Too Many Temples (World of Love 13)

by Erik Swill

  Adrian watched as Adonis scoured the room for people he knew. As he gestured to some and hollered out to others across the room, it was clear he recognized quite a few. Adrian felt like a kid who had just transferred to a new school. He also scanned the room for Ketut, but all he saw was a room full of drunk or high hooligans treating the Hungry Jack’s as their own personal after-party.

  Adonis ordered his burger and fries combo from a cashier who wore a dastar. He turned back to Adrian.

  “Maybe your friend works here? He has one of those foreign names too.” Adonis suggested jokingly. When the Sikh cashier completed his order, Adonis grabbed it off the tray and walked over to the condiments table.

  Adrian ordered large fries, paid, and took a good look at the faces of the staff working behind the counter and in the kitchen. Ketut wasn’t one of them.

  Adrian munched his fries and walked over to join Adonis, who was talking to a boisterous group of guys in the back corner of the restaurant. He stood quietly behind Adonis, not trying to enter their conversation or really even act as if the two of them were there together. Adonis may not have noticed Adrian had come up behind him. But he hadn’t actually checked to see where he was either.

  Adrian was content to just eat his fries and wait for Adonis to finish his conversation. Despite the ruckus going on around him, he started yawning. Even if his thoughts weren’t so preoccupied with finding Ketut and he had actually wanted to hook up with Adonis, he was simply too tired for it.

  The swinging kitchen door brought Adrian back to his senses as it flung open and nearly hit him. Stepping forward to dodge the door, though, caused him to bump into Adonis, getting his attention. The janitor responsible for opening the door took to sweeping up straight away, not even realizing his carelessness. While the Hungry Jack’s near Adrian’s house usually employed older men or women to sweep up, this guy was younger. Adrian immediately took notice of his narrow waist. Despite his state of fatigue, he could still appreciate a nice view, even if it was just from behind.

  “Hey guys, this is Aden. He’s new to town.” Adonis pulled Adrian side-by-side with him to introduce him to his group of friends. “He’s from Brisbane and wanted to see everything that the Rock has to offer.” To a chorus of oohing, Adonis added, “Which means we will be going straight back to my place after this so I can show him the seven-inch wonder of Rockhampton!”

  They all burst into laughter except Adrian. His cheeks turned a little pink, but he diverted his attention away from the group. He wasn’t enjoying the atmosphere, the people, or the way Adonis was treating him. He looked around the restaurant, hoping to show his lack of interest in participating in their conversation and maybe also to get another look at the janitor’s body.

  The janitor had disappeared, and Adonis and his friends went back to talking about people Adrian didn’t know. He stepped back from the group and continued to eat his fries. Adrian noticed a two-seater table was now free and crossed the restaurant to sit at it. It was strewn with trash and a half-eaten chicken burger. He pushed it aside and continued eating the last of his fries. Adrian was looking forward to going home—back to the motel to sleep and also to go back to Brisbane. Even if he wasn’t successful in finding Ketut, he had at least confirmed that Rockhampton was not the kind of place he would readily move to.

  Adrian crossed his arms on the table and rested his chin on his folded forearms. He would just rest his head until Adonis finished talking with his friends.

  XIV

  ADRIAN AWOKE to someone poking the back of his shoulder.

  “You can’t sleep here. Go home or my boss will call the police.”

  Adrian sat upright and took a moment to get his bearings. He had fallen asleep at the Hungry Jack’s. It was now mostly empty. There was a couple ordering at the counter and another guy seated at the table next to him. But it was quiet, except for the guy poking him and threatening to call the police.

  Adrian apologized and looked over his shoulder. It had been the janitor who woke him. But he had already gone back to cleaning up the mess from earlier in the night. Adrian realized it was still nighttime. He hadn’t slept for very long. But it had been long enough for most of the restaurant to empty out. Including Adonis and his friends.

  Adrian remembered he’d left his car at Club-Roc when he joined Adonis. I’ve been dumped. And stranded.

  He stood, still feeling groggy from being woken so abruptly. He didn’t remember how to get back to the club, but he had a feeling it wasn’t within walking distance either. There would be no night buses in Rockhampton. That much he was sure of. He checked his watch to find he still had another hour or two before the buses would start running again. He didn’t have Uber downloaded to his phone and doubted a town the size of Rockhampton even had those services. And if it did, he doubted a predawn request would be picked up. He decided to ask for advice or directions.

  “Hey, mate. Can you tell me how I can get back to Club-Roc from here? I’ve got no idea where I am now.” Adrian spoke to nobody in particular, but the cashier just shrugged from behind the counter. If coming to Rockhampton and not finding Ketut wasn’t already bad enough, now Adrian realized even getting to his car to go home was going to take some effort and creativity. He approached the janitor and repeated his question with an air of distress in his voice. The janitor turned around, giving Adrian a view of his face for the first time.

  “Ketut!” Adrian shouted. He ran over to him and wrapped his hands around Ketut, holding him tightly. “Oh my God, Ketut!”

  “Adrian?” Ketut queried, his face partly smashed into Adrian’s shoulder.

  “Ketut? Holy shit! What are you doing here?” Adrian started a barrage of questions as he pushed Ketut’s body just far enough away so he could see his face.

  “I work here. What are you doing here, Adrian?” He gave Adrian a once-over from head to toe, still in disbelief it seemed.

  “Ketut, mate, I had no idea you worked here. How long have you been here? Uh, how do you like Australia? How are your studies going?” Adrian had a hundred questions he wanted to ask.

  Ketut ignored the questions and repeated his previous query. “Why are you sleeping in a Hungry Jack’s in Rockhampton, Adrian? And why are you even in Rockhampton? I thought you lived far away.”

  “I do. I’m just… in town. Visiting.”

  “Visiting? Wow, this is an amazing coincidence.”

  Adrian smiled but was at a loss for words. He had so much to say—so many important things to say—but was also stuck in a state of shock at this twist of fate.

  “Listen, mate, I’m here for you. I’ve been looking for you in this hellhole of a town for days now. I can’t believe I actually found you. I almost gave up.”

  “And then you found me at work? Incredible!”

  Adrian blushed. “Well, I guess you could look at it like that. I searched all over the campus, staked out the library’s café, scoured the mall and streets with all the shops and restaurants. I even went to Club-Roc tonight thinking I might find you down there.”

  “It’s not really my thing. Clubbing.”

  “Apparently the library really isn’t your thing either. Every day I was there, but you never needed to study there or anything?”

  Ketut nodded. “It’s too cold to go outside unless it’s absolutely necessary. The library can wait till the weather warms up again.”

  Adrian crinkled his nose. “It’s not that cold here. What do you mean?”

  “How often do you think I dress for winter in Bali, Adrian? It’s not something I’m used to yet.”

  They laughed before the conversation took a more serious turn. Adrian spoke first, interrupting Ketut’s attempt to ask again why he was in Rockhampton.

  “Look, mate. I came here for you. For us. Hoping that there can be an us, I mean. I have thought about you a lot. I feel really shitty for the way I acted at the end of my Bali trip. I treated you badly. And I feel like I ruined what I wanted to happen. Especially when you said you
were actually moving to Australia.”

  “Adrian, you don’t have to apologize about that. That was a long time ago. Besides, I know you are a little emo.”

  “Emo, ya? Is that the technical term for my behavioral problems, Mr. Psychologist?”

  Ketut grimaced. “Not exactly. But it gets the point across.”

  Adrian took a deep breath. “You know I’m not good at talking about my feelings. I don’t like to put myself out there emotionally. I just don’t do it. It’s worked out for me so far. But you are different. I felt like I wanted to trust you and open up. To let you in. It scared me when I started to feel that way, because I didn’t think we could ever really be together with us living in different countries.”

  “I’m here, Adrian. You knew I was going to be in Australia. And you should know that I wasn’t going to call you out. If you wanted to open up to me, I would have respected that. I’m not a dick, okay?”

  Adrian nodded. “I know. But I am. Or, at least, I have been. I shut people out. Don’t give anyone a chance. But I felt different when I was with you. I thought that you were worth the risk. When you said you would move to Australia, my hopes went up. And then you said you were moving to Rockhampton.”

  “And?”

  “And what? It’s Rockhampton. Who the hell wants to live here? That’s what. So I chose my comfort zone in Brisbane instead of taking a chance with you here. And I feel like shit for doing that. It was selfish. The easy way out. And I don’t know if you being in a relationship with me would have any benefits for you personally, but I really wanted to be with you. I really wanted to see what would happen if you and I gave it a go, you know? But when you opened a window of opportunity, I slammed it shut.”

  “And now you’ve created a door by yourself.”

  Adrian paused. “What do you mean?”

  “You know that saying… when someone shuts a window, a door opens.”

  Adrian smiled. “Er, something like that. But I see what you’re saying now.”

  “You were scared in Bali. I get it. But look at you now! You came here to hunt me down. And found me!”

  “Desperate, right?”

  Ketut paused before answering. “Yes, desperate. And a big risk. But I’d say you just took a huge step in overcoming your fear of getting close to someone again. How many people can say they had someone travel across the country looking for them, just to say how much they care? You don’t even have to say it. You showed it to me.”

  “Well, I think I need to say it. Even though it’s kind of a bad time, you know, with me interrupting your work here. And your boss is watching us. But ya. I do care about you. I don’t really know you enough to say I love you. I don’t even know if you have a boyfriend here already. But I am here because I want to see where this can go. What we can become. A life goal. I’m not here for Rockhampton. This place can disappear into a black hole for all I care. I’m here for what I want most in life. And I don’t care if you want to live in a cardboard box under a bridge. I want to be there with you.”

  Ketut reached around Adrian’s neck and pulled him close for a hug. “That wasn’t eloquent at all, but it is exactly what I wanted to hear from you… even if it is several months late.” Adrian tingled from the light breeze that escaped from Ketut’s mouth across the back of his neck after squeezing him a bit too hard.

  “Ahem.”

  Adrian and Ketut looked over at the cashier watching them from the counter, giving a disapproving shake of his head.

  “Let’s go back here so we have a little privacy.” Ketut pulled Adrian by his arm into the men’s restroom and, after checking there was nobody else inside, then into one of the stalls before shutting the door behind them.

  “There’s almost enough room for two in here.” Adrian winked at Ketut. Before Adrian could continue, though, Ketut started kissing him passionately down his neck. Ketut dropped to his knees and pulled down Adrian’s pants in one swift movement. He took an almost-hard Adrian into his mouth. Adrian was surprised by the speed in which Ketut moved but quickly remembered how good he was at giving head. Adrian started moaning loudly, enjoying the moment and savoring his unexpected encounter with Ketut. Neither heard the soft squeak of the restroom door opening.

  “Uh, sorry to interrupt….”

  Adrian froze. Ketut, on the other hand, backed off from Adrian’s dick like he had been shot and slammed his back into the wall of the stall, shaking it in the process. There really wasn’t anywhere he could have run to, even if he had wanted. When he realized that, he seemed to calm down.

  “But, uh, Ketut… I need you to take out the rest of the garbage. And maybe ask your new friend to meet you somewhere else after your shift ends?”

  “Okay” was all Ketut managed to squeak out in reply to his boss.

  The pair waited to hear him close the restroom door before moving.

  “Now where were we? Oh yes! You were on your knees worshiping my cock. Shall we continue from there?”

  Ketut stood and answered emphatically, “No!”

  “Fine. Turn around. We can move on from that.”

  “Adrian! You’re going to get me fired.”

  Ketut’s abashed smile made Adrian grin. He was beautiful no matter what mood he was in.

  “We could continue this at your house after you are finished with your shift.”

  Ketut kissed Adrian on the shoulder. “Let’s definitely go back to my place. But I’m over sex. Nobody is getting any today. Besides, we have a lot to talk about.”

  Adrian nodded. “Fair enough. We can talk for as long as you want. I’m here for you.”

  Ketut hugged him. “Good. Then let’s talk about us and what a future together might be like. After my shift ends, at least.”

  Adrian sheepishly asked when that would be.

  “Not too much longer. The overnight shift finishes at six. Why?”

  “I need a ride.”

  “A ride? How did you get here, then?”

  Adrian pulled his pants up slowly. “Maybe we can talk about that some other time. It’s not important. I just want to talk about us today.”

  XV

  ADRIAN SAT on the bed in his bedroom, looking out the window. While growing up, he’d always enjoyed the view. The yard was dryer than all of his neighbors’ yards, as always, and the overgrown gum tree was in need of pruning. While the tire swing that once hung from its lower branches had long since rotted and been removed, Adrian could still make out the grooves worn into the branch by the rope that had once supported the swing.

  Emotions were running high, which was something that had become an unwelcome aspect of his life ever since meeting Ketut in Bali. His mind drifted to Ketut back in Rockhampton. How was he doing? What was he doing? Adrian thought about calling him but resisted the urge. He knew Luc would be back shortly.

  Adrian hopped off the bed at the sound of the kitchen timer going off. The smell of brownies filled the house. Brownies! He laughed at the thought of making brownies for Luc. From initially not even wanting to see the guy after their one-off sexual encounter several months earlier to baking for him, it was clear Adrian was adopting a new perspective on life. And his boyfriend was a huge factor in making that happen.

  A boyfriend—something else he would never have imagined for himself after so many years of being single. Playing the field. Adrian had finally come out of his protective shell. It was something he was consciously proud of. Though he did acknowledge that Luc had played a role in making this happen for him. Hence, the brownies.

  A car door slammed shut just as Adrian closed the oven and turned it off. Perfect timing. He hurriedly threw away the instant brownie mix box and washed the sticky mixing bowl. He didn’t want to have Luc coming home to a mess in the kitchen. Today was too important a day for Adrian that even the smallest details were afforded his full attention. He wanted the house to be spotless.

  Adrian hastily dried his hands on his jeans and managed to open the front door just in time to see Luc turn th
e corner from the driveway. Adrian greeted Luc’s wide smile with one of his own trademark grins.

  “Welcome home, Luc.”

  Luc returned the welcome with a big hug, stopping only when he got a whiff of the brownies.

  “You baked?”

  “For you.”

  “Brownies? Seriously?”

  “I am pretty incredible, aren’t I?”

  “Shit, don’t I know it?”

  Luc patted him on the back and stepped inside the house, following the scent into the kitchen. He plopped down on a barstool in front of the brownies and stared at them until Adrian broke the silence.

  “They are for eating, you know? Just in case you’re not sure what to do with them.”

  “Ha-ha,” Luc voiced as sarcastically as he could. With his heavy French accent, though, just about everything he said came across as sarcastic.

  Adrian pulled a knife from the drawer and placed it in front of Luc. “It’s probably still too hot to eat, but from the way you are salivating over it, you probably don’t mind.”

  He peeked over his shoulder to double-check he had turned off the oven before apologizing to Luc for needing to leave so quickly. Luc had already cut into the brownies and had his mouth filled with hot gooeyness. There were no objections to Adrian’s announced departure. He embraced Luc once more and rushed out to his car. He was already an hour behind schedule and didn’t want to waste another second in Brisbane. As he started the engine and strapped himself in, his phone rang.

  “Hey, where are you?”

  “Just pulling out of the driveway now. Sorry, Luc just showed up a few minutes ago.”

  “Okay. Well, I need to get back to cramming for this exam tomorrow. Just wanted to make sure everything was good and that you were on your way.”

  “Why? Didn’t think I could leave my comfort zone behind?” Adrian commented in a way that made him debate whether or not he should clarify he was just poking fun. But Ketut’s response was clear enough.