my emotions under control?"

"A lot. We should put a bed down there for you!"

He laughed. "No, the gym drains the energy, but I get my emotions under control snuggled up with you two."

That made me chuckle. "Let me get changed."

Cody followed me into the bedroom, and I changed into my gym clothes. He followed me downstairs, and we found Luke on the bench.

"Need a spotter?" I asked.

"Sure," his tone told me, he hadn't let the emotional energy out yet.

Luke finished up his reps, racked the weights, and sat up.

"Cody told you?"

"Of course."

"I'm..." he started and stopped.

"You're torn. Conflicted. Worried. Confused. Concerned. I get it. Why now?"

"I want to be with you for Christmas."

"Thanks," I said quietly. I leaned down and kissed him gently.

"It's going to have to happen sooner or later," he continued. "Once Cody graduates, my folks will expect us to move out and get our own place. I mean, I've got a job, I make decent money, and once he gets one."

"Makes sense."

"So, you're worried about flying out to your brother's and having Thanksgiving?"

"It just adds to it, man. Cody's got class on Wednesday, so we wouldn't leave till late. But it's really Christmas."

"In the end, it's your decision. Let me point out a few things for you to consider."

He nodded.

"Holidays aren't the best time to come out of the closet. You can spoil the event for everyone and set the tone for years to come. For me, the holidays aren't about the day; it's about the season."

"Huh? I'm not coming out of the closet. I'm already out!"

"Yes. You are coming out of the closet as part of a plural relationship. Plus, I don't see Christmas as just December 25. It's a season of giving, and if we celebrate it a few days before or a few days after, then fine."

"But..."

"Let me finish," I said quietly. "This is going to be a different holiday than last year. Each time you go home, it's leave, not the school being closed."

"Yeah?"

"You're not going for two weeks; you're going for a few days. Actually, how much leave have you accrued?"

"A couple days. We only earn two weeks a year for the first three years."

"How much leave are you using for Thanksgiving?"

"Two days," he admitted.

"So, how much will you have at Christmas?"

"Let's see. I'll earn one," he paused. He stopped, went over to the lockers, and grabbed his phone.

I knew what he was doing, having worked for the same company. He was logging into the timekeeping system and checking his leave balances.

"So, I've got just over thirteen hours of leave now. I'll earn about six hours between now and Thanksgiving. I'll use twelve, I'd guess – half a day on Wednesday and all of Friday – for that trip. That leaves seven. I'll earn just over six hours of leave between then and Christmas. Thirteen! I'll have thirteen hours of leave."

"There's your excuse," I explained. "You don't have the time for a lot of travel. You could drive down on Christmas Eve, come back Christmas evening, and not use any leave. We'd have Christmas evening together."

"Okay," he said and paused. "But that just kicks the issue down the road, as my dad always says."

"Agreed, but that's part of my point. Don't come out to your folks over the holidays. We can make a trip down and let you do it sometime in the spring."

"Huh?"

"The three of us will go down. You talk to your folks, but know that Cody and I are around to support you."

He looked up at me, and I saw tears forming.

"They're going to accept you," I said to him. "Look how well they have handled you being gay."

"But..."

"This is another hurdle, and you might have to deal with some fallout for a while. They'll come around. Hell, I think your mom has a clue already."

Luke stood up and hugged me.

"Thanks. I really needed this," he paused and looked at me funny. "You think my mom knows?"

"Yup. Like a mom dealing with their kid coming out of the closet. She probably knows but doesn't want to think about it. It's not a comfortable place for her yet."

"I don't wanna work out anymore," Luke announced.

"Dinner?" I asked.

"SEX!"

Cody walked over and took Luke's hand. We led him into the bathroom and got the showers going.

Under the water, we washed each other's hair and then started scrubbing each other. This turned into sensual touching, and dicks started rising.

Luke rinsed off a bit, and Cody squatted down and took his hardening cock to the base.

"This is what I meant by SEX!"

He put his hands on Cody's head, not controlling the rhythm but instead just gently guiding him a bit.

I walked up behind him, rubbing my body against his while rubbing my hands across his chest.

It didn't take long for my cock to firm up and rub, but with our height difference, it was his back.

"There's a better place for you to stick that," Luke said.

"Kinda hard while you're standing," I admitted.

"Playroom!" he replied.

We quickly rinsed, dried, and ran for the playroom.

Luke was in the sling in a heartbeat. Cody climbed on, dangling his cock above Luke's face while devouring his cock. I squatted down and started rimming, lubing, and otherwise prepping his ass. Once I had him open, I stood, positioned the head of my cock, and started pushing.

"Mmmpph..." I heard Luke groan as I hit bottom.

Cody repositioned himself, standing next to Luke's head. Luke pulled him a bit and returned to sucking cock while I fucked his ass.

I was using the sling to my advantage, getting a short back-and-forth movement of his ass that I matched with my thrusts. His grunts around Cody's dick showed his approval.

With all the stimulation, it didn't take long for me to blast a huge load in his ass. Cody pulled his dick from Luke's mouth, eliciting a whimper.

He hip-bumped me out of the way and pushed into Luke's slick ass. Cody pumped Luke's ass hard and deep.

"Fuck, I'm about to shoot," Cody warned.

I leaned over and took Luke's cock deep.

"Damn," Cody said. "His ass clamped down."

I started gulping Luke's load.

"FUCK!" Cody bellowed as he shot his wad.

Cody collapsed forward onto Luke. I just stood there enjoying the view.

"Share!" Luke ordered.

I leaned over and kissed him. After I stood back up, Luke looked up at me with a huge smile.

"That's the way to destress!"

We eventually cleaned up the space and headed back to the showers.

"Did you have sex in mind when you set up the showers?" Cody asked.

"I'm sure Rob did. I was more thinking of the gym theme."

"Rob's mind is always focused on sex," Luke said with a laugh.

-----

"Are you taking the Veteran's Day holiday?" Cody asked.

"That's up to you and Luke," I replied.

"Huh?"

"It's a floating holiday on a Monday. If you don't have class and he's off work, then I'll take it off. If you're in class and he's working then I'll work and take the day at another time.

"I have class."

"So, I'll work and take another day off."

"We're not going to be here for Thanksgiving."

"So? I can take it any time before the end of the year."

"Hmmm..."

"Luke forgot one thing," I said. "He's got twenty hours of comp time."

"Then we could spend more time at his folks."

"Or you don't mention it to them. He can honestly say he doesn't have the official leave. Thus, the short trips."

"You're devious sometimes."

"It pays to be cagey. He should be able to use his leave for what he wants."

"So, we come back Christmas night and take the next two days off."

"Well, Christmas is on a Tuesday. If he wanted to, he could take half a day off Thursday, all day Friday, and all day Monday, which is New Year's Eve, and then get five and a half days off in total. In the end, it's up to him."

"That's so much better."

"I can take the same time off; I have the leave built up. Plus, I have the float, so that makes it easier."

"Woo hoo," Cody replied.

"What's got you so excited?" Luke asked as he joined us in the den.

"We were talking about the Christmas holiday," Cody explained.

"Meh."

"When you told your parents your leave balance, you didn't add your comp time."

"Oh, I forgot that," he said.

"Explain your idea," Cody said.

I went on to explain my thoughts, and the smile on Luke's face grew as I talked.

"So, I need to decide when I want to take time off.

"And I will coordinate with you."

"I really like the idea of Thursday to Tuesday. It would give the three of us a lot of time together."

"Works for me!"

-----

"It's funny," Luke started.

"What's funny?"

"I'm still watching the door, waiting for him to walk in."

"I don't think he will," I said quietly.

"I know. But still..."

"Focus on the positive; the plan worked," I said.

Luke smiled at me.

"What are you singing tonight?" Stephen asked.

"The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face," I replied.

"Who sang that?" Luke asked.

"Roberta Flack."

"Have you ever been to Mr. Henry's on Capitol Hill?" Chris asked.

"A couple times," I replied.

"What is it?" Luke asked.

"A restaurant, bar, club," Chris answered. "It's also where Roberta Flack launched her career. The owner made the upstairs performance space just for her. She was a school teacher until her career got going."

"Wow," Luke said.

"We should go some time."

"I'm game," I said.

"If you're coming into the city, let us know," Stephen said. "We'll join you if we can."

"That'd be great."

"We'll figure something out," Luke said.

Cody and Casey arrived and delivered a tray of drinks to the table.

"Thanks, gents," Stephen said.

"They've been short-staffed of late," Casey said.

"Tight job market," Chris said.

"Yep. It's been getting harder to hire," I agreed.

"Good! That means I should find a job when I graduate," Cody said.

The lights flashed, giving notice that karaoke was about to start.

-----

"I'm looking forward to seeing your folks," Cody said.

"That's good," Luke replied. I could tell he wasn't as happy.

"Have you ever been to the west coast?" I asked.

"No," Luke said.

"Me either," Cody said.

"So, you leave at?"

"Our flight leaves Dulles at four, and we get to Portland at ten- thirty," Cody explained.

"Nine and a half hours," I said.

"Six and a half," Cody said.

"Time zone change." I reminded him. "It will be Thanksgiving morning here when you get there."

"Oh. Crap. I didn't think of that."

"How far from Portland is your brother?"

"He and his girlfriend got a place in Vancouver," Luke said.

"Canada?"

"Vancouver, Washington," Luke explained. "It's just across the Columbia River."

"Gotcha."

"I'm hoping you have a great time. It's been a while since you saw Peter, hasn't it?"

"Yeah, back when we went camping with Dad."

"I keep meaning to ask if you plan to join them again."

"I'd like to once I get enough leave. It will probably only be Matthew and Mark this coming summer."

"What about John?" Cody asked.

"He might. Depends on whether he goes home or stays at school."

"Makes sense. Do you need me to work from home today and take you to the airport?"

"I'm taking Lyft from the office," Luke replied. "Cody's taking Lyft from here and bringing our suitcases."

"I need to get ready for school," Cody said.

"We should get moving," Luke said. "We'll miss our train."

We grabbed our things and headed out the door.

"I didn't say this in front of Cody, but I honestly don't want to go."

"He talked to me yesterday. He's trying to be positive and supportive."

"He's a good guy. That's why I love him."

"Other than the big dinner tomorrow, any plans?"

"There are some historic sites in the area, as well as some artsy places. Peter said there's a lot to do in the area, and we can choose. I want to spend time with him. Spend time with Matthew, Mark, and John."

"Not your parents?"

"Them too, but I really miss my brothers."

"That makes sense. I didn't have siblings."

"Wasn't trying to..."

"You did nothing. I can digest what you say and understand it. I'm not sure I appreciate it at the same level."

We got to the station and got into position.

"What did you decide to do for the next few days?"

"I'm doing the Orphan's Thanksgiving one last time."

"Huh?"

"If you do what you plan, this will be my last time at Orphans unless we all want to go in the future."

"I hadn't thought about that. Our own Thanksgiving."

"Remember, we may end up doing it with your family. It is a holiday for being with family."

"I hadn't thought about them. Could they come to our place for Thanksgiving?"

We were interrupted by the train arriving and trying to find seats.

"Sure. While they are your family, you're my partner, and thus they are part of my extended family. They just don't know it. Plus, it's your house"

We talked a bit more about future holidays while we rode toward my station. As we neared King Street Station, I gathered my bags and started to stand. Unlike our normal routine, Luke stood, pulled me close, and kissed me.

Breaking the kiss, I said, "Love you; see you Sunday night."

"Love you too!"

-----

"Happy Thanksgiving," Darryl said.

"Happy Turkey Day," I replied.

"You're the first one to arrive."

"Small group this year," I said.

"Yep. But an intimate dinner will be nice. How are your guys?"

"I haven't heard from them other than a text that they landed safely in Portland and made it to Peter's in Vancouver."

"They're in Canada?"

"No, Vancouver, Washington. It's across the river from Portland."

"I don't think I realized there was a Vancouver in the US."

"Yup, it's about two hundred thousand. Supposed to be a nice place to live."

"Cool."

"Who's bringing what?"

"I did a standing rib roast. Phil's bringing dessert. Chris and Stephen are bringing starches."

"And I have cauliflower au gratin and roasted Brussels sprouts."

"We're going to eat well!"

It wasn't long before everyone joined us. We were just sitting down to eat when my phone started vibrating. I looked at it and saw Cody's face.

"I'll be right back," I said.

I stood, heading for the kitchen, as I accepted the call.

"Happy Thanksgiving," both my guys said to me.

"Happy Thanksgiving. We're just sitting down for dinner. Can I call you back after I eat?"

"Oh, crap," Cody said. "I forget the time difference. It's only ten here."

"And it's one here. I'll call you after we finish eating."

"Okay, cool," Luke said.

I returned to the table.

"You could have stopped and talked to them," Phil said.

"I'm hungry," I replied.

That got a lot of chuckles.

"You getting tired of the holidays this way?"

"Yes. We have one more, then things will shift."

"Oh? How so?" Stephen asked.

"Luke's going to come out to his parents at some point this spring."

"Come out?" Chris asked.

"Not out of the closet. He's going to let them know he's in a plural relationship."

"He comfortable with that?" Stephen asked.

"He's chomping at the bit. I've counseled him to do it next spring, not during the holiday season."

"That's smart," Phil said.

We continued discussing Luke for a bit, then moved on to other topics as we continued our meal. After helping clean up, I excused myself and went to Darryl's guest room.

"Hey handsome," Cody said. "Let me go get Luke."

"How are things going?"

"Fine. We left the hotel and are at Peter's place now."

"Maybe we should talk one-on-one?"

"It's warm enough; the two of us can step outside for a few minutes."

"Cool."

I got to watch Cody walk through a couple rooms, tap Luke, and the two head out a door.

"Hey!" Luke said.

"Happy Turkey Day," I said.

"Miss you," Cody said. "But we're having fun."

"Miss you both. You missed a great meal."

"What did you have?"

"Standing rib roast, cauliflower au gratin, roasted Brussels sprouts, mashed sweet potatoes, fresh rolls, and huckleberry pie."

"Wow. Peter's girlfriend is doing turkey and all the trimmings. Mom's trying to help, but Stacy keeps shooing her out of the kitchen," Cody explained.

"That must be funny."

"It is," Luke said. "We wanted to check in with you. How about we call you about eight your time?"

"Sounds good. Love you both."

"Love you!"

-----

`Flight's on time'

`Wonderful. See you soon.'

Their flight was supposed to arrive around six, so I figured we'd be home about seven. I wondered if I should plan dinner or if we could pick something up on the way home. The more I thought about it, picking up food made more sense. Their connecting flight could always be delayed.

I putzed around the house most of the afternoon, making sure that all the chores were done. The fridge was fully stocked. I couldn't think of anything else. Finally, I decided I'd spent enough time making sure all was ready and decided to get out of the house.

I started my drive towards the airport, first hitting my favorite second-hand book and music shop. I picked up a number of new books and a big stack of CDs. I'd spend some time over the next few weeks ripping the CDs to add to my library. After that, I hit a couple thrift stores again, looking for books and music.

It was approaching six when I pointed the Jeep at Dulles airport. I'd gotten to the cell phone waiting area when my phone chirped.

`Landed'

`@ Airport'

`Will txt w/bags'

`CUSoon'

It was about thirty minutes later that I pulled in front of the terminal and helped my guys load their stuff into the back of the Jeep. Before they got into the Jeep, I pulled each into a hug and a kiss.

"Damn, I missed you," Luke said.

"I hope you had a good trip," I said.

"Yeah, I did."

"We had fun," Cody added.

"I look forward to hearing about it over dinner. Are you guys hungry? I know the time zone change may impact it."

"It's almost four," Cody said. "I could eat. We didn't get much for lunch."

"Barbecue, burgers, something else?"

"Something else; we had a lot of barbecue, burgers, and turkey," Luke said.

"What about that place we wanted to try over in the Clock Tower shopping center?" Cody asked.

"Oh, the place where they cook the food in front of you," Luke added.

"Works; someone get the GPS going since I don't know exactly where I'm going.

Cody gave me directions, and we were at the restaurant. We were seated relatively quickly, and the waiter/chef started talking to us about the menu, drinks, and the way the dinner would progress.

"This is different," Cody said.

"Yep. One person taking the order, making the meal, and everything else," Luke agreed.

We went through the menu, placed our order, and then started watching the cooking phase.

"Highlights of the trip?"

"Stacy dealing with my mom," Luke said.

I chuckled at that, then asked, "Was it that bad?"

"I don't think mom realized it wasn't her show, and she kept trying to get things done her way," Luke said.

"It is hard. Your mom seems a bit like me."

"What do you mean?" Luke asked.

"Maybe she's type A. Wants things to be her way a bit too much. It can be hard to let go of that."

"Stacy's food was great," Cody said. "Her turkey was moist. Her sides were perfect. She gave me her pie recipes. I of course turned them over to Luke."

"I haven't mastered pies yet."

"We can work on crusts," I said.

"You bake?" Our chef asked.

"I'm learning," Luke said.

"Look at this," Cody said. He pulled his phone out to show the image of his birthday cake.

"Cute cake."

"He made this for my birthday," Cody explained.

"Wow. Okay."

"Long story," Cody said. "It was my first birthday cake."

"Okay," he said.

A few minutes later, he put our food out in front of us and said, "Enjoy."

"This is really good," I said.

"Thanks."

"It's great," Luke said.

"What else did you two do?"

"It rained all day on Friday; we hung out with the family," Luke explained.

"Saturday, we walked along the waterfront. Then Peter and Stacy took us to their favorite brewery."

"Good beer?"

"I'm not a big beer drinker," Cody admitted. "But I found two that I really liked."

I looked at Cody, knowing he didn't drink much.

"We did something called a flight where we got samples," Luke explained.

"I wondered."

"We didn't have that much to drink," Cody said with a bit of a laugh.

"I didn't think you would."

After dinner, I drove us home, and the guys started unpacking.

"Are you feeling better about Christmas?" I asked Luke.

"Yeah. I really want to be here all day. My folks were disappointed that we can't stay more than Christmas Eve and part of Christmas Day."

"And you're disappointed that you have to go at all," I said.

"Yeah, I guess everyone isn't completely happy."

"May I make a suggestion?"

"Sure."

"Change your frame of reference. You're going to see your family for Christmas, which is a positive. You will get to spend some time with me on Christmas, which is a positive. We will have a period of time off together thanks to your comp time, which is a positive. Seems like a lot of positives!"

"You're right. I need to work on my relentlessly positive attitude."

"Good man!"

-----

"Another week closer to retirement," Luke said as we rode home on the train.

"Where did that come from?"

"There was this woman in a meeting this morning who made that comment."

"Sylvia, I bet."

"I forget you know a lot of the people there."

"She's been planning her retirement for years," I said.

"Evidently, she's finally getting close. She's retiring at the end of the year."

"I guess she finally hit seventy."

"What?"

"She always said she'd retire at seventy."

"She doesn't look that old."

"She takes good care of herself. She's a very nice person."

"This was the first meeting I've been in with her."

"What's the project?"

"There's an upgrade to the C package we use. There will need to be some core changes to support the new version."

"That is definitely Sylvia's world."

"After the meeting, someone said something about hiring her as a consultant."

"She might do that. You never know. What else is going on at work?"

"Nothing much. Some planning for holiday parties."

"Did you get picked for one of the committees?"

"Huh?"

"Typically, the newbies get put on planning committees for the holiday parties."

"No. Three of my coworkers did, though. Jesse and Samantha are on the big party, and Rylie got put on our department party committee."

"I can see who your boss likes most."

"Huh?"

"You, no party planning – tops. Rylie, department party planning – second. Samantha and Jesse got the worst."

"I wouldn't think planning a party is that bad."

"It's not just the planning; it's all the work that goes along with it. Set up, breakdown, etc."

"Oh, I didn't realize that."

"That's why the newbies are used."

The train stopped at Rolling Road, and some people got off.

"What's going on at your office?"

"Release planning, SCRUMs, end-of-year evaluations, all the fun things in work life."

"Do you have a lot of evaluations to do?"

"Not really; I have two folks that report to me. They each have more to do. I have to review and approve all of them."

"Not fun."

"We should head to the door."

"Yup."

It was a few minutes later that the train pulled into our station.

We'd gotten into the Jeep when Luke said, "It's coming up on exam week for Cody."

"Four more days," I concurred.

"We need to do for him what you did for us."

"Time to lay out that it's all about him?"

"Yep."

"How do you want to approach it?" I asked.

"Same way you did. We should be straightforward. It's not like it's a bad thing."

"True."

"What else for this weekend?"

"We've got the house in order. I could probably do with a little grocery shopping. Otherwise, quiet and peaceful."

"How about decorating for Christmas?"

"I'm game," I admitted.

"I know you don't usually do it till close to Christmas."

"I didn't. That was my family tradition. We are setting our family traditions."

That got me a huge smile.

"Live tree?"

"We don't own an artificial tree."

"True."

Luke pulled the Jeep into the driveway. We climbed out and grabbed our things. We found Cody in the kitchen.

"So, this time, it's all about Cody," I said.

"What?" he asked.

"Luke and I discussed this on the train home. You have this weekend, plus Monday and Tuesday; then you start your final exams. From now until the nineteenth, the schedule is all about you."

"You don't..."

Luke put his hand up and then said, "Stop right there. It's what Coulter did for us. It's what we're going to do for you. Which days are your exams?"

Cody grabbed his backpack, rifled through a few things, and then read from a sheet, saying, "The twelfth starting at seven thirty, and I have two back-to-back; the fourteenth starting at seven thirty; the seventeenth starting at seven thirty; and the eighteenth starting at seven thirty."

"So, four seven thirty exams and one ten thirty?" Luke asked.

"Yup."

"Which ones concern you?"

"The last two. The first three should be easy."

"Let us know what you need," Luke said. "We expect perfect scores."

"WHAT?"

"He's teasing. We want to support you, and we want you to be able to do your best."

"You do support me and I will do my best."

"What do you want for dinner?" I asked.

"Tex-Mex," Luke said.

"Pick a place," I replied.

Cody and Luke conferred for a moment and then chose. We grabbed our coats and headed out for dinner.

"What are you thinking about?" Cody asked as we sat down.

"You know me. I want one of the green Chile dishes. I'm debating between the Las Cruces and the Green Chile Pork. You?"

"My usual, the Arroz con Pollo," he replied.

"Carne Adovada for me," Luke interjected. "I've been thinking about it since we decided to come here."

"Want a starter?" Cody asked.

"Not for me," I said. "Too many carbs."

"Chips and salsa will be fine," Luke said.

By this point, our waitress arrived, and we placed our full order.

"We talked about my Christmas parties on the train; what about your office?" Luke asked.

"It's roughly the same every year. Lucinda picks a restaurant. She buys us lunch, and then we get the afternoon off. I'm thinking this may be the last year of that."

"Why's that?" Cody asked.

"First, we're getting bigger, so finding places to handle the entire company is getting tough. Second, it's getting expensive. Lunch for so many people and roughly four hours of paid leave isn't cheap. We did talk about it a little in our staff meeting. We might go to departmental lunches, which would fit in more places."

"Makes sense."

"I think as long as we're really profitable, the cost isn't a huge issue."

"Nice!" Cody said.

"We talked about decorating the house this weekend," Luke said to Cody.

"Cool. Cut a tree?" he asked.

"We can. Or get one from a lot," I said.

"Cut. I really enjoyed that, and it did last through the entire season."

"Fair enough," I said.

"Could we host a holiday party?" Cody asked.

"I think it might be a little late to start planning something large, but we could do a small gathering."

"A cocktail party?" Cody asked.

"Sure. After you finish your exams!"

"Definitely."

"What do you define as a cocktail party?" Luke asked.

"I know what the real definition is," I said. "James and I hosted a few."

"What's that?" Cody asked.

"You have folks over about two hours before dinner."

"Four in the afternoon?"

"No more like five thirty, and then your guests go, out for dinner after leaving your place."

"Ummm..."

"That's the old-school cocktail party," I explained.

"We could do something at six with heavy hors d'oeuvres or an after-dinner cocktail party."

"Heavy hors d'oeuvres?" Luke asked.

"Finger foods, but enough to fill someone, so they don't really need dinner. Like having an appetizer platter for dinner."

"Oh. And the after dinner would be at like eight?"

"Yep."

"Can we plan something?" Cody asked.

"I'm game," I said.

"Works for me," Luke said.

The waitress arrived with our food, and the conversation was more subdued for a bit. After dinner, Cody drove us home.

"Ready for some Cody focus?" Luke asked.

"Huh?"

"We're going to focus on you tonight," I said.

We each took one of Cody's hands and led him to the bedroom. While I tugged his sweater and then polo off, Luke focused on removing his shoes, pants, and underwear. Luke grabbed one of the big towels and spread it on the bed while I started stripping down. Soon, we had Cody face down on the bed, and we commenced massaging him.

"This feels amazing. Thanks guys," Cody said.

I leaned over a bit as I got to his left glute. I would massage, and then I started nibbling.

"Doesn't that taste awful?" Cody asked.

"New edible massage cream," I said.

Luke joined me in nibbling and massaging. It wasn't long before Cody was moaning.

"This is an erotic massage," he said.

I started working up towards his back, but I would let my hands start at the base of his ass, moving towards his shoulders. As my fingers moved, they would swipe over his ass trench. Luke mimicked my motions. As he and I shifted on the bed, I pulled Cody's left leg toward me a bit. Again, Luke mimicked me. This left Cody's hole exposed to our fingers. This elicited more moans from Cody.

I motioned to Luke, and he straddled Cody's ass, doing long strokes on either side of the spine. I moved, putting my needs on either side of Cody's head. As Luke would pull his arms towards him, I would follow with a stroke.

With his cock nestled between Cody's cheeks, it didn't take long for Luke to harden. I reached over to the nightstand and grabbed the lube. I leaned forward a bit and drizzled it along his cock.

"Oh, fuck!" Cody moaned as Luke's dick started slipping into his hole.

Watching Luke start to fuck Cody got me hard and fast. My cock started rubbing against Cody's ear. He propped himself up on his arms a bit and started working on the head of my dick. I moved forward to give him better access.

Cody slipped my cock out of his mouth and said, "All fours."

Luke pulled out, Cody got up on his hands and knees, and Luke slid back in. I lay on my back and moved in under Cody, getting him into a sixty-nine.

I could feel Luke's thrusts and pace as he rode Cody's ass hard. Each time he hit bottom; it pushed Cody's dick deeper into my throat. I guess stimulation from both sides was a bit much for Cody, and soon I was eating his load.

"Fuck, his ass clamped down," Luke bellowed. "Fuck, fuck, fuck."

I guessed that he was planting his load. It wasn't long till the bed bounced from what I assumed was Luke lying next to Cody. Cody then rolled off me.

"Coulter hasn't cum," Cody announced.

With that, he moved around and started sucking my dick again. Luke quickly moved in to assist.

I gotta tell you, there is nothing like two hot young men sucking on your cock and balls at once. It didn't take me many moments until I was shooting my load onto their faces. Faces covered in cum, they moved up, and we shared a kiss, then I started licking my cum off them.

-----

"Whatcha doing?" I asked Luke as we sat on the train. He was staring intently at his phone.

"Long story. Cody was showing Casey some photos on his phone the other day at school. In several of them was this stuffed animal. They were talking, and this stuffed animal was something Cody had had all his life. Well, till... Anyway, Casey was talking to Kyle about it. Like Cody, there are a lot of memory-related things he lost as well. Kyle got enough details and explained to me that Cody's stuffed animal was a duck-billed platypus. I think I found it."

He turned his phone and showed me this cute little stuffed platypus.

"If I'm right, I'm going to buy one for Cody for Christmas."

"How are you going to confirm?"

"Snoop. I know Cody's passcode for his phone. You just have to separate him from it for a few minutes."

"He does leave it lying around," I said.

"I know, but I don't want to get caught."

"We can work together," I said.

"Cool."

"How do you think he'll react?"

"I'm sure it will bring up a lot of emotions, but in the end, I'm hoping for happy."

"Just want you to be prepared for a lot of tears," I said.

He nodded.

It didn't take too much more time for us to get home.

"Three down, two do go," Cody said as we joined him in the kitchen.

"How do you feel you did?" Luke asked.

"I think I'm on track for three As."

"Good!" I said.

"How much study time will you need?" Luke asked.

"I should spend a couple hours reviewing things Sunday night. I can prep for Tuesday's exam while y'all are at work."

"Did you just say, y'all?" Luke asked.

"Yes. I am from the south."

"I never heard you say it before," I admitted.

"I need to move laundry," Cody said.

"Want help? I'll fold." I asked.

"Sure."

As we walked out of the kitchen, I pointed to Cody's phone on the counter. I hoped Luke got the message.

-----

"Welcome," I said as I opened the door. Darryl and Phil entered, looking sharp in their holiday finest.

"Thanks for having me," Phil said. "I haven't been to a cocktail party in ages."

"The bar is in the den, and the food is in the dining room."

"Been cooking all day?"

"All three of us have." I took their coats, and they moved into the house. "You're the first to arrive."

"You never know how traffic on sixty-six will be," Darryl said.

"Who's coming tonight?" Phil asked.

"I think we had fourteen guests confirmed: Justin and the gang, Chris and Stephen, a couple of Cody's friends from school. Oh, and Ben and Austin."

"Young, handsome men from Mason," Darryl asked.

"Three very nice young men and one young lady."

"Are any of them single?" Darryl asked with a laugh.

"You'll need to ask Cody. I will say, I don't think any of them play on your team."

"Oh, darn." Darryl said.

Phil just laughed.

The doorbell rang, and I went to answer it.

"Adamu, isn't it?"

"Yes, Sir."

"Coulter, please. I don't want to feel sir old."

"Sounds good, Coulter."

"Let me take your coat."

Once I had his coat hung in the closet, I led him into the den.

"Adamu, these are our friends, Darryl and Phil." The doorbell rang. "I need to get that. Luke and Cody are finishing the food. Feel free to make yourself a drink."

I opened the front door and said, "Welcome. Mindy and... sorry, I met so many friends at Cody's birthday."

"I'm Caleb." The young man standing with Mindy said. "Zach will be with us in a minute. He is parking the car."

"Okay."

"I just got off crutches, and he pulled as close to the house as he could. I think he's worried about my endurance."

"Nice of him," I said.

"He's a good guy," Mindy added.

A moment later, another of Cody's friends walked up.

"Welcome, Zach."

"Thanks!"

"Let me take all your coats."

Again, I got things settled and led our guests to the den.

"I assume the three of you know Adamu."

They shook their heads.

"Well, Adamu, this is Mindy, Zach, and Caleb. The four of you are all Mason students. That's Darryl, and that's Phil. I'm going to leave the six of you for a moment to make sure everything's ready."

With that, I started towards the kitchen. Before I could get there, the doorbell rang. Back to my hosting duties, I greeted Kyle, Casey, Angus, and Justin and repeated the scene, including introductions. Before I could leave the den, Luke and Cody joined us in the den.

"You're looking all festive," Adamu said, speaking to Cody.

"I got the shirt and jacket at Macy's. The slacks I picked up at Nordstrom Rack," he explained.

"A very Grinch color scheme," Phil said.

"I never thought about that," Cody said. "I guess I'll call the shirt Grinch green."

That got the group laughing.

"If everyone has their drinks," Luke said. "The food is in the dining room."

I joined a group of our guests as they moved towards the dining room.

"Wow," Mindy said. "Look at this spread."

"We've been cooking all day," I said.

"I wasn't expecting so much food," Zach said. "It's a cocktail party."

"That's why the invite said heavy hors d'oeuvres."

"What is all this stuff?" Kyle asked.

"Those are steak tip bites with a horseradish dipping sauce. The skewers on the left are chicken satay, and the ones on the other side are paneer masala."

"Wow," Mindy said.

"We have roasted Brussels sprouts and candied baby carrots. There's a cheese platter. Oh, and our baker was busy today: sweet potato biscuits, three types of cookies, and a trifle. Grab a plate and dig in."

"I'm amazed you three don't weigh a ton eating like this," Zach said.

"I assume you saw the gym downstairs. We work our regularly. Plus, we don't eat like this all the time."

He nodded.

With a small plate of food in hand, I went back to the den and fixed myself a drink. I was talking with Kyle and Casey when Cody walked up.

"Do you mind if I show Zach and Caleb around downstairs?"

"Not at all," I said.

He walked off, and then it hit me what he'd asked.

"Are Zach and Caleb a couple?"

"You didn't know?" Casey said.

"I just knew they were friends of yours and Cody's. Nothing more."

"They've been dating for about nine months," he explained. "Why did you ask?"

"Cody's taking them on a tour downstairs."

"Yeah? So?"

"They've been here before. The only reason he'd ask is..."

"The playroom." Kyle finished my thought.

"Exactly."

That got Kyle and Casey laughing.

"Cody's a little more open about things," Casey said.

"I guess he is."

Kyle and Casey went to get food, and I moved to talk with Justin, Angus, and Mindy.

"We're getting to know Mindy," Angus said.

"I'm getting to know Casey's dads. I've heard so much about them.""

"They are great guys," I said.

"How do you three know each other?" Mindy asked.

"Coulter and I worked together," Justin explained. "I introduced him to Angus when he visited before moving here."

"I know you do karaoke," Mindy said. "Do either of you?"

"I sit and listen," Justin said. "I don't think anyone wants to hear me sing."

With that Angus, started chuckling and said, "He's being honest. I've heard him in the shower. I do karaoke."

"I honestly don't think I can sing the right note if you played it for me a moment before," Justin said. "I've been told I'm tone deaf."

"Do you sing?" I asked.

"I do. I've sung in the church choir for years."

"Soprano?" Angus asked.

"Yes. What are you?"

"Baritone," Angus replied.

"Bass," I said.

"Cody's a tenor, isn't he?" she asked.

"Yes. He and Casey are both tenors," I said.

Cody walked up at this point and said, "What have I missed?"

"A discussion of singing," Mindy replied.

"Cool. I keep saying you should come to karaoke," Cody said.

"I know. I know."

Justin took the opportunity to detach from the group, and I followed him.

"How are things going?" he asked.

"Really good. Luke's settled down about telling his folks about our relationship. We'll jump that hurdle this spring. Cody had another great semester, and he's very positive about graduation. James got the message, and I'm feeling more relaxed. Work is great. We're growing, we're planning, and we're having fun."

"Wonderful!"

Much later, we were in the kitchen cleaning up when Luke said, "I didn't think folks were ever going to leave."

"The sign of a great party," I replied.

"I look forward to hosting more," Cody said.

"I'm game."

-----

Being the Thursday before Christmas weekend, the crowd was rather sparse at karaoke. Me, the guys, Casey and Kyle, and Justin and Angus were it for our table.

"What the fuck?" Luke said. He was looking past me towards the front door of the club. "He's here again."

"Let's not assume the worst," I said.

I turned to look and saw a few of the team members from his job settling at the table where James and Rochelle had sat so often. A few moments later, Rochelle walked up with James in tow.

"We haven't been in a while, but I drug everyone here tonight for a round of holiday songs," she enthused.

I looked past her at James, and he gave me a half-hearted smile. He then mouthed, `I'm sorry,' behind her.

"I look forward to hearing you sing," I replied.

"Well, I'm sure we're in for some fun tonight," she replied.

We talked for a few more minutes, then they went back to their table.

"I think she pushed him to come," I said to Luke. "Regardless, let's have fun tonight!"

"Amen," Cody responded.

Our little group talked for a bit, then Georgia announced that it was sign-up time.

"I'll sign us up," Cody offered. "Got the stick?"

I handed him the USB drive, and he walked off. I noticed him have a short conversation with Georgia, then return to the table.

Georgia got the ball rolling with a couple regulars, then two performers from James' table. Each did a nice job with a traditional holiday song. Georgia called Rochelle up next. As she finished and walked back to the table, I motioned her over.

"That was Ella Fitzgerald's version of Winter Wonderland, wasn't it?"

"Yes!"

"Phenomenal cover of it," I said.

"It really was great," Casey added.

By this point, the next person was up on stage, and Rochelle went back to her table.

After the usual intermission to let folks get drinks or hit the restroom without interrupting things as much, Georgia got things rolling.

"C Cubed is back together tonight, doing three songs from SheDAISY's Christmas album. Funny, I didn't know the group had a Christmas album. Put your hands together for Casey, Cody, and Coulter starting with Deck the Halls."

Casey covered the lead vocals for this upbeat version of the song. The tune switched to Tinseltown, and Cody covered the lead vocals while Casey did the backup. I'd slipped off stage and got into my costume for the third song, hiding behind Georgia's little cubicle wall.

"You're a cute Santa," Georgia whispered into my ear.

As Santa's Got a Brand New Bag started, I got back up on stage. Cody and Casey switched off vocals as I helped fill in on the background.

As they sang, "He's traded in his reindeer for a limousine; he's wearing purple trousers instead of red and green." Cody came over and ripped my baggy red Santa pants off, exposing the fitted purple slacks underneath.

As we got to the second chorus singing, "And see tradition metamorphosize; he's given up the cookies, and he's slimming down." Cody once again came over and pulled my Santa jacket off, exposing the faux-fur-covered harness underneath. That got a few wolf whistles and cat calls from the audience.

We got a good round of applause as the song ended.

"Showed him what he lost," Angus said as I sat down.

"Funny thing is, I doubt I would be where I am today if it weren't for him cheating."

"Huh?"

"Yes, I found out I had diabetes that day, but his cheating kicked me enough to transform. If I'd stayed with him, I wouldn't have changed that much. Only as much as he'd permit."

"Gothca."

Copyright 2024 BndgDawg (BndgDawg@gmail.com). Do not reproduce or distribute this story without the author's permission.

This is Chapter Fifteen of the third story I have written. I look forward to positive comments, constructive criticisms and otherwise pleasantly worded feedback. Flames and attacks will be ignored and addresses blocked. (BndgDawg@gmail.com).

My other stories on this site are Double Trails (Beginnings/Rural - December 8, 2016) and Homeless (High School - July 30, 2017).