Chartreuse

by T. E. Ridener

  But Kasen seemed like a nice enough person. At least he hadn’t stared at him strangely, or worse, ignored him. So Rowan already had some respect for the guy, though he seemed a little nervous. Maybe he was just shy. He licked his lips, watching his breath escape into the cold air as he hugged his jacket a little more tightly around himself.

  “So, Kasen,” He said, “Have you lived here your whole life?”

  He watched as Kasen nodded his head, “Yeah, born and raised.”

  “That’s not a bad thing,” Rowan said, giving him a friendly smile. “I’m from Boston, originally, but I moved here for a new start of sorts.”

  He was certain that Kasen wasn’t interested in his story, but then the boy smiled a little bigger, “Ah, yeah! I knew I knew that accent from somewhere. Definitely thought you reminded me of the guy from The Departed,” He laughed. “It’s a cool accent though. Better than what we’ve got around here, huh?”

  “You mean Mark Wahlberg?” Rowan grinned. “I think your accent is really great,” He insisted with a chuckle. He watched as Kasen shook his head, though his grin remained. He was quite pale, and it was easy to tell when he was cold. His nose was red and his cheeks were getting there.

  “Are you freezing?” Rowan asked, a bit concerned for the other.

  “Not entirely,” Kasen replied. “You think I’d be used to the cold weather, but I’m not,” He licked his lips, watching his breath escape into the air once again before he glanced back to Rowan.

  “I’m far too used to the cold,” Rowan chuckled. “Snow isn’t even impressive for a guy like me.”

  “Really?” Kasen asked curiously. “I like the snow, I guess. But I don’t really like having too much of it.”

  “Oh, well never go to Boston then, huh?” Rowan grinned and it only grew bigger as Kasen grinned back.

  “Oh yeah. You’re one of those places famous for the fifty feet snows or something, right?”

  “Well I wouldn’t go that far,” Rowan laughed, watching as Houston and Napoleon came running by. They seemed to be getting along, playing tag or something. That made Rowan feel much better. Hell, if his dog could get along with someone, surely he could, too?

  He glanced over at Kasen, watching as he worried his bottom lip between his teeth. Maybe it was just a nervous habit. The boy looked up at him and Rowan was taken aback. The way the sunlight peaked through the clouds and reflected off of those azure hues; Rowan had never seen anything quite like that before. It was possibly the most beautiful sight he’d ever seen.

  Chapter Five

  Kasen was nervous from the way the other was looking at him. He blinked a few times before he squinted one eye, trying to avoid the sunlight that suddenly decided to come out. He rubbed his cheek.

  “Is there…something on my face?” He asked.

  He listened to Rowan’s baritone chuckle and he swallowed hard.

  “There’s nothing on your face,” Rowan reassured him.

  “Oh,” Kasen nodded, lowering his hand back onto his lap before he glanced over to see Houston and Napoleon digging holes. It was like they were competing with one another to see who could dig the deepest; or maybe the fastest. If only it was so simple for Kasen. To befriend someone that quickly and easily. But it wasn’t, because he always had to make everything awkward.

  He bit at his bottom lip, going quiet for a few moments before he pulled his pack of cigarettes from his jacket pocket. “Do you mind?” He asked, glancing towards Rowan.

  Rowan quirked a brow, turning his head to look at Kasen, “Why would I mind? It’s a free country, right?”

  “Right,” Kasen echoed, a bit cautiously. He lit up the cigarette and took a drag, but then he glanced back to Rowan once more. It was something about his eyebrows. Kasen noticed how thick they were, but for some reason, they suited the other man. When he lifted his brow like that, Kasen felt a weird sensation in the pit of his stomach, and he wasn’t sure why.

  “So what’s there to do around this town?” Rowan asked after a few more moments of awkward silence.

  Kasen lifted his head once again, his cigarette halfway gone, and his dog’s head halfway down in the ground. “Uh,” He blinked, “Well, not too much to be honest. There’s an old roller rink just downtown, and then there’s also a new movie theater that we got a few years ago. I say new, because our old one had a roof that was falling in,” He flicked his ashes before sticking the cancer stick back between his lips.

  Rowan nodded, “Hm. Well, that’s interesting, isn’t it?” He asked. He offered another smile to Kasen before he reached into his own jacket pocket and pulled out a pack of cigarettes. He lit one up, taking a deep drag before exhaling from his nostrils and then he studied Kasen.

  Kasen felt paranoid from the way the other kept looking at him. It made him nervous when he wasn’t sure what people were thinking about him. Which wasn’t a problem with the locals: because Kasen already knew what they thought of him. But when it came to a new person, Kasen couldn’t help but to over-analyze what they might think.

  “It sucks,” He admitted honestly. “Because we’re such a small town, we never get anything cool. I would personally enjoy having a Target, or something of that sort. But of course, the biggest thing we have is Wal-Mart,” He gave a small, crooked grin before shrugging. “Seems that’s all most places have. I guess we’re lucky to even have that.”

  “Target’s not really all that,” Rowan insisted. “I mean, sure they have good deals during Black Friday and such, but they’re not the best in the world. Come on. Wal-Mart’s where it’s at, right?”

  Kasen laughed lightly, giving another shrug. He was beginning to come out of his shell. At least a little bit; which was all anyone could ever ask of him. “Yeah, you’re right about that,” Kasen nodded in agreement. “I guess I should thank my lucky stars that I’m able to buy a CD, toilet paper, and a loaf of bread all in one place.”

  He listened as Rowan echoed his laughter and he glanced over at him again. How wrong was it that Kasen thought this guy was attractive? He shouldn’t have even been looking at him. Because no one in Chartreuse was gay. It was unheard of. Well, besides Kasen. But he kept it well under wraps and no one had a clue.

  He also knew that no one would be insane enough to move to a place like Chartreuse knowing ahead of time that they didn’t accept people who were ‘different’.

  “It’s almost time for me to head to work,” Rowan said suddenly, pulling Kasen out of his thoughts.

  “Oh? Right, of course,” Kasen nodded in understanding. “Sorry if I’ve kept you from it.”

  “No worries,” Rowan said, winking and smiling towards him.

  He didn’t mean anything by that, right? People winked all the time. Kasen was certain of this. His face heated up either way and he quickly looked down at the ground. “Well, I guess I’ll see you around then.”

  “Sure thing,” Rowan replied as he stood up. He took the final drag of his cigarette before tossing it to the ground, stomping it out with his shoe before he held his hand out towards Kasen once again. “It was very nice meeting you, Kasen,” He said.

  Kasen slowly lifted his gaze, seeing the hand that was being offered to him. It took him a full five seconds to get his hand to even move and it was soon placed in Rowan’s. He was surprised to find how warm his hand was. As the other’s finger’s curled around his hand for a hand shake, Kasen bit harder at his bottom lip than usual.

  “Same here,” Kasen said in a breaking voice. He cleared his throat, chuckling. “Have a good day at work,” He swallowed hard, feeling as Rowan released his hand before he walked over to retrieve his dog. Kasen was frozen to the bench as he watched Rowan put the leash back on Napoleon’s collar and then they headed towards the exit.

  He could hear Houston whimper from obvious disappointment as his new friend was led away. But Kasen smacked his thigh lightly and the loyal dog came running. It was at that very moment that Kasen looked up and his eyes connected with Rowan’s. He was outside of the park
now, but he was looking at Kasen.

  When their eyes met, Rowan smiled and nodded to him, offering a final wave before he disappeared around the corner. Kasen imagined that he smiled his stupidest smile ever before slumping back against the bench and gazing down at Houston. “What am I thinking?” He asked, only to be met with a confused gaze from his best pal.

  ------------------------

  “Good morning, Tasha,” Rowan chimed as he stepped inside of the clinic with Napoleon right on his heels.

  “Oh, hey there, Mister K,” She said with a grin. “So, Mrs. Birmingham called again..” Her voice drifted off as she wrinkled her nose. “That woman seriously has it bad for you.”

  Rowan was putting on his white jacket as he smirked, shaking his head, “Well, that’s unfortunate for her now, isn’t it?”

  Natasha leaned against the counter, gazing at him for a moment, “Can I ask you something, Mister K.?”

  He glanced up from some files, lifting a brow, “I suppose you can ask, but it doesn’t guarantee I’m going to answer.”

  She smirked a little, batting her fake eyelashes, “Are you gay?”

  He stared at her, “What?”

  She lifted her hands up quickly, “No offense if you’re not. But you dress really nice. And you’re totally polite. So, it just makes sense that you’re gay. I mean, the guys around here are total hicks about everything. It’s all about hunting and fishing and seeing who’s the manliest.”

  “Are you suggesting that I’m not manly?” He inquired

  “Oh crap. No. That’s not what I’m suggesting at all. I just.. Wow. I’ll shut up now,” She lowered herself back into her seat, pushing her glasses back down from on top of her blond head as she chewed at her bottom lip.

  He smiled a little, shaking his head as he walked over to stand near the desk, “I’m just messing with you,” He replied. “And I’m not ashamed to admit that I’m gay.”

  Her face lit up suddenly as she looked back up at him. “I knew it,” She said. “Oh my gosh. This is so exciting. I’ve never known a gay guy before. It’s just like the sassy gay friend from YouTube—“

  “Let’s get one thing straight here, as contradictory as that may be,” He said, rubbing his chin. “I’m not sassy. I may have a taste for fashion, but you will never see me flipping a scarf over my shoulder, and I don’t do the limp wrist thing. I’m just a normal guy, who happens to like guys. Okay?”

  She nodded with a very serious expression on her face, “Okay.”

  He was trying very hard not to laugh on the inside. He was actually pretty amused by the entire conversation. He gave her a grin finally, and then nodded before pointing down the hallway. “So I’ll be in my office if you need me,” He said, starting that way, before he stopped and turned back to her. “And should Mrs. Birmingham call, tell her that I’m filled up for the next three weeks, and it may possibly be after Thanksgiving before I can get her in again.”

  “Got it,” Natasha said, giving him a salute. He nodded, and then disappeared back into the sanctuary of his office.

  ----------------------

  The rest of his day passed by pretty quickly. Houston slept for the most part, so Kasen had lots of free time to himself. Though he wasn’t really thinking properly. He was far too distracted with thoughts of the guy from the dog park, which was silly considering it was a waste of time. Kasen knew he’d never be able to find anyone as long as he lived in Chartreuse.

  It was a pretty depressing thought. Knowing that he’d never be able to find love in his own home town. Then again, didn’t Rose find love on the Titanic? With a total stranger? Albeit, he died in the end, but they’d had a romance most people would kill for.

  He let out a frustrated sigh as he pinched the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger. He was only going to give himself a headache with all of these useless thoughts. The story of his life. His phone was ringing then, and he glanced at the caller I.D. It was his mother, but he didn’t feel like talking to her, so he let it go to voicemail.

  She would probably leave a nasty one, but he’d deal with that later. Right now, he just wanted to think about other things. Like Rowan. God, he needed to stop that! It was useless. There was no point in thinking about someone he’d never be able to have. Sometimes, he wondered why he even bothered being gay. Well, now that didn’t make sense. He couldn’t start being straight for the hell of it. It wasn’t something that changed at the drop of a hat. It was something he’d just always known, and people would just have to accept that.

  Stupid thoughts. There were always so many stupid thoughts running through his mind. He heaved another sigh, shutting down his computer before he got up and walked into the bathroom to turn on the shower. Hadn’t he already showered today? Yes. But he needed to do something else other than think about a guy. A really handsome guy with a voice as smooth as silk and skin that probably felt the same.

  He shook his head, undressing quickly before stepping into the shower and letting the hot water beat down onto him once again. There was nothing like distracting himself with the smell of Old Spice. He soaped up his mop of brown hair as quickly as he could, massaging his scalp with his short nails as he let out a small groan of approval.

  But even as his eyes shut tightly to avoid that dreadful sting of suds, all he could see was that face and that smile. He was going to go insane before the day was done. It was only five thirty. God help him. He quickly rinsed, only to start soaping up his body……and that definitely didn’t help things.

  In his mind, he was wondering what it would be like to feel those abnormally warm hands against his skin; touching, caressing. He let out a small breath. Really? Was this how it was going to work now? He surely wasn’t about to fantasize about a man he barely knew. But God, it felt good. He bit at his bottom lip, his soft breaths being drowned out by the rushing water that continued to cascade down his back. He threw his head back, letting out a quiet noise as he reached his hand down to caress the hot flesh jutting out from between his thighs.

  He reached out quickly, steadying himself against the cool tile wall as his fist pumped rapidly up and down his length. He bit his bottom lip hard, imagining a large, hot hand pleasing him while lips that were bound to be as soft as velvet teased his neck.

  “Shit,” He stammered as his orgasm overcame him far too soon. His legs immediately turned to jelly as he leaned back against the tile, gazing up at the ceiling for a moment. He would never mention that to anyone.

  Chapter Six

  Later that night, Rowan made the trip home while listening to Cool Kasey bringing the best of music to his ears once again. He let Napoleon play in the small backyard while he showered and then began to prepare dinner. Though, it was beginning to get lonesome as he prepared dinner for just one. He often wished he had someone else to cook for. Perhaps not even romantically, but just a friend he could chat with while enjoying some beef stew.

  “It’s almost time to take on requests for the next hour,” Kasey said, his voice low and somewhat huskier tonight. Rowan had noticed that immediately. Maybe he was getting a cold? “So call in and let me know what you want to hear. I’m here all night long,” And then another song was put on as Rowan gazed thoughtfully at his phone.

  He was trying to think of a song he wanted to hear. Then he finally decided that a great song for tonight’s meal preparation would be The Proclaimers. So he immediately picked up the phone, dialing the number he now knew by heart as he pulled out a pot to boil some water in. Much to his disappointment, the line was busy. So he simply hung up and then redialed the number, waiting as patiently as he could to get through to Kasey.

  It was still silly to be doing this, wasn’t it? After all, even today in the park, he’d met a fairly nice young fellow that he was certain was studying him just as much as he studied him. Or maybe that’s what his mind was wanting him to think. Or worse, maybe it was his heart.

  “Cool Kasey on the line, playing only the coolest tunes; now what is it you wa
nt to hear?”

  Rowan blinked, almost forgetting he was even on the phone, “Uh. Yeah. Hi, Kasey,” He said, biting his lip.

  “Hi,” There was that laugh again. “What can I play for you?”

  “I was hoping that I could hear Five Hundred Miles by the Proclaimers. I’m making some mashed potatoes tonight, with gravy and I may even decide on adding in some sort of meat.”

  There was silence on the other end for a moment, and Rowan wondered if he’d been disconnected.

  “..Is this Pasta Salad?”

  Rowan smiled a little. He remembered him? “Yes,” He finally said, feeling heat rushing to his face, and an odd quiver in his chest. He wasn’t sure what that was, but it was definitely something he hadn’t felt in a very long time.

  “I’m glad you called again,” Kasey said.

  He wanted to ask him why, but Rowan refrained. He bit his lip, smiling to himself.

  “Well, what can I say? You play the best music around and I’ve quickly become a loyal listener.”

  He heard a small chuckle before Kasey spoke again, “Well, anything for a loyal listener. I’ll have it on next.”

  “Cool. Thank you,” Rowan said.

  “You’re welcome,” Kasey replied. “And I hope you have a nice dinner. Eat some for me. I’m starving.”

  Rowan laughed a little, “Do you want me to bring you some?” No. God. That was stupid! Why had he said that?

  “Really?” Kasey asked. “I wouldn’t want you to go through any trouble for me.”

  So Kasey was open to that idea? He didn’t find it creepy that someone wanted to bring him food? Part of him was screaming to do it, but the other part was begging him to be careful.

  “It’s no trouble,” Rowan finally said. “I should have everything ready within about an hour. Where should I bring it to?”

  “Do you know where Parker Hill Road is?”

  “Uh, no. I’m sorry, I don’t. I’m not familiar with the area. But I could surely put the address into my GPS and find you pretty easily,” He offered. Why was he suddenly so nervous?