Anthony was up early the next morning; I didn’t realize that he now had a work car, and he left without much fanfare. I showered quickly and went to work on the couch with my laptop. I usually worked from home with a trip to the office about once every two weeks. I was also a fast worker. At home, I could get a whole day's work done in just part of the morning. Distractions at the office can be a killer.
I’d finished work, eaten lunch, and cleaned up after myself. I was wondering what to do when I heard my phone beep. A message from Anthony read, “My sister and her family will arrive this afternoon. I cannot get away. I may be working late. Wish I could tell you. Can you take care of them? If not, I will send them to a motel.”
I texted back quickly. “Of course, I can. Give them my number so they can text me when they get here.”
A single ‘K’ was texted back. I got no other texts from him that day. Diane, Juan, and 8-year-old Richie, whose real name was Stanford, arrived about two that afternoon. They had a Tahoe pulling a small U-Haul. We unloaded the trailer so that Juan could return it. The sparse apartment was now full. Richie went with his father, and I was left with Diane.
As soon as they were gone, her eyes teared up. “I’m so sorry about this Dylan. I wanted to tell Tony, but I didn’t know how.”
“I’m not sure I understand,” I said honestly.
“There was an electrical fire at Juan’s job, and the owner decided just to close up. Everyone was let go. There are no jobs there, so we just packed everything up and came here. My cousin is always bragging about the job market here, so here we are with our stuff and Tony’s.” She took a deep breath. “Are you Tony’s boyfriend?”
I felt the color drain from my face.
“Oh. I just always figured that he was gay even though no one ever said anything about it.”
“Anthony and I are friends.” I said it with conviction because it was the truth. I knew we were more than friends, but how much more, I wasn’t sure yet. Besides, it was Anthony’s place to tell his sister, not mine. “Let’s set up the bed and organize these boxes.”
“Tony gave the bed to Juan and me, but he’ll probably want it back.”
“I don’t think so. He was talking about shopping for a four-poster bed, but let’s put it up for right now for you and Juan. And while we’re at it, let’s separate Anthony’s hobby stuff.”
Taking almost two hours, getting the bed set up and the boxes sorted did get the apartment in a much more livable state. Most of Diane’s containers were in the 2nd bedroom with the bed. Anthony’s hobby boxes turned out to be two large clear plastic boxes with fabric in them, two sewing machines, and a couple of cardboard boxes, one of which was labeled quilting supplies. I felt like a shower when we had finished, and I wondered where Juan and Richie had gone. I had expected them back much more quickly. Even so, with Diane arranging things in the other bedroom, I went into mine, closed the door, and showered. I really wanted to talk to Anthony about what had transpired, but I knew that texting him would not be appropriate for anything less than an emergency. It was four-thirty, and the shower felt good. After dressing in fresh short pants and a bright blue t-shirt, I rested for a while on the bed. I didn’t want to go out and make small talk with Diane, so I just stretched out and thought about all the fabric I’d seen in those plastic bins. Before long, I nodded off.
Just before five o’clock, my phone buzzed. A text from Anthony let me know he was about to head home and that he knew his sister had arrived safely. I contemplated asking him whether he might want to go out for dinner, but I decided to wait until he got home. I replied with a thumbs-up emoji and had just put my phone down when I heard a knock at the door. Diane opened the door just as I came into the living room. She had moved a few more boxes into the bedroom, and I had to admit that the room was now “liveable” again.
Richie rushed through the door holding a small bag from Crispy Clucks, a local fried chicken establishment. He held it up to his mother who took it and gave her husband what looked to me like an unhappy glance.
“I brought food for supper. Except for the drinks,” he declared with a happy grin.
Diane wasn’t smiling.
“Anthony is leaving work on time,” I said.
“Well, I got enough for everyone,” Juan replied as he moved toward the small dining table and placed a large box of chicken tenders in the center. “Maybe we can make a toast to celebrate with glasses of water.” He turned toward me. “Will that count?”
“I can make some iced tea. It won’t take but a minute. We can celebrate your safe arrival.” I reached up and took down a large glass measuring bowl and began to fill it with water.
“That, too,” said Juan, “but I’ve already got a job.”
“What?” Diane’s scowl changed to a smile. “Already? Doing what?”
Richie tugged at my shirt. “Can I help?”
I looked down at him. “Go wash your hands really well, and you can help me open the tea bags. The bathroom’s through there.” I pointed, and he scurried off.
“Believe it or not, inventory control at a factory that makes syringes. I was talking to the guy at the U-Haul place about why I was moving here, and he told me that his brother was looking to replace someone who went to work for his dad. He called his brother, and I went over, and it’s a perfect fit for me. Plus, he said some of the workers that I’ll supervise speak Spanish better than English.”
“I can’t believe it,” said Diane as she hugged and kissed him on the cheek.
“And it’s more money than I was making before.”
Richie came back into the kitchen and held up his hands. “They’re clean. Now what?”
The water was heating in the microwave, and I had placed four tea bags in their paper wrappers on the counter. “Take the tea bags out of the paper and put them on this napkin. When the water’s ready, you can put the bags in it.”
“OK.” I’d never seen someone so excited about such a small task. He carefully removed the paper and placed each bag on the plate with the utmost care. I wondered whether I was seeing evidence of obsessive-compulsive behavior. I decided to keep a watch on him.
Richie’s determination to help with the tea ended when the front door opened and Anthony stepped in. Richie let out a screech of “Uncle Tony” and ran over to him.
Anthony looked tired. His eyes were filled with sadness. He scooped Richie up and held him as though he were afraid to let him go. Something had happened. I was certain of it. And I was certain that it was something bad.
Diane walked over to him, and without letting go of Richie, he gave her a hug. Juan put his hand out and received a strong handshake.
“Thanks for letting us stay with you,” said Richie. “It means a lot.”
“You’re welcome,” said Anthony quietly.
The microwave went off, and I put the bags into the water. I filled the pitcher with ice but kept my eye on Anthony. He sat down on the couch; Richie was still held tightly to him.
“Rough day?” asked Diane. I reasoned that she was the one person in the room who would be able to read his behavior.
“The worst one ever,” he replied.
I wanted to run over and hold him, but I didn’t want to make things awkward for him. I saw him look at me, and I knew at once that there was a sadness in him that ran down to his soul. I wanted to know what it was and to take away the pain that I knew he was in. “Do you want to take a shower before we eat?”
“No,” he replied. “But I think that I’ll want to take one and then go straight to bed. Is the air mattress still in my bedroom?”
He was tired, yet he was still alert enough to play his little ruse.
“I deflated it when we put up the regular bed,” said Diane.
“We can sleep out here,” said Juan. “I don’t want to kick anyone out of his room.”
Diane rolled her eyes. How did she know that Anthony and I were sleeping in the same bed?
“No,” I told Juan. “We figured this out when we knew you were coming. Y’all are sleeping in Anthony’s room.”
“And I am sleeping out here on the air mattress,” said Anthony.
“Yeah,” I interrupted, “but you’ve had a really hard day, so I’ll sleep out here on the couch, and you take my bed.” I transferred the tea to a pitcher filled with ice.
Diane walked over to Anthony. “That’s silly,” she said. He looked up at her. “That bed is big enough for the two of you. Certainly, both of you can sleep in it.” The two of them locked eyes with one another. I felt tension in the room that emanated from Diane.
“Let’s get some chicken, Richie.” Anthony stood and carried him over to the table.
“Can I sleep with you?” Richie asked.
“Absolutely not,” said his mother. “Three in a bed is just too many for anyone to get a good night’s sleep.”
“When I get a day off, we can go camping in the living room,” Anthony assured him.
I handed everyone a glass of iced tea. I took a tender, and I headed into my bedroom. I could hear their chatter as I looked out the window. I could just make out the setting sun. I realized that the stress that I was trying to rid myself of was the same stress I had when staying with my parents. I guess just having family around for more than a few hours was the culprit. Even though they weren’t my family, the result was the same.
I sipped my drink and nibbled on my chicken, and soon, it was time to get another piece and refill my glass. I went back into the other room and saw Anthony in the kitchen heating more water. The others were on the sofa; all of them were still eating.
“You OK?” asked Anthony.
“Of course,” I smiled. “I just wanted a little quiet time for me and time for you to be alone with your sister.” I saw his eyes dart in her direction.
“She’s onto you.” He said it humorlessly. It was just another fact.
“Should I confess?” I raised an eyebrow as I looked at him to let him know that I was waiting for an answer.
“No.” He dumped the tea bags into the hot water. “Let her stew. She’s not positive about anything.”
“And you?” I asked. What are you positive about?”
“Well, I knew this guy once.”
I involuntarily took a deep breath.
Anthony continued. “He seemed to understand me pretty well. He seemed to know when something was bothering me that I couldn’t talk about. He was kind of handsy in the shower, and I found that he had reduced my stress immensely after that.”
“And this guy’s name,” I whispered. “Would I recognize it?”
“It started with a D,” he whispered back. I saw him force a smile.
I smiled at him even though I sensed a pain inside him. “And you’re taking the bed. You need your rest, and I’ll sleep just fine out here.”
“No,” he said more loudly. “Diane’s right.”
“What?” came a voice from the couch. “Repeat that.”
“I said that Diane’s a pain, but the bed’s big enough for the two of us. As long as you don’t snore.”
“As if you didn’t know that already,” Diane muttered.
An hour later, I closed and locked the door to the bedroom. I could see the reflection of Anthony through the slightly ajar bedroom door. He’d already stripped down and was brushing his teeth. The shower water had started to steam as I stepped inside the small room.
“Why are your clothes still on?” he whispered to me. Toothpaste foam dribbled down his chin.
I raised an eyebrow, and I noticed his penis jerk upwards slightly. Without a moment’s thought, I was down on my knees. I kissed the head, and it responded to the gentle caress of my lips. Anthony’s scent was manly and intoxicating. His shaft lengthened and became hard. Opening my mouth wider, I slipped him inside. Anthony’s right hand moved outward and he grabbed onto the counter. I heard the rush of air as he rapidly filled his lungs. My tongue stroked the underside of his erection a few times before it jerked against the roof of my mouth. A flood of semen spread throughout my mouth. The saltiness was milder than that of my own, and I quickly swallowed what he had given me.
Anthony seemed breathless. “Sorry.”
I stood back up. The toothpaste was dripped onto his chest and completely covered his chin. “No. Don’t apologize.” I removed my clothing and stood close to him. He was still hard. My erection jutted forward. I moved so that the head my dick touched the head of his. “Let’s get under the water so you can rinse your chin.”
He glanced at himself in the mirror. “Oh, fuck.” He dropped his toothbrush into the cup and rubbed his palm across his face. Most of the toothpaste foam was gone. I pulled him into the shower, and the water stream removed the rest. I kissed him, long and hard.
When I pulled back to breathe, Anthony stared into my eyes. His eyes filled with tears. “I don’t know what I’d do if you weren’t here. I love you, Dylan. I knew I was falling for you, but today, when I was working on one of the cases, and I saw those horrible pictures, I knew. All I wanted to do was hold you and have you hold me. I wanted to make sure you were safe. I wanted to protect you from all the evil in the world.
“You do make me feel safe.” Before that moment, I hadn’t considered that aspect of a relationship, but it was true. I felt safe with Anthony. Secure. Protected. Loved. Even before he admitted it to himself, I knew. I knew that he would be coming back to me. I knew that from that moment on, he wouldn’t go looking elsewhere for companionship or sex. “I love you more than I ever thought was possible.” Anthony pulled me to him, and then, without either of us saying anything, we lathered, rinsed ourselves, and dried off.
That night, we spooned, and at some point, I felt Anthony’s tongue rub against my ear. As I felt myself harden, I felt his erection push into the crack of my ass cheeks. I pivoted slightly so that he pushed against my hole. We slowly and rhythmically moved against one another. I felt a slicker movement as Anthony released precum. I knew that there wasn’t enough lubrication, but I spread my cheek slightly and pushed back on him. There was a painful stretch as he entered me. He gasped slightly. I only whispered, “I love you.”
Epilog
Anthony and I remained together. We bought a fifty-acre spread in East Texas that was filled with pine trees. We plan to build a home for vacations and then our retirement. For the present, we live in a large city next to the Atlantic Ocean because Anthony received a promotion, and he wouldn’t take it if I didn’t go with him. And I’ll always go with him.
