by Jake Biondi
“How did they get all the way over there?”
“Not sure,” Max said. “You must have dropped them or maybe one of us kicked them across the floor without knowing it. Who knows? In any event, they aren’t lost, so all is good.”
“I guess so,” Emmett said, still pondering the location of the keys.
“Come on,” Max said. “Let’s lock up, get into our PJs, watch a movie, and eat bad food.”
Emmett laughed. “Sounds like a date to me.”
Emmett and Max proceeded to lock up the restaurant and club and head upstairs to their new condo. Once they were upstairs, Jensen emerged from the basement storeroom. With only the street lights from the sidewalk lighting the interior of the restaurant, Jensen made his way to the window. From inside the restaurant, he watched the blustery snowstorm outside.
If Jensen had been able to see further down the street, he would have seen Derek Mancini’s car slowly making its way down Roscoe Street. Inside the car, Derek was on his phone talking to wife.
“I’m driving as carefully as possible, Joy,” Derek reassured her. “There’s no other cars driving on the street anyway.”
“That’s because they’re smart enough to be inside,” Joyelle said. “Not driving out in a blizzard like my crazy husband.”
“I told you -- I had to meet a client.”
“Clients can be rescheduled.”
“Okay, Joy,” Derek said. “At this point it doesn’t make much difference, right? How are things there?”
“That’s why I’m calling,” Joyelle explained. “A lot of my coworkers couldn’t make it in, so I’m going to have to stay.”
“Aww, Joy,” Derek sighed. “How long?”
“Probably overnight,” Joyelle said.
“You still need your rest, babe,” Derek replied. “That’s too long a shift for you.”
“I’m fine. I promise. Besides, it’s safer for me to be here than trying to get home in this storm. Tyler is here with me -- and I’m surrounded by doctors. I’ll be fine.”
“Okay, okay. Just please take it easy,” Derek said.
“I will. Don’t miss me too much tonight.”
“I’m beat,” Derek replied. “I’m just gonna crash once I get inside.”
“Great. Okay, I need to get back to work.”
“I love you.”
“I love you, too,” Joyelle responded and then disconnected the call.
As the call concluded, Derek made the turn into his driveway. A snowplow had recently been down the street, causing high mounds of snow along both sides of it. While Derek’s car made the turn, his tires cut into the snow mound and lost traction. He quickly realized that he was stuck.
“Fuck!” Derek yelled out as he pounded his fists on the steering wheel. He opened the car door to assess the situation and then began shifting the car from “drive” to “reverse” and back again in an attempt to “rock” the car through the mound. With the snow continuing to fall heavily, the situation only grew worse and Derek made no progress.
Across the street, Cole O’Brien was making his way home from the bus stop. Wrapped warmly inside his thick winter coat, Cole trudged through the storm, his scarf waving in the wind behind him. As he approached his apartment, he saw Derek’s car stuck in the snow.
Without wasting a second, Cole made his way across the street to assist Derek, who was getting out of his car. Derek turned and looked at Cole through the falling snow.
“I’m okay,” Derek said. “You should get out of the storm.”
“Hardly,” Cole replied. “You’re stuck. I’ll help you get out.”
“I don’t need your help.”
“Stop being stubborn, Derek. Get back inside the car and I’ll push.”
Without arguing, Derek got back into the car and pulled the door closed loudly. Cole made his way around to the back of the car and placed his gloved hands on the trunk. Pushing forward, Cole’s feet slid in the slick snow. As Derek accelerated, Cole continued to push, his feet finally gaining some traction in the snow. The car’s back tires kicked snow up at Cole, who persisted in his pushing until the car was finally free.
Derek pulled the car a bit further up the driveway and then stopped and rolled down the window. Sticking his head out, he looked toward the back of the car to thank Cole; however, Cole quickly opened the passenger side door and hopped into the seat next to Derek.
“What are you doing?”
“We need to talk,” Cole said.
“Look, I appreciate your help but--”
“I think you owe me at least that,” Cole added. “Please.”
Derek sighed. “Okay. Joyelle’s at the hospital. Let’s park the car and go inside.”
“Great,” Cole said with a smile as Derek pulled his car into the garage.
As Cole and Derek headed inside, Jesse Morgan sat inside Logan Pryce’s condo. They were meeting to discuss the charity event they were co-planning. Seated on the sofa across the room from Jesse, Logan had a bottle of wine and a half-full glass of wine on the coffee table in front of him.
“I have a few ideas for entertainment,” Jesse said, a notepad on his lap and a beer in his hand.
“Oh?” Logan said, drinking his wine and then refilling his glass.
“I was thinking about Whiskey and Cherries, the group from Emmett and Max’s engagement party. Plus, Amy Armstrong and maybe even Steve Grand. They all have ties to Chicago so I thought maybe they’d be willing to help out.”
“If you can book them, that’d be great,” Logan said. “Did we ever decide on a theme?”
“Golden Age of Hollywood, remember? It’s the style of Emmett’s new restaurant so it’ll be easy.”
“Right.”
“I haven’t told Cole about this yet, because I wasn’t sure that it was really going to happen. But I will now. I think he’ll be really excited.”
“Are you going to invite his mother?”
“I’m going to leave that up to him,” Jesse said. “While she’s the inspiration for the event, it’s really much broader.” Jesse stood up and walked to the window. “Man, it’s really coming down out there.”
“Maybe you should get going?”
Jesse walked over to the couch and sat down next to Logan. “Is that what you really want? For me to go?” Jesse put his hand on Logan’s lap. “Babe?”
Logan looked away. “Don’t call me that.”
“We need to talk about us,” Jesse said.
“There is no ‘us’ anymore,” Logan said, reaching for the wine bottle. Jesse took it from his hand before Logan could pour another drink.
“You’ve been drinking a lot lately,” Jesse said. “Too much. Like when you and I first met. Is it because of me?”
“It’s because I want to,” Logan said, tearing the wine bottle from Jesse’s hand and refilling his glass again.
“I wish you’d slow down,” Jesse said. “I’m worried about you.”
“Worried about me? You sure weren’t worried about me on New Year’s Eve, were you?”
“That’s not fair,” Jesse said. “I thought I explained all that to you.”
“You tried. But I didn’t buy it. Still don’t.”
“Logan, please.”
“Is there anything else we need to discuss about the party? Otherwise, you should go.”
“You’re really going to send me home in the middle of this storm?”
Logan hesitated. “No. But sit back over there,” Logan said pointing to the chair across the room.
“You don’t want me next to you?”
“No,” Logan said.
“Come on, Logan. You can’t keep me away forever.”
“How many times do I have to say it? I’m happy to help you with the fundraiser because I promised you that I would, but that’s all.”
“I don’t believe that,” Jesse replied. “I love you and I know you love me. And I know I hurt you.”
“What you did is unforgiveable.”
“I to
ld you I will make it up to you. Prove myself again.”
“That’s not possible,” Logan said. “Now, please, either sit back over there or go.”
Jesse walked back over to the chair. “Fine. For now. So let’s get back to business -- and get this event planned.”
While Logan and Jesse continued planning their cancer charity event and the snow piled up outside, Cole and Derek were talking in Derek’s kitchen. Cole was seated at the counter on which stood his beer bottle and Derek was standing, leaning against the stove, with a beer in his hand.
“I’m sorry that we haven’t been able to talk,” Derek said. “There’s been a lot going on, as you know.”
“I understand,” Cole replied. “And I really am sorry about the children.”
Derek smiled. “Thank you. It’s been rough. For both of us.”
“I feel like you blame me for that video. And that’s why you have been avoiding me.”
“No,” Derek said. “I know who is responsible. You had nothing to do with it.”
“It shocked me as much as it did you.”
“Maybe more,” Derek said.
“What do you mean?”
“I knew for a while that the video existed. My brother Justin took it on his phone.”
“He did? Why?”
“To try to blackmail me. He wanted something from me.”
“Wow,” Cole said, taking a sip of his beer. “I’m sorry to hear that.”
“It doesn’t matter much now,” Derek said.
“Except for the fact that Joyelle doesn’t remember seeing it. From what I understand anyway.”
“That’s true,” Derek replied. “But the doctors expect her memory to return.”
“And then?”
“And then we’ll have to talk about it.”
Cole stood up from the counter and took a few steps toward Derek. “Where does all of this leave us?”
Derek looked down at the floor. “Cole…there can’t be anything between us anymore.”
“But you said you love me. And the whole party heard you say so.”
“I do,” Derek said, raising his eyes from the floor to look directly at Cole. “But that doesn’t matter. It can’t.”
“How can you say that? Look how long we’ve waited to be together.”
“I’ve been married to Joyelle longer.”
“But you don’t love her like you love me.”
“I love her very much and we have known each other for a long time.”
Cole stepped even closer to Derek. “Look, when you were going to have kids together, I tried to understand the difficult situation you were in and see things from your point of view. But you aren’t having kids with her anymore. There’s nothing stopping us from finally being together like we both want.”
Derek walked across the kitchen and leaned against the counter opposite Cole. “Just because we lost the children doesn’t mean we aren’t going to have more. In fact, we are trying often.”
“Why would you tell me that? Just to hurt me?”
“Of course not, Cole. I am trying to make you understand. Family is important to me.” Derek paused to drink his beer. “I just got back from visiting my father. He’s dying. And although he and I rarely saw eye-to-eye through most of my life, it was important to me to try to make amends. Blood matters to me.”
“And since I can’t give you children, I’m not worth being with?”
“You just don’t understand,” Derek said.
“I’m trying to. But none of this is making sense to me. We love each other and we should be together. It’s pretty simple.”
“I do love you,” Derek said. “I honestly do. But I’m choosing a different lifestyle for myself. Almost having children and then losing them has changed my perspective. And my priorities.”
“And I’m no longer a priority?”
“I’m sorry,” Derek said. “I really am. I don’t want to hurt or upset you.”
Cole shook his head. “I refuse to believe this. We have been through too much--”
“So has Joyelle.”
“This isn’t about her. I have nothing against her; you know that. Hell, I tried to protect her and your children in that explosion.”
“And we will always be grateful for that. More so than you probably know.”
“Do you really think she’s going to want to stay with you once she remembers everything? She may want nothing to do with you.”
“Hopefully, she’ll be pregnant again by then.”
“So that’s your plan? To trap her?”
“I’m not trapping her. I’m trying to give her what we both want -- a family. And I will explain away the video as best I can.”
“You can’t explain away the truth,” Cole said. “And that video was true.” Cole walked toward Derek. “And the truth is that you love me.”
“But I am not…”
Cole reached out and put his hands on the counter on each side of Derek, blocking him from moving anywhere. “And nothing you can say is going to make me believe otherwise.” Cole leaned in and kissed Derek. Their lips touched for a moment and then Derek pushed Cole away from him.
Cole stepped forward to kiss Derek again, but Derek stepped to the side. Determined, Cole grabbed Derek’s arm and pulled him closer, once again attempting a kiss. Derek twisted his arm out of Cole’s grip and punched Cole in the stomach, causing Cole to buckle over. As Derek walked away into the dining room, Cole lunged at him, pushing into his back and knocking him to the floor. Derek quickly turned himself over to face Cole and then jumped up at him, grabbing him around the waist.
Falling backward, Cole knocked over a large plant in the corner of the room. Some dirt flew out of the pot as the plant crashed to the ground. Paying little attention, Derek and Cole continued to wrestle, each trying to overpower the other. Cole managed to put his feet against Derek’s chest and kicked him back into the middle of the room. As Cole rushed to get on top of Derek, Derek raised his legs, tripping Cole, who fell forward into the archway dividing the living and dining rooms.
Derek got back onto his feet and rushed forward, tackling Cole and pinning him to the ground. Wrapping his legs around Derek, Cole flipped over on top of him, sending a chair flying across the room in the process. With his hands gripping Derek’s wrists, Cole tried to overpower Derek and end their battle, but Derek continued to struggle. Using all his strength, Derek pushed Cole off of him and climbed on top, once again pinning Cole down. Cole struggled to get free, but Derek had his hands pressed against the floor. After a few futile attempts to free himself, Cole rested below Derek, trying to catch his breath.
Both breathing heavily, the two men looked into each other’s eyes. Looking up at Derek, Cole made a hint of a smile. Maintaining control, Derek slowly lowered his head and kissed Cole. Growing more aggressive and passionate, Derek kissed Cole’s neck and used his feet to force Cole’s legs apart.
Thrusting his hips into Cole’s crotch, Derek released Cole’s arms and tore open his shirt. His tongue wasted little time exploring Cole’s chest and nipples as Cole struggled to open Derek’s shirt. Once it was open, Cole pulled it off Derek, revealing his muscled torso.
Suddenly, Derek jumped to his feet, pulling Cole up with him. He lifted Cole off the ground and Cole wrapped his legs around him. Digging his fingers into Derek’s back and kissing him deeply, Cole held onto Derek as he carried Cole into the guest bedroom.
Once inside, Derek threw Cole onto the bed, shedding his pants before climbing on top of his boy. Cole reached back and grabbed the headboard as Derek tore Cole’s pants and underwear off him. Derek looked down at Cole, running his hands over his arms, armpits, chest, stomach, cock, and legs. Then he leaned forward to kiss Cole’s chest as their hard dicks rubbed against one another.
Grabbing Cole’s hips, Derek pulled Cole toward him, forcing himself into Cole’s tight ass. He kissed Cole’s thighs and ankles as he pulled them over his shoulders, allowing him to penetrate deeper.
Curling his toes each time Derek hit deep inside of him, Cole moaned loudly and clawed at Derek’s back. Pulling Derek’s torso down toward him, Cole bit Derek’s nipples, causing him to moan loudly.
“Oh, fuck,” Derek said as he released deep inside of Cole. When Derek finally collapsed onto Cole, Cole kissed him and held him tight. Then Derek rolled over onto his back next to Cole.
“Why can’t I get you out of my system?” Derek asked, running his hand over his forehead.
“Because you love me,” Cole said, adjusting his head on Derek’s chest. “And because we are meant to be together.”
“You may be right,” Derek said. “I apologize for ignoring you this past month or so.”
Cole smiled. “I think I can forgive you.”
“Thanks,” Derek replied, kissing Cole’s forehead.
“You’ve been under a lot of stress. I get it.” Cole ran his hand down Derek’s side. “But we need to be together now. I will make you so happy.”
“You already do.” Derek paused a moment. “Fuck, why does this have to be so complicated?”
“It doesn’t have to be,” Cole said. “Divorce Joyelle and marry me.”
“Wow. Was that a proposal?”
Cole looked into Derek’s eyes. “Only if the answer is ‘yes.’”
“We’ll work it out. I promise.”
“I’ve heard that promise before.”
“I know; I’m sorry. I’m trying my best to figure this all out.”
“You know, David has been dying to date me. Better be careful or he might steal me away from you,” Cole said with a smile.
Derek laughed. “We both know that’s not possible. You’re mine.”
“Then we need to make it official and public soon. I can’t live life in the dark forever.”
“I understand. I just need some time, that’s all.”
“Time to get Joyelle pregnant?”
“Stop that,” Derek said. “No. Time to make sure she’ll be okay.”
“I know. I didn’t mean to be snarky.”
“It’s okay. This is difficult for both of us.” Derek rolled over on top of Cole. “I promise it’s going to get better. Soon.”
