When the Night Comes

by Teegan Loy

  I had a hard time understanding why Tyler didn’t call home. I know he loved Susan. Lindy told me Ashley tried to call him again, but he wasn’t answering anymore. She even tried calling from different numbers, but he was being stubborn and ignoring her calls. She left messages so he had to know what was happening with his mother.

  It was fucking freezing in the doctor’s office and she’d scooted her chair closer to mine. I took my coat off and placed it around her thin shoulders and held her hand. We heard the door open and she shut her eyes, breathing deeply. She patted me on the back and I turned to see my dad holding her files.

  Fuck, for him to be here, it must be really bad news. He wasn’t even her primary doctor, but like me, he was her friend and sometimes receiving bad news from a friend was better than getting it from some uncaring bastard.

  I went numb, and suddenly, everything seemed too real. I was going to lose someone I’d come to really depend on to keep me on the straight and narrow. She’d started pushing me to go back to school. I played music again because of her. I did a lot of things because of her, and now she was leaving me. I was being selfish, but fuck, it was going to hurt and I was going to miss her.

  She made me who I was today.

  My dad spoke in hushed tones and told her the diagnosis. I only heard broken pieces of sentences.

  There was nothing else they could do. Exhausted all the avenues. She wasn’t responding to the treatments. Blah, blah, blah.

  Most people would ask how long they had left, but Susan refused, telling my dad that each day would be a blessing. She didn’t intend to spend her time counting down. Instead she was going to count up.

  She thanked him for taking time out of his busy day to tell her. He said he should be thanking her for all she did for me.

  As we were getting ready to leave, Dad pulled me aside and told me he was proud of me for having the courage to stand with my friend. He told me I was a good man and shook my hand. I should’ve hugged him, but I was so blown away by his words that I stumbled out of the office with my mouth hanging open.

  After everything I’d put him through, he still loved me, and those words meant more to me than he would ever know.

  I always thought I had to be like him for him to be proud of me. I’d tried to model my life after his, and I’d failed miserably. I never thought that following my own heart and doing what I believed was right would make my father happy and proud to call me his son.

  Susan was waiting for me in the hall.

  “He’s right, you know.”

  Dad and I hadn’t been anywhere near the door so I knew she hadn’t overheard our conversation.

  “How did you know?”

  “It’s really quite simple. I can see it written on your face and I could see it in your dad’s eyes. I’m glad he said it out loud. We need to learn to say things out loud before it’s too late. Skye, you’re a good man, and I don’t want you to ever forget it. I’ve enjoyed getting to know you. Thank you.”

  She smiled and wiped a few tears away. I didn’t know what to say so I stared at her and asked her if she was up for an evening out. She looked at me like I was nuts but finally agreed. I made her go home and take a nap. While she rested, I called everyone I could think of and told them we were going out to celebrate life.

  Ashley and Lindy came over and helped Susan get dressed up while I went home to change and grab my guitar. Susan thought we were totally crazy when we pulled into the parking lot of that fucking bar, but I told her we were going to get fucked up and have a good time. Nothing else mattered. We were living in the moment.

  The look on her face was priceless when I stepped out on that stage and started to play and sing. She made me sing a song about daring to live, and I knew she was thinking about Tyler the whole time I was singing, and that was okay.

  It was one of the best nights of my life.

  What are you thinking about?” Skye asked as he pulled on some boxers.

  “Your journal,” I answered.

  “Really?”

  “Yeah, the entry about the night you took my mother out to the bar and partied.”

  A smile slid across his face. “That was a great night.”

  “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome.”

  I hurried to the bathroom and carefully closed the door. The moment I was alone, everything came down like a fucking avalanche. I knew Mama had been sick, but I’d disregarded the pleading messages from Ashley begging me to come home. I blew off Gavin when he screamed into the phone about what my absence was doing to Ashley and my mother. Instead, I chose to smoke a joint or go out and fuck some nameless person.

  Skye was a good man. He’d been there for Mama when she needed someone to hold her hand and take her out to get drunk, to read to her when she hurt, to sing to her when she was sad, to bring her coffee, to sit in the rain and laugh, to listen when she needed to rage. And when I did come home, I took away his time with her. He was the one who deserved to be with her when she left the world, not me.

  My knees buckled and I sank to the floor.

  “Tyler?”

  I tried to tell Skye to leave me alone, but I couldn’t talk. He pushed open the door, knelt down, and put his arms around me. I sobbed and tried to push him away. I didn’t deserve his comfort, but he wouldn’t let go.

  “She loved you, Tyler. She understood why you didn’t come back. I told her everything. I don’t expect you to ever forgive me, but her love for you never wavered. She wanted you here, but she didn’t need you here. She knew you loved her. And you did come home. You got to see her and be with her, and for that, she was thankful. She didn’t blame you. I wanted her to blame me, but she wouldn’t do that either. She was a stubborn fucking woman. You’re just like her. Stubborn as all fuck. Drives everyone crazy.”

  His eyes were swimming in tears but I could see flashes of fire in them as well. I was tired of hurting, tired of feeling this overwhelming guilt all the time. I couldn’t shoulder it anymore. It was fucking breaking my back, so I leaned into him, silently begging for him to take away the pain.

  He squeezed me harder and sighed into my hair as he helped me to my feet. With his help, I was able to slide my shirt from my shoulders and step out of my pants. He turned on the water.

  “Get in,” he said.

  I complied because it was easier than thinking. All I could do was stare at him like a child waiting for the next command.

  “Uh, I’ll just go.” His face was bright red.

  “Please don’t leave,” I begged. “Please.”

  I waited for him to make fun of me for acting like a baby, but he opened the door and moved behind me. I relaxed and leaned against him.

  He fumbled with the shampoo, but soon he was massaging my scalp. A memory from our trip to Minneapolis threatened to overwhelm me, but I shut it down and concentrated on his gentleness.

  When I turned to face him, I noticed he was still wearing underwear. I snorted and snapped the waistband.

  “I didn’t want you to think I was taking advantage,” he said.

  “If I didn’t want you here, I’d tell you to leave.”

  He looked so adorable standing under the spray of water with his soggy boxers hanging dangerously low on his hips that I couldn’t contain my laughter. Soap ran down my face, stinging my eyes, but I couldn’t quit laughing. My stomach started to ache and I bent at the waist, staring at Skye’s knees. My gaze shifted to his obvious excitement.

  I couldn’t resist trailing a finger around the outline of his dick. He shuddered and sucked in a ragged breath. He cupped my chin and ran his thumb along my jaw, sighing softly. His eyes darkened with desire. The fire I’d seen earlier was burning brightly again. I let my breath out slowly, not looking away from him as I rose to my full height so we were face-to-face. Time seemed to stop. Or maybe it turned back five years.

  I forgot about Brooke and Lindy and remembered how it had been when we were alone. It really had been only when the dark of night hi
d us that we were able to let our guard down. We’d been two stupid kids, scared half to death, trying to understand strong feelings that threatened to bury us alive. We’d both made horrible choices, hurting people we loved and almost destroying each other in the process.

  I never thought I’d feel him again, never thought I’d touch him again, and never thought I’d want to touch him again. But here we were, and for once, I was going to quit thinking about the past or the future and concentrate on the now.

  “I’ve missed you so much,” Skye whimpered. His nose bumped against mine and he froze.

  “Skye, it’s okay.”

  I think he needed to hear me say his name, to know it was him I wanted. His mouth met mine with such fury, the wound on his lip opened up again. I tasted the tang of his blood. He moaned and sucked my tongue.

  I growled, yanked down his boxers, and pressed against him, letting my cock drag against his. I put my arms around his waist, resting them near the top of his ass.

  We rutted against each other like it was our first time, and I couldn’t help remembering that day in his bathroom.

  “What are you thinking about?” Skye asked.

  “Our first time,” I said.

  Skye kissed me again.

  “Do you remember?” I whispered.

  He pushed me against the wall, laced his fingers with mine, and raised my arms above my head.

  “I remember everything,” he said fiercely.

  He dropped my hands and traced my neck and collarbone with his tongue. He tweaked my nipple, running his hand down my ribs and abs before lightly touching my dick.

  “Yessss,” I hissed, trying to thrust into his hand.

  “I was so nervous,” he said.

  “That was the first time a guy touched me,” I confessed.

  He blushed. “It was good. It was always good with you.”

  I wrapped my fingers around his dick, twisting my wrist and letting him pump into my hand.

  “Almost there, Ty,” he mumbled.

  Instead of finishing him off with my hand, I dropped to my knees and took him into my mouth. My action earned me a loud moan and some garbled cursing. I sucked hard, slowly dragging my lips up his cock. He tugged my hair and I could tell he was fighting to hold on, so I hummed and took him as deep as I could go. His muscles tensed and he tried to push me away, but I wanted to taste him. It happened fast and I almost gagged.

  “Holy shit,” Skye shouted.

  I shut off the water and let him lean on me as we stepped out. I grabbed a couple of towels, tossing him one. He stood back and looked at me, his gaze drifting down to my hard dick.

  He took the towel from me and carefully dried my damp skin, pausing when he came to my hip.

  “When did you get your tattoo?” he asked.

  I looked down to see him tracing my lost tattoo.

  I sighed. “I think it was about six months after graduation. I was playing at a bar to make some money. A guy I took . . . uh . . .”

  “A guy you went home with,” Skye said, finishing my sentence.

  “Yeah, well, he was the first person who told me I looked lost. He said it was in my eyes. Something was missing or some shit like that. Several more people said the same thing, and I decided one drunken evening to have it tattooed on my hip.”

  He moved his hand to my dick, stroking until my legs wobbled.

  “Fuck me, Tyler,” he mumbled against my neck. “Please.”

  I froze. At first I thought my hearing had failed. We’d never done it that way, and now he was offering himself to me. It wasn’t that I minded bottoming for him. I’d loved him and would have done anything for him, but I’d always wanted to take him and make him mine.

  A small voice in the back of my head told me this wasn’t such a good idea.

  “Please, Tyler,” Skye murmured again. His breath was hot on my neck, and I could spend this time arguing or I could turn off all the voices and fuck him. Like Mama had said, we weren’t guaranteed tomorrow, and I wasn’t going to leave anything on my fucking list anymore.

  I spun around and grabbed his face, kissing him hard and tasting his blood again. We made it to the bed, tumbling down, limbs entangled and lips still pressed together.

  We rolled around until Skye pushed me away and reached into the nightstand.

  I laughed. “There’s not going to be anything in there, and even if you find something, it would be five years old.”

  “Well, fuck,” Skye muttered.

  I found my bag and dug around until I produced lube and a condom. When I turned around, Skye had rolled onto his stomach, opening himself to me. It was a sight to behold. Last night we were getting drunk, beating the shit out of each other, then jerking each other off. Now we were hung over and he was going to let me fuck him, something I’d never done before.

  I paused and stared at him. He looked over his shoulder, smiling shyly at me, those hazel eyes boring into my fucking head. I flattened my hand against his ass cheek, feeling the heat from his skin burn into mine as I touched him, stopping when I reached his crack. He was so beautiful, and I could barely think. I crawled on the bed, settling between his legs, still running my hands all over him.

  My hand shook as I opened the bottle of lube, spilling some on his back. He shuddered and looked over his shoulder again, smiling.

  “Oh god,” I breathed out and felt my dick harden to the point of sheer pain as I breached him with my slippery finger. Skye groaned and pushed back as I loosened him.

  “More.” His voice cracked when I shoved in another finger. Heat spread through my limbs, setting my whole body on fire.

  “Want to feel you,” Skye said. “Please.”

  “Okay,” I choked out and removed my fingers. My hands trembled as I struggled to get the condom on. I was so hot I thought the latex might melt. I positioned my dick against his hole, but I wanted to see his face, to drown in his eyes.

  “Skye,” I whispered, gently placing my hand on his shoulder. He turned and looked at me with half-lidded, lust-filled eyes.

  “Turn over. I need to see your face, baby.”

  He sighed and rolled to his back. He brushed his fingers over my tattoo again as I leaned down to kiss him. He lifted his hips, spread his legs, and shoved a pillow under his back. I sat on my knees and took hold of my cock. Slowly I rocked forward and pushed into him, listening to his ragged breathing.

  “Am I hurting you?” I asked.

  “No,” he gasped. “It’s good.”

  Heat flared through me again, and I paused, enjoying the sensation until Skye wrapped his legs around my hips, pulling me in deeper.

  “Fuck,” I groaned as I fought to keep from coming. I wanted it to last, but the flames licked my skin and popped in front of my eyes, making it impossible for me to stay still.

  I reached between us and gripped Skye’s dick. The heat consumed me, and if I didn’t move, I was going to burst into flames and burn my house down. I slowly withdrew and slid back in. Skye moaned and bit his lip, opening his wound again. The blood dripped down his chin.

  “Tyler,” he chanted.

  My mind went blank, and I followed the rhythm of my name falling from his swollen red lips. I couldn’t decide if this was heaven or hell.

  I opened my eyes and looked at the beautiful man thrashing under me. The messy hair still damp from our shower stuck up everywhere. His eyelashes fluttered against his flushed cheeks. It was the most wonderful sight I’d ever seen, and it scared the piss out of me. Because if I was honest, I never wanted to let him go.

  The tingling started in my balls, quickly spreading through my body. I wanted him to come with me, so I tightened my grip on his cock and sped up. His legs tightened around my waist and he raised his hips off the bed, which allowed me to get deeper.

  “Oh,” he shouted and came all over my hand. My vision darkened, and I lasted four more strokes before I filled the condom.

  I couldn’t help but notice how badly Skye winced when I pulled out of him.


  “You okay?” I asked.

  “Yeah,” he whispered and averted his gaze.

  “Skye?”

  “I’m fine. Really.” But he flinched when he sat up. “I’ve never done that before.”

  “What? You should have told me. I —⁠”

  Skye placed his hand over my mouth. “You were perfect.”

  He kissed me again before rolling out of bed and limping to the bathroom.

  I pinched the bridge of my nose and tried to figure out what had just happened. It was hard to think of this as just sex when Skye had just bottomed for the first time. My phone rang, interrupting my thoughts.

  “Joey.”

  “Fucking hell,” he shouted. “What the hell is going on? I’ve been texting you and leaving messages.”

  “I’m sorry. I guess I got wrapped up in things here. It’s been crazy and stressful.”

  “When ya coming home?” he asked.

  “Home?”

  Such a simple question, and yet I had no answer. Where was my home? Chicago? Middleton Lake? My heart whispered Skye.

  “Helloooo? Not a difficult question.”

  “I don’t know. My plane ticket was one way. I haven’t thought about what’s next. I’ll let you know in a couple of days.”

  “You sure you’re okay? I know you’re not okay and shit, but you sound different. Do I dare ask if you saw Skye?”

  Was I supposed to tell him that Skye was currently in my bathroom cleaning up after I’d fucked him?

  “I have to go,” I said and cut the call short. Skye stood in the bathroom doorway staring at me. Something flashed in his eyes and my stomach dropped to my knees.

  “I should probably get going. I’m sure you have stuff you need to get done and you don’t need me underfoot.”

  “Skye?” I frowned at him.