Echo

by Crafter, Sol

  Cole jumped and blushed, then frowned when he realized what Anderson had just said. "Should I be jealous that you're checking out her ass? I wasn't checking out her ass!" he said. "I just couldn't help seeing how her clothes fit, that's all. I've got no interest in her. I'm gay."

  Anderson laughed. "Look at you getting all defensive. That's so funny."

  "That's so funny." Cole gave him a flat-eyed look. "Does your form of off-beat charm work on anyone else? Is that why you're trying it out on me?"

  "Yep," Anderson said. "It works ninety-nine point nine percent of the time. So you're just going to have to make out with me while we're watching that movie. What do you say to that?"

  A large part of Cole was telling him that he shouldn't fall for Anderson's charms, but he couldn't help himself. "What do you say to that? I say we should go see that movie together."

  He liked the way Anderson's grin was focused directly at him. He wasn't some fill-in for someone else. To Anderson, he was just himself. And that was kind of nice.

  The waitress came with their food on a tray. Large white bowls with curls of steam, a white ceramic mug with green-tinged water, and a glass of iced tea with ice and a lemon wedge. "Here you go," she said, carefully arranging the bowls in front of them. She had blue orchids painted on her fingernails.

  Cole leaned over his bowl and breathed in. He couldn't help his delighted smile, and didn't hesitate a moment to grab the rectangular plate of bean sprouts and jalapenos and scrape his half into his bowl. He poked at everything with his chopsticks, liking the way the jalapenos tried to bob to the surface. Then he grabbed the Sriracha and added a couple of squirts with some hoisin sauce.

  "Ugh, you're going to kill yourself," Anderson said. He was using a fork to stir up his noodles and he hadn't added any jalapenos to his bowl.

  "You're going to kill yourself. Are you going to eat those?" he pointed at the poor jalapenos left lonely on the plate.

  Anderson shook his head. "No thanks. I'm not that into spicy stuff."

  Cole grinned and tossed the rest of the jalapenos into his bowl. "I'm not that into spicy stuff. For me, the spicier it is, the better." He slurped up some noodles. "Delicious."

  Anderson shook his head, but ate his own noodles.

  * * *

  "So, my mom died when I was fourteen. She had a big stroke, then a bunch of smaller ones while she was in the hospital. She was only forty years old," Anderson said. "I have to get tested all the time because I inherited her blood clotting problem." At Cole's expression, he shook his head, "Don't look so worried. I'm healthy and I don't seem to be having any problems or anything."

  "I don't seem to be having any problems or anything. Still, that's kind of scary," Cole said. "I don't know what I would do without my mom around. I mean, she smothers me horribly, but she's my mom."

  "What about your dad? Where's he?" Anderson asked.

  "Where's he?" Cole shrugged. "That is a good question. He took off when I was really little. It was only me and my mom growing up and she did everything for me." He looked down at his hands. "You wouldn't believe how upset she was when my 'speech impediment' didn't clear up the way the doctor's said it would. You would have thought it was the end of the world."

  "Was it hard growing up?" Anderson asked.

  "Was it hard growing up? Just a little bit," a lot, his tone said. "There was a group of kids that seemed to get off on teasing me all the time. My cousin would come and protect me from them, but he was in the grade above me and couldn't be there all the time. I kind of had to grow a thick skin."

  Anderson couldn't help thinking of a miniature-Cole being taunted and teased by a group of monstrously deformed kids. They would have to be real monsters to ever want to bully such a sweet-faced boy. And considering how shy Cole was and some of the personality quirks he displayed, whatever went on must have been somewhat traumatic.

  "How bad was it?" he asked. His foot tapped nervously on the floor and he had to work to keep from showing how upset he was at the idea of Cole being bullied. And never mind that it had happened years ago.

  Cole shrugged, his face down-turned. A lock of hair had fallen across his forehead and he looked almost too-attractive; it made something ache low in Anderson's belly. He wanted to reach out and caress Cole's face, but they hadn't reached that point yet.

  "How bad was it? There were times I really didn't think I was going to make it through high school. They were some real jerks and the one thing I never understood was why none of the teachers could stop them," Cole said. "There were only a couple of times where things got physical, but my cousin put a stop to that real quick. It was the things they said that he couldn't do a whole lot about.

  "The worst thing was that my echolalia was getting pretty much under control before then." Cole's expression was wry. "My psychiatrist says things like 'psychological trauma' and 'psychosocial abuse.' Basically, all the teasing I received made my tic worse and now I have a hard time controlling it. I went from a banal pediatric condition to a full on anxiety disorder." He gave a painful laugh. "It kind of sucks and not even medication can help it."

  "Is it weird to say that I wish I could go back and kick some little kid asses?" Anderson asked.

  Cole laughed and shook his head, seemingly throwing off the dark pall that had fallen around him. His cheeks were flushed from the spicy noodles and his brown eyes sparkled. "Kick some little kid asses," he said. "That's pretty funny. I'm sure I'd visit you in prison too."

  "I could be your prison pen pal," Anderson offered. "You could bake me a cake with a file in it and I would escape just so I could see you."

  "I would escape just so I could see you. Why do I get the impression that you've seen way too many cheesy romance movies?" Cole asked.

  Anderson shrugged. "They're my favorite genre. Them and Antiques Roadshow, that's all I watch on TV." He glanced at his watch, then took out his phone. "Here, I'm going to check out movie times real quick; that way we can know whether we have time for dessert or not."

  He checked movie times on his phone and was pleased to see that they had plenty of time before any of the really good movies started.

  "Well, we can get some dessert. What do you feel like?" he asked, slipping his phone back in his pocket.

  "What do you feel like? Well, we can get some ice cream from the shop up the street," Cole said. "A scoop of chocolate lover's sounds really good right now." He licked his lips.

  Anderson couldn't help the way his eyes followed that pink tongue and he could feel himself hardening in his pants. There was just something about Cole that seemed to hit every one of his buttons. "Yeah, ice cream sounds good."

  A romantic stroll and ice cream cones, then an action movie that had Cole waving his hands and excitedly babbling in an orgasm of nerdiness all the way back to his apartment. It was the kind of thing that Anderson had always cringed away from before... but now it was wonderful.

  He could spend hours and days just gazing at Cole's face, watching for every expression that might show itself there. His fingers itched to reach out and explore every bit of Cole's skin that he could touch. And he couldn't help imagining the taste of Cole on his tongue.

  "You haven't said anything in like ten minutes." Cole crossed his arms. "What are you thinking about?"

  Anderson shrugged. "We should go see more movies and stuff together. What are you doing on Friday?"

  "What are you doing on Friday?" Cole laughed. "This date isn't even over yet and you're already planning the next one?" He shrugged. "I guess I'm doing whatever you've got planned for Friday."

  "I'll think of something good," Anderson said, his mind already working. Then reached out and slung his arm around Cole's shoulder, tugging him closer against his side.

  Cole gave him a surprised look, but nuzzled in close, wrapping his arm around Anderson's waist.

  Anderson walked Cole to the front door, then let him go when they went in. He gave the old man sitting at the front desk a friendly nod and got a gimlet ey
e in return. It made him grin.

  There was something kind of awesome about being the guy old people disapproved of. It made him think that he could be the one to lay claim to Cole's virtue. At the very least, he planned on stealing himself a kiss tonight.

  They rode the elevator up to the fourth floor and he walked Cole right to his door. "Well," he said, nibbling on his lip. He stuck his hands in his pockets and tried to look relaxed and a bit hopeful.

  "Well," Cole echoed. He unlocked his door and held it open. "Do you want to come in?"

  "Yes."

  * * *

  He couldn't quite believe what was happening and maybe it was a little too fast for him, but it just felt so right to be pushed down on his back on the couch with Anderson up over him. They were still mostly dressed, though Anderson had lost his shirt somewhere and Cole was thoroughly enjoying running his hands over his bared skin, feeling the warmth of his flesh.

  Anderson's kisses were overwhelming. It felt like he was being devoured and he couldn't help the way his hips lifted to grind his erection against Anderson's thigh, trying to find some kind of friction. His body felt so hot and he was almost uncomfortably hard and all he knew was that he wanted.

  Anderson laughed. "Well, who would have thought?" he husked. His hand slipped down between them and Cole felt the buttons of his jeans being unsnapped.

  Something in his head told him that he had to pull back from this for some reason. He made a whimpering noise and grabbed Anderson to stop him.

  "It's all right," Anderson assured him, "we're not going to do anything you're not ready for. I just want to make you feel good right now." He slowly pulled his hand out of Cole's, then slipped it back down again, spreading Cole's fly so he could tuck his hand in past the band of Cole's briefs, freeing his erection.

  Anderson's hand against his skin made Cole buck helplessly. Distantly, he heard the sound of Anderson's laughter as he began to jerk his cock. But really, all he could do was feel as Anderson pumped him.

  "Oh," he groaned when Anderson stroked his thumb across the head of his cock, using his pre-come as a lubricant to set up a quick pace that had him gasping for breath as his hips jerked. He could feel his balls drawing tight.

  "Come on now," Anderson growled, leaning down to nip at his lip.

  He moaned and came into Anderson's hand. He could feel the man's wild laughter vibrating though the couch as his come spurted up over Anderson's stomach and chest.

  Anderson sat up while Cole tried to catch his breath. He couldn't help watching the man through half-lidded eyes, taking in the splash of milky-white against his bare skin. He could see the outline of his erection in his jeans and it made him lick his lips.

  He suddenly felt a bit unsure, wondering what he was supposed to do in return.

  Anderson seemed to read his mind, because he smiled gently. "It's all right. Like I said, you don't have to do anything you're not ready for." He stood up, walking into the kitchen to come back a moment later with a clean chest and a damp paper towel in his hand. "Let's get you cleaned up."

  Cole couldn't help blushing at Anderson's solicitous behavior as the man gently cleaned him up. No one had ever handled his cock so tenderly before. It was as though Anderson thought he was something special.

  "Let's get you cleaned up. I can't believe you did that," Cole said.

  "It felt good, though, didn't it?" Anderson raised an eyebrow.

  Cole nodded. Then he gasped when Anderson smirked and leaned down to press a quick kiss against the still sensitive head of his cock before tucking him back in his briefs and buttoning his jeans back up.

  "Well, I think it's time for me to go," Anderson said, jerking his head toward the door. Cole opened his mouth to object, but Anderson held up a hand to stop him. "We've both got work tomorrow. Plus, I get the feeling that you need a chance to process."

  Cole sat up and watched him pick his shirt up off the coffee table and pull it over his head. "I get the feeling that you need a chance to process. Do you really have to go?" he asked plaintively.

  Anderson smiled at him. "We both have to go to work tomorrow and you need to get your sleep. I'll see you tomorrow." He stepped over to the couch and pressed a kiss against Cole's mouth, their tongues clashing for a moment before he pulled away. "I've gotta go."

  "I've gotta go," Cole echoed. "I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"

  "You don't have to say it like that," Anderson laughed. "I'll see you tomorrow," he said firmly.

  Cole watched him walk to the door and leave, his hand reaching back around to lock the door before he closed it.

  Sighing heavily, Cole flopped back on the couch.

  He honestly couldn't believe what had just happened, and his body was still tingling from it. But the one thought that kept running through his mind was: "I want more."

  He wanted more of Anderson's kisses and Anderson's touches. He wanted to see the other man completely out of his clothes and he wanted to press their bare skin together.

  His passions had finally been ignited and he wanted everything.

  The idea of it made him giggle and wriggle on the couch. From first kiss to first real sexual experience in one visit.

  Maybe everything had happened too fast, but that first kiss... it had completely blown him out of the water. To feel Anderson's hands on his shoulders, holding him in place so his lips could peck almost chastely against Cole's. Then there was a wet swipe of tongue that almost had Cole pulling away in disgust, but the heady heat of Anderson's thumbs brushing against the sides of his neck had him opening his mouth almost helplessly.

  And once he let Anderson in... he didn't want to stop the kisses; he wanted them to go on forever. It felt as though Anderson was trying to devour his mouth, to just eat him alive, and it seemed like the greatest thing ever. Heat and wet and he was so hard he could barely breathe and Anderson's lashes were so dark against his cheeks when he closed his eyes during their kisses that Cole wanted to lick his skin.

  It felt as though he swooned, because he went from standing in the middle of the room to lying on the couch and it was the most natural thing ever. The feeling of Anderson's body pressing down on his own made something click in his head and he felt like a puzzle that had found its last piece.

  Maybe everything had gone too fast and he should have stopped Anderson, but he didn't want to. If he could have, he happily would have gone all the way and regrets would have been something for tomorrow. So to have Anderson be so considerate of his feelings... to just give him pleasure but not take anything more, it made Cole feel precious somehow.

  He couldn't wait until he saw Anderson again.

  Cole pressed his fingers against his lips and stared up at the ceiling dreamily. His body felt warm and loose and it just seemed that all was right with the world.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  There was something a bit awkward about coming to work after he'd gotten a hand-job from the man that was supposed to be his new boss; the guy that might possibly be his kinda-sorta boyfriend, though they hadn't made any firm agreements yet.

  Just walking into work, he felt as though everyone that looked at him could tell exactly what he'd been up to the night before. It just felt as though it was branded into his skin.

  He made his way to his new office and settled in behind his desk. It was kind of a surprise to see two files in his IN box when he was used to dozens. He didn't know what he was going to do with himself.

  Picking up a highlighter, he got to work marking the most relevant information. Once he was done with that, he would compile all the information in a summarizing report of just the important bits.

  He sunk into his work and went into that mindset where he completely closed out the outside world. So it was a surprise when he looked up and found Anderson sitting in the chair in front of his desk, one leg crossed over the other as he flipped through a magazine.

  "Took you long enough to realize I was here." Anderson grinned at him.

  Cole blinked, then glanced
at his watch. Without even knowing it, he'd been working for close to two hours. "Took you long enough to realize I was here. I didn't even hear you come in. I must have been in the zone or something."

  Anderson laughed. "Or something. You didn't even hear me close the door behind me." He stood up and jerked a thumb toward the door. "You wanna go get some lunch?"

  "You wanna go get some lunch?" Cole could feel himself flushing. "Um, I don't really know how to say this, but I'm not one of those people that are willing to try anything at work. Ever. I just feel like work should be for work, and after-work is for... well, you know?"

  "It's nothing like that," Anderson excused. He probably thought he was being really smooth, but Cole could tell that he'd semi-hoped Cole would let that kind of thing go on. "I just thought that maybe you're hungry. We can be friends at work without everyone thinking that we're something more than that. Plus, everyone needs to eat sometime, so what's the big deal about us eating together?"

  "So what's the big deal about us eating together? Relax, guy," Cole said, standing up. "You're getting all defensive and there's no reason for it. Let's go get something to eat, that's fine. I just thought that I'd mention that I wasn't going to do any kissing or making out or anything at work." He hoped he sounded as worldly as he was trying to come across, and not like some cringing virgin.

  "Come on," Anderson said, opening the door. The line of his shoulders was still a little tense, but relaxed as they walked down toward the cafeteria.

  That was one of the good things about Bester International--to ensure that their employees were kept satisfied, the cafeteria was set up like a nice restaurant and had professional chefs on staff. It also lowered the percentage of employees that even left the building on their breaks.

  Cole blushed lightly, but he let Anderson buy him a club sandwich and Greek summer salad. The cafeteria served hardier foods, but sometimes he just wanted a sandwich and a glass of chocolate milk. Anderson got himself the prime rib with mashed potatoes and gravy.