Andrew scooted down a bit on the couch and opened the towel so he had more room to feel around. The air was cool on his dick, so he gave it a few loose strokes. Some ripples of excitement was more than he’d felt in a long time, so he kept it up and explored his scrotum with his other hand. Yup. Just the one nugget in there, and thank god, it was as smooth and egged shaped as always. His pubic hair had grown back after chemo softer than it had been, curlier and springy and the little stings of pain as he tugged on it transformed into licks of heat up his shaft. His guts were starting to get that warm, liquidy feel of anticipation.
A small moan escaped him. Andrew hadn’t felt that in forever. In his hand, his cock was thickening, each stroke bringing more heat and blood. A buzz went through it every time his hand worked over the head. He held his ball firmer, working out how to do it now there was less mass. A couple of experimental squeezes and tugs got it sorted and he started wanking faster, close to being fully hard. His back arched and he groaned. Jesus, it felt like he was learning how to wank all over again.
A startled laugh erupted from his throat at that thought, then a shocked yell as something new touched his cock head.
Andrew jerked and rolled one way. Archy yowled and sprang to the top of the couch. Back arched, he hissed at Andrew, then jumped down and sprinted for the stairs. Andrew toppled off the couch, barely missing losing his sole remaining ball on the corner of the coffee table. As he lay there, towel completely gone, once again soft dick still cupped in one hand, Andrew laughed. He was incredibly lucky Archy had decided to do his own exploring with claws retracted.
Upstairs, the cat was meowing piteously, probably looking for comfort from Brian. Andrew sobered. Neither of them would be getting that for a while.
With a groan of an entirely different sort than the previous one, Andrew stood, slung the towel back around his hips and went to fetch Archy. Maybe they could comfort each other in Brian’s absence.
A weird smell detoured him into the kitchen and he remembered the Pad Thai he’d been heating up. It came out of the oven mostly dry and crispy and largely inedible. Andrew scrapped it out into bin and rinsed the dish. Upstairs, he climbed into a pair of trackies and an old T-shirt, found Archy and cuddled him on the way back down to the kitchen.
“It’s just us, bud. Brian’s left us for a woman.”
Archy meowed as Andrew set him on the floor and got the salad out of the fridge.
“It’s my fault. Nothing to do with you.”
Feline head tilted as if to say “well duh.”
Resigned to taking all the blame, Andrew took his pitiful dinner to the couch and turned on the telly for a distraction. Archy spent a while sniffing around as if he suspected Andrew had been doing something nefarious to the couch, then settled down next to him to groom.
Halfway through the news, which was doing nothing to divert Andrew’s thoughts, someone knocked on the front door. Archy’s head whipped up from under his back leg and he stared at the door like he could repel the intruder with his mind alone.
“If only, bud.” Andrew got up and peeked through the peephole. “Great. Because my night needs to get worse.” Sighing, he stepped back and opened the door. “Hello, James.”
“Hey, was starting to think you weren’t going to let me in.” He held up a six-pack of beers and a bottle of organic, hand squeezed orange juice. “I come bearing gifts.”
Andrew grunted and led him into the kitchen. “Is there a reason you’re here with bribes?”
“Didn’t you get my text?”
Eyes rolling ceiling ward, Andrew realised his phone was still in his work pants upstairs, discarded in haste for his shower. Forgotten again with everything that had happened afterwards.
“Missed it. What’s up?”
“Well, I sort of need an answer re: the best man deal.”
Andrew turned to the cupboard for glasses to hide a wince. He had barely thought about James and Elle. What the hell was he going to tell him? Coming back around he caught sight of Archy batting a cherry tomato from his salad around the floor. Nothing was going his way tonight. May as well just add to it.
“Yes.”
James’s grin stretched from ear to ear. “Mate. You don’t know how much this means to me. And Elle.” He grabbed one of the beers and watched as he rolled the bottle between his hands. “You didn’t have to be so understanding about me and Elle. Especially since you were, you know, dealing with the cancer and stuff. A lot of guys wouldn’t have stayed my friend.”
Andrew shrugged. “Elle and I broke up years ago. I have no say in who she sees or marries. I’m just happy that you guys are happy.”
James sucked in a deep breath, held it, then let it out and smiled shyly. “We really are.”
“I know. You really suck at hiding it.”
His friend laughed suddenly, then put his beer down and hugged Andrew. “Thank you, man.” His arms were tight and he held on longer than a normal bro hug.
Huffing, Andrew gave him a pat on the back. “My pleasure.”
Andrew decided against a beer, poured some juice for himself and they went into the living room to discuss the wedding plans up to date. Archy joined them on the couch, presenting his belly for scratches. Only Andrew was brave enough to take up the challenge.
“I thought your mum really wanted a church ceremony,” Andrew said when James told him they’d finally decided on which celebrant to go with.
James grimaced. “Yeah. Had her heart set on the church she used to go to. You know, the one on the hill. We met with the pastor and he wasn’t a good fit.”
The sourness of James’s tone caught Andrew’s curiosity. “In what way?”
“He just wasn’t right.” James shrugged. “Elle’s given me this big list of things we have to do, too. Let me send it to you.”
Andrew gave James a moment to find the list on his phone and send it in a message, then asked, “Why wasn’t that pastor right for you? Didn’t he remember your mum?”
With a groan, James slumped back on the couch. “This is a different guy and he kept saying how he didn’t usually do our sort of weddings. Mixed-race,” he added dryly when Andrew quirked a brow. “Except that he would this time because Elle seemed very well put together.”
Instantly sorry he’d pushed, Andrew’s hands curled into tight fists. “He really said that?” The anger at the implicit racism boiled in his veins.
“He really did.” The corner of James’s mouth turned up in a wicked little smile. “Mum gave him an absolute blasting for it. Me and Elle just sat there in awe. She called the pastor all sorts of things guaranteed to get her banned from just about any church anywhere. Then she’s all ‘love is love!’ and storms out. It was magical. Afterwards, Elle tried to tell mum that the ‘love is love’ phrase was for queer love, and mum didn’t care. She just keeps saying ‘love is love,’ like it’s the only possible answer.”
Andrew forced a chuckle. Under normal circumstances, he wouldn’t have had to. Mrs. Rollins, James’s mum, was to all appearances a sweet, petite woman who never raised her voice. Andrew, James, Brian and Troy knew otherwise. She was a loving but firm mother, and fiercely protective of not just her own son, but his friends as well. However, things were far from normal now, for Andrew at least. Would Mrs. Rollins stand up and declare ‘love is love’ if Andrew came out to his friends and family?
“Anyway, mum likes the celebrant we chose, and she’s overloading Elle with ideas on how to decorate the Broadwater Chapel by the Sea.” James smiled, even though its edges were still touched with sadness. “It’s all good now. Right, let’s talk bach party. Where’s Brian? Should he be part of this?”
“He’s over at Carly’s.” Andrew concentrated on petting Archy’s belly, on the lookout for the inevitable switch from “yes, that’s it, slave, rub my tummy” to “how dare thou toucheth the sacred personage of thy betters?!”
“You two have a spat?”
The tone was joking but Andrew didn’t have the energy o
r heart to pretend.
“Yup.”
James sat back, surprised. “What about?”
The fact Andrew couldn’t follow through on his declaration of love. “Archy’s name.”
“You mean how it’s really Tolstoy.”
“It’s Archimedes.”
Archy looked between them, then batted at Andrew’s still hand.
“See, he responds to his name.” Andrew resumed his scratching.
“Only because you’re risking life and limb to pat his belly. Look, he’s Russian, not Greek or German.”
“Austrian.”
“Huh?”
“Schrodinger was Austrian. Not German.”
“Whatever. You know what you need?”
To not have messed up the best friendship he’d ever had by falling in love with Brian and then telling him that. “What’s that?”
“To get laid.”
Andrew laughed. Did he confess he almost got laid by his own hand, but Archy wank-blocked him?
“I’m serious, man,” James insisted. “It’ll do you the world of good. You wouldn’t care what Brian called the cat afterwards. I’ll introduce you to a couple of the girls on the ski team on Sunday. Maybe you’ll hit it off with someone.”
“I don’t think so.”
“No harm, right?”
“What about Brian?”
“Sure. I’ll introduce him around too. Not that it will do much good.”
Andrew looked up from Archy. “What does that mean?”
Shrugging, James took a swig of beer and then focused on the label. “Nothing.”
“No. You said it. It means something, so what?”
“Shit. Um, Elle swore me to secrecy.”
“James.” Andrew’s stomach churned. What the hell had Elle told him about Brian that had James so hedgy?
“Look, it’s not a big deal, right? If Brian’s gay it doesn’t change anything. He’s still our mate.”
Brian groaned in absolute ecstasy. “Fuuuuuck, yeah. Just like that. Don’t stop.”
“I won’t,” Carly said.
“Promise?”
She laughed and dug her fingers into his hair, continuing the scalp massage. “You’re a needy bitch tonight. Ready to tell me what’s going on with you and Andrew?”
“Too blissy. No bad stuff now.” Brian sagged against couch he sat in front of. Behind him, Carly was cross-legged on the seat, and on Brian’s lap was her dog, Noodle, a greyhound rescue who thought she was a lapdog.
He should have come here straight after work. Not gone home to get upset and say that terrible thing to Andrew. Crap, Brian needed to apologise, but just looking at Andrew made him all anxious and confused right now. He’d almost kissed him. Had wanted to kiss him and what the hell did that mean? Andrew said he was in love with him but acted like the idea of sex with Brian was weird. And Brian wanted to kiss him but wasn’t in love with him. He loved him, sure. They were best friends, had been for most of their lives. Andrew was . . . no, he wasn’t like a brother. Brian had brothers, two fairly older ones he’d never been close to. Bradley had been out of home, working in Perth when Brian was growing up, and John in high school, then off to uni in Canberra and now worked as a large animal vet in rural New South Wales. They didn’t really keep in touch. Andrew wasn’t a brother. He was better than that. More.
“Hey.” Carly’s soft prod to his cheek woke him up. “You’re tensing up again. Stop thinking bad thoughts.”
Brian groaned and forced his shoulders to relax. “Sorry. It’s not you or your fantastic massage skills.”
“I know that.” Carly slithered out from behind him and went into the kitchen. “I do, after all, have magic fingers. You’re just being incredibly stubborn tonight.”
Noodle lifted her head to watch Carly, then let it drop back into Brian’s lap. He scratched the top of her long, narrow head and she squirmed in deeper, sighing contentedly.
“How many carbs do you want tonight?” Carly asked as the enticing aroma of baked cheese came out of her kitchen.
“All of them.”
“No wonder you’re cranky with Andrew. If he didn’t let me eat carbs they’d never find the body.”
Brian chuckled but it was empty. It wasn’t carbs he was missing. Coaxing Noodle off him, Brian got up and set the table.
“Troy’s coming over.” Carly handed him another set of silverware over the kitchen counter.
“Of course he is. Probably smelt the food from his place.”
The twins had lived together when Troy first returned from Sydney, but the moment Troy had got the job at H2GO and started earning money, Carly had helped him find his own place. Or rather, she’d found it for him, conned James, Andrew and Brian into moving all of her brother’s stuff and when he came home that night, handed him the keys. It wasn’t that she didn’t love her brother, it was just that she preferred her own space. She needed her NHC—no human contact—days and Troy, despite most signs to the contrary, was human.
“Foooood!” announced Troy’s arrival just as Carly was dishing out tuna mornay and garlic bread. There was a skittering of nails on tiles as Noodle hurried to greet him at the door, followed by a lot of scuffling, snorts and happy yips.
“Hurry up or it’ll be cold,” Carly called over the noise.
“Smells good.” Troy appeared from the entryway with Noodle in his arms. The greyhound was floppy and overhung his arms by a foot on either end, but didn’t seem to care.
“Put her outside and wash your hands.”
“I’m sorry, boo boo,” Troy murmured to the dog as he took her to the sliding door to the backyard. “Mean mummy is mean.”
Noodle went outside easily but sat at the glass door and puppy-dog-eyed them as they settled around the table.
“Hey, Bri Bri, how goes the doctoring?” Troy asked as he dug into the pasta.
“Good. I made a diagnosis today that was right.”
His friends congratulated him and they chatted about their workdays. Brian almost choked on his garlic bread when Troy recounted a story about taking part in a park-wide search for a lost kid, only to find him a couple of meters away from his distraught mother.
“She wouldn’t let him buy a shark hoodie in the giftshop,” Troy explained between laughs. “So he waited until she went to the toilet, stole the money from her purse and got the hoodie. He was standing there the entire time, watching us race around looking for him. His mum didn’t even recognise him!”
Brian was laughing but Carly wasn’t impressed.
“Just because he had a different shirt on?” she asked flatly.
“Hoodie, Carls, hoodie.” Troy mimed pulling a hood over his head. “I mean, the only description she gave us was dark hair and a yellow shirt. Of course everyone missed him.”
Unconvinced, Carly got up to take Noodle for a walk and told them to clean up.
“How come you’re over here tonight?” Troy asked Brian as he washed up. “Are you cheating on Andrew with pasta?”
Brian fumbled the glass he was drying but caught it before it could shatter on the floor.
“Nice save, bro.”
Cheeks flaming, Brian kept his head down as he carefully put the glass away. Their friends had been making jokes about Brian and Andrew being a couple since they moved into the townhouse. It had only got worse when they decided to raise a kitten together. But tonight, it felt more mocking than usual.
“Did James kick you out?” Troy asked.
Brian grabbed the next glass. “Why would James kick me out?”
“’Cause he was going to talk to Andrew about best man stuff tonight. Thought maybe they’d want some privacy. Secret wedding shit and all that stuff.”
There was a hint of bitterness in Troy’s tone by the end and he scrubbed at the mornay dish harder than Carly would care for if she’d seen it.
“Are you really pissed James didn’t ask you?” Brian asked.
“Nah. Not really. I knew he was going to ask him. I just feel sorry f
or Andrew, you know? He used to be with Elle, right? Seems a bit insensitive is all.”
Brian was impressed. Troy usually didn’t pick up on subtleties. “Yeah, it wasn’t the best idea either of them ever had.”
Troy hesitated, then said quietly, “I think the cancer made them do it.”
Certain that never actually came up directly when Elle and James were discussing things, Brian still had to agree with a silent nod.
“Do you think Andrew will say yes?”
“Yeah. He’s never been able to deny Elle anything.”
“Yeah.” Troy finished with the mornay dish and rinsed it before handing it over. “So, groomsmen, huh? We’ll need to start thinking bach party.”
“Isn’t that the best man’s job?”
“You know we’re just going to be sitting around drinking orange juice and eating carrot sticks if Andrew organises it.”
It was a playful exaggeration, even if not by much, but it annoyed Brian. Andrew had a very good reason for wanting to be healthier. He’d had a massive scare and this was how he was recovering. Brian knew the joking about Andrew’s strict diet was a way of relieving the tension in the group about his cancer, and he knew Andrew wasn’t bothered by it. Normally, Brian wasn’t either, but everything about Andrew felt tender right then.
“He’s easing up on that actually,” Brian muttered. “We were supposed to have Pad Thai tonight.” Was Andrew eating it all himself? For a while there, between bouts of chemo, Andrew’s depression had manifested as overeating. A whole serving of Pad Thai that would have fed both of them would have been nothing to Andrew. Shit. What if Brian’s thoughtless words sent him spiralling like that again?
“Dude!” Troy nudged him with a shoulder. “You gave up Pad Thai for Carls’s stinky mornay just because you guys had an argument?”
“I heard that!” Carly called. She’d obviously just come through the side gate into the backyard and glared at her twin through the sliding door. Noodle was sitting patiently beside her, waiting for the lead to be taken off.
Troy rushed into damage control and his grovels and promises took Brian’s mind off Andrew for a moment. To further appease his sister and not lose dinner-guest privileges, Troy agreed to watch her favourite movie, Aliens, even though it scared the hell out of him. An hour or so into it, Brian decided to go to bed.
The New Normal Page 7
