Fan-Tastic

by Stephani Hecht

  Deke scrunched up his face. “Yeah, that crap they gave us for lunch was terrible.”

  Actually, it had been the best food that Blake had eaten in a long time but he’d die before he admitted that. Instead, he shoved the rest of his comics into the box, then pushed it all under the table.

  “So, it looks like you sold a lot today,” Deke observed.

  “Yeah, thanks to you. I had to put in a rush order for more so I don’t run out before the week is over. Some customers even want to order T-shirts and stuff. I’ve hardly sold any of that merchandise before.”

  That had been yet another reason why Blake was currently broke. While it was great that he was gaining some attention, it had cost a fortune to rush the order. He just hoped it paid off in the end and he didn’t go home to an empty bank account.

  If the day turned out to be a one-time hit for him, he was going to wind up taking home a whole bunch of junk. His gut clenched in dread as he thought about how much extra that could cost him at baggage claim on his flight home.

  Deke reached over and put a hand on Blake’s arm. “Hey, are you okay?”

  “Yeah, I was wondering if today was just a fluke and tomorrow I’m going to end up standing all by myself again.”

  “I seriously doubt that will happen.”

  “How can you be so sure?”

  “You know that reporter for People?”

  “The chick with the long, curly red hair that looked like it weighed more than she did?”

  Deke smiled. “That would be her. By the way, her name is Debbie Montgomery. You may want to make a note of it.”

  “Why?”

  “Because she just sent me a text, asking if I could set up an interview with you tomorrow.”

  Confused and feeling as if he were in the middle of some surreal dream, Blake pointed at his own chest. “Me? Why?”

  “She bought one of your comics and has been sending me a slew of texts ever since, all of them telling me how much she loves it.”

  Blake was certain that Deke was only trying to make him feel better. “Sure, like some lady from a huge magazine is going to give a rip about my comic.”

  “I’m telling you the god’s honest truth. Not only does she love it, but she’s calling her friend from Logo to see if they would be interested in doing a feature on it.”

  Blake pinched his arm, letting out a hiss of pain. “Okay, so I’m not dreaming. I just don’t get how this all happened.”

  A bitter smile crossed Deke’s face. “Once in a while true talent is actually given the credit it’s due and this is one of those rare times.”

  “I just write dirty comic books.”

  “No, you write art. There’s a huge difference. You need to give yourself more credit.”

  Stunned, Blake was silent as Deke led him to the restaurant and they were seated. It wasn’t until they’d placed their order that he finally spoke again, “I still don’t get it.”

  Accepting a glass of wine from the waiter, Deke tasted it before nodding his approval. Returning his attention to Blake, Deke said, “You’re a genius. It’s about time you learnt to accept that.”

  “If I’m such a genius then how come I live in my mom’s basement with her stinky cats and old recliners? I didn’t even graduate college.”

  “You underestimate yourself.”

  But Blake had worked himself into a lather and there was no stopping him. “You have no idea how much of a loser I am. I’m so broke that I’m trying to think of a discreet way to ask for doggy bags after we’re done here, so I can live off the leftovers for the next few days. I don’t even have enough money to buy a soda from the hotel vending machine. I have to run out to the party store across the street, and there are some pretty scary guys who hang out there. The last time, they promised to make me their bitch. I’m not sure exactly what that means but going by the looks on their faces, it’s not a good thing. Plus, I only have a few changes of clothes and now that I blew all my money in getting the extra merchandise here in time, I don’t even have enough to wash them at the laundromat. How pathetic is that? I don’t think I can sink any lower.”

  By this point, Blake was breathing fast, his pulse racing, both out of panic and from the embarrassment of what he’d just revealed to, literally, the man of his dreams. Even though he was scared of what he would find, Blake forced himself to glance at Deke.

  There was no anger or judgment on Deke’s face, just a gentle smile and a soft gaze that spoke of understanding. Reaching across the table, he grabbed Blake’s hand. “When I first moved to LA, I shared a one-bedroom apartment with six other guys and I had to do my laundry in the bath tub.”

  Somehow, that made Blake feel so much better. “Really?”

  “Yeah, we all have to start somewhere. I just happen to be farther along while you’re still at the beginning.”

  Blake closed his eyes and let out a groan. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to drag you down and whine about my problems.”

  “Isn’t that what friends are for?”

  Blake opened his eyes. “How can we be friends when you hardly even remember me?”

  “Let’s just say, I spent most of the day thinking back to that year we did the play together and I’m recalling more and more about you.”

  “Oh, great. I was an even bigger dork back then.”

  “On the contrary, you were as adorable then as you are now.”

  A thrill went through Blake at the unexpected compliment. “You’re just saying that to make me feel better because I just spilled my guts out to you.”

  Looking directly into Blake’s eyes Deke said, “No, I mean every word of it.”

  The raw emotion that was so plain on Deke’s face made a shiver of desire shoot up Blake’s spine. “I’m just a nobody.”

  “No, you’re Blake. The skinny, little blond who used to hide out in the projection room and sketch when he was supposed to be in gym class.”

  Blake gasped. “You remember that?”

  “Yeah, I do. It was so cute.”

  “I did it because I sucked at sports and didn’t want to get picked on by the jocks. Do you know how humiliating it is to always be picked last to be on a team?”

  Using his free hand Deke gestured to his own thin frame. “Uh…yeah.”

  A burst of laughter bubbled over Blake’s lips and before he knew it, he and Deke were both cracking up. Once they were finished, Deke grabbed for Blake’s hand again. “Now, here is what we’re going to do. After we’re done eating here, we’re going to go cancel your room for the rest of the week and you’re going to stay with me instead.”

  Blake shook his head. “I couldn’t impose like that.”

  Damn, it was tempting, but a guy had to have some sort of pride. At the moment, that was the only thing that Blake really owned.

  Deke fanned his thumb over Blake’s hand. “You would be doing me a favour. It gets pretty lonely being on the road like this.”

  Instead of making him feel better, that comment only left a bitter taste in Blake’s mouth. Jerking his hand back, he spat, “I’m not Julia Roberts and you’re not Richard Gere. I may be desperate, but I would never sink that low.”

  Deke’s eyes grew wide and he fanned his hands out. “No! Shit, I’m messing this all up. I just wanted a friend to hang out with, honest.”

  Blake still wasn’t convinced. He narrowed his gaze “Really? You’re just doing this out of the goodness of your heart?”

  “Just look at it as one artist helping another one out.”

  “So, I don’t have to do anything that would make me qualify as rent boy status?”

  Deke gave a soft chuckle. “Look, I’m not going to lie and say that I don’t think you’re the hottest thing I’ve ever seen. In fact, all I can think about is taking the saucer of butter from this table, pouring it over your naked body and slowly licking it off, inch-by-inch. But, if we’re going to do anything, it’s only going to be because we both want it and not because you feel indebted to me. When I
make love to you, I want it to be free of any strings and I want to possess every part of you.”

  By the end of Deke’s speech, Blake was so hard and breathless that he was sure he was about to pass out. He swallowed a couple of times before saying, “I think that sounds like a good plan. I should warn you though, I talk in my sleep.”

  “That’s okay. It won’t bother me.”

  “Are you sure? I have some freaky, strange dreams, so I say some pretty insane shit.”

  Deke chuckled. “Somehow, that doesn’t come as a surprise to me.”

  Their food arrived and Blake was saved from having to reply. He attacked his steak like a man starved, because that’s exactly what he was. The half of a sandwich he’d eaten earlier hadn’t made a dent in his hunger. It wasn’t until he was halfway through the meal that he remembered his manners.

  “Okay, I’ll stay with you, but you have to promise that you’ll let me pay you back someday,” Blake conceded.

  Once he got home, he’d pick up his old job at the coffee house and work double shifts if he had to.

  “How about you promise to do a painting for me some day,” Deke offered.

  “A painting from a nobody like me won’t even get you five bucks at a garage sale.”

  “That doesn’t matter because I would never imagine selling it. To me, it would be priceless.”

  Okay, if Deke was trying to sweet talk his way into Blake’s pants, he was doing a good job of it. Because, self-esteem or not, Blake was two seconds from throwing himself at the other guy and yelling, “Take me now!”

  Clearing his throat, Blake said, “I still talk to your dad all the time when I go to the grocery store.”

  “I can’t believe he still insists on working there. I know he’s the owner, but he makes enough money to hire a manager.”

  Blake gave a half-shrug. “Your dad has always been a people person. He loves to socialise. By working at the store, he gets to talk to all his friends and catch up on the gossip.”

  “I guess you have a point there. What does he say about me?”

  “That he’s damn proud of you, even if your show is too violent for his taste. He also mentioned how you were the grand marshal for a gay pride event. He’s so proud of you. Your mom is, too.”

  Deke studied him for a moment. “How about your parents? Do they know you’re gay?”

  “I think the Taylor Lautner posters in my room were a huge tip-off, but yeah, they know.”

  “Did they take it well?”

  If that wasn’t a loaded question.

  “My mom was great about it. She even stood by me when my dad left because he didn’t want to be under the same roof as a woman who could continue to love an abomination.”

  Deke placed a kiss on the back of Blake’s knuckles. “I’m sorry you had to go through that.”

  “It was one of the reasons I had to leave college. After he was gone, we couldn’t afford it anymore. I lost my apartment and then I was forced to move back home. I couldn’t get my old room back, because my mom had rented it out to make some money, but the basement isn’t too bad. It’s big and I have a ton of privacy.”

  Actually, it was crowded, dusty, smelly, and he had no privacy at all. His bed sat next to the washer, so his mother and the elderly lady who rented his room were always down there doing their laundry.

  Blake plastered on a smile. “Hey, but don’t they say to be a good artist you have to suffer some and live life the rough way first?”

  “Yeah, but that still doesn’t mean that you can’t experience some good, too.”

  Thinking back through the day—how Blake had nearly sold out of all his comics, plus the fact that he was actually eating dinner with Deke—proved this. When Blake had left home for this trip, he’d never imagined in his wildest dreams that things would turn out half as good.

  Smiling, he replied, “I guess you have a point there.”

  “You know what, I’ve decided that you need a little Julia treatment after all.”

  Perplexed, Blake frowned. “What do you mean?”

  “I’m going to spoil you for the rest of the week.”

  When Blake began to protest, Deke held up a hand. “Remember, this isn’t on my dime. A lot of the other cast members brought along a guest, so there is no reason why I can’t do the same thing. I think that you deserve to have a week where you’re treated as the great person you are.”

  “But, no strings attached?” Blake reiterated.

  Only this time he wasn’t sure if it was Deke or himself who he was trying to convince. For every second that Blake spent with Deke he felt himself falling just a little bit harder.

  Chapter Three

  After they had gathered up Blake’s stuff and cancelled the rest of his reservation, it’d grown very late. As they rode the elevator up to the floor that held the nicer room, Blake couldn’t stifle his yawn.

  When he noticed Deke staring at him, Blake ducked his head. “Sorry, it’s been a long day.”

  Deke leaned against the wall of the elevator. “Don’t worry, we’ll be in bed soon and yes, like I promised earlier there are two queens in my rooms, so your virtue will remain in place.”

  Blake gave a sly smile. “That’s been gone since that day I went into Tommy’s garage to help him fix his motorcycle.”

  That earned him an arched brow. “Tommy Danielson? Since when is he gay?”

  “Since he bent me over his bike and took my virginity.”

  While Blake was acting all blasé about the incident, in actuality it had been pretty traumatising. It had hurt like hell and Tommy hadn’t even bothered to so much as kiss Blake. Then, once they were done, he’d barely given Blake time to do his pants up before kicking him out. That was after warning Blake that if he ever spoke of the incident, Tommy would kill him. A threat Blake had taken seriously. With good reason, too, since Tommy was currently serving life in Jackson prison for murder.

  Deke frowned. “Tommy was a bastard. Did he hurt you?”

  Blake forced himself to shrug. “I’ve always been able to handle myself.”

  “Why do I have a feeling that you’re not telling me everything?”

  A pulse of fear went through Blake as he remembered the smell of grease, the way Tommy’s hot breath had felt against the back of his neck, the utter humiliation that had come over Blake as he’d walked home.

  “It’s no big deal. I’ll bet most first times aren’t exactly the best,” Blake replied.

  “I would have made sure you’d loved it,” Deke breathed.

  A sense of bitterness and regret washed over Blake. “You would’ve had to notice I was alive in the first place. Not that I blame you for not knowing who I was. I barely had any friends and I never spoke up or anything. In fact, I made it a point not to get noticed while I was in school. It made things so much easier that way.”

  Until his father had left, it had been much the same way at home, too. While it had hurt him in so many ways, in another way it was a small blessing. It had caused Blake to take refuge in his drawing and in the end it had made him a better artist.

  The elevator doors opened, ending whatever further conversation may have taken place. Blake hoisted up his backpack, which happened to be his only piece of luggage, and walked out. The boxes of his merchandise would hopefully be waiting at the front desk for him in the morning.

  He followed Deke down the long, heavily carpeted hallway. All the while he tried hard not to gape at the nice furniture in the lounge area and the high-priced artwork on the wall. It sure as hell beat the plain vanilla décor on Blake’s floor.

  When Deke opened the door, Blake wasn’t overly surprised to find himself entering a huge, upscale suite. It still didn’t mean that Blake wasn’t impressed. He even reached out to touch the marble countertop of the kitchenette. His heart skipped in excitement when he spotted a huge whirlpool tub.

  Damn, he’d give his left nut to spend an hour in that thing. His back had always been prone to muscle spasms and after standing
for most of the day, he was hurting.

  As if sensing his thoughts, Deke ran a hand over Blake’s shoulder. “Why don’t you take a long soak? I have some calls to make, so it’s not like you’ll be ignoring me or anything.”

  It was all Blake could do not to dance on the balls of his feet in excitement. “You sure you don’t mind?”

  Even as he asked that, he was already opening his bag to take out his sleeping pants. He was so geeky he didn’t even care that they had cartoon pictures of The Muppets all over them.

  Deke waved him away and Blake retreated to the bathroom. He filled the tub up and got in, the muscles in his body instantly relaxing. He let out a sigh of relief as he sank deeper into the hot water.

  Okay, he must have died, because this was heaven. There could be no other explanation. As he closed his eyes, he allowed himself to drift halfway to sleep. The muted sound of Deke’s voice came through the door.

  Blake would have liked to have stayed in there all night, but once he started to prune up, he knew that it was time to get out. He dried off, brushed his teeth and walked out, suddenly feeling shy.

  As promised, there were two queen beds and the covers were pulled down on both of them. The slutty part of Blake felt disappointed about that, but the sensible part screamed he wanted to prove he had some morals. So he climbed into the empty bed.

  “Thanks for letting me crash here,” Blake said, again.

  Deke pulled his own covers up. “Like I said earlier, you’re actually doing me a favour. It gets kind of lonely on these road trips. It’ll be nice to have a friendly face around for once.”

  “I feel the same way. I was really nervous about coming here. Before now, I’ve never even left Michigan, so it was kind of daunting coming all the way to Atlanta to attend the biggest comic book convention in the industry.”

  “Yet, you managed to do it. And you didn’t even know that I was going to be here,” Deke praised.

  Turning so that his face was hidden, Blake confessed, “Actually, the main reason I came was in hopes of seeing you. I just thought I was going to get a glimpse of you or maybe an autograph at the most. I never imagined that I would end up your roommate.”