by J. M. Dabney
“Do you always eat this much?”
“I’m a growing boy.” He winked at Poe and noticed the man raked his gaze over him.
His dick liked that once over too much. He was determined to keep it friendly between them. His past experiences proved that he wasn’t the man that people looked at as their forever. Since Poe had come along, he spent every night jerking off to fantasies of what Poe would do to him. They kept him sane when he lay in his lonely bed and imagined what it would be like to have Poe there.
He thought about the sex, but it was more than that. He lived a perfect fantasy life in his head, and it included the everyday things like shared meals, cuddling, and being a couple. He liked sex well enough. It served a purpose to take the edge off or let him pretend he belonged to someone. But other than that momentary release, when the afterglow faded, he was back to choking on his loneliness. Platonic with Poe was so much more important than some meaningless fuck.
In record time he had them back at the warehouse and parked in front of the TV waiting for the game to start.
They ate and laughed. He learned more about Poe but avoided personal questions about himself. He didn’t like his past. There wasn’t much to be proud of hidden in the experiences he had or the choices he’d made. Surviving and living were two separate entities fused and cloaked only in their similarities.
He froze as Poe hooked his right leg over his left and sat close as he told him what all the buttons on the controllers were for, then they started to play a new shooter game. Poe sucked at it.
“You shot me!” Poe screeched as he nudged him with his shoulder.
The shove barely made him move, and he paused the game. “Dude, you ran in front of me while I was firing, of course I was going to shoot you. Next, I’ll use you as a shield.”
“Harmon, I’m so not feeling the love right now. Start the game over.”
“I’m winning, why would I—”
“Don’t make me take you out.”
Poe had the cutest glare on his face like an angry puppy. “Fuck, you’re so cute when you’re mad.”
Why did Poe being irritated or angry make his cock take notice? He wanted to lean forward and kiss him in a very not friend-like way. He’d never wanted a man on his dick more than he did right then.
“I’m not cute. I’m dangerous.”
He sucked his lips between his teeth and bit down hard to keep from laughing at Poe’s expression. He was pretty sure it was supposed to be badass, but it wasn’t.
“Why are you laughing?”
“I’m not laughing.”
“You’re lying,” Poe said with a growl and attacked.
He found himself pushed flat onto the couch and Poe too quickly discovered he was ticklish. Useless, he was fucking useless when someone tickled him, and he kept it a secret. He laughed and yelled for Poe to stop as he tried to protect his ribs. Although, he was careful not to push Poe off just in case the man hurt himself. He couldn’t live with that, accident or not.
“Say I win, Harmon, say it,” Poe ordered.
“No, no surrender.”
Poe got him under his arms and without thinking he spun until Poe was beneath him. They were both breathing heavily as they looked at each other.
“I now know your weakness…I will be unstoppable.”
“You’d use my weakness against me?” He pouted and tried to pretend that being between Poe’s thighs wasn’t affecting him. The softness of Poe’s belly conformed to the hard plane of his own. Everything about the man seemed to be made for him, and it was so hard to deny himself. Fear and self-preservation were stronger than his need for a physical relationship with Poe.
An evil smirk tilted the corner of Poe’s mouth. “In a heartbeat. Can we just watch a movie? I don’t think I’m cut out for video games.”
“Can do, what do you want to watch? I’ve been wanting to do a Hellraiser marathon.”
Poe rolled his beautiful blue eyes. “Of course you’d like gore-fest movies.”
“So good, so, ya wanna?” He waggled his brows, and when Poe pushed against his chest, he rose to his knees.
“Bring on Pinhead and the Cenobites.”
He crawled onto the floor toward his collection of DVDs, most of his movies were digital, but he had some favorites on disk. He ejected the game from the console and loaded the first movie.
“If you don’t like horror, how do you know the characters?”
“I didn’t say I didn’t like it, big guy, I just remarked that of course you’d like gory movies.”
“I have a lot of interests besides gory movies.”
“Yes, lethal amounts of energy drinks. A strange obsession with apple juice.”
“Hey, apple juice is healthy, unlike all those sodas you like to drink.” He pointed to the tub of soft drink Poe was currently hugging to his chest.
“Helluva lot better than your heart attack in a can.”
“Blah, blah, blah.” He crawled back on the couch as Poe curled up against his side and he started the movie, then threw the controller aside. He leaned forward and grabbed the last of his blunt. “You mind?”
“You do you, man.”
He rolled his eyes as he lit it and relaxed to watch the movie with Poe. He savored the contentment of being with Poe. The novelty of how nice it was to just be him with someone didn’t pass unnoticed. He liked that. He wanted to keep it as long as he could and knew exactly what he needed to do. Keep it in his pants.
Harmon was So Sweet
He laughed to himself as he remembered the last four nights he’d spent at Harmon’s place. The video games he could do without. He’d discovered quickly he wasn’t good at them and Harmon was vicious as hell. Although, the cuddling after Harmon kicked his ass were the highlights of his evenings. They’d finally released Harmon from cheating spouse duty, and the man had to go out of town for a few days.
The distance between them wasn’t something he was looking forward to, but Harmon promised to call at least once a day. He didn’t know what the man was going to be doing and he hoped he wouldn’t be a distraction.
Harmon promised when he returned he was going to take him to meet the rest of his friends. He’d heard so many stories that it was weird he hadn’t met the Trenton Crew or Lily yet. He hadn’t met many people since moving to Powers. Working from home blurred most of his days into one, and before Harmon came along, he barely paid attention to the passing of time except when he needed to head to the city to work.
That had also gone by the wayside a bit too. He’d called in and said he had to work from home. His remote job didn’t require him to go to the office at all. The only reason to go to Atlanta was if he needed to do some hands-on research. Clients were more than happy to have meetings over the phone.
Today, though, he had plans, a trip to Well Loved Thrift was in order. The owner of the place called to say she’d gotten a consignment of funky bow ties in a few days earlier from an online client. So, he’d do a bit of shopping and then go to lunch before coming home to work some more.
He thought it was time for him to stock up on some new ties. He didn’t miss Harmon’s disappointment when he showed up not wearing a bow tie. People always thought his obsession was odd, but Harmon seemed to love them. The fact he loved making the man happy even if it was something as small as wearing a tie hadn’t escaped him. The simple things made Harmon content. He knew every one from the way Harmon reacted. Harmon would relax into a hug. Would hold him as if he gave the man a rare gift just by touching him.
Okay, Harmon was gorgeous from his dark hair to the tips of his tactical boots, but he was much more than his looks, he was the sweetest man he’d ever met.
He closed down his laptop and pushed away from his desk. The walk to Well Loved would give him a bit of exercise. He hadn’t gone back to the gym. Yes, he thought he needed to get up from his desk more, but he’d always been on the chunky side. Nothing he’d done for the month he’d worked out had made any difference in his size.<
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Harmon had been right, if someone didn’t like him, then that was their problem. He ate healthily. His weakness for fast food once a week wasn’t the worst thing in the world. He tried to walk at least three times a week. Happiness and contentment were his only goals and torturing himself wasn’t going to get him those.
He locked and closed his front door and headed toward the thrift store. He liked to shop, and it helped him think, retail therapy was real and he was proof.
Harmon was interested. He knew the man wanted more than what they had going, but something was holding him back. As much as he wanted to possibly move from platonic to a romantic relationship, he loved having Harmon as a friend. He was fun and didn’t take everything so seriously.
Again, he wasn’t too crazy about Harmon’s job, but he wouldn’t complain. Harmon had told too many stories of close calls for his comfort. He could deal with it.
If he made eye contact with anyone on his walk, he was polite and said hello, but he wasn’t much of a people person. His parents didn’t pass on the sociable gene to him like they had his sister. His family was the type of people who had never met a stranger. They were so weird.
He finally made it to the store, and he pulled open the door, walking into vintage heaven.
“My Goddess of Vintage Apparel, what shall you gift me with today?” he asked as he approached the counter and the pretty woman behind it.
Grace was a semi-new resident like him. She’d moved to town and bought Well Loved from the elderly former owner. Nothing much had changed around the store except Grace had put her own funky spin on things. It was like a messy mix of the decades between the 20s and 70s. She ran an online site where she sold her more rare and expensive finds.
“I shall gift to you a shit ton of silk bow ties that look like someone on LSD designed them.”
“You had my interest at silk but hooked me at acid tripping designer.”
He grinned at her husky laugh and followed as she pointed for him to go toward the back.
“Weirdo. So, what’s new? Last time you graced me with your fashionable presence you were torturing yourself.”
She took his arm, and they squeezed through the narrow rows, and she rested her head on his shoulder. She was chunky like him and just about the same height.
“Alas, I had to let the sadist go.”
She pouted and sighed. “Shame, hard to find a good sadist these days.”
“Got something to tell me?”
“No, the only thing interesting about me is my shop. I think I exercised once and it was the worse two minutes of my life. One cramp and I was done.”
“My new friend offered to train me if I wanted him to.”
“New friend? Mysterious. Do tell me more.”
He pulled out his phone and scrolled to the picture he’d taken of Harmon the other night while he worked out. “I supervised his work-out a few days ago. I do love my job.” He held the phone out.
“All that is unholy, I’m jealous. Where did you meet, and does he have a hot brother, friend, hell, distant cousin?”
“We kinda ran into each other in the grocery store a few months back. Started hanging out, but we’re just friends.”
“Friends isn’t always a bad thing.”
“I know, but I want to put boy beside that friend. I think he’s had some bad experiences, so I’m happy being friends.”
She spun away from him as they reached the back storage room and faced him. Her expression turned solemn as she placed her hands in front of her in prayer position. “Now, I will show you the beauty of the ages, the Gods of Geekdom have blessed us. Behold, the epic bow ties.” She motioned toward the box with a flourish and a bow.
He giggled at the impish grin on her face. Some would say Grace was a plain woman, but when she smiled, she could make the most classically beautiful woman envious.
He approached the box and looked into it, and he knew love at first sight. It was as if every color known to humankind had thrown up in explosions of paisley and gloriously ugly designs. It was Nirvana in a box.
“Be at ease, my friend, take in the glory of our bounty.”
“Why are you single, Grace?”
She shrugged. “I don’t know, just haven’t met the right person yet.”
The happiness on her face dimmed a bit, but not by much. “Well, I must have all the ones with even a hint of yellow in them.”
“That’s almost the entire box. Even you, obsessor of bow ties, don’t need that many.”
“Yes, I need them. Plus, Harmon’s favorite color is yellow, and I make sure to wear it every time I see him. It makes him happy.”
She let out a long sigh and slumped against his side. “That’s so sweet.”
“Not as sweet as he is and it’s a tiny thing I can do.”
“Does no one work in this store, every time I come here I have to search for a sale’s person,” A good-naturedly annoyed voice came from the door.
He turned to find Harper, the owner of the local bookstore lazing in the doorway. Grace and Harper were best friends and had been close for a few years before Grace had moved to Powers.
“I don’t work here, so, don’t blame me.”
“Hey, Harper, don’t have your shadow today?”
“Gideon is at home and decided to keep Ricky for a father/daughter day. So, I’m in need of a lunch companion or two. And Solomon, since we’ve run into each other today, I heard this very interesting rumor.”
“Do tell, you know I’m out of the loop of gossip with my hermit ways.”
He turned to peer into the mass of ties. He picked through the box and even a hint of yellow he snatched it up. He even found one that was solid yellow with silver pinstripes. He had a gray shirt that would be perfect with it.
“You’re seeing a certain Trenton employee, and he gets all shy and blushy when he talks about you.”
He knew he wore a goofy grin thinking that Harmon was all shy when he talked about him. It proved the man liked him and he needed to be patient with him.
“You know Harmon? But to clear it up, we’re hanging out as friends.”
“Whatever you say, Harmon is not thinking just friends. I’ve known him for years. Little hangs out with the Crews, so, he comes around quite a bit. All the Crews are pretty tight, and Trenton’s crew helped me out a while back.”
Powers wasn’t a terribly small place, and gossip was a pastime around there, but each part of Powers had its own brand of gossip. But in the center, you heard it all. It was one of the reasons he knew that Harper had a violent ex and he’d tried to kill her and her now husband, Gideon. He’d experienced some wariness when he’d thought about moving here. The old Sheriff had turned out to be a rampant homophobe and racist, but, luckily, the new one, Pelter, didn’t stand for either of those things.
“Would you like to join me and Grace for lunch, and maybe I can tell you a few stories.”
He spun around with about twenty bow ties in his hands and grinned at Harper. “You got info on what the man likes to eat or his interests?”
“I could possibly assist you, for a price?” Harper’s voice was Godfather-esque, and she buffed her nails on the cotton of her dress, then looked at them.
“A steep price?”
“It’ll cost you pie with extra ice cream.”
He gasped. “Shit, extra ice cream?”
“Wait too long, and it’ll cost ya extra, extra ice cream.”
“Whoa, whoa, no need to get bloodthirsty, you got a deal.”
“And excuse me, I’m supposed to be your best friend after Gideon, and I don’t get introduced to the hot guys or treated to gossip about hot guys?”
“You bit your tongue and choked on your own spit when we tried to hook you up on a date. I thought you were, dead, dead, my friend. I will not be responsible for that.”
“He looked like some male model who would be on a damn magazine cover.”
“Sorry, should I not introduce you to sweet, hot, tattooed bike
rs?”
“Yes, but warn me next time.”
He shook his head and left them to argue as he carried his ties to the front. “How much am I charging myself?” he yelled.
“What did I charge last time?” Grace asked as she approached with Harper behind her.
“I don’t remember. You gave me some weird friends and family discount. I believe there were letters and weird Sanskrit symbols in the math.”
“Get out of there.”
He covered his head as she playfully batted at him and he ran from behind the counter. He leaned on the surface as Harper came up beside him. Her slight weight was leaning into his side.
“She needs a boyfriend or more shopping trips to Pleasure.”
“I think Sin and Saint put up a Be on the Watch for Grace sign in front of the store a few months ago.”
Sin and Saint Pelter were married to the Sheriff, and they had a beautiful little girl. He couldn’t think about one unhappy couple he’d met since he’d moved here. He was sure they had their problems like everyone else, but you could feel the love radiating from them.
“Those little shits, if they didn’t run so damn fast they’d be dead. Anybody walking past or going inside would think I was a nympho.”
He laughed as Grace huffed and shook her head.
“Last I heard you had to have sex to be a nympho.”
He quickly covered his mouth to contain his laughter at Grace’s horrified expression.
“You’re just on it today, Harper Jane, ha, ha, ha.”
He observed the interplay between the two women. He’d always liked them both, but he’d never been one to make friends easily. When he was able to spend time with them, he had a blast. He worked too much and hadn’t realized how much he seemed to be missing out on until Harmon’s arrival made him take stock of his life.
He had Harmon now, people he considered friends, and all it took was getting kidnapped by an adorable man with poor impulse control.
Grace announced his total, and he paid with his card. “So, ladies, will we be dining at the local diner for lunch?” He put his card back in his wallet and took the bag with his new pretties.
