"That's good. What about you? How have you been?"
"Yeah, good. It's easy now the rumours have stopped." Luke paused, watching Krish. Putting his cutlery down, he asked, "Is everything okay?"
Krish frowned, fork paused in the air. "What you mean?"
"There." Rubbing the back of his neck, Luke swallowed again. "I mean, after last week..."
"Oh." Krish also put his cutlery down and leaned forward on the table. "Between us?" Luke nodded. "Everything is fine."
Luke exhaled heavily, closing his eyes. "Thanks," he muttered.
"I wanted to give you some space. It wasn't because I didn't want to see you again. I do, very much."
Luke's eyes flicked up to Krish's then glanced away. "You do?" Luke whispered. He wasn't stupid. He'd seen the looks Krish had given him.
"Yeah, I do, which is why I asked you to lunch. I wanted to ask you out for a drink again. Are you okay with that?" Krish tilted his head when he asked him.
Luke sucked in a breath. He'd been waiting for Krish to ask him.
They looked at each other for a few seconds, neither breaking away. Eventually, Luke nodded. He was attracted to Krish, but he needed to make sure that Krish knew where Luke stood.
Luke coughed, clearing his throat. "Look, Krish, I need to be honest with you." Luke glanced around the canteen, making sure no one was paying attention to them. Leaning closer to Krish, he continued. "I don't bottom. Ever. I had to do that on the streets, but I'm not going to do it again. So, if you're asking me out because you think at some point you'll get a chance to fuck me, you won't. I just need you to know that. Also, I don't think I could ever suck you off."
Luke sat back and glanced around the canteen again before finally looking at Krish. Krish leaned back in his chair, his fingers playing with the cutlery on the table. Eventually, Krish nodded. "That's good. People look at me and assume I'm a top because I'm tall and broad, but I'm not."
Luke gasped. That was the last thing he'd expected Krish to say. Krish was right. Even Luke had assumed that Krish would top and not willingly bottom.
"Oh. I thought..."
"Yeah, most men do." Krish gave a small smile. "Seeing as we are being honest, I need to tell you something."
"Okay." Luke frowned.
Krish leaned closer. "I like to give up control in the bedroom."
"Dominated? To what extent?" Luke knew some of that lifestyle because Ben was in it, but he hadn't asked many questions.
"I like to be told what to do, tied up." Krish shrugged, looking away.
"Okay," Luke mumbled. So, he would be in charge. Luke wiped his mouth with his hand, staring at Krish. Now he knew where things stood sexually, was Luke ready to give this a go? Was he ready to try and have a relationship with a man?
They continued to watch each other and eventually, Luke looked away, nodding. "I'm glad," he whispered.
"Finish your food, Luke. We can talk about this some more tomorrow. That's if you still want to go for drinks?"
Luke nodded again. "Yeah, yeah. I'd love that."
Both smiled at each other and began to eat again. As they neared the end of the meal, a shadow fell over the table, causing both of them to look up. Sarah. Sarah and who Luke assumed was her boyfriend.
Dropping his cutlery onto his plate, Luke leaned back, glaring up at Sarah. "What do you want?"
"My question isn't for you." Sarah smirked. "It's for him." Turning to Krish, she asked, "So, how much are you paying him?"
"Pardon? How much am I paying him?" Krish put his cutlery down, leaned forward on the table, and glared at Sarah. "How do you know the things that you have said are true? You've gone around spreading rumours and causing problems, and you don't actually know if a single word you've said is the truth? You know I can pull you up for that? We have an anti-bullying policy here, and you, over the last few weeks, have been exactly that. A bully. Do you want me to report you?" Krish raised an eyebrow as he spoke to her and Luke covered his mouth with his hand, trying hard not to smile at the look that flickered across Sarah's face.
"He's a hole. A dirty, used up hole. How do you know that I'm not telling the truth?"
"Because I've actually spoken to Luke, something you clearly haven't done. You know, when someone lives on the street, there is help available for them and places that they can go. Did you even ask Luke if he'd used any of those resources available to him? My answer would be no. You found out that he'd ended up on the streets and you dumped him and then spread all these rumours, not knowing the truth. What kind of person does that make you, Sarah? That you would use an obviously difficult and stressful time in Luke's life against him?" Krish glanced at the man stood next to Sarah. "I hope you're prepared? Can you imagine what she'd say about you if she found something out that you didn't want people to know?" Krish glanced between the two of them before speaking again. "I suggest you both leave. Otherwise, I will make a full complaint against you both."
Sarah glared at the pair of them before muttering, "This isn't over."
"But Sarah, it clearly is. If you say one more word about Luke to him or behind his back, I will make life here very difficult for you, and I'll make sure that everyone knows about you and what you've done. Think about your future, Sarah. Is it worth ruining it, simply to spread a few vicious rumours?"
The man with Sarah grabbed her hand. "Come on. He's not worth it." He attempted to pull Sarah away, but Sarah was having none of it.
She turned and looked back at him. "You heard him. He threatened me."
"No, he gave you the warning you deserve." He dropped her hand and walked off, leaving Sarah stood next to the table on her own.
"Oops, guess he got fed up with you." Krish picked up his cutlery and began to finish the rest of his meal. He paused with his cutlery in the air. "Why are you still stood here? I'm trying to eat, and you're putting me off my food."
Sarah huffed and stomped off. Luke burst out laughing, watching her walk away. "I wish I'd had you around earlier. She might have stopped sooner."
Krish shrugged. "She has an issue with you. Just watch your back."
Luke sobered, nodding in agreement. "Yeah, she has. I don't know what I've done to deserve it. She's the one with the problem, not me."
"Eat your food and forget all about her. She's not worth your time."
They ate their food, talking about the course before leaving the canteen. As they stood outside, Krish turned to Luke, asking, "So, tomorrow night?"
Luke nodded. "Yeah."
"Okay, I'll text you tomorrow with the details."
Luke nodded again and took a couple of steps away, still watching Krish. He said goodbye, and they went their separate ways.
Luke was looking forward to tomorrow night, but he was also scared shitless. A date with a man, something he thought he'd never do. But now Luke had made the decision, he couldn't wait.
Chapter Thirteen
Sitting in their local pub later that night, Luke, Jack, and Toby were talking about Sarah. Since the day Luke had admitted the truth to them both, neither of them had said a word about it but had continued as normal. The only thing they had told him was that it didn't bother them and Luke was a friend. Something Luke was grateful for.
"Man, she's a complete bitch. What did you ever see in her?" Jack asked, lifting his pint up and taking a sip. "I mean, I know why you swore off men, but Sarah?" Jack shook his head.
"Doesn't matter now, does it?" Luke muttered.
"At least she's had a warning now. I imagine Krish would follow through with it."
"What's going on with you and this Krish bloke?" Toby asked, leaning on the table. "He's the TA on our courses, isn't he? I've seen him looking at you."
Luke's eyes widened in surprise. "You've noticed him looking at me?"
"Oh yeah. Many times. I'm surprised you haven't."
Luke shook his head. "I was with Sarah, so I never saw him."
"And Krish likes you." Toby smiled at him. "I think you should give it a go."
/>
"You do? It wouldn't bother you?"
"Nah, best of both worlds, isn't it? Men and women." Toby shrugged. "Not like I can say anything. I've been with a man."
Jack coughed, choking on the beer he'd just swallowed. Luke leaned over, smacking him on the back until Jack nodded his head. "What, you've been with a man? You've had sex with a man? Why am I only just hearing about this?"
Toby shrugged. "Didn't think it mattered."
"Didn't matter? I could have been grilling you for information."
"Grilling me for information? Why would you want to do that, Jack? You got your eyes on someone?" Toby smiled at Jack, waggling his eyebrows.
"Actually, I have."
Both Luke and Toby stared at Jack, mouths hanging open. Luke recovered first. "Who? Is it someone we know?" Luke pointed to him and Toby.
"Might be." Jack smirked. Picking up his pint, he leaned back in his seat, staring at the two of them. He took a sip, smacked his lips, and then chuckled. "Otis."
"Otis." Both Luke and Toby spoke at the same time.
Jack nodded. "Otis." He chuckled, glancing between the two of them. "You should see the look on your faces. What's wrong with me liking a man?"
Luke and Toby stared at each other again before looking back at Jack. Luke opened his mouth to speak, but Toby beat him to it. "It's just, you've never shown any signs that you like men." He shrugged, looking back at Luke.
Luke nodded in agreement. "Yeah, what Toby said." He shook his head. Wow, Jack had thrown him with that confession!
"I like women too. But there's just something about Otis. Maybe it's because he's taller than me, black hair and blue eyes and pale skin. Thinking about asking him out."
"Is he gay?" Luke asked. Otis didn't ping his radar at all.
"Yep, he sure is. Saw him kissing a bloke a couple weeks back."
"So, he's got a boyfriend?" Toby asked. "If he's got a boyfriend, you shouldn't be asking him out."
"No, no boyfriend. Just someone he was kopping off with." Jack glanced between the two of them, smirking. "And I've noticed him looking my way a few times. Enough that I smiled at him and he smiled back." Taking another drink of his pint, Jack placed it back on the table. "He's definitely interested. I'm gonna ask him next week."
"You sure he's interested?" Luke asked. He knew Otis, and he had to be honest and say that he hadn't seen him look at Jack.
"You know when you see a girl looking at you, and she's biting her lip and messing with her hair?" Jack waited for them to nod. "Well, he's been doing that to me. If that isn't the biggest 'I like you' sign, then what is?"
Luke nodded in agreement. "Yeah, that's a definite come on. So, you're gonna ask him on Monday then?"
"Yeah, after our last lecture together."
"Good luck. Hope he says yes." Toby smiled at both of them. "Otis is nice-looking."
Jack snorted. "Otis is fucking gorgeous."
All three them looked at each other and then burst out laughing. Luke shook his head and glanced around the pub. The laughter died in his throat when he spotted Sarah and her boyfriend sat in the corner. He looked back at the other two then nodded over towards them. All three of them glanced over, and Luke heard Jack sigh.
"What the fuck is she doing here? It's not like it's even her local."
"It's just Luke's animal magnetism."
Luke laughed, shaking his head."Animal magnetism? Nah, she's just a bitch. She wants to make my life hell. I don't understand why he's with her. What have I done to him?"
"Fucker needs a wake-up call," Jack muttered. Standing, he glanced down at the two them. "I'm going over there to find out what the fuck her problem is."
Luke also stood, grabbing Jack's arm as he stepped away from the table. "No, she's not worth it, mate. If she wants to sit over there and waste her evening staring at us, let her. I'm not gonna let her ruin our night out."
"You sure, mate?"
"Luke's right, Jack. Leave the stupid bitch alone. She's not causing us any problems sitting over there."
They all sat back down and tried their best to ignore Sarah and her boyfriend. As the evening progressed, it became increasingly difficult to do. As Sarah drank more, she became louder, making comments about Luke.
Eventually, Sarah stood and approached the table Luke and his friends were sat at. Hands on hips, she glared down at them before finally resting her gaze on Luke. "How's the hole?"
"Oh, fuck off," Jack said, leaning back in his chair. "No one gives a shit about anything you've got to say."
"How much you paying him? I mean, you do know that he's a fucking cocksucker?"
Jack laughed. "Really?" He shook his head as he continued to laugh.
"Just go, Sarah. No one's interested." Luke muttered.
"No one's interested?" Sarah shouted, spinning around on the spot and throwing arms in the air. She turned back to them and as she continued to shout, "Everyone wants to know about Luke and the fact that he's a rent boy. What's your favourite position? Hands and knees, with your arse in the air, your hole begging for someone to fuck it."
Luke glanced around the pub, noticing that everyone was staring at them. He stood, glancing at Toby and Jack. "I'm leaving. I've didn't come here for this." He turned to Sarah. "You need to go and sober up. You stand there saying shit that you know nothing about, making up rumours about me and spreading them. I could have you done for that." He looked over at the table where Sarah's boyfriend was sat and pointed at him. "You need to come get your girlfriend and get her home where she can sober up before I make an official complaint."
"Yeah, you tell that bitch!" Jack shouted.
"Shut the fuck up!" Sarah shouted back at Jack. "I bet you're fucking him, aren't you?"
"Not Luke. Got my eye on some other man." Jack smirked.
"You're gay, too? Fuck, I'm surrounded by you."
"That's it. I'm gone." Grabbing his coat from the back of his chair, Luke waved at Jack and Toby and left the pub.
As he walked away, Luke could hear shouting coming from the pub and chuckled to himself. No doubt, Toby and Jack were giving Sarah an earful. Nothing she didn't deserve. He did feel slightly guilty at leaving them to sort her out, but in all honesty, he'd simply had enough. His phone rang, and Luke took it out from his pocket. Glancing at the screen, he saw Krish's name on it and smiled. Answering the phone, he said, "Hello, Krish."
He heard Krish chuckle on the phone. "Hi. What are you doing?"
"Nothing now. I was at the pub, but Sarah showed up and decided to mouth off, so I left."
"Are you all right?" The concern was evident in Krish's voice.
Luke smiled. "I'm fine, really. Thanks for asking."
"The night's still early, so why don't you come over to mine? I'll come and pick you up."
Luke stopped walking and bit his lip. He was fairly certain if he went around to Krish's house then they would not spend the night talking. Did he want to take that step with everything that had happened to him? Was he ready to be with Krish in that way?
His stomach churned, and Luke swallowed. He was nervous, afraid even. Sweat broke out over his skin and Luke wiped his clammy hand on his jeans. Inhaling deeply, Luke exhaled slowly.
Yeah, he wanted to. He wanted this, and he wasn't going to let his fear stop him. Clearing his throat, Luke answered. "Yeah, I'll come over."
"You will? Great! Where are you and I'll come and pick you up."
Luke told Krish where he was and a few minutes later, ended the call. He walked towards the spot he'd arranged to meet Krish at, and it wasn't long before Krish was there. Luke watched Krish's car pull up in front of him, and he inhaled deeply. He wanted this. He did. But if he took this step, would it be fair to Krish if he realised he'd made a mistake? He didn't want to hurt Krish.
Approaching the car, the passenger door opened for him, and Luke got in, shutting it behind him. He twisted on the seat and looked at Krish, who was smiling at him.
"I need to be honest with you. You're the fi
rst man I've been interested in since my time on the streets, and I want this, but I'm just..."
"You just worried that you might not be ready?"
"Yeah, that's it." Luke gave Krish a weak smile, shrugging slightly.
"I understand. We'll take this as fast or as slow as you want."
Luke sighed, nodding. "Thanks."
Krish chuckled. "There's nothing to thank me for. I've been thinking about you all week and your past. I realised that this might happen, so there's no pressure, okay? We'll only do what you want to do and if that means we meet up and have a drink? Then I'm okay with that, too."
"Are you sure? I don't want to lead you on."
"No. You've been up from the start, and I respect that." Krish placed his hand on Luke's knee and squeezed it gently. "We'll do this at your pace. Now, come on. I've got some beers in the fridge chilling."
They smiled at each other, and as he put his seatbelt on, Krish started the car and drove away.
Chapter Fourteen
Sitting in the living room at Krish's, Luke took the can Krish held out for him. He popped it open and took a few mouthfuls. Wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, he burped, then smiled sheepishly. "Sorry."
"No worries." Krish took a sip of his beer. "So, Sarah turned up?"
Luke nodded, sighing. "Yeah, she was there. It's not like the pub is even her local, so she's come out of the way with her boyfriend just to sit there and watch me. You'd think she'd be it by now, but clearly, she isn't. Why she can't leave me alone... I just don't understand it." Luke shook his head as he messed with the tab on his can of beer.
"Maybe she's not over you."
"Not over me? Course she's over me. If she wasn't, then why would she spread all those rumours about me? If she wasn't over me, then why would she do all of that? And she's with someone else."
"I can't honestly say. Who knows how a woman's mind works? Maybe she's just upset because she thinks you lied to her by not telling her about your past."
Breaking Free (Second Chances Book 4) Page 8
