by Inge Mayhem
He had a call that morning from his sister in-law, Gracie, which was not really something he had expected. She hadn't called him since the incident with her husband, Hank.
Hank was Brad's older brother. Even though both of them had grown up with people incessantly gushing about how much they looked like twins, their personalities couldn't be further apart.
Hank and Gracie had been married a lot longer than Brad and Michael. They even had children, but that hadn't stopped Hank from cheating on his wife. That was another story though, and it seemed like it was ages ago. Today Gracie had called him to tell him that she was finally going to give Hank another chance, after their separation.
To anyone else, this seemed like good news. Brad was even willing to bet that Michael would be pleased by this. Brad had always felt that what his brother did was beyond terrible, especially when he considered how much Gracie loved and cherished him. She completely adored Hank, so Brad knew that it had been extremely difficult for her to ask for a separation. They had stayed married, but she had lived apart, taking the kids with her.
Hank had made several attempts to try and get back with his wife and children. During this process, he had proven that he was a changed man, but Brad didn't buy it. He was still very skeptical about everything.
He didn't believe that his brother deserved another chance. Not only had his brother's bad decisions affected Hank's family, it had also affected Michael and Brad's relationship: leading to them to calling off their wedding in the process.
Luckily that had been amended, after both men had made the decision to forget about all outside influence and just focus on themselves.
Brad and Michael had then left town to get married elsewhere. It was a small wedding; less of a wedding and more of a process. They had gotten married officially, but without all the bells and whistles of an actual celebration. Brad didn't see anything wrong with this though, to him, as long as he had the man of his dreams to himself, he was just fine.
After that, they had come back to Long Harbor City, to realize that their lives were now back to normal. Since then, they had moved to a new home, far from where they once lived, and had continued their married life.
Brad wandered into the bedroom, where he saw his husband, lying on the bed, with a large book in his hands.
“Hey,” Michael greeted. “Whoa, you look awful. Work must have been hell.”
Brad groaned. It was true; he looked like a mess. His shirt was partly stained, untucked, and he looked like he would drop to the floor at any moment. This was all just on the surface though, deep down, Brad didn't feel as stressed as he did before.
“I'm fine,” he chuckled. “I'm actually great now: I guess I just needed to see you.” Brad walked to the bed and placed a deep kiss on his lover's lips. The kiss was very well received, as Michael's hands found their way to Brad's face, deepening the kiss.
They pulled apart moments later, and Brad stepped into the bathroom. He took off his clothes and quickly hopped in for a long, relaxing, and well-deserved shower. He must've spent too long in the shower, because by the time he came out, the cool-orange evening sky had turned dark. Michael was also not in the bedroom anymore.
Brad walked out completely naked; a part of him hoping that Michael would walk in on him while he was nude. That didn't happen though, and after a few minutes, Brad put on his clothes. He soon discovered why Michael wasn't in the bedroom anymore, as the delightful smell of pizza filled the air.
Brad walked out of the bedroom and followed the aroma, which led him to the living room. There, he saw Michael at the front door, talking with the delivery guy. Michael turned to meet him with a smile on his face, and Brad knew there was something up.
Usually, whenever Michael had a big issue on his mind that he needed to discuss with Brad, he would find a way to sort of soften the blow before they talked. This could be with a gift or a sort of peace offering. In this case, it was the exploitation of Brad's love for pizza, and in all honesty, he didn't mind, just as long as what Michael wanted wasn't unreasonable.
“You ordered pizza?” Brad asked. Michael nodded in response, as he carried the two large cardboard boxes to the coffee table in the living room. He sat on the long sofa and Brad hurriedly sat beside him, with childlike excitement gleaming in his eyes. Michael couldn't help but laugh at the effect that certain foods had on his husband.
“Why though?” Brad continued. “Usually I'm the one who suggests an order: so what gives?”
“You mean I can't just order food for the love of my life, with absolutely no strings attached whatsoever?” Michael insisted, with a dramatic mock hurt on his face.
“Alright, fine,” he said, knowing that Brad wasn't buying the innocent act. “Yeah, you're right. There is something that I want to discuss with you. It's not really that much of a big deal though. I just felt that the pizza would be a nice touch.”
“And you would be right about that,” Brad confirmed, taking a big slice in his hands. He took a bite out of it and reveled in the taste. After a moment of quiet meditation, he opened his eyes, to see Michael staring at him, with an amused smile. “Go on, I'm listening,” he urged.
“Okay,” Michael began, taking a slice of his own. “It's been quite some time since we got married, and with all the circumstances considered, I completely understand why we had to have our wedding out of town. I'm not even asking for a redo or an actual ceremony . . .” his voice trailed off, as if he didn't know what to say next.
“Come on,” Brad coaxed softly. “You know you can tell me. What is it?”
“I don't know,” Michael continued. “I still feel like we should celebrate it with our friends and family at least, you know?”
“Yeah, I do,” Brad said. He understood how it would feel for Michael since he was especially close to his family and was not able to celebrate his wedding with them. It wasn't the same for Brad, as it was mainly because of his family that they had left in the first place.
“I was thinking of a party,” Michael suggested. “A wedding party: one we could host ourselves, and invite everyone to. At least, those close to us.”
“That doesn't sound like a terrible idea,” Brad said. “Sure, why not?”
Michael engulfed Brad in a huge hug, before pulling away and bringing up a binder, seemingly out of nowhere.
“Um . . . what's that?” Brad questioned.
“It's what I was using for the preparations last time.” He opened the binder to a particular page that had names on it. “You know, I made a whole list of those we could invite. Since this won’t be as big as what the wedding would've been, then we can just cut a few people from the list.”
“That's easy; cut my family from the list,” Brad said, without missing a beat.
Michael didn't at all seem shocked by this. Heck, he expected it. “Still mad at Hank, huh?”
“Yeah, but something happened today. Gracie called.”
“What? Why didn't you tell me?”
“I was going to. I was just too tired to tell you immediately when I arrived home.”
“Well, what did she say?”
Brad let out a sigh. “She's going to give Hank another chance.”
“That's amazing news,” Michael said. Then he saw the expression on his husband's face. “But you don't seem too keen on this.”
“Yeah,” he admitted. “I guess I should be happy, but I can't help it.”
He didn't have to explain further, as Michael gave him a knowing look.
“If you don't feel comfortable with them there, then I guess I can just scrap them from the list.”
Brad nodded, and they went through a few other names. An hour and two boxes of pizza later, they were done.
“That's all,” Brad exclaimed. He pumped his fist into the air, triumphantly. “We're finally finished.”
“Well, not quite. We've taken names away, and now there are a few we need to add,” Michael explained. “Don't worry: it's not like we've made many new friends,”
he quickly added, when he saw the look of exhaustion on Brad's face. “It's just Tyson and Shawn, I guess. Oh, and Florence too. I'd really love to meet her.”
“Shawn,” Brad cringed. I'm still not sure about him.”
“You're just being silly; Shawn is a perfect gentleman.”
“If you say so,” Brad resigned.
“Great, that's it then. Now we have time for other things,” Michael smirked, with a coy smile. He shifted his binder to the corner and moved in on his husband. His hands found their way into Brad's body and roamed freely.
“Now that's done,” Michael continued. He slipped his hands into Brad's shorts. “I think there's something else I'd like to take care of.”
“Be my guest,” Brad said, with a smile. He reclined his head back, as Michael ducked lower. Brad closed his eyes, momentarily forgetting about everything.
Chapter 3
Shock
“I can't fucking believe this!” Florence yelled, and she was not alone. Tyson couldn't believe what he had just witnessed. Nobody in the arena could. Soon, the sounds that had been cheers erupted again, but the looks of shock, on the faces in the crowd, appeared to be permanently glued on.
Bruce had just lost. It had been such a humiliating loss too. His opponent had caught him in a triangle hold, and Bruce didn’t recover. He gave up, mere moments later, much to the surprise of the entire crowd, ending the fight in the first round.
“Did . . . did he just . . .” Florence stammered, struggling with her words. “Did he just lose?”
Tyson understood. Her favorite fighter had just lost. Sure, he wasn't the best guy in the world, but from what Tyson had seen, Bruce wasn't supposed to lose that night. This fight wasn't even as hyped up as his fight against Hiroshi. Yes, Bruce had just lost, for the first time ever, ending his impressive streak.
“I don't even know what to say?”
“Let's just leave,” Florence said. “I think both of us have been disappointed enough for one night.”
Tyson knew what Florence meant. She wasn't referring to the fight as Tyson's disappointment; that had merely been a surprise to him. His disappointment had come from Shawn, and this time, Florence finally saw what Tyson had been complaining about.
Shawn, who had invited both of them for the fight, was nowhere to be found. He hadn't even shown up at all, instead merely sending a text, halfway through the fight, that he would be unavailable, but would make it up to them.
Tyson had been prepared for a wonderful evening with his boyfriend and his best friend. He had even saved the news of his promotion, so he could tell Shawn in person, but that had fallen through. He hoped that he would be able to get in some more time with Shawn, but it only felt like he was becoming increasingly busy, and as much as Tyson tried to understand, he was reaching his limit.
He found himself drawing similarities from both Shawn and Victor, and even as far back as Drew. He looked at the men that he had fallen for, and wondered if he was forever bound to fall in love with someone who would continue to be unavailable to him.
At least Shawn had a legitimate excuse for always bailing—it didn't remove the blow—it only softened it, and not by very much.
Even Florence, who had been the one to vouch for Shawn, had slowly given up. Added to her disappointment of the night, she was in no mood to make excuses for Shawn.
But Tyson still felt like he owed Shawn some gratitude. After all, the fact that they were even watching the fight live, and not from their homes was because of Shawn. He had even given them some of the best seats in the arena; ones that they probably wouldn't have gotten without him.
That, and all the gifts that Shawn kept giving him. Tyson felt like he was somehow indebted to the man, and therefore, couldn't complain about the unavailability.
All these thoughts continued to circle in his head, as he walked out of the arena with Florence. They had decided not to even try and go to the backstage area to meet Bruce.
Tyson knew Florence well enough to know that she still wanted to meet Bruce, but there was a lot of fear. If he had behaved so rudely the first time, they couldn't even imagine how he would behave, after his first loss ever. They weren't keen on finding out either.
“Let's just go home. I don't think I can go to another fight.”
“I completely understand,” Tyson replied, taking Florence to his car. “Maybe just take a break from the shows. I don't think Shawn understands that while I appreciate the gifts, I just want some time with him.
“I hear you, loud and clear,” Florence said. “That's why I don't want anything serious.”
“What about Noah?” Tyson questioned. “You seem happy to go out with him.”
“That's because he's so big and good-looking. I don't know if I'm thinking about anything long term. I mean, look at your record. No offense.”
It was hard not to take offense to that, but Tyson knew she was stating the facts.
“Yeah, I agree,” he concurred. “Who knows: maybe yours will be the one that works. Just keep an open mind. Noah is a great guy.”
“I guess we'll have to see about that,” Florence quipped, getting into the car.
Chapter 4
Nerves
Florence knew that she was supposed to keep an open mind, but instead she found herself raising her guard, as she waited for her date to arrive.
It wasn't that she had waited long; she had only been there for less than five minutes. Florence had also been the one to pick the restaurant, and she knew it might take Noah a bit more time to find it, since he had said that he had never been there before. But she found herself looking for a reason to walk away from the date.
Not because Florence didn't want to go out with Noah, in fact, it was the exact opposite. She wanted badly to go out with him—that was her problem. They hadn't been talking for that long, and this was going to be their first official date, but Florence already felt like she was falling for the hockey star, and fast.
Usually that wasn't the case. That was why she chased after men she knew would generally have no real interest in her, more than casual sex. So when she realized that she had looked forward to her date—way too much—she realized that it was a change. She wasn't good with change.
Florence had already tried to make their date as casual as she could. She had decided that it would just be a lunch date, and she had also picked out a small burger joint. She wanted something that Noah wouldn’t read into too much, or try to interpret in any way.
Florence was drawn from her thoughts by the sounds of heavy footsteps behind her. She turned to see the big man that she had been expecting for the past few minutes. There was a large smile on his face. He took the seat across from her.
“I'm sorry I'm late. It was a lot harder to find this place than I thought,” he said, as he sat down. He took one long look at Florence, the smile still not leaving his face. “You look stunning. I apologize again; someone as beautiful as you shouldn't be kept waiting.”
That was another thing. Florence flirted a lot: a whole lot more than what would be termed as normal—but so did Noah. His attempts weren't as frequent as hers, but she felt uneasy, every time a line from Noah left her speechless.
“Thank you,” she replied. She lifted up the menu, as if wondering what she was going to order, even though there wasn't much on the menu to begin with. After a few moments, both of them placed their orders.
“Can you tell me what's wrong?” Noah said, as Florence took a bite from her burger.
“Huh?”
“I just assumed that you were acting strangely because you were hungry or something, but your food has come, and it seems that you're still the same. Is something wrong? Did I do something to upset you?”
“What? No, that's not it.”
“Oh, is it because I was late? I'm really so—”
“No, no,” Florence said, shaking her head. “I'm sorry, this is all on me. I was just in my head, I guess.”
“Care to share? I'm willing to lis
ten.”
Florence took in a long breath. As she let it out, she spoke. “Listen, I'll be upfront. I like you, for some reason, I like you a lot. I know we haven't been conversing for long, and this is just our first date, but I don't usually fall for people, at least not in this way. So this is sort of taking me by surprise. I just found myself thinking about how this would be in the long run, and I guess I'm a little scared.”
Noah laughed, confusing Florence a little. He noticed her confused look.
“I'm nervous too,” he confessed.
“You don't show it at all.”
“Years of practice. I'm a professional athlete. You don't really get to this stage if you just bare all your emotions like that. But I have to say that I was nervous to meet you. I thought you looked interesting from the first time I saw you, and your personality is honestly amazing. You're great to talk to, and even though this date hasn't really gone to plan, you're great to be around.”
“I know you're just saying that,” Florence countered.
“I'm not though. I'm here because I want to be. I haven't gone on a date for so long, I thought I would instantly mess this up. But I know I like you, and I would really like to see where this goes. I don't think we have to worry about the future right now, maybe we could just get to know each other. How's that sound?”
Florence nodded her approval. “I'll go first,” she said. “I have a few questions that I've wanted to ask. Why did you pick hockey? Not that I'm against it, but I mean, personally, I prefer MMA. Have you ever considered Mixed Martial Arts? You would be fantastic at it—you already have the body for it. I could imagine you in the octagon. Have you ever considered it?”
Florence continued to ramble on, and Noah just sat with a smile on his face, as he watched her throw questions at him. The hockey season was over, and he couldn't think of a better way to enjoy his time than to spend it with someone new. He liked her instantly. He had a good feeling about her: the same way he had had a good feeling about Tyson, from the moment they met. He just hoped that Tyson would heed his advice and stay away from Shawn. These nice people didn't deserve to be dragged into that sort of thing. The sort of thing that he had left behind.