Jim and Sue stood within a second of each other.
Jim said, “This is rubbish, and I’ll have nothing to do with it. I’m going home.”
Sue added, “Me, too. I’m sorry for you, Ian. Be careful with that man. He’s dangerous; all those people are.”
Ian laughed. “You both have your head so far up your asses, you don’t know it.”
His dad stood and pointed to Ian. “That’s it. Get out and never return to this family. You are dead to us. Get out!” He stood and motioned to the door.
Jordan asked, “Does this mean you’re not serving dessert?”
Mary threw a hand to her throat. “How dare you!”
“How dare you reject your own son? Don’t you know sexuality is inherited? The odds are you or your husband are gay or part gay or someone else in your family is. Ian at least has the courage to accept it and now be out about it. He’s on his way to a healthy mental attitude.” He kissed Ian on the lips and took Ian’s hand and led him out.
Before they pulled away, Ian hugged Jordan and kissed him, knowing his parents watched. The front door slammed.
Jordan drove Ian over the west foothills to the beach town of Santa Cruz. Neither spoke for the thirty-minute drive there, but they held hands. Jordan took Ian to the beach. They removed their shoes and rolled pants up.
Holding hands, Jordan asked, “So, what’s going on in your head?”
“I have no idea.” They walked, then Ian said, “I was shocked that my brother and sister were there, but I was grateful you were present. I’d have lost my nerve otherwise. I’m not surprised I got kicked out of the family. To tell the truth, I never felt close to any of them.” He cried.
Jordan stopped their walk and held him tight.
Ian asked, “Why are you with me? I’m such a wuss and a crybaby.”
“You’re my wuss and my crybaby.” Jordan kissed Ian’s cheek. “And I’m falling in love with you.”
“Really?”
Jordan nodded.
“Thank you. I don’t feel like I deserve it.”
“I understand, but you will someday. In the meantime, I believe it. You are a good man but were psychologically abused by your family. If you want, we can hire a lawyer to sue them for that.”
Ian chuckled. “Yeah, right.”
“I’m serious. If you want.”
“Really? We can do that?”
“Of course. You can hire an attorney to do anything. They’re whores.”
Ian squeezed Jordan. “I’m falling in love with you, too.”
Ian spent the weekend at Jordan’s place. They made love many times, and Ian enjoyed reading aloud from the book on gay sex.
Monday came, and they returned to work. Ian had trouble getting his head into work, but he stumbled through. At home, he and Jordan chatted by phone for almost two hours. Ian had a late dinner and went to bed. He had trouble falling asleep, but he used the relaxation techniques Jordan taught him, and they worked.
Sometime in the night, Ian woke to pounding on his door. He sat up in his tiny studio apartment, and then the door flew open.
Someone in firefighter’s gear and mask yelled, “Get out. The building is on fire.”
Ian shook his head.
The garbed person moved to him with a super bright flashlight. “Sir, get out. The building is on fire.”
Ian realized it was a woman. His smoke detector was blaring and fire was coming down from the ceiling. He threw his pants and shoes on as his heart pounded in fear.
“Is anyone else in this apartment?” The firefighter’s voice was garbled with her breathing apparatus on. Ian shook his head. She left to pound on other doors.
Ian ran out and down the stairs as more fire trucks pulled up. Neighbors stared from the sidewalk. Water lines were run. The roof was ablaze in the older two-story apartment complex. Ian shook. Good thing his cell phone was in his pants.
He dialed his brother, who finally answered after multiple calls. “Jim, this is Ian. My apartment is on fire. Can you come—”
His brother hung up. He called his sister, and she at least had the courtesy of telling him to go to hell and call his lover.
Ian smiled. “Of course, I’ll call Jordan.”
Even though he lived over twenty miles away, he was there in a few minutes. He rushed up, found Ian in the crowd, and hugged him. He draped a blanket over him. “Are you injured at all?”
Ian shook his head and cried into Jordan’s chest.
Jordan lifted him into his arms and took him to his car and drove to his apartment. “I’m glad you called me.”
“I’m sorry to bother you.”
“Ian, you’ll learn. We are boyfriends and lovers. Who else can you bother? It’s my honor to come fetch you.”
“I called my brother and sister first. They were no help. They rejected me. My own siblings.”
Inside Jordan’s apartment, he carried Ian to the shower and washed him. “I’m glad you called me. Skip work tomorrow. I will. I’ll call your boss and explain things. You can stay with me as long as you wish. In fact, I’ve been thinking of inviting you to move in with me. So, if you wish, you can stay here forever.”
Out of the shower, Jordan dried Ian, who smiled.
“Really? I fantasized we’d live together.”
They hugged and kissed.
“Yes, staying here forever sounds nice and wonderful. I do love you. Maybe after a while, we might decide to get married.”
Jordan carried Ian to bed.
THE END
ABOUT DAVID O. SULLIVAN
David was born in the industrial area of New Jersey, across the river from New York City. He grew up in a prejudiced society where unless you were a white male you were third or fourth class. He moved to California in high school and went on to become a police officer for 29 years in San Jose. Having a variety of interests, he studied the martial arts and became a third degree black belt, learned massage, and was a professional, part-time therapist while still a police officer.
He’s had an interest in writing since his teen years and did a lot of it in police work. When he retired he took after writing with a new zeal. He’s been published with several publishers and loves what he does. He is bisexual and writes gay, bi, lesbian, and straight stories.
ABOUT JMS BOOKS LLC
JMS Books LLC is a small queer press with competitive royalty rates publishing LGBT romance, erotic romance, and young adult fiction. Visit jms-books.com for our latest releases and submission guidelines!
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