Date: Sun, 18 Feb 2018 13:17:46 -0800
From: christopher <breakingthroughstory@gmail.com>
Subject: Breaking Through 8

A very big thank you to all of the readers who have taken the time to send
kind messages for the first few chapters of the story. I very much
appreciate it.  Please send any feedback, complaints, and correspondence to
breakingthroughstory@gmail.com. I'm looking forward to continuing this
creative endeavor in 2018 and hope to rebuild the sense of community that
had been established the first time around between readers and writers.

This new story will take place in a loose version of the present day and
most of the main ideas from the first go-round will remain. With a 10-year
jump in time, some things have changed. The new story will do away with a
lot of the tertiary characters in the old narrative. The usual disclaimers
apply. This is fiction.

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Chapter 8

"I've never had someone be such a gentleman," Chris said, sunglasses
covering his puffy, red eyes. The emotions had spilled out of him. After
holding them back and having Jake poke holes in the barriers he'd built, he
was a wreck. For the next few days, he couldn't concentrate, he couldn't
figure out whether or not to talk to Jake at all and, most of all, he
didn't know if moving forward with his mission to start something with
Armie was such a great idea anymore. "Jake pursued me. We were like two
people barreling at each other. It happened so fast."

Sebastian noticed Chris' fingers fidgeting on the table and his toe tapping
at the pavement. They were at a coffee shop just a few steps away from the
beach, catching their breath after a run and hoping that the caffeine would
be enough to replenish their energy. It wasn't working.

"I told Armie to put everything on hold until he was done with the movie
and all he's done is text me to tell me how the production is going. Jake
would wait at Starbucks for me."

Sebastian raised his eyebrow. "Sounds weird."

"It wasn't in a creepy way."

"Maybe a little creepy."

"I wanted to call Armie and just have him come over. I was going crazy. I
was a mess. I wanted to call Jake. I wanted to call you, but I would have
been hysterical."

"What did you end up doing?"

"I ran, like, 10 miles. I exhausted myself so that I could just sleep and
forget about it all."

"Yikes," Sebastian said, physically recoiling at the thought. He'd never
seen Chris as anything but even-keeled. It was strange to see him struggle
with anything like this.

"I'm better now. It's a new day."

"Your problems are out of my league. Way out of my league."

"Stop. I know that you're going through some problems yourself."

"Yeah, but I'm not going to go after you. Ever. I'm not touching that."

Chris rolled his eyes. "How are you getting through it?"

"I'm not thinking about it," Sebastian explained. "We've been on-and-off
for a while. We just grew apart."

"Are you upset about it?"

"Nobody likes breakups. I'm sure that we weren't going to work out in the
long run, anyway. It was just a matter of time."

"Sorry to hear that."

Sebastian shrugged. "I know a breakfast burrito place in Manhattan
Beach. Should we reconvene this meeting of the Broken Hearts Club there?"

Chris felt lighter after the impromptu breakfast meeting. He wasn't any
closer to calling either Armie or Jake, but at least he'd managed to talk
about it. Baby steps, he thought, even pushing all of the things that
Sebastian told him about Armie out of his mind. If he was subscribing to
the principles outlined in the Sebastian Stan School of Romance and
Relationships, Chris and Jake had run their course. Several times, in
fact. Chris couldn't imagine going through that all over again. Armie was
fresh and new, but the idea of starting over was just as daunting. Was he
ready to have a brand-new person discover that he hated cauliflower and
liked extra foam on his lattes? Jake said his idiosyncrasies were cute. It
was possible -- and likely -- that other guys would find them more annoying
than anything else.

"It's so good to see you," Armie said as he walked towards Chris. It was
almost a skip, Chris noticed, and Armie's smile was huge. After his
impromptu breakfast therapy session, Chris had messaged him, suggesting
that they meet. Armie suggested Downtown L.A., the Arts District,
specifically. It wasn't a neighborhood Chris went often, but he could sense
the enthusiasm in Armie's texts. It was the same energy he was feeling
right now. Armie scooped Chris up into a hug and he hoped that, somehow, he
could absorb that glowing positivity.

"I missed you," Chris said.

"I can't even tell you how much I missed you." Armie kept his arms around
Chris, taking his time and feeling Chris' back, nuzzling his temple
softly. "You smell good. You feel good."

Chris peeled himself out of Armie's embrace, doing his best to make it seem
like a natural uncoupling and not a choreographed squirm, which is exactly
what it felt like. Armie must have his stylist choose everything in his
closet, Chris thought. His jeans made him look lean and long, his shirt
accentuated his chest and his biceps perfectly. Chris kept his hands in his
pockets as they walked, even when Armie's hand reached out and grazed his
wrist, beckoning for a touch, for any sort of contact.

"Dailies look good," Chris said, "I watch them sometimes."

"I didn't think you did at all," Armie said, a sudden pang of nervous
energy hitting his stomach at the thought of Chris seeing his work. It
didn't make any sense, since, of course, Chris would see it eventually, but
Armie always was too critical of himself. "I want to show you something."

"Oh," Chris started. "Did you read about that new cafe, too?"

"No," Armie said, shaking his head. "Not that."

Chris' eyebrows popped up over his sunglasses and he followed Armie's
lead. They walked down the street, passing old buildings that had been
transformed into lofts, past restored theaters and new, trendy
boutiques. Chris had read about the downtown renaissance, but hadn't
actually seen it. He was glad to see the old architecture being
painstakingly reinvigorated, but part of him was sad to see that it was so
Urban Outfitters and Starbucks could have new digs. Armie stopped and put
his arm around Chris' shoulder. They were in front of a liquor store
advertising this week's Powerball jackpot.

"This is cool," Chris said. "I was serious about those beers in my
refrigerator. They're for my friends."

"I believe you."

"I have a will of iron," Chris insisted. "I've handled your charm and
charisma pretty well, I think."

"Well, I'm breaking down that willpower a little, I hope." Armie pointed to
a building across the street. It was an Art Deco masterpiece, with ornate
trim around all the windows and a grand entrance with square columns and a
round emblem over the door. Currently, it housed a Bank of America on the
first floor. Chris couldn't tell what was up above. Today, downtown's
skyscrapers dwarfed it, but back in the day, Chris was sure it was one of
the tallest buildings around. "My great-grandfather built that. He paid for
it to be built, at least. My family had it restored."

"You and your ex?"

"No, not my actual immediate family," Armie said quickly. "We have a
trust. People make sure things stay pretty. Anything related to the family
name."

"I'm familiar with the Hammer family," Chris replied. "I know that your
great-grandfather's art is in the Hammer Museum at UCLA and all. I did some
underwriting there a while back." Chris didn't mention that it was Jake's
family that actually did it. He was just part of that family when it
happened, so his name was attached to it, too. The thought of moving from
one Hollywood dynasty to another made Chris cringe. He wanted out of the
circus, not to get even deeper into it. At least his parents weren't
actually in the entertainment business. Chris could only remember that they
were involved in actual business.

"I know," Armie said. "I told you that I know more about you than you
think."

Chris cringed at the thought. He wondered what Armie dug up on TMZ. "It's a
really beautiful building."

"It was used for all his West Coast business dealings," Armie said. "But
I'm sure there was some shady business going on, too."

"The Hammers have some dirt under the rugs?"

"What family doesn't?"

"I wouldn't know. I'm pretty boring on that front."

"Sometimes it's tough to live up to the expectations that come with family
history," Armie said. "But I know that what you expect of yourself is
pretty up there, too."

"Nobody wants to fail," Chris said. "Nobody puts something out in the world
and doesn't want it to succeed. Your grandpa built that and I'm sure that
if he was still alive, he'd be happy to know it was still standing."

"Great-grandpa."

"Heavy is the Hammer head that wears the crown," Chris said
matter-of-factly.

"You don't take shit from anyone, do you?"

"I did. But I won't anymore. Listen, I appreciate the architecture walk,
but I did want to actually talk to you about us. About what's going on."

"Let's get some coffee then," Armie said. "You're in a better mood when
you're caffeinated."

A quick walk and two cappuccinos ordered, Chris and Armie sat across from
each other at a too-hip cafe nestled between the designer stores that Chris
noticed earlier. It looked Scandinavian in design, with clean lines, blond
wood and plenty of white paint, but the coffee was from Africa and South
America and strictly prepared according to Japanese methods. Chris and
Armie agreed it was a weird combination of choices, but being that it was
the only spot they could find, the shop had a monopoly over anyone who
needed to refuel.

"Are you breaking up with me?" Armie asked as soon as they sat down. Chris
looked at his puppy dog eyes and pouty lips before rolling his eyes.

"I really appreciate you letting me take things slow," Chris said, ignoring
the question.

"It's not easy for me. Is it easy for you? I want to call you and talk and
be with you."

"I think about that, too," Chris said. "But it's better to wait until
everything's done. I don't want to distract you or have this relationship
be why people talk about the movie. You're better than that."

"That doesn't mean we can't see each other."

"No, it doesn't. You're right. I just want...need you to know where I stand
on us. It's emotionally challenging."

"I've never heard anyone describe a relationship as 'emotionally
challenging.'"

"I enjoy your company," Chris said. "And I want to continue to see you. You
are welcome to come over any time you want. But I need you to understand
that I want this film to get attention for the right reasons. It's a big
deal to me. There are enough people who are going to say it's about me and
Jake."

"Is it?"

"It's complicated."

"He didn't talk about you on set. At all. I asked about you. You guys were
the golden couple, after all. He wasn't the easiest guy to buddy up to."

"Jake is a different person when he's on set. He's different when he's
working," Chris' words were slow and deliberate. "It was hard. I was going
to visit the set but he told me not to. He wasn't in the right headspace. I
could usually get him to relax though."

"I saw him naked. Made sure I was on set for that shower scene."

"Checking out the competition?"

"I might have been a little curious. My wife wanted to know, actually."

"You can't really judge when it's soft."

Armie shrugged. "I've seen better."

"I haven't."

"Ouch," Armie said, smiling as he shook his head slowly. "You...You're
something, Christopher Lewis. Can I kiss you?"

"That'd be a hard no."

"Can't blame a guy."

"Come over tonight and I'll kiss you. I'll kiss you anywhere you want."

Chris was true to his word. A few hours later, he was straddling Armie's
lap and kissing him square on the lips. They were up on the landing,
sitting on the stairs, impatience winning out before they could even get to
Chris' bed.

"You look amazing," Armie said breathlessly, his hands taking in everything
they could: Chris' back, his shoulders, and his sides. Chris' hands were
planted firmly on either side of Armie's head, their tongues sliding
together, chests pressed so close that Chris could feel Armie's
heartbeat. "The light up here is so great." There wasn't much sunlight
left, but the darkness coupled with the grey moonlight made everything seem
almost unreal.

"Stop talking," Chris whispered, his lips moving to Armie's neck and
shoulders. Chris had thought about their night together ever since it
happened, how Armie's body, all long limbs and lean muscle covered with
sandy hair, felt and how it made him feel.

Chris pushed at Armie's chest, urging him to lay back on the floor. He
complied, scooting both of their bodies up off the stairs onto a more
secure spot with an ease that surprised Chris, even as his lips were making
their way down Armie's chest and stomach. Armie's fingers tangled in Chris'
hair, his entire body tingling at the mere sound of Chris undoing his
pants, the soft rustle of the denim sliding down his legs. Chris' warm
mouth around his cockhead, still behind the cotton of his underwear, sent a
second wave up his spine. He could feel his ears flushing red.

Armie's toes curled when he felt Chris' tongue on him, his own groans and
grunts joining the almost-vulgar, slick sounds of Chris' mouth working his
dick. Armie bit at his bottom lip to keep from getting too loud. Hearing
the sounds coming from below his waist was too good. Eyes rolling back in
his head, he felt hands on his stomach, kisses on his inner thighs, soft
licks at his balls. Chris was working every part of him, making fireworks
going off in his head. Armie pulled Chris up, their mouths crashing
together. Armie could taste salt and feel Chris' soft whimpers in his mouth
as Armie's huge hand wrapped around their cocks, stroking them with a loose
grip.

"Armie," Chris whispered, his voice shaky. He was licking and kissing at
Armie's neck, feeling the ticklish scratches of Armie's beard against his
face. He ground his hips down against Armie's hand, needing more than a
lazy handjob. Chris bit down on Armie's collarbone when he felt a finger
slide into him, lubed by nothing but the precum that they'd both been
oozing. Armie's fingers were long and as he crooked it and slid a second
one in, both circling insistently at Chris' prostate, Chris nearly blacked
out. "Oh god," Chris groaned out, incapable of holding in anything as his
ring pulsed around Armie's fingers, his dick let out a huge glob of precum
and Chris felt his entire body shiver. Armie's other hand was on his back,
holding him steady as he rode out the waves.

"We need to get you lubed up," Armie said. Even though it was nothing above
a whisper, the sound seemed to echo through the entire house. "C'mon,
Chris," he said as his fingers slipped out.

He either ignored it entirely or he had other plans, because Chris dove
back down to Armie's dick, taking it as deep as he could, his nose buried
in the unkempt blond bush at the base. Armie groaned again, his hands
shooting out to his sides, steadying himself as his hips rolled up into the
tight warmth of Chris' throat. A sudden tug at his balls was all it
took. He bucked his hips up and grabbed Chris' hair, jet after jet of cum
shooting straight down Chris' throat. Chris did his best to stay still but
his reflexes forced him to bob a few times, partly to get some air and
partly to taste Armie's load.

"God, I didn't mean to shoot off," Armie said, his breathing short and his
whole chest blooming with a pinky blush. Chris kissed up his stomach and
nipped at his neck softly sucking as he stroked Armie's softening dick.

"I'm going to wear you out," Chris said against Armie's sweaty skin. "I
don't care how many times you shoot, just keep going."

Armie rolled the two of them over, almost growling at the thought. "I'm
getting you to that bed," he said before kissing Chris again. Armie pulled
Chris by the hand, bounding toward the dark bedroom. Chris found himself on
his back in a second, the dense fluff of his comforter exploding around
him. Armie pushed Chris' legs up and tongue replaced fingers inside Chris'
ass.

Chris gasped at the initial penetration; Armie's tongue circling his hole
and dipping inside tentatively. His eyes shut tight, Chris focused on the
feel of Armie's facial hair on the most sensitive part of his body, the way
he grunted every time Chris' legs moved a little too much. Being bent in
half, Chris couldn't see anything -- and the darkness of the room wasn't
helping -- but he could feel everything. He heard Armie knocking around in
the night table, but his tongue didn't let up. The rimjob continued as
Armie slicked himself and Chris didn't even have time to adjust to being on
his back again before Armie pushed inside him. One smooth, long thrust and
Chris was gasping for air, gripping at the duvet and clamping down on
Armie's thick cock.

"Shh," Armie tried his best to soothe the burn that was spreading through
Chris' whole body. He rocked his hips, their mouths barely touching as
Chris whimpered under him. "You feel so good."

He watched Chris' face with every thrust. The pained tension melted away
after a few thrusts and Chris' hands moved to grip at his own forearms
before moving up to his biceps. He watched as Chris' neck tensed with each
one of his inward thrusts, his chest and stomach flexing every time he
pulled out. Armie kissed at Chris' jaw, went harder and faster when Chris'
fingertips dug into his shoulders. He reached for Chris' leaking cock,
stroking it to match his own movements, but Chris' hand darted out to grab
his wrist. He shook his head, but Armie kept up his movements. Chris' hole
was fluttering around his shaft, he could tell that it wouldn't take much
more. Armie wrapped his arms around Chris' back and muffled his own grunts
into Chris' neck, his hips jerked forward, pounding into Chris' ass and
sending the sound of skin-on-skin contact into the room along with their
loud groans.

"Armie, Armie," Chris said the name over and over as he shot, spraying
between their heaving bodies. His ass ached, but the last thing he wanted
was for Armie to stop. He'd missed the stretch and the fullness.

Armie held Chris' hands tight, bringing them up over his head as they
kissed. He stilled his hips, not sure if he should keep drilling Chris
post-orgasm. Chris' legs tightened around his waist, however, and he took
that as a sign to keep it up. Chris' hole felt even tighter on him and he
thrust in harder, aiming each one right at Chris' prostate.

"Don't stop," Chris said, his voice bordering on begging. "Don't
stop. Don't. Ever. Stop."

Chris squeezed around Armie's dick and was rewarded with another onslaught
of deep, long strokes. He remembered his promise to Armie, but it looked
like Chris would get worn out first. The kisses were helping. Dizzy after
his orgasm and Armie's continued jabs at his prostate, Chris hoped for a
second wind. He tried to wring his hands free from Armie's grip, but the
more he tried, the harder Armie's grasp felt. The harder his hips went.
Chris tried his best, but it wasn't until Armie bit down hard on his neck
and let his second orgasm course through him that Chris managed to get
loose. Chris felt Armie go slack on top of him. Even though his hands
throbbed, he felt Armie's back, both of them taking shallow breaths as they
tried to come back down to earth.

A quick gasp fell from Chris' lips when he felt Armie push forward, his
cock going that much deeper.

"I'm not stopping."

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