by Alice Harper
“Sounds like you like him,” Jimmy said. “Ask him out on a date.”
“He wanted to ask me out,” he said. “But I told him it was a one-time thing. Maybe I'll forget about him if I just fuck him.”
“Or maybe he's the one,” Jimmy said. “Maybe you shouldn't be afraid of a relationship. It's not as scary as you think, you know.”
“It is a scary thing,” he said. “Limiting yourself to just one person is not for me. Being faithful is too much work.”
“When you love someone, you don't want to have sex with anyone else,” Jimmy said. “That's how much you love the other person. You'll see for yourself once you're in a relationship.”
“Since when are you an expert on relationships?” he asked.
“I've seen too many romance movies,” Jimmy said with a smile. “I know what I'm talking about. Speaking of which, there's this new Norwegian romance series everyone's talking about. One of its seasons has a gay romance. Wanna sleepover so we can binge-watch it?”
“You know I hate romance shows,” he said. “They're cheesy and all the same. But watching anything with you is fun. So let's do it. Besides, you won't be able to get through it without a shoulder to cry on.”
“I don't cry,” Jimmy said looking embarrassed. “I just get a little emotional.”
“If you say so,” he said. “Why don't we watch it at my home? I haven't used the home theater in ages.”
“Where's the fun in that?” Jimmy asked. “The smaller the screen the better.”
That Saturday, they were up all night watching the TV series. Every time Jimmy got teary-eyed with joy or sorrow, he hugged Jimmy to remind him it wasn't real. In the past, he never understood why Jimmy got so emotional. But now he was imagining himself and professor Martin in the roles, which made him teary-eyed too. Finally, he understood what Jimmy had been feeling all along.
The next morning, he went back home tired and sleepy. He never understood why Jimmy wanted to do these binge watch sessions during the night. He assumed it was to avoid his parents walking in on them watching gay shows.
He opened the door and walked into his home to find his mom and dad asleep on the sofa. Just as he started on the stairs, his mom opened her eyes and woke his dad up.
“Where have you been all night?” she asked with a frown. “Your dad and I have been waiting for you to come home. We were about to go to the police if you hadn't come home by morning.”
He stopped and sat on the stairs.
“I was at Jimmy's,” he said. “We were binge-watching a show. Why are you acting concerned all of a sudden?”
“Because we thought you were missing,” she said and shrugged. “Why wouldn't you text or call to let us know?”
“Because you don't care, mom,” he said. “You haven't cared the past dozen times I've slept over without informing you. You didn't even notice that I wasn't home. All of a sudden you start caring about me?”
“We must've been busy back then,” she said. “You know how hard your father and I work. All the work we do is for you. All the luxuries you have, they don't just drop out of the sky. Everything you have - this house, your car, the home theater, the housekeepers, the clothes - is because of the difficult choice we've made, to work hard. We work hard so you can have a better life than we did.”
“I didn't ask for all these luxuries,” he said, raising his voice and waving his hands around. “The only thing a son needs is his parents, and you're never around. I was practically raised by nannies, butlers, and housekeepers.”
“We hired them so you wouldn't feel lonely,” his dad said.
“I felt lonely nevertheless”, he said teary-eyed. “Jimmy knows more about me than you two. You don't have to start pretending to care now. It's too late for that. You've already missed all of my childhood.”
He took the stairs before he'd start crying before his parents and locked himself in his room. He wished he wouldn't feel so lonely. He slept for three hours and when he woke up, he picked his phone and texted Martin.
Chapter 10: Martin
Martin got into his car and drove to pick up Nate. Nate was very religious like his mother. He knew taking him to church would make him happy.
As they entered the church and looked for seats, he was surprised to see Jimmy turning around and waving at him. He and Nate went over to Jimmy. It would be a perfect opportunity to introduce one of his potential boyfriends to his son.
“Hello, Jimmy,” Martin said turning to Nate. “This is my son, Nate. I wasn’t expecting to see you here.”
Jimmy’s smile faded as he looked at Nate and back at him to compare their similarity. People said they looked alike, but Jimmy was probably shocked to see he had a son as old as Jimmy.
“Nice to meet you Nate,” Jimmy said and shook Nate’s hand. “These are my parents. We come here every Sunday. I’ve never seen you here before.”
“Nate goes to a different church,” Martin said. “I’ve brought him here because it’s closer to where I live.”
“I’ve heard a lot about you,” Jimmy’s mom said as she shook Martin’s hand. “Jimmy praises you a lot. He says you’re passionate about what you teach, and that he wants to be like you one day.”
“Mom,” Jimmy said and blushed shyly before looking at her. “She’s exaggerating. I don’t talk a lot about you, professor.”
“It’s okay,” he said as he tried to contain his laughter. It was sweet that Jimmy talked about him to his mother. “We’re going to sit at the back. Nice to meet you guys.”
“Can I go sit with them, dad?” Jimmy asked and his dad nodded.
They sat in the last row of seats and the church service immediately began.
“I didn’t know you were the religious kind,” he whispered to Jimmy while looking at the clergy.
“I’m not,” Jimmy said. “My parents don’t know I’m irreligious. They’ll never understand. They love their religion more than their children. They’d drag me to the church by the hair if they had to.”
“Don’t say that,” he said. “All parents love their children unconditionally. They only want the best for their children. Sometimes, what they think is the best for their children might be wrong, but the love for them is unconditional nevertheless. I should know. I’m a parent myself.”
“So, do you think I should tell my parents I'm not religious?” Jimmy asked.
“No,” he said. “It's best to wait till you move out before you come out as anything.”
Towards the end of the service, Martin looked at Jimmy and stared at him with a smile. Jimmy just blushed instead of looking at him.
“What are you doing this evening?” he asked.
“Nothing,” Jimmy said looking at him. “Just going to stay at home and finish the assignment you've given us. Why?”
“You don't have to worry about the assignment,” he said. “There are other ways to earn a good grade. I want to take you out to a restaurant.“
“Are you asking me out in your son’s presence?” Jimmy asked as his cheeks turned pink. Jimmy looked to his side and found Nate dozing off.
“Yes,” he said. “You can think about it and let me know.”
“I don't have to think about it,” Jimmy said. “Yes, I'd love to.”
“What are you going to tell your parents?” he asked. “I don't support the idea of children lying to their parents.”
“I don't like to lie either,” Jimmy said. “But it isn't every day that I get asked out on a date by a hot professor. I'll tell them I'm hanging out with a friend.”
Martin's face lit up and they both couldn't stop smiling. They both stole glances at each other for the rest of the service and met the same look of joy.
When the service ended, Jimmy flew a quick flying kiss in his direction before heading off to his parents. Martin woke Nate up who looked surprised.
“God, did I sleep through the entire service?” Nate asked looking at his father's happy face and smile. “Do you find it amusing that I fell as
leep, dad?”
“It isn't about you,” he said. “Let's go back home. You can sleep there for a few hours before I drop you off at your mom's place.”
“I'll go wash up and meet you in the car,” Nate said and left.
Martin looked at Jimmy from a distance one last time and went to his car. His phone buzzed and he wondered if it was Jimmy. His smile faded when he noticed it was from Shane. He almost forgets that the other exists when he's thinking about one of them.
“What are you doing right now?” Shane's message read. “I think I'll take you up on that offer of a date.”
“Great,” he replied. “How about I pick you up from your place in two hours? Text me your address.”
Just when he thought the day couldn't get any better, his joy was doubled. Now he'd go on dates with both of them. He thanked the stars for shining upon him as Nate walked out of the church and got into the car.
Chapter 11: Martin
Martin was excited to pick the boys up for their dates. He couldn't stop smiling on his way to pick up Shane. He adjusted his hair in the mirror and sniffed his armpits and breath. He'd never had to do any of those things ever since he'd met Alice. He felt like a high schooler again, nervous if he'll get caught by Shane's parents while he waited outside.
Shane finally came out of his home looking like every other frat guy, except his clothes looked a lot more expensive. He couldn't believe how he fell for a college guy. He knew they always dressed like they were going to a party irrespective of where they went. Shane wore a white tank top with an unbuttoned shirt on jeans shorts and a red cap facing backward.
When Martin got out of the car to greet him, Shane gave a quick peck on his lips and hugged him. Martin gasped and looked around to see if their parents were peeping from any of the windows.
“What are you doing?” he asked as he broke the second kiss and opened the door for Shane. “What if your parents see us kissing? Are they okay with you going out with a man?”
“Oh, they don't care about me,” Shane said and got in. “They're too busy working. They barely acknowledge my existence when I'm home.”
“Ah, another case of bad parenting,” he said and started the car.
“Another case?” Shane asked. “Who else do you know with bad parenting?”
He remembered he couldn't talk to Shane about Jimmy. He felt sad he couldn't talk to one about how happy the other made him feel.
“No one you know,” he lied. “Just one of my patients who's the same age as you. Have you finished my assignment?”
“No,” Shane said. “I hate you for giving us such hard assignments. Why do they have to be that hard? We're just in the first semester. I think it'll just scare students away from psychology.”
“You don't have to worry about the assignments,” he said. “They don't contribute a lot to the final grade anyways.”
“If I fall, I'll just suck your dick and you'll have to pass me,” Shane said and Martin laughed. “Where are we going?”
“It's a restaurant that I visit a lot,” he said. “Especially now that I'm alone and a bad cook. When my son was underweight, I'd take him to that restaurant every day. It was his favorite and he loved it. He still loves it. He's the same age as you, actually.”
“You have a son my age?” Shane asked. “You look really young. How old are you?”
“Just turned thirty-six,” he said. “My wife had Nate when we were really young. You're eighteen I assume?”
“Yup,” Shane said. “I'm going to turn nineteen in five months. You're a good father. I can tell. I was underweight too once, and my nannies fed me like a pig until I got overweight. My parents barely noticed, as usual.”
“I'm sure they had their reasons,” he said. “Most parents don't know the first thing about parenting. They're thrown into it and hope to learn on their way. Some learn and some give up. It was the same with Nate. But fear teaches you everything. Parents always fear for their children's well-being and act accordingly. Sometimes they fear the wrong things, and that makes all the difference between right and wrong parenting.”
“That sounds exactly like my parents,” Shane said. “You're so wise. How did I get so lucky?”
“I'm the lucky one,” he said and smiled at Shane. Shane leaned over and he gave him a quick peck while still looking at the road.
When they reached the restaurant and got out, Shane stared at the restaurant's name and tilted his head.
“A vegetarian Indian restaurant,” Shane said. “How do you even say the name?”
“Trust me on this one,” he said. “Nate was skeptical about it too, but he loved it. It's called Durga. It's named after an Indian goddess.”
When they entered the restaurant, Shane looked around with an open jaw.
“Woah,” Shane said. “I've been to many restaurants, but never this big. I feel a little underdressed for the occasion.”
*You look fine,” he said as an Indian man approached them. “Underdressed, but sexy nevertheless. I can barely keep my hands to myself.”
Shane blushed with a smile and looked at his feet.
“I have a reservation for two,” he said to the man, and they were led to the reception.
“So, you have two reservations today,” the manager said. “One is right now and the other is in the evening. Would you like to confirm the one in the evening as well?”
“Why do you have another reservation in the evening?” Shane asked, looking confused.
His heart skipped a beat. He knew he had to come up with a lie even though he hated lies.
“There must've been some mistake,” he lied to the manager. “I only called for this reservation. You can cancel the other one.”
He could see Shane relax from the corner of his eye.
“Okay,” the manager said. “I'm sorry for the mix-up.” They were led to a table at the center of the crowded restaurant.
“Wow,” Shane said looking at the overly decorated candlelit table. “It's beautiful. You didn't have to do all of this.”
“Special decoration for a special person,” he told Shane as he pulled up a seat for him. “Go ahead and have a seat. I need to use the washroom really quick.”
He walked away behind Shane and went to the reception. He looked around to see if Shane was looking in his direction, which he wasn't.
“I’ve just realized I do need another reservation in the evening,” he said to the manager. “With the decorated table again. I'm sorry for the inconvenience. Could you maybe confirm it?”
“Sure,” the manager said and smiled as he typed away on his system. The manager's smile made him feel ashamed. He wondered if the manager could tell he was two-timing men half his age on the same day and same place.
When he went back to the table, Shane was smelling the big red roses.
“Why were you at the reception again?” Shane asked. “Is there a problem?”
“No,” he said as he took a seat. “Just making sure the service and food are top notch today.”
“You know how to treat a man right,” Shane said. “I've never been treated this good before. I'm used to being used as a cum dump.”
He almost choked on his water when he heard Shane's language.
“Language, young man,” he said. “I'm sorry you were treated badly before. That's the difference between young fuckboys and real men. Fuckboys just want sex with someone new and then they move on. Mature men treat their men right.”
“And they fuck hard,” Shane said. “I'm over dating young men. They lack experience and they treat me like trash.”
“Here's to a new beginning,” he said as he raised his glass.
Shane took a sip and grinned.
“This tastes really good,” Shane said. “I don't think I've ever tasted something like this before.”
“It’s mango lassi,” he said. “It’s mango pulp with yogurt.”
Then they went to the buffet section and he recommended Shane to try a little of everything. It made hi
m happy to see Shane's expressions as he discovered the taste of Indian cuisine in a single meal. The food ranged from sour, spicy, sweet and umami. As he had tasted everything before, he accurately predicted how Shane would react to each dish's taste. Shane's preferences were the same as his own. They both loved the street food section, Indian bread with spicy curries and hated the desserts.
“All I taste is sugar,” Shane said as he tasted deep-fried dough balls soaked in sugar syrup.
“The desserts are too sweet for our palates,” he said. “Nate and I have the 'Kaju burfi’ and skip the rest of the desserts. It's that white one on your plate. I think you'll love it too.”
Shane ate it and nodded in agreement. Towards the end of their meal, he regretted eating too much. He almost forgot he'd have to come back in a few hours with Jimmy.
He paid the bill and they walked towards the exit.
“Hope you had a great time,” the manager said and smiled.
When he opened the door for Shane, Shane hugged him tight and he wrapped his arms around Shane. He could feel Shane's warm tiny frame pressed against his body as he breathed on his suit.
“Thank you for today,” Shane said. “I'll always remember this. No one has taken me on a date before. It feels good to be treated nice.”
He pulled away from the hug and looked into Shane's eyes. He leaned over and kissed Shane on the lips. Shane grabbed his waist and kissed him harder. When the kiss ended, Martin looked around. He blushed when he saw that the manager was smiling at them. He smiled back and gave Shane one last peck on his lips before they left the restaurant.
“You don't shy away from PDA, do you?” Shane asked. “A gay couple was attacked right in this neighborhood for showing a little PDA.”
“When you're my age, you don't care about what others think,” he said. “Life is too short for that. Besides, I won't let anyone lay a finger on you.”
Chapter 12: Martin
Martin had thought he'd have enough time to go home and freshen up after dropping Shane, but there wasn't enough time. He drove fast to Jimmy's address and parked his car outside the nearby park. Jimmy was waiting for him outside. His face lit up when he saw him get out of the car. He was dressed in very simple clothes, yet he looked good enough to make heads turn.