by Drew Hunt
Gary leaned down and kissed Trevor’s forehead. “I wish you had someone. You deserve so much. Happiness, love, someone who could…I don’t know.”
Trevor closed his eyes. Right now he had everything he could dream of.
Gary’s mobile phone chose that moment to ring, shattering the peace that had settled over them.
“You better answer it,” Trevor said, leaning forward.
“Don’t want to.” Gary had his eyes shut.
“Might be work.”
Sighing, Gary opened his eyes, took the phone from his belt and looked at the screen. “It’s Lisa.”
Gary made no move to accept the call.
Getting to his feet, Trevor began walking away. “I’ll just—” He let the sentence hang. Lisa calling had destroyed the delicate web of pretend that he’d managed to weave around himself and Gary. It had been a tenuous construction, but he still mourned its collapse.
Reaching the tree line, he could hear Gary talking into the phone, but wasn’t able to make out the actual words, which was a relief. He didn’t want to know the lies Gary was telling about how lonely he was and how he was missing her and couldn’t wait to be back. Maybe it was worse not hearing the words, Trevor’s mind supplying a much more unpleasant dialogue than was probably taking place.
Turning to face the trunk of an oak tree, Trevor wrapped his arms around its girth and attempted to seek comfort from its solidity.
“You all right?” Gary put a hand on Trevor’s shoulder.
“What did Lisa want?” Trevor didn’t really want to know, but it was easier than trying to give an answer to Gary’s question.
“Oh, Peter fell and grazed a knee playing football at school.”
“Do you,” Trevor squeezed his eyes shut fearing the response, “need to go home and—”
“Heck no. Once he’d received the obligatory sticking plaster he insisted on playing the rest of the game.”
Trevor smiled, thinking how much like his dad young Peter obviously was.
“Want to go somewhere for lunch? Then I really have to do some actual work.”
Trevor let go of the tree, allowed Gary to hug him, then they walked hand in hand back to the car.
* * * *
“But it’s too much.”
“Rubbish, I get a twenty per cent discount, and you really could use one.”
Trevor let out a breath. “True. But I’m paying for it.”
“You don’t need—”
“Gary, how are you going to explain a three hundred pound transaction on your credit card statement to Lisa?”
Gary’s face fell. “Shit.”
“Exactly.” It was obvious Gary, his sweet wonderful Gary, was new to deception. Trevor took comfort from the fact.
They were at a branch of B&Q looking at split model air conditioning units.
“I’ll pay for it, but I’d be very grateful if you’d install it. “
A cheeky smile lit up Gary’s face. “Exactly how grateful?”
Without batting an eye, Trevor kissed him on the lips in full view of everyone. Withdrawing, he added, “I’m a whole lot more grateful than that, but showing it would get us both arrested.”
They put the unit on a low loading cart and Gary wheeled it to a check-out.
* * * *
“Phew, there’s just something about a workman in low riding jeans,” Trevor said, watching a sweaty Gary install his air conditioning unit.
“Perv.”
“Yep, and I’ve got the hard on to prove it.”
As Trevor’s bedroom faced both south and west, it got very hot during the day. The room was the ideal candidate for the air conditioner.
“What’s that for?” Trevor asked.
Gary was standing on a step ladder, pulling a pipe through a hole he’d just drilled. “The pipe will carry refrigerant from the outside heat exchange unit to this baby here.” Gary then held up a white box about the size of a VCR. “This will go on the bracket there,” Gary gestured at a sheet of moulded plastic that he’d previously screwed to the wall above head height.
“Oh, right. I’m sure I wouldn’t have known where to start.”
Pushing the pipe into the back of the white box, Gary fixed the box to the bracket. He then descended the steps and treated Trevor to a sweaty hug. “That’s why you’ve got me on the job.”
“Oh, swoon,” Trevor simpered. “My hero.”
“Silly bugger.” Gary kissed him before climbing the step ladder again.
Trevor eyed the mess of brick and plaster dust, his need to clean growing stronger with every fresh accumulation. However, he managed to squelch the urge to reach for his vacuum cleaner.
After making a few more adjustments, as well as issuing the occasional swear word, Gary got down from the step ladder again and announced, “There, that should do it.”
“Really? I can switch it on?”
Gary handed him the remote control, pointing at a particular button. Trevor pushed said button. After a couple of seconds he heard a fan quietly begin turning. Then a cool wave of air washed over him.
“It works!”
Gary smiled broadly, obviously proud of his accomplishment.
“You’re so clever. Thank you.” Despite the dust and sweat sticking to his lover, Trevor wrapped his arms around Gary and began kissing him.
Breaking their lip lock, Gary said, “Want you naked.” After a further kiss he added, “Now.”
Trevor complied and was soon stripped out of his shirt and jeans, Gary helping him out of his underpants.
“Now it’s my turn,” Trevor said reaching for the buttons of Gary’s shirt. “Your arms. So strong.”
“All the better to hold you with,” Gary growled.
The two fell on the bed, Gary devouring Trevor’s face while the latter attempted to separate his lover from his clothes.
“You’re so fucking beautiful. Gonna eat you up. Gonna show you so much love.”
“Oh, Gar. Love me. Make love to me.” Trevor realised what he’d said and the manner in which Gary could interpret it. He didn’t care. He wanted Gary in him. He wanted all his strong blond hero could give him. “Fuck me, Gar. I don’t care what I said. I just need you so much.”
Gary paused. Raising himself up on his arms above Trevor he stared down at him. “You’re sure?”
Trevor bit his lip, yes, he was sure. He nodded his assent, he’d worry about the consequences later.
Settling himself on top of Trevor again, Gary seemed to move down a couple of gears, taking things slow and steady. “Love you, Trev. Never stopped.”
Then from downstairs the doorbell went. Gary paused.
“Ignore it,” Trevor said.
They resumed kissing, licking and stroking each other. However, the doorbell rang again. Trevor growled low in his throat. Gary took this to mean increased interest and ramped up his loving.
“Fuck!” Trevor said when their would-be visitor began hammering on the door.
“Don’t think they’re gonna go away,” Gary said, licking broad strokes up Trevor’s neck.
“Yeah.”
They heard another round of hammering.
“Bugger it!” Trevor disengaged himself from Gary, got off the bed and made for the door.
“Uh, Trev?”
“Yeah?”
Pointing at him, Gary said, “Uh, I think you ought to put some clothes on before you see who it is.”
Trevor blushed. Though being greeted by a naked householder would probably convince any self-respecting Jehovah’s Witness or Mormon never to darken that particular doorstep again.
Stepping into his jeans and putting on his discarded and rather crumpled shirt, he said, “I’ll get rid of whoever it is.” Leaning down, Trevor kissed the head of Gary’s gloriously rampant erection, “‘Cause me and you have unfinished business.”
Running down the stairs to silence yet another round of hammering, Trevor called out, “Hold on a minute!” Reaching the door and opening it, he
was surprised to see a rather ill-looking Paul.
“I have to speak to you. It’s important.”
Trevor hesitated, he didn’t want to be away from Gary, not now that he’d agreed to…However, something was definitely amiss with Paul, so reluctantly he stepped aside and let his visitor enter.
They’d just got to the living room, Trevor about to ask what had Paul so upset when, “Did you manage to get rid of whoever was—”
Spinning round, Trevor saw a naked Gary—a still-erect, naked Gary. Closing his eyes momentarily, he tried to compose himself. Some hope. “Paul, this is my old friend, Gary. We were uh—” Could this get any more surreal?
Turning to Gary, who had reached for, and covered himself with, a scatter cushion from the sofa, Trevor said, “This is Paul, you remember I told you about him.”
Gary, bless his heart, tried to reduce the farcical nature of the situation by observing the social nicety of offering to shake Paul’s hand. But the situation was beyond saving.
Trevor asked Gary to go back upstairs. The cocky bastard agreed, but before leaving laid a sloppy kiss on his lips. So much for the social niceties, Trevor thought, closing his eyes again. Please, floor, swallow me up!
But alas, whoever was responsible for causing floors to open wasn’t listening. Turning to Paul, and hoping his voice sounded normal, Trevor asked, “What’s wrong?”
Paul looked lost. Then he asked about Gary’s presence. Normally Trevor would have told him to mind his own business, but the situation was far from normal. So he used the lie of Gary’s marriage hitting a rough spot.
Paul, who had looked confused and upset ever since he’d arrived, appeared to get even worse. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have come. This was a bad idea.” He then bolted from the room, down the hall and out the door.
Trevor followed him as far as the door, wondering what on earth was wrong with him. It wasn’t like Paul to get so emotional. Maybe someone in his family had died, or he was in trouble, or…Trevor didn’t know.
Closing the door, he walked slowly upstairs, still pondering Paul’s strange behaviour. Gary was back on the bed, waving his dick at him. But Trevor had lost all interest in sex.
“What’s wrong?” Gary said, sitting up.
“Dunno.” He confided his worries about Paul, and how he was normally so level-headed.
Growling, Gary got off the bed. Trying to force his erection into a pair of underpants, he asked if Trevor wanted him to drive him round to Paul’s house.
“I’m sorry about all this, Gar.”
Gary shrugged and continued to dress.
“Maybe I’ll try ringing Paul in a bit.”
“Okay, whatever.”
“Look, I really am sorry, but I’m just not in the mood anymore.”
Gary’s look of irritation soon softened. He bent down and kissed Trevor. “I know, love. It’s all right.”
Chapter 9
“Come on, I know you’re in there.”
Paul thought if he didn’t answer, Sandy would go away.
“Paul! Open this bloody door! If I have to stand here all evening I will.” The banging continued.
It had been three days since his disastrous visit to Trevor’s. Paul had driven home, though he had no memory of making the journey. After drawing the curtains he’d sunk into an armchair. Apart from visits to the bathroom and making cups of hot chocolate, the only thing he knew he could keep down, he hadn’t moved.
“I’m sure your neighbours will have something to say if I start stripping off all my clothes out here.”
Dimly Paul realised Sandy probably meant what she said. Most of him didn’t care. Trevor, the man who had invaded his thoughts more and more of late, was lost to him. He had come too late.
Sandy began la-la-laing the tune from The Stripper. Paul, acting on auto-pilot, got to his feet and shuffled into the hallway.
“There you are!” Sandy announced. She had wedged open the brass flap of the letterbox, and was peering at him through it.
Paul advanced on the door, took off the chain and turned the knob on the Yale lock. Sandy pushed the door open. The sudden bright light of late afternoon caused him to cover his eyes with a hand.
“You look awful,” she said, pushing past him. “It’s like a bloody pigsty in here. And smells like one, too.”
Paul sighed, closed the door and slowly followed her into the living room.
* * * *
“There, that’s better,” Sandy said half an hour later when Paul came into the kitchen after taking a bath and having a shave. “You look somewhat human again.”
“Gee, thanks.” Paul’s voice was scratchy. These were the first words he’d spoken in three days. No, that wasn’t quite true. He’d had to call in sick Monday morning.
“Come on, sit down. I’ve made you something to eat.”
Once he was seated and a bowl of something grey green and partially liquefied had been placed in front of him, Paul wondered if whatever it was would be better off being used to fill the cracks in the concrete on his back patio. But having no resistance, he dipped a proffered spoon into the gloop, brought it to his lips, gave it an experimental sniff and then put the spoon into his mouth. Surprisingly whatever it was didn’t taste too bad. He took a second spoonful.
“Bet you haven’t eaten anything in days.”
Paul nodded in agreement.
To give Sandy her due, she held her tongue for at least an hour after barging into his house. Once Paul had consumed a second bowl of the strange soup along with a bread roll, Sandy seemingly couldn’t wait any longer.
“So, what’s been up with you?”
“I’ve had the flu,” Paul said, rising from the table.
“Rubbish.” Sandy got up and followed him into the living room. She drew back the curtains and turned to face him. After staring at him for several long moments, she sighed. “You’ve wallowed with whatever it is for long enough. So out with it.”
Paul sat in his armchair and lowered his eyes to the carpet, saying nothing.
“Is it about Trevor?”
Involuntarily Paul’s gaze shot up to meet Sandy’s. “Uh.”
“What happened?” The sympathy was back in her voice.
“I don’t want to talk about it.”
“You don’t have much choice, love. You can hardly go on like this.”
Paul let out a breath.
“Did you decide not to tell him? You need to, you know, otherwise you’ll never get any peace.”
“When I went round there the other day, he had a visitor.”
Obviously waiting for Paul to continue, and realising he wasn’t going to, Sandy said, “Go on.”
“They were naked, or at least Trevor had been. I—” Paul closed his eyes and tried not to recall the scene that wouldn’t stop replaying in his mind. “He’s got somebody. I was too late.” He dropped his gaze lest she see his pain. “It’s his best friend, Gary.”
“You’ve jumped to the wrong conclusion. Gary’s happily married.”
Paul snorted.
“To my best friend, Lisa.”
Paul shook his head. “I might not be experienced with what two guys can do with each other, but when I arrived, Trevor had obviously got dressed in a hurry.”
“So?”
“And Gary was naked. Totally bare. I can’t remember what he said. But there was no doubt that they had just had sex, or were about to, or maybe both.”
“What? But—”
It wasn’t often Sandy was lost for words. Paul wished he was in a better frame of mind to appreciate it. “And besides, Trevor told me that Gary and Linda—”
“Lisa.”
“Lisa, were having marital problems.”
Sandy shook her head. “I only spoke to her a couple of days ago, she never said anything.”
“Well,” Paul shrugged, “Maybe she didn’t want to talk about it, I mean, it’s a bit personal.”
“We tell each other everything.”
Paul didn
’t think he’d ever understand women.
“We’ll soon get to the bottom of this.” Sandy pulled out her mobile phone, pressed a few buttons before holding the device to her ear. After a short wait she said, “Hi, Lisa…I know…Yeah…I’m doing all right.”
Paul wondered how she could bring up the subject of the state of Lisa’s marriage without revealing why she wanted to know, as well as not causing any suspicion about why she was asking. However, he underestimated the cunning female mind.
“I ran into your Gary the other day.” She made a swooning noise. “He’d make any lesbian reconsider, you lucky cow.” She laughed and listened to whatever Lisa was saying. “Yeah…Oh he is? Yes, he said something about working in this area for a while…Uh huh…Uh huh…” Long pause. “Go on, remember, we don’t have any secrets.”
Paul wondered if they were getting down to the meat of the matter.
Sandy’s face lit up. “And what does Gary say? Well I suppose… But you think he’ll be happy? Oh, no, sorry. Of course he’ll be delighted, and well done you. So, there’s no problems between the pair of you, then? Oh, no, no, not at all,” Sandy back-paddled. “It’s just when I saw him he looked sad. Probably because he was missing you.”
Good save, Paul thought.
“Oh really? You sure you can wait till then?” Sandy giggled.
Sandy kept talking, with Paul growing ever more anxious to know what Lisa had said. Finally, after about fifteen minutes of inane chat—how could women natter about such inconsequential topics for extended periods?—Sandy ended the call.
“Well?” Paul asked.
“Lisa believes their marriage is solid.”
“Huh? But Gary—”
“She told me they’ve been trying for another baby. She did a pregnancy test a couple of days ago, and it came back positive, only Gary doesn’t know yet.”
“If she’s not told him yet then maybe things aren’t all sunshine and roses between them.”
“No.” Sandy shook her head. “Gary told her he hoped to come home this weekend for a visit, she’ll tell him then.”
Paul wasn’t going to give up that easily. “Some couples try to have kids to hold their marriage together.”
