by Shawn Lane
Getting Wade
By Shawn Lane
Published by JMS Books LLC
Visit jms-books.com for more information.
Copyright 2019 Shawn Lane
ISBN 9781634868723
Cover Design: Written Ink Designs | written-ink.com
Image(s) used under a Standard Royalty-Free License.
All rights reserved.
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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are solely the product of the author’s imagination and/or are used fictitiously, though reference may be made to actual historical events or existing locations. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Published in the United States of America.
* * * *
Getting Wade
By Shawn Lane
Wade Conner entered the dimly lit bar and let the heavy wooden door close behind him. For a moment, he stood in the entrance, trying to get his eyes to adjust enough to the darkness to be able to see what he came for.
Who he came for.
He’d never been in this particular bar before. McGinty’s Pub. It was one of those places that had been in the neighborhood for years, all the way back to when it was still legal to smoke in bars in California, and the slight stench of old smoke still hung in the air.
Wade wrinkled his nose. Other smells mixed there, too. He didn’t analyze the stench beyond pot and alcohol.
Shaking his head, he stepped into the main part of the old pub and searched the bar counter first. He doubted Neal Lowen would be there. Barstools weren’t really Neal’s style, but since they were the most obvious choice, Wade searched among the patrons there.
He saw a guy who looked like he could bench press two-fifty, a slight Asian man, and a bald man with a bit of a paunch.
The rest of the bar contained booths and rickety tables with old wooden chairs. In the corner was a mostly hidden booth, and of course, as soon as he spotted it, Wade knew he would find Neal. Pushing his slipped eyeglasses back into place, Wade approached the booth.
“Neal?”
Neal, who had been leaning his head on his folded arms, looked up when Wade spoke. In the dim light, Wade couldn’t make out the expression in his eyes, but judging by the empty glasses on the table, Neal was three sheets to the wind.
“Wade?”
“Yeah.”
Wade slid into the booth and scooted close enough to study his best friend. His dark eyes looked watery and his bottom lip trembled just a little. His chin-length dark brown hair appeared wild on his head. His skin was flushed.
“You came,” Neal whispered.
Wade gave his friend what he hoped was a reassuring smile. “Of course, I came. You needed me.”
Neal nodded.
“That’s what friends are for, remember?”
“Yeah, friends.” Neal looked at his fingers. “Have a drink with me.”
Wade glanced around the seedy bar. Years ago, McGinty’s had featured topless dancers. That was decades ago now. He wasn’t even sure how the place stayed in business.
“Are you sure you haven’t had enough?”
Neal shrugged. “Coke, then.”
“Okay, I’ll be right back.”
He slid out of the booth and stepped up to the bar. The other patrons didn’t even glance his way, but he noticed they all drank the hard stuff.
“Two Cokes,” he told the bartender when the bearded man reached him.
The bear of a man replied with a grunt, then mixed the syrup and water in skinny, tall glasses with two ice cubes each. He thrust them at Wade. “Five bucks.”
Wade gave the guy six and headed back to the booth. He really could have used a beer, but decided he needed to be sober enough to drive Neal home.
“I don’t remember you ever coming to McGinty’s before.”
Neal shrugged. “This was my dad’s hangout. When I was a kid and Dad wasn’t home, this was where he could be found. I guess that’s why I came here. I don’t know.”
Wade stuck a red straw in each Coke and pushed one toward Neal. “You’ve been thinking about your dad?”
“I guess, in some ways, I’m always thinking of him.” Neal gestured to the empty highball glasses. “But no, this wasn’t about Dad.”
“Okay.” Wade covered Neal’s clasped hands with his own hand. “What is it about then, Neal? In college, you couldn’t even handle more than one beer. This isn’t you.”
“I’ve left Dion,” Neal said so quietly, Wade almost missed it.
“Why?” Secretly, he wanted to pump his fist. He’d wanted to see Neal get rid of Dion for a long time.
“Does it matter?”
Wade sighed and squeezed his friend’s hands. “I guess not.”
Neal’s head lowered, his chin dipping low. “He found someone else. Younger, I guess. I caught them, you know, together.”
“I’m so sorry. This all happened today?”
Neal nodded. “I finished up early at the shop, and since I didn’t have any customers, I just closed. I decided to go home and surprise Dion because he didn’t have to work today.”
Wade found himself scooting closer to Neal and putting his arm around the smaller man’s shoulders. “You don’t have to go over it. I can guess.”
“Yeah. He told me it wasn’t the first time. He’d been screwing this guy for several weeks.”
“Son of a bitch.”
Neal leaned into him. “I told him I’d move out. The lease was in his name anyway.”
“I’m sorry.” He squeezed Neal closer. “Did you get your stuff out?”
“No, I just left. I couldn’t even look at him anymore.”
“Why don’t you come home with me tonight? And tomorrow we can deal with getting your car from here and your stuff from the apartment. You can stay with me until we can find you a new place.”
Neal smiled sadly. “Thanks, Wade. I’m sorry you had to come to my rescue.”
“It’s okay.” The truth was, he liked helping Neal. They’d been friends for years. They met as small boys living in the same neighborhood. They’d gone to school together, even college. They also came out around the same time.
As far as Wade was concerned, Neal had terrible taste in boyfriends. Before Dion, there had been Frank, Marty, and Sam. Neal was sweet and cute, bubbly as can be when he wasn’t nursing a broken heart. Men flocked to his effervescence. But all of his boyfriends had been big-time douches.
Not that Wade’s taste in boyfriends was stellar or anything. He’d had only two serious boyfriends, and neither of them had lasted beyond a few months. They hadn’t been as bad as the clowns Neal chose, but Wade just hadn’t been as into them as he should have.
“You think you’re ready to leave? How are you feeling?”
Neal winced. “A little like I might puke.”
“I was afraid of that. You think you can make it to my place first?”
Neal bit his lip. “I think so.”
Wade got out of the booth and stuck his hand out for Neal to grasp. After helping him up, he slipped his arm around Neal to steady him.
“If you need to throw up,
just tell me and I’ll pull over, okay?”
“Okay.” Neal’s smile was strained and his dark eyes still watery. “Thanks, Wade. You’re the best.”
* * * *
Neal allowed Wade to help him as he got out of the Ford pickup. He’d made it so far without embarrassing himself…not much. Being found weeping and wailing in a dive like McGinty’s hadn’t been his finest moment.
But, God, this time he thought he’d chosen right with Dion. He would never have given up his own apartment to move in with the man if he hadn’t thought Dion had been the one.
Well, the substitute one. The one he thought he could spend the rest of his life with since he couldn’t have the man he really wanted. Not that in that way, anyway.
Neal stole a glance at Wade as they moved up the short walkway to the man’s townhome. Even wearing glasses tonight—Wade generally wore contacts—his friend looked incredibly hot. His short-cropped sandy hair appeared slightly windblown and he wore a tight white T-shirt that showed off his muscles to delicious distraction. Wade owned a construction company and spent a lot of time outdoors, perfecting his tan.
“Can you stand on your own while I open the door?”
“Yes.” Though he missed Wade’s comforting touch immediately.
They stepped inside and Wade once more helped Neal. He walked him to the dark brown leather sofa and eased Neal down.
“Want some water? A bucket? Or do you need the bathroom?”
“Water would be good. I think I’m okay. Don’t think I’m going to barf anymore.” Neal rested his head on the back of the sofa. Now that the booze was wearing off, he felt ashamed. Growing up, he’d hated that his dad dealt with his problems with alcohol. He knew that drinking made things worse, not better.
Wade handed him a glass of water. “You look like shit, buddy.”
Neal nodded and sighed. “I feel like it, too. It’s just, you know, I thought Dion loved me.”
“Well, he’s an idiot. Who wouldn’t love you?”
“Apparently any number of guys,” Neal said, adding a pout for effect.
“You’ll meet a great guy, Neal. I believe that.”
Neal forced a smile, though he suspected it was a little ghastly given how he felt. “Do you think I could get a shower?”
“Of course. Are you sure you’re okay? I don’t want you collapsing in there or anything.”
“I’m not going to pass out,” Neal promised.
He rose from the couch and let the dizziness pass. Wade grabbed his arm to help him up the stairs. Although Neal thought he probably could make it up on his own, he enjoyed Wade’s pampering too much to protest.
Wade’s townhome consisted of three bedrooms. The master and the master bath were Wade’s. Two other bedrooms shared a bathroom between them. It was the first room, the one closest to the master, that Neal headed toward.
“I’ve got some spare pajama bottoms, if you like,” Wade said, then looked Neal up and down. “Way too big for you, though.”
For some reason, the thought of sleeping naked in the room next to Wade’s didn’t seem quite right, so Neal nodded. “Yeah, cool. Might be too big, but I’ll make do. Thanks, Wade. I really appreciate everything. I don’t think I could handle this breakup with Dion without you.”
“Anything for you. There are towels in the bathroom cabinet. I’ll leave the pajama bottoms on the bed.”
* * * *
Neal woke with a splitting headache. He felt like giving himself a spanking for being so stupid. Now he not only had a broken heart, but also a damn excruciating pain in his head. He sat up and his stomach flipped. Great, he felt queasy, too.
Wishing he could spend the day in bed, he struggled to get up, knowing he had a ton of things to do, including running a shop. He bit back a moan and headed into the bathroom for another shower.
Unfortunately, the only clothes he had to wear were the ones he’d worn yesterday, so after his shower, he was forced to put on his dirty clothes. He wrinkled his nose at the stench of stale alcohol as he pulled the T-shirt over his head. He’d forgotten he’d spilled a little Scotch last night.
Neal had figured he’d go get his stuff after work and not have to deal with it first thing, but that had been before he’d seen his appearance in the bathroom mirror and smelled the booze. He was supposed to open the shop at ten, though, and it was already nearly eight. That didn’t leave him a lot of time.
He opened the bathroom door to the hallway. Wade stood there, holding a mug of coffee. “There you are. I was just bringing this to you. Thought you might need it.”
Neal gratefully grabbed the big mug and took a large swallow. One of the pluses of knowing each other as long as they had was his coffee had been prepared just the way he liked it. Lots of cream, no sugar. “Thank you. I love you.”
Wade laughed. “If only I’d known that’s all it took. You almost ready for me to take you back to McGinty’s for your car?”
“Yeah. I think I’m going to have to hit the store on the way to my shop, though. I can’t wear this,” he said, fingering the shirt. “It reeks.”
“Want to borrow one of mine?”
Neal shook his head. “No, I’d look like a kid wearing his older brother’s clothes.”
“True.” Wade grinned. “You want breakfast?”
His stomach turned over even at the word. “I don’t think so. I’ll see how I do with the coffee. After work, do you think you can come with me to get my stuff at Dion’s?”
“Of course.” Wade squeezed his shoulder. “It’ll be okay, buddy.”
Forcing a smile, Neal nodded. “I know.”
* * * *
Neal owned a little souvenir shop in a picturesque Victorian-style building in a seaport village shopping mall in Malibu. The rent was high, but the location was ideal because it got a lot of traffic from tourists and beachcombers. Plus, it had an amazing view of the ocean, which made Neal happy.
His shop sold figurines of sea creatures, wind chimes, incense, and other assorted bric-a-brac. He’d majored in business in college, and it had gone a long way toward helping him run his own business. He doubted he’d ever be a millionaire, but he did pretty well year-round.
Neal had decided he could live with wearing the same jeans, so he’d bought only a pair of boxers and a new T-shirt to wear. The employee he had scheduled to work in the shop with him today wasn’t scheduled until the afternoon, so Neal unlocked the door and flipped over the OPEN sign.
Mornings when he first opened were often quiet, which unfortunately gave him a long time to think about Dion. Had he missed some sort of sign that Dion was unhappy with their relationship? Sex with Dion had been good. Or Neal thought so. Maybe Dion didn’t think sex with Neal was good at all. Should he ask? Would it matter?
After lunch, Neal pulled out his cell phone and called Dion. As the phone continued to ring, he was pretty sure Dion planned to let it go to voicemail.
“Neal?” Dion’s deep voice rumbled.
“Yeah.” He swallowed, his stomach fluttering at the sound of Dion’s voice. “Listen. Wade’s going to help me get my stuff later, after I close the shop, so I wanted to warn you.”
Dion sighed. “You don’t have to move out, you know. We can talk about this.”
“Talk?”
“Yes. It doesn’t have to be over between us.”
“You didn’t seem too worried about it last night when I said we were done,” Neal pointed out.
“I figured you needed time to think about it, process it.”
Neal pinched the bridge of his nose. “Are you going to stop fucking that guy?”
“Baby, lots of couples have open relationships.”
“So the answer is ‘no,’ you aren’t going to stop. You want me to agree to let you fuck whomever you want.”
There was a long pause. “Yes.”
“And does that extend to me? I can fuck whoever I want?”
“Yeah, sure. Only fair.”
Bastard, I hate you.
“Grow up, Neal. No one really practices monogamy.”
He decided to ignore that—or not to argue, anyway. But he wondered. Was monogamy really just an illusion? “You can be there when I get my stuff or not. Up to you.”
Dion let out a long-suffering sigh. “I’ll be gone.”
“All right,” Neal said. “Goodbye, Dion.”
But the man had already hung up.
So much for me.
The bell rang over the door and Neal turned his attention to the customers entering his shop.
* * * *
Wade pulled his truck into a visitor parking space just outside of Neal’s soon-to-be-ex-apartment.
Neal was just getting out of his sedan a few spaces away. He reached into the backseat and pulled out a couple of large cardboard boxes. He’d changed clothes since the last time Wade had seen him, but the sorrow still lingered in his eyes and he still looked a little too pale for Wade’s liking.
“Hi, Wade. Thanks for meeting me here.”
He patted Neal’s shoulder. “Let’s get this over with. We can stop for some dinner on the way home, if you want.”
“I’d love that. I’ve hardly eaten all day,” Neal admitted. “Not much of an appetite after last night.”
Wade nodded. “I can imagine. Well, we’ll make this as quick as we can. Dion here?”
“He said he wouldn’t be.” Neal stepped up to the front door of the apartment and twisted his key in the lock.
Wade hoped the asshole had kept his word. He’d be tempted to punch the dickhead’s face if he showed his ugly mug around Neal again. He’d learned over the years to keep his mouth mostly shut about Neal’s boyfriends, but he always ended up happy when Neal finally saw the light about them.
Now, he followed Neal inside the quiet apartment. Wade had been there a few times, but mostly when he got together with Neal, they went to his townhome or some public place. He wasn’t one to believe in the “woo-woo” stuff, but Dion’s apartment gave him bad vibes.
“You want to take any furniture? If there’s no room at my place, we can always get a storage unit for you.”
Neal shook his head. He stood just inside the living room, looking around the apartment, his lips turned downward in a slight frown. “All of this stuff belonged to Dion. The furniture I had before was mostly junk hand-me-downs, and I tossed those things when I moved in here. Didn’t seem to need them.” His bottom lip quivered. “I don’t even have a bed.”