Hope & Despair- Full Circle

by Alan Wild

  Oliver told Nate, "It would be great for you to meet my team because I want to foster an open working relationship with DPD, and this would be a perfect opportunity." They walked out of the kitchen, and Oliver caught Nate from the corner of his eye, sticking cookies in his pockets. He just grinned and got ready to cover all of the information he had discovered.

  After sharing all of the details, Oliver started to get antsy. He wanted to start cooking for his date tonight. He may have been a bit rude; it almost seemed like he was kicking Ray and Nate out of his house. And, to be completely honest, he was. As they were leaving, Nate got the computer from Noah, and he left Oliver alone with Ray. Oliver asked, "What was going on?" Ray took a few moments, and it looked like he was fighting some internal battle. "How serious are you about Noah?" Ray asked. Oliver thought that it was weird considering Nate asked the same question, but he answered anyway. "I really like him. I mean, I like him a lot. Why do you ask?" Ray said, "I assumed that when you agreed to go out on a date with me that you weren't involved with anyone." Oliver was floored by Ray at that point. He could not wrap his head around what was happening. He began to fume with rage. He looked at Ray with disgust and said, "I thought that when you said, 'can we get a beer and catch up,' it was just going to be us hanging out as friends. Plus, RAY, the last time we spoke in college, I had my dick in your mouth. You laughed at me and said, you were not gay. What happened to you not being gay, Ray?"

  Ray looked down and stuck his hands in his pockets, clearly embarrassed, he said, "I have wanted to apologize for that so many times, I just couldn't find the nerve. I was sleeping with your roommate because she wanted to convince me that I wasn't really gay. She had me believing that I would ruin my life if I told my friends and family that I am gay" Rolling his eyes, Oliver said, "So, Shelly thought she could turn your dumb ass straight? God, she was a bitch! So why didn't you talk to me? I was pissed off, but I haven't ever stayed upset with anyone." Ray just shrugged his shoulders. Oliver told Ray, "Even though Noah and I just met, we have our first date tonight. I really like Noah. Ray, I appreciate that you finally told me. I would still like for us to grab a beer as friends. It would be great to catch up with you and hear about your life after college." Oliver offered to introduce him to one of his investigators. Ray said, "Thanks, I can get my own dates." Oliver had a sly grin, "Be that as it may, you need to speak to my friends tomorrow." Ray asked, "What is tomorrow? He said, "Talk to your partner; we are meeting with my team over breakfast." Ray looked a little confused, but he said he would see them tomorrow. Then he got in the car and drove away.

  Oliver went into the house and started to pull out all the ingredients needed. He began cooking. Noah walked into the kitchen and asked if he needed any help. Oliver said, "Sugar tits, as much as I would love to have you cooking with me in the kitchen, I just don't think I could focus, and I want this dinner to be a surprise for our date." Just then, he looked at the clock and realized that the flowers would be delivered in an hour. So, he told Noah that it had been a long day and asked if he would like to go and take a long shower. "You can use my shower. You can program the temperature, pressure, and there are several jets. After a long day, that shower is my everything. It is euphoric." Noah smiled and took him up on his offer. He headed up, and Oliver thought, "Shit, he might need help with programming the shower. As much as I would love to help Noah shower, I need to cook for our date. He will just have to figure it out on his own.

  The seafood stew was ready for the last element, and the bread was in the oven. Oliver had the dining room table set for two and was prepared to jump in the shower. He walked out of the kitchen, convinced that he could shower in the time that it took the rolls to finish baking. He was glad that he had picked up the pies and set out the frozen cheesecake that he had made last week. A little nervous, he reached in the refrigerator, grabbed a beer, snatched one of the shrimp starters, and headed upstairs. Once in his room, he started getting his stuff ready for the shower. This time he remembered that Noah was close and wanted to have a special date night with him. If he were naked in front of him, he would not make it to dinner.

  He felt Noah before he saw him. He was standing by the window in the closet. Oliver couldn't help but say something. "You know, closets are for clothes." Noah looked a little shaken, he smiled and said I was drying off. I caught movement in my peripheral. I could swear I saw the guy in the black hoodie from the store. Oliver asked, "Where did you see him?" He needed to get the location so he could pull the feed and send the images to his team. Noah said he was by the tree. Oliver decided that to get everything done, he needed to get going, so he told Noah that he needed a shower. He explained, "You are banned from the kitchen, understood?" Rubbing his hands together, he continued, "I have a surprise on the way," Oliver reminded him that he couldn't answer the door or go outside, no matter what.

  With as fast as he could go, Oliver washed every part of his body. He knew that he could not expect more than just the date tonight, but he still put on his silk boxers because he liked the way they made him feel. He grabbed his phone and fired off a text to the florist to see if they could give him another ten minutes before coming to the door. He quickly received the confirmation text, which said he was just a few blocks away. Oliver grabbed a $100 bill out of the safe and went in search of Noah.

  He was in his room, reading a book that Oliver loved so much he had bought five copies to give to friends. He said, "Great book!" and Noah jumped out of his skin. He instantly felt bad for scaring him and asked," Are you ready for our date?" Noah had this beautiful look somewhere between amusement and shock. He didn't want to appear nervous or too excited, but he couldn't hold back any longer. Noah jumped up off the bed with the eagerness of a child on Christmas morning. Just as they were on the bottom step of the stairs, the doorbell rang. He checked the surveillance footage on his phone to make sure it was the florist. He gave Noah the most charming smile he could come up with and told him that the door was for him. He looked confused, but he smiled and said, okay.

  Oliver walked with him and opened the door. The look on Noah's face made his whole year. Oliver asked the florist to bring the flowers in and place them on the dining room table. Once he set them down, Oliver expressed his appreciation for his efforts and then handed him the tip. He watched to make sure he made it to his delivery van, then closed and locked the door.

  He turned around to see Noah reading the card. He rushed over to him because he noticed that he was crying. He started to rub his back and asked him what was wrong. He was second-guessing his decision on getting the flowers because he thought that he was coming on too strong and that he would scare him away. Noah wiped his tears, and with a smile, he said, "No one has ever bought me flowers. I have never been this happy in my entire life as I have been since I met you." Blushing like a senseless fool, Oliver cleared his throat and grabbed Noah's hand and kissed it. He told him, "If you are happy, then I am happy."

  He excused himself and finished cooking the dinner at record speed. Once all the dishes, bread, and desserts were placed on the table, they sat down and looked at the spread. Oliver was proud of his hard work and hoped that Noah liked his cooking. Noah confessed, “I thought you invited several people over when I saw how much food you purchased." Oliver laughed, "That is just one of my quarks. Some people would say I have a disability, but I call it my superpower." Noah had a confused look on his face and said, “I don’t understand.” Oliver explained, "I always fear that there will not be enough food, so I over purchase everything.

  I also buy cases of things that I like. The towels that I use are so soft, so I bought 8 cases. I know the cologne I use is my favorite, so I have 12 bottles." He smiled with bittersweet memories of his time with Anthony. "I still worry that there will not be enough even though I am financially set. I don't have to worry about money as long as I am responsible with it." He didn't want to go into detail what he experienced, but he told him that Anthony was his ex and was a natural at making him fe
el like shit. "He said I was stupid so many times, I started to believe him. At the end of our relationship, I finally stood up for myself." Feeling like he needed to explain, Oliver said, "I have memory issues, and I learn things differently than most people. I need to have some kind of emotional connection when I learn so that I can remember what I learned. It’s that way with everything, and I have to work problems out in my brain differently than everyone else. It can be exhausting! But that is what makes me a good investigator. I work problems from different angles" Oliver explained that smartphones have helped him so much. Oliver said, "Enough about me. Let's dig in."

  He dished out the stew for both of them, and Oliver let him choose the amount of salmon he wanted. Then, he handed him the shrimp and just watched him while he loaded his plate with amazement. Noah took a second and looked at the spread; then, it hit him that Oliver made all of this just for him. He forgot that he had told Oliver how he loves seafood. Oliver grabbed his hand and said, "I am so happy that you agreed to go on this date with me. It makes me happy that it makes you happy," he paused. "I apologize if I come on too strong. When I know what I like, I go for it. I haven't been on a date in so many years; I don't know what to do with myself or my excitement." Noah smiled and told him, "Well, this is my first date." Oliver kissed his hand and told him, "Then, we fit together perfectly."

  After eating and being sufficiently stuffed, Oliver realized that he had forgotten to light the candles. He growled and huffed "Shit, I forgot to light the candles. I am sorry." Noah smiled "Now it's your turn to breathe." They laughed, and Oliver started to clear the table. They worked together in the kitchen like it was second nature. Oliver loaded the dishwasher and got it started. He asked Noah, "Do you mind if we let our dinner settle before the desert?" Noah rubbed his belly "I couldn't eat another bite." Oliver looked at Noah and said, "I am not ready for our date to end. Would you like to watch a movie with me?" Noah agreed with a smile, and they headed to the theatre in the basement. They watched Heartstrings, a show based on Dolly Parton's songs, on Netflix. After watching the first show in the series, Oliver asked if Noah was ready for dessert, and he agreed that he couldn't pass up cheesecake, but he would pass on the pies. He smiled, grabbed his hand, and said. "Let's go get our desert on!"

  Halfway up the stairs, the horrible screeching sound of the security system went off. Oliver quickly pulled Noah back down the stairs. He had a safe room built in the basement. He asked Noah to wait in the room and lock the door after he left. Oliver unlocked the gun safe and grabbed the first gun available. After making sure that Noah was secure and locked up, he ran up the stairs as his phone rang. Oliver answered the call to tell the security company that the sounding alarm was not in error. The security agent told him that the police were on their way. He advised them that he had a gun, so the police shouldn't confuse him for the assailant. He began checking each room with his gun drawn.

  So far, there was nothing out of place. He started up the stairs to the second floor when he noticed the broken window in the kitchen. He padded to the kitchen when the pounding on the door began. The voice was booming, and the man screamed, "Police! Open up!" Oliver promptly changed his direction and went for the door. He thanked him for showing up so fast. The officer was just as tall as he was. He was huge, built like a brick shit house. He asked to take Oliver's weapon. He complied because he knew it was the policy. Oliver walked over and turned off the alarm system. With the absence of the unbearable screeching of the alarm, Oliver could think. Two officers began clearing each room. He told them, "Noah is locked in my safe room in the basement. He can open the door from inside, and I have the entry code as well. They headed to the room, and he was asked to go down the stairs first, followed by the huge officer. Oliver entered the code, and the door opened to find a terrified hyperventilating Noah.

  Concerned, Oliver rushed in to try and help him focus. "Hey, Noah, inhale slowly and hold to the count of three and release." He heard one of the officer’s call for an ambulance. Oliver said, "The ambulance isn't necessary, he will be fine in a few minutes, plus Noah can't leave the house because he is a target." The officer told him that he was updated by Sergeant Matthews and was aware of the situation. He got Noah up the stairs, and they sat on the sofa. A police officer came over to them. He had a brick, covered in blood in the evidence bag. He said, "This must be what set off the alarm. There was a note attached as well." Another officer had the note in a plastic bag. The message read, "You have what is mine, now you will die. You can't hide from me."

  Noah was visually shaken. Once all of the police were gone, Oliver called Ajay and told him, "Whoever was supposed to watch the house must not have noticed someone walking into my backyard and troughing a brick through my window." Ajay apologized and said he would get to the bottom of this. Oliver told Ajay that he needed someone stationed in his kitchen. "I can still set my security alarm," he said, "But I now have a broken window that anyone could get through." He knew it wasn't Ajay's fault, but he couldn't let this happen again. "Now I have to get the window repaired tomorrow, great!", Oliver thought. It was midnight by the time Ajay had Darian stationed in the kitchen. The guy has a solid build standing 5'9" of pure muscle with hazel eyes. His hair, a dirty blond, was usually styled with hair product, but tonight, it hung loose and wavy on his face. Darian was great at picking up details that most people missed. So, feeling safe and secure, they made their way up to bed.

  Oliver was tired, but Noah was shaken. So, after five or six minutes of trembling, he told him, "I want to make sure you are safe, why don't you sleep in my room. I promise that all we will do is sleep. I can sleep on the floor if needed." He gave Noah a heads up about the early morning. "I am cooking breakfast for my crew, Ray and Nate. I think it is important that you meet my team." Noah went to get ready for bed and came back to the room in loose shorts and a T-shirt. They climbed into bed, and Oliver pulled him up next to his bare chest and realized that he was head over heels for this man, after just a few days of knowing him. Sleep came for both of them, and they slept well in each other's arms without moving at all.

  Chapter 8

  Oliver Thaddeus

  Waking up with Noah in his arms was something that felt right. It was like they were lost puzzle pieces that were reunited, they just fit together, and the world was a brighter place to be in. Thinking about Noah and having him in his arms was doing nothing to help the pressure of his morning wood. The erection was almost painful because he also needed to relieve himself. Oliver did not want to peel himself away from Noah after he laid there, trying not to wake the sleeping stud muffin.

  Oliver’s arm was around him, and his hand rested on Noah’s chest. He started to rub Noah’s chest to motion that he was going to get up. That is when he discovered that the feeling of Noah’s skin was different. It was smooth under his shirt, but places were elevated and scarred. Oliver recalled the story about the man being burnt by boiling coffee. He immediately felt anger for the person that hurt this beautiful man when he was younger.

  As he rubbed his chest, he became aware that the need to exit was now urgent. Noah also had morning wood, and he was pressing against Oliver’s leg. The thought of staying in bed with Noah all day is a goal for another day. Canceling the meeting this morning is not an option.

  Noah rolled over. Snuggled closer to Oliver, and he raised his leg. As Noah’s leg traveled up Oliver, it stopped when it landed on Oliver’s erection. After a moment, Noah’s eyes flew open and stared at Oliver with a look of shock. Without time to process Noah’s reaction, Oliver quickly untangled himself from Noah and rushed to the bathroom.

  Oliver finished in the bathroom, it was early, but he knew that if he snuggled up with Noah, it would be twice as difficult to leave the bed to make breakfast. So, he gathered his clothes. He smiled when he found that Noah had fallen back asleep. Watching the man sleep made the butterflies stir. He figured that if Noah was comfortable to go back to sleep, then he must have been fine with his morning wood rubbing on
his leg.

  The master bath was an open concept, featuring a sizeable custom-built shower with a full glass enclosure with several massaging shower jets. Heading to the shower, Oliver figured that he would be okay because Noah was sleeping. When he bought the house, he hadn’t given it a second thought. He just thought that if he had guests, he would close his bedroom doors. But this time, his guest was in his bed.

  Stepping into the shower, Oliver let a moan slip as he allowed the hot water spill over his tight flesh. He felt like he was on fire. Looking over his shoulder to see if Noah was still sleeping, Oliver decided it would be easier to focus on the day better if he relieved some pressure. He closed his eyes and started stroking his fat wet cock. Moving faster and he knew he was close. The entire time he was thinking about the things he would do with Noah if given a chance. Oliver was fantasizing what it would feel like to have Noah fucking him with primal need and desperation. He decided that after Anthony, he would not settle for anything less than what he deserved- a loving relationship with hot sex. He wanted to take sex to a higher level knowing the person he was with cared about him, loved him with all his flaws. Stroking harder and faster, Oliver pictured Noah’s lips on his fat cock. The idea sent Oliver over the edge, and he came hard with ropes of copious white Joy. He was surprised by the volume of cum and the intensity of the orgasm.

  It was while he was washing his hair that the realization hit him. He faintly recalled yelling Noah’s name as he pulled off his load. He looked over his shoulder and did not see Noah in his bed. Oliver was not sure what he should feel. He was embarrassed, was he caught jacking off? He was still on the orgasm high, but that faded fast when he thought something could have happened to Noah while he was pulling on his dick.