Living It

by Casper Graham

  “That’s hot as fuck.”

  Davion nodded. “Hell, yeah. You have my cum all over your body, and I have your cum inside my ass. We’re even now.”

  Jonah chortled in amusement. “Sure.”

  Neither of them uttered a single word after that. Instead, they simply smiled at each other as they gazed into each other’s eyes. He wished his cock could remain buried inside Davion’s ass, but it wasn’t possible. His dick lost its rigidity and slipped out after a while. He knew they needed to clean up, but he was too sated to move away. He wasn’t ready to let Davion out of his arms, so he scooted much closer and tucked his head against the crook between his lover’s shoulder and neck. It felt even better when Davion hugged him from below, allowing him to rest his entire weight. He would get up in a few minutes. He deserved to take a little break. Just for a moment.

  Chapter 7

  Davion loved his job. He truly did. However, the past two days had been hell on his nerves because there were so many things he had to take care of. After working as a museum curator for years, he might have gotten used to the hectic period right before an important exhibition, but it never failed to stress him out, especially as the opening day drew nearer. He checked the list in his hands one more time as he walked around the room where most of the items for the exhibition had been set up.

  “Security, clean-up crew, invitations, catering…check,” he muttered under his breath before focusing his attention on the various art forms in the room. “Only item lot number twenty isn’t here yet. I have to contact—holy shit!”

  He jumped in shock when he felt something brushing across the back of his neck, which in turn caused him to drop the papers onto the floor. He turned around and glared at Elizabeth, who cackled in amusement.

  “Wow, Dave. I’m sure I can scare you enough for your voice to hit the high pitch of a soprano. Want to give it a try?”

  He threw Elizabeth a middle finger salute before bending forward to pick the papers off the floor. Elizabeth helped him with a couple of them, but he didn’t bother thanking her. After all, it was her fault the papers were on the floor to begin with.

  “What are you doing here? Don’t you have something better to do in your office? Like your job, for instance.” He sounded rather snappish, but Elizabeth ignored his tone. Instead, she grinned at him. “What is it, Liz?”

  “We haven’t had lunch together for two days now, and I miss my gossip buddy.”

  He rolled his eyes. “Isn’t it a little early to be having lunch?”

  Elizabeth chuckled. “Oh, boy. It’s a quarter past twelve, pretty boy.”

  His eyes widened in shock after he pulled out his smartphone from the pocket of his slacks and noted the time. “Damn. You’re right. I thought it was still half past ten.”

  “No, it’s not. Come on. Time is precious, and we have so much to catch up on.”

  He suppressed a sigh. “We haven’t seen each other for two days only.”

  “That’s an eternity when you are currently dating somebody. I’m sure you’re dying to tell me all about Jonah.”

  “Actually, no, I’m not.”

  “Hush. I’m going to pretend you didn’t say that.”

  “Fine.”

  He followed Elizabeth out of the special exhibition room, but he had to return to his office first to get the lunch he packed from home before joining her at the pantry. When he entered, Elizabeth waved at him and patted the seat next to her. He made his way over and sat on the chair.

  “Where do you get the energy to prepare your meal after work from? I’m exhausted by five o’clock every day. I barely have the strength to cook dinner when I reach home. Mia is the same way.”

  He snickered. “My lunches are nothing complicated. They’re mostly leftovers from the previous evenings.”

  “But I notice you always have incredible food on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.”

  He stared at Elizabeth in confusion. “Really? Like what?”

  “Beef stew, lasagna, dumpling soup, and one time, you even brought chicken soup that you told me was made from scratch.”

  Davion’s expression brightened up in understanding. “I usually cook a lot more on Sundays and Mondays since those are our days off. I tend to pack up the leftovers from Monday dinners for my lunches on Tuesdays and sometimes Wednesdays.”

  “Cool. Anyway, enough about food for now. What’s going on with you and Jonah? Have you bumped your pee-pee yet?”

  He snorted at Elizabeth’s inelegant description of sexual acts between two men. “That’s for me to know, and for you to mind your own business.”

  Elizabeth smirked at him. “That’s all the confirmation I need. How was it? Was he all cool and suave in bed? Or was he rough and tender at the same time?”

  He picked up his chopsticks and twirled some of the noodles from his food container before shoving them into his mouth. He chewed for a moment as he thought about the proper response. Meanwhile, Elizabeth ate her burger, which must have been purchased from her favorite fast food joint half a block away from the museum.

  “It was great.”

  Elizabeth gaped at him for a second or two. “What? That’s it?”

  “Yes. You’re nosy.”

  “But I told you about my happy hours with Mia,” Elizabeth whined while waggling her eyebrows at the same time, which was a skill that eluded Davion.

  “Nope. I’m keeping that side of my life private until my final dying breath.”

  Elizabeth sighed. “Okay. Just tell me one thing. Is he a good kisser?”

  Davion couldn’t stop the heat from creeping up his neck and cheeks as the memory of his and Jonah’s first kiss flooded his mind. “Yes.”

  “Aw, that’s so sweet. So, when’s the wedding date?”

  Davion almost choked on the steamed chicken strips he’d included with the noodles. “Holy crap, Liz. It’s way too early to talk about that.”

  “But do you want to marry him?”

  He couldn’t deny it. “Yeah.”

  “Are you having feelings for him already?”

  “A little bit.”

  “Liar.”

  “All right. Fine. A lot more than just a little bit. Are you satisfied now?”

  “Very.” The two of them grinned at each other for a moment. “What about Jonah?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “How does he feel about you?”

  “I don’t know. I mean, I have a feeling he likes me at least.”

  Elizabeth chewed and swallowed before responding. “Seriously, dude. The two of you need to talk about your feelings. What is it with men and their aversion to any conversations with regards to their emotions?”

  Davion chortled out loud. “That’s stereotyping. Not all men are like that.”

  “Fine, but it seems like the majority is that way.”

  “Maybe. Anyway, Jonah and I just began dating not long ago. I think it may be a while before we take the plunge and get hitched. Marriage is a lifelong commitment, after all.”

  “True, but you’ve met his parents. Heck! You’ve been introduced to his entire family. Or at least the important ones. Right?”

  “I guess. He hasn’t met my parents yet, though.”

  “So? Do it then.”

  Davion shook his head. “My parents will scare him off.”

  “Both of them?”

  “Yeah.”

  “But your parents are such lovely people.”

  “They are!” Davion insisted while waving his chopsticks around aimlessly. “But my dad will probably try to arrange a wedding immediately because he’s thankful someone is willing to date his only son. I’m getting tired of talking to my dad on the phone every week because he keeps telling me I need to get married to a nice man and start adopting children.”

  Elizabeth guffawed while banging the table a couple of times. “And your mom?”

  “Just as crazy and obsessed as my dad with the idea of marrying me off to any man willing to date me.” Davion gla
red at Elizabeth in irritation because she was no longer simply laughing out loud. She was literally howling and screaming at the hilarity of the situation. Admittedly, he would find the situation just as amusing if it wasn’t happening to him. “It’s not that funny.”

  Elizabeth hiccupped while wiping tears from her eyes and cheeks. “You’re…you’re right. It’s not funny at all. It’s downright entertaining. Best comedy of the millennium.”

  He narrowed his eyes at Elizabeth. “You suck.”

  She attempted to calm down a little before responding. “Thanks…thanks for the compliment.”

  “It’s not a compliment.”

  “Whatever,” Elizabeth said while smiling widely and clearing her throat. “Oh, man. I can’t wait to tell Mia about your parents. She will love them. I don’t know why I’ve never gotten around to telling her about your parents. They’re awesome.”

  “Thanks.” After that, Davion bit his lower lip before voicing his question. “Her parents still refuse to reconcile with her?”

  Elizabeth nodded. “Yeah. It has been years since Mia came out of the closet and started dating me. She called them last weekend, but they didn’t answer. Her parents are damn religious bigots.”

  “I’m sorry, Liz. I hope Mia is okay.”

  Elizabeth shrugged. “We’re both doing fine. We still have my parents.”

  “That’s right.”

  After that, the two of them changed the topic of conversation to the upcoming special exhibition. Davion did his best to concentrate on it, but he couldn’t stop thinking about setting up a meeting between Jonah and his parents. He and Jonah might not have dated for even one week, but he had a great feeling about them, especially with the way things were going so far. Jonah seemed to feel just as strongly about him. He had never been lucky in love. Things might be different this time around. After all, nobody could have a string of lousy ex-boyfriends every time. This could be his turn to land the right man.

  Chapter 8

  Jonah had no idea how things could take a turn for the worse so fast. His relationship with Davion was going great. His restaurant business was still flourishing and prospering. Davion even joined him to have dinner with his family a couple of times. He noticed Davion stressing out more as the date for the special exhibition at the museum loomed right around the corner. Hence, he did his best to give his lover some breathing space despite his yearning to be near to Davion as often as possible.

  The two of them would often spend nights sleeping over at either his penthouse or Davion’s rented apartment. He did most of the cooking for them while Davion would deal with the cleaning. It was such a domestic feeling, and he loved it. They also liked to cuddle on the couch for an hour or two before going to bed. They didn’t make love to each other every day, but they did it enough to keep them both more than satisfied. At least he felt that way.

  After dating for more than a month, he was more than ready to ask Davion to move in with him. He was aware they were moving too fast, but he hated those nights when he had to sleep alone in his penthouse. He would miss Davion’s scent and his lover’s warm body, groaning out in frustration when he woke up alone in bed early the next morning. People would probably label him as a nutcase, but he couldn’t deny the strength of his feelings for Davion.

  He had no doubt he was falling deeper in love with each passing day. It was both frightening and exhilarating. He wanted to confess his love for Davion, but he didn’t want to burden his lover with an additional pressure, especially if his boyfriend might not feel as intensely about their relationship as he did. Keeping his feelings under wraps was easier said than done, though. Thus, he decided to tell Davion after the special exhibition was finished. Unfortunately, he didn’t expect things to go downhill on that same night.

  He and Davion were in his bedroom at the penthouse, getting ready almost two hours before the exhibition began. He noticed Davion’s hands trembling once or twice as his lover put on his tuxedo. He completed tying his own bow tie before grabbing Davion by the waist and tugging his lover close to him.

  “The exhibition will be fantastic, babe. You’ve done everything you could to make sure of it.”

  Davion hugged him tighter. “Thanks, big guy.”

  He pulled back a little and placed a soft kiss on Davion’s forehead. “Don’t think of the worst-case scenario.”

  “But the guests are influential people. Some of them are important critics in the artistic world. I’m putting up exhibits for several up-and-coming artists and a few of the more established ones. These people depend on this exhibition. For some, this may turn out to be their big break.”

  He shrugged. “Everything will be just fine, babe.”

  Davion hesitated for a moment. “Yeah. I guess you’re right.”

  Jonah beamed at Davion and reached for one of Davion’s hands before intertwining their fingers together. “Let’s kick some ass.”

  Davion chortled in amusement. “Right.”

  As expected, the opening ceremony for the special exhibition went well. He clapped a few times when it was declared open by the director of the museum. Since Davion had to mingle with the critics and some of the guests, Jonah chose to walk around the museum on his own. He stuck to the special exhibition room for the most part because he was more or less familiar with the other things throughout the museum. After all, Davion had shown him around the entire place once or twice. It was one of the perks of dating a museum curator.

  After wandering around aimlessly for almost forty minutes, he was beginning to get bored out of his mind. He picked up his fifth glass of champagne and finished it in one huge gulp. He knew food and drinks were generally not permitted inside the museum, but Davion informed him they were allowed during special exhibitions. There were only a few catering companies who would provide the food and drinks during such periods because they had standing contracts with the museum.

  He wasn’t drunk or even tipsy, but he felt much more relaxed. He figured he could enjoy the exhibition better then. He was about to seek out another glass of champagne when he noticed an older man’s arm around Davion’s waist. Jonah gritted his teeth in irritation at the sight, but he managed to keep his temper under control. He turned away and obtained another glass of champagne. He swallowed its content all at once and did the same to the next one.

  When he glanced at Davion next, he was furious to notice the older man still had one arm around his lover. Granted, it was across Davion’s shoulders, but Jonah disliked how intimate the gesture was, especially when Davion threw his head back and laughed in that beautiful manner Jonah loved. He was further incensed when the older man guided Davion away from the special exhibition room toward what he knew was the area reserved for employees working at the museum. He trailed after them, clenching his fists in anger.

  He reached the cordoned off area a moment later. He seethed in silence when he noticed the older man whispering into Davion’s ear. Those two men were standing really close together. Davion was even chuckling in an obvious amusement. Jonah was tempted to walk over and punch the older man, but he managed to curb his temper. Instead, he glared at the two men for a little longer before walking away. He had obviously trusted Davion far too easily. His relationship with Davion was too good to be true after all.

  * * * *

  Davion was ecstatic at the success of the special exhibition, but he had no idea what was going on with Jonah. His boyfriend was sullen and quiet all the way home. He was also certain Jonah was more than a little tipsy. That was the reason he decided to snatch the car key away from Jonah, so he could drive them both back to the penthouse. He was taken aback when Jonah whirled around and glared at him once they entered the penthouse.

  “What the fuck were you doing with that dirty old man?”

  He was bewildered for a few seconds before the realization hit him. “Oh, that’s Ted, the art critic. He’s—”

  “—a fucking filthy pervert. Did he have to touch you all night long?”

 
He stared at Davion in disbelief. “Are you serious right now? Ted is almost as old as my dad. He’s happily married to Nancy. They’ve been together for almost thirty-five years. He was telling me about the items he enjoyed at the exhibition. It was too noisy inside the room, so we had to go a little farther into the employees-only section where it was quieter. He’s a bit hard of hearing because of his age.”

  “Just because he’s married doesn’t mean he’s not an asshole with wandering hands.”

  Davion gritted his teeth and attempted to regain control of himself before responding. “I can’t talk to you when you’re like this. You’re drunk. I’m going back to my apartment. Why don’t we sleep on our own tonight? We can talk tomorrow when you’re sober.”

  Jonah scoffed. “Your apartment? Are you sure you’re not heading somewhere with that bastard? Maybe I can’t satisfy you in bed anymore, so now you have to spread your legs for another man.”

  Davion stiffened in shock. Judging by Jonah’s expression, he could tell his lover regretted saying those words, but it was too late.

  “Goodbye, Jonah.”

  Jonah rubbed his palms over his face and gave Davion an apologetic look. “Davion, I’m sorry. Shit. I didn’t mean—”

  Davion shook his head and turned back toward the private elevator. He ignored Jonah calling out to him. He was glad Jonah didn’t try to stop him. He was too hurt and angry at the moment, so he had no idea what he might blurt out if Jonah even attempted to reach out for him. All he wanted to do right then was to leave the penthouse and return to his apartment. He needed to be alone. He was exhausted after weeks of planning for the special exhibition, not to mention the event itself. He had no energy left to deal with Jonah. Not that night. Maybe not ever.

  Chapter 9

  Jonah leaned against the back of his chair in the office at the restaurant before sighing and closing both eyes. He was exhausted. It wasn’t mainly due to the things he had to do at the restaurant. After years of running the business, he was certain he could deal with whatever came his way. There was no problem with that aspect of his life at all. He was tired because he hadn’t been sleeping well for more than two weeks. Davion refused to answer his text messages and calls. Davion also didn’t open the door when he visited his boyfriend at the man’s apartment. He had attempted to catch Davion at the museum, but he was barred from entering the employee area. Hence, he hadn’t caught so much as even a glimpse of his boyfriend. Or maybe they were ex-boyfriends now.