Date: Tue, 20 Jul 2021 19:01:43 +0000 From: Diego Blue Subject: Night Rain - 3 Night Rain Chapter 3 Diego Blue ***** Friendly reminder: Always practise safe and consensual sex. Reach out to a friend, family member, or person in your life if you ever need to talk. You matter. :) Donate to Nifty if you can please! Donations can be made here: http://donate.nifty.org/ ***** The week had trundled its way towards Friday. Chris was thankful he could put this week behind him. He'd reached a point of calm composure with Nick and was friendly towards him, but he would be lying if he said he wasn't miffed any time Nick made Chris feel like he was his junior. Sure, Tom, his boss was more senior than Chris but Tom didn't make him feel emasculated. Tom was more of a loveable bear and he didn't call Chris by the nickname "bud." Chris was thinking of how glad he was that he was going to have the weekend free of Nick as he entered the office. There was giddy energy about the place. Everyone was standing around Nick's desk. "Hey, Chris, look! Nick's baked some homemade cupcakes," Kate was positively bouncing with excitement. "They're delish!" Fred chimed in, frosting coating his lips. The others were devouring cupcakes. "Of course he has," Chris thought acidly. "He's probably got 101 hidden talents," he pondered, but instead he replied, "That's so nice of you." "I just wanted to say thank you to everyone for making me feel welcome on my first week," Nick smiled. "I better run and give Tom one before they're all gone," Nick grabbed one and headed over to Tom's office. Chris had to admit, they looked really pretty. And if they tasted as good as they looked, they'd be delicious. He strolled over and took one of the remaining two cupcakes. The comforting smell of freshly baked goods made him feel like he was back home in his parents' kitchen. He bit into the cake, tasting the sweet sugary frosting and the delectable red velvet bun. His eyes almost rolled back in his head. "God damn it, that's good," he thought. A groan of pleasure escaped his lips. "Enjoying that?" Nick asked from close behind Chris. Chris hadn't noticed Nick coming back into the room and in shock had dropped the rest of the cupcake. "Ah, Chris, butter-fingers," Amy tutted. "After all Nick's hard work," Jane jokingly chided Chris. "I'm sorry, I'm such a klutz," Chris genuinely felt bad for wasting the cupcake. He was blushing as deep as the red velvet. "Don't worry, I made a spare, just in case," Nick winked, handing Chris the last cupcake and giving his arm a light squeeze. Chris could feel Nick's warm fingers through his shirt. Nick's grip was soft, reassuring but firm. His touch sent a spark of electricity up Chris's arm. "T-t-thanks," Chris could only stutter. It was a lot for Chris to process. He had been embarrassed about dropping the cupcake, thankful to Nick about the spare cupcake, and then confused about the feeling of electricity from that arm squeeze. He pondered over these mixed feelings as he cleaned up the mess on the floor and dove into his work. ***** Chris returned to his desk after lunch. He had been finishing up on a book review for a drama novel written by a local author. The book had been a definite page-turner and Chris had devoured the book, so he was glad he could write a glowing review. "Hey, Chris, I forgot to say," Nick piped up, "well done on that movie review the other day. I l loved your points. I really felt like the cinematography added to that sense of queerness being suffocated due to one's surroundings." Chris was flabbergasted. "Where had that come from?" Chris thought. He hadn't pegged Nick as a movie buff, let alone one that was well read on story-telling via movie techniques. "Yeah, that's so true. The film definitely delivered on that feeling of entrapment through the camera work," Chris found himself smiling, impressed at Nick's insights but also flattered by his praise. The two men began speaking openly about films they enjoyed and what movie techniques they thought were effective. Chris felt his inhibitions melt away but caught himself when he realised he was surveying Nick's hands for a ring. "Shit, what am I doing?" Chris thought. "This morning I couldn't wait to be free of this guy for the weekend. Now I'm chatting away with him and checking for a wedding ring? He's definitely not my type. He's older, hairy, and larger than me. I prefer younger, smoother, smaller guys. I'm not into this guy, am I?" "What's wrong, bud? It looks like you just saw a ghost," Nick asked, concerned. "Eh, nothing; I just think I left the tap on in the bathroom," Chris got up and ran to the bathroom. He went into one of the cubicles in the bathroom and locked the door. He took a few deep breaths, trying to go over his confused feelings about Nick. He didn't like this guy; he wasn't attracted to him at all. But the more he repeated the words, the more doubt he felt.