by J. P. Scott
Patrick was nearing the end of his first drink when he finally got a text from Ollie. “We are on our way! You still there?”
He responded that he was and that he was on the patio. The bartender was doubling as the waiter since there were so few patrons that afternoon. He came out to the patio to check if there was empty glassware to clear. He grabbed the remaining glasses from Devin’s table. They had cleared out to head to another bar five minutes prior.
“Are you doing okay? Can I get you anything?”
“Yes. I’ll do another. Actually, get me three.”
“Rough day?” The bartender was clearly joking and used a sassy tone.
“Two of my friends will be here in a minute.”
“You don’t have to hide your alcoholism from me. We get our fair share of double-fisters around here.” He disappeared inside. Ollie and Cam were popping through the patio door as he was setting them on the table. “Your friends do exist. Now I’ve seen everything.”
Ollie and Cam slid into seats at the table, not totally understanding that the bartender was kidding. Patrick just shook his head at his friends to indicate that it wasn’t worth explaining.
“Sorry we are late. We got a car as soon as we saw your text.”
“Are you mad?”
Patrick could not imagine a scenario when he could ever be mad at either of them. They had proven themselves time and time again as loyal friends. “I knew you guys would respond soon. You’re never too far from your phones.”
“What’s going on? And why did you pick this place?” Cam looked around at the dive bar. It was definitely not his scene. “I haven’t been here in years. Literally nothing has changed. I think it’s the same guy sitting at the end of the bar, too.”
Cam was definitely about the new, now, and next of the gay scene.
“I wanted someplace quiet where we could talk. I need your advice. Relationship advice.”
Cam and Ollie leaned in, excited to be hearing exclusive news.
Patrick didn’t really know where to start, so he decided to plunge into this conversation with his mother. Their mouths slowly dropped as he revealed the details of his dad’s past infidelity and the likelihood that Aaron was his stepbrother.
“When I saw him running that day, I told you he looked like you. But I never thought…. I mean, your dad doesn’t seem like the affair kind of guy.” Ollie was puzzled by what would have driven Patrick’s dad into that behavior. It did not fit the nerdy, brainy persona.
Cam picked up his phone and began typing. Patrick looked to see if might be texting someone. Instead, he was doing a search online.
“I swear there was a case like this a couple years ago. Two guys fell in love and later found out that they were related. I think they were even going to get married.”
“So, this has happened before? What happened to them?”
“I think they broke up. It was big news though.”
That did not make Patrick feel any better. The thought of having to break things off with Aaron made him panic. If there was any silver lining to the situation, it was that Patrick and Aaron had only just started dating. They had not built a life, proposed, planned a wedding.
But was that really a silver lining? Patrick wanted all of those things in his life. And right now, he could not imagine them being with anyone else but Aaron.
“It make sense to me that people who are related to each other would find each other attractive and have feelings for each other.”
Cam’s face lit up with excitement. “Oh! I think I saw an article about that in my search. Let’s see….” He was focused on his screen and his fingers were swiping and entering text. “Yes, here it is.” He handed the phone over to Patrick. Ollie slid out of his chair and moved to look over Patrick’s shoulder as he read.
“Oh, my god. People falling in love with long, lost siblings is a thing. Even for straight people.”
The article described several situations where people grew up not knowing they had siblings out there in the world, meeting as adults, and then finding the other person sexually attractive. They divorced spouses or broke up from longtime partners because they could not deny their feelings.
The article described that attraction is often helped by having commonalities with another person. Partners tend to like to do the same activities, or have the same interests and hobbies. Even growing up apart, they might lead very similar lives to each other. When they meet, a bond is formed but the usual “ick factor” is missing that siblings that grow up together have.
Patrick did not like what he was reading. The fact that it happened to other people was not making him feel better about the situation. What he wanted to hear was that it didn’t happen and there were biological things that kept it form happening. If that was the case, then Aaron couldn’t possibly be related.
“What does Aaron think about all of this?”
“I haven’t told him yet. I don’t know how.”
Cam sighed, “Dude, I don’t think there’s a right way.”
Ollie returned to his seat and took a long drink. “But you have talked to each other about your physical resemblance to each other, right? This won’t be totally out of the blue?”
“Neither of us really saw the resemblance until the other night looking in the mirror. We kind of joked that we could have some fun with it, freak people out at bars pretending we were brothers and then kissing.”
Cam caught himself from falling out of his chair. “That, um, would drive the boys crazy. You could probably even do a video and make a ton of money.”
Patrick was not surprised that Cam would see the potential for them playing up a connection and making some money from it. He also wondered if Cam might even fantasize about Patrick and Adam after this. When Cam and his boyfriend first started dating, Patrick hooked up with them one night. Patrick knew that they liked to bring in a third to their bedroom from time to time. Wouldn’t it be exciting to bring in two that looked alike? Cam and David could each have one to play with.
He pulled himself back from going too far with those thoughts. If Aaron was his brother, then he would need to end it with him. There would be no fun times pretending. They couldn’t and shouldn’t be together as anything but siblings and friends.
But there were people in that article who were trying to make it work. Every state had laws about being married or having kids together, but they were working to find a way.
Was there a way for the two of them to make it work if they decide they still wanted to be together? Could Patrick’s parents come to accept that? What about Aaron’s mom?
There were so many questions and so few answers. Patrick knew that there would not be any answers until he talked with Aaron and they figured out if it was true.
“How can we help you?” While Cam was busy looking up more things on his phone, Ollie looked at Patrick with concern. “What do you need from us.”
“Well, this is going to be hard to go through. I’m definitely going to need both of you to talk to and probably have a few of these with.” Patrick held up his glass that had somehow gotten empty really quickly.
“I think we need another round.” Ollie got up to go order more drinks from the bar.
“And, of course we are going to be here for you. Whatever you need.” Cam had stopped with his phone and looked at him. “And we promise to arrive sooner than we did today.”
Patrick laughed. “I know you like to be fashionably late.”
“I also like being a good friend.”
And they were good friends. Patrick counted himself lucky to have fallen in with this group. They had fun, they didn’t judge, and they were there for each other. When he looked around at other groups of gay friends, he didn’t always see the same kind of comradery. He didn’t know if he would have ever ventured out into the dating world if he hadn’t met Cam and Ollie and seen their struggles to find love and meet the good guys they had partnered with.
A bit of calm settled over him. Th
ere were many unanswered questions and countless possibilities on how things might go with Aaron. But he knew that going through the struggle would be worth it. His friends had struggled, too. They hadn’t given up and eventually they found what they were looking for.
He knew he would, too.
Eleven
Patrick stumbled into his apartment, feeling the effects of an afternoon of drinking. His plan to take it easy can quickly been overruled by Ollie and Cam as they spent the afternoon together.
At first, it was just talk and speculation about his situation with Aaron. They ran through scenarios of what he could say and what steps they could take to prove if there was a genetic connection.
There were several ancestry kits on their way to his mailbox. “Who knows who else might be out there,” Cam said as he clicked. “There are so many companies doing this now, you might as well try them all.”
The apartment was quiet with only a handful of lights on that helped him find his way around. He got water from the kitchen and grabbed some sliced of sandwich meat. It was not a meal, but he knew he need some food in his stomach and definitely needed some water. He made his way to his room and began to strip down. The pillow and comforter looked very inviting and he climbed on the bed and snuggled in.
“I’ll just close my eyes for a few minutes.”
He didn’t know how long he actually slept, just that he grew conscious to warmth all around him. He could feel an arm wrapped over him and knew that it was Aaron. He began to move his hand across Patrick’s chest, grazing the nipples playfully.
It felt so good to be in his arms. He just wanted to cuddle there forever.
Aaron kissed the back of his neck and moved in closer. Aaron’s cock had swelled and pressed against Patrick.
It was like any other late-night cuddle and fuck they had during the week. Innocent cuddles and roaming hands, electric sparks that revved up the body, throbbing cocks that begged to used. The formula was there for great sex. And Patrick wanted it just as much as he knew Aaron did.
Aaron’s hand explored more of Patrick’s body, working its way down, finding the band of Patrick’s underwear and working to slide them down.
“No. Aaron, we….”
Aaron shushed him and continued to get Patrick fully naked. He got to his knees to get the underwear down past Patrick’s knees and then past his feet. They went flinging to the corner of the room. Aaron spread Patrick’s legs apart and moved his face to the crotch. He began licking and sucking on Patrick’s balls.
“Oh, god.” It felt so sensitive and Patrick moaned. Aaron worked his tongue around, varying the intensity and the motion. Patrick arched his back and reached down to grab Aaron’s hair. “No. We can’t.”
Aaron stopped for a moment and said, “I was worried your drinking might keep you from getting hard, but you seem to be fine.” Aaron returned to using his tongue to explore Patrick’s sack.
Patrick gasped. The sensation made him paralyzed to do anything else but to writhe on the bed and enjoy it. He knew he should get Aaron to stop. They needed to talk. Aaron needed to know what Patrick had learned. They shouldn’t be having sex until they figured everything out.
Desire took over, and Patrick stopped himself from trying to get Aaron to stop.
After several moments, Aaron moved to straddle Patrick. He reached for lube on the nightstand and made quick work of applying it to Patrick’s cock and his own hole.
Patrick watched him while he worked. He admired the light that highlighted Aaron’s physique. The angle of the light coming through the window cast exaggerated shadows. But Patrick’s trained eye could still decipher the correct shape to Aaron’s pecs and his washboard stomach. He wanted that body more than anything else that he had ever seen. The body that looked so much like his own.
He clasped his hands to Aaron’s side and felt how solid he was. Aaron moved to position himself to take Patrick inside of him, gripping Patrick’s cock with one hand and then pressing his weight down.
Aaron was tight but let Patrick in deep with one motion. Aaron gasped and looked down at Patrick with a smirk. “I love that feeling.” He began to rock on his knees so that Patrick slide in and out of him. “And I promise, do brother role play tonight.”
Patrick gulped as he felt guilt wash over him. He should stop this. He should tell Aaron. Even if it didn’t change their desire for one another, he should know.
“Aaron…Aaron. Stop.” Patrick tried to signal to Aaron that he meant it. He gripped his hands tighter on Aaron’s side and pressed his fingers in.
“Wanting it a little rough, I see.”
“No, Aaron. Stop. Wait. There’s something that I have to tell you.”
Aaron did stop his motion and leaned down to touch his nose with Patrick’s. “It must be important if you can’t wait until we are done. What is it, silly? I’m horny for some dick.”
Aaron looked so cute looking down at him. He was happy and unaware of what had been eating Patrick up inside all day. Patrick started to panic, afraid to cause Aaron any sort of pain. Maybe there was another way to find out if it was true.
But if Aaron didn’t know, he would want sex. It was selfish of Patrick to give into his own desire to fuck Aaron even though it was so wrong. He was using Aaron by keeping the truth from him.
“We might actually be brothers.”
Aaron pulled back into an upright position. “What?”
The rest of the store gushed out of Patrick. Brunch with his mother. His father’s affair. His business trips to Flagstaff. How Aaron didn’t know who his father actually was.
“Oh, god.” Patrick could see everything tumbling through Aaron’s mind as he continued to straddle Patrick. “How is this possible?”
“I read several stories about siblings falling in love. Gays, straights. It’s a thing.”
“And you let me play with you anyway. We’ve been fucking long enough for you to say something.” Aaron shifted his weight, moving his ass with Patrick’s cock still inside. “You’re still hard.”
Tears formed in Patrick’s eyes. “I’m sorry. I wanted to tell you to stop. I got caught up.”
Aaron reached down his hand and cupped Patrick’s face. With his thumb, he wiped at the tear that was starting to find its way down Patrick’s face.
Patrick was aware that Aaron had not moved off of him. He had expected Aaron to recoil, to distance himself in the room and cover up his nakedness. Instead, he stayed where he was, holding Patrick inside of him.
“You still want me, don’t you? You still want to fuck me, even if we are brothers?” Patrick couldn’t believe his response to Aaron’s question. He nodded. Then he shifted his hips to thrust up into Aaron. He was still rock hard with desire.
“Until we know for sure, I won’t believe it.” He leaned back, inviting Patrick to continue to thrust inside of him. “Tonight, you’re my boyfriend…and my lover.”
Patrick was relieved that he had not lost Aaron. That he was still with him. He didn’t want to lose Aaron, no matter what they learned about themselves. For tonight, they were just two guys that met at a bathhouse and started dating.
A few minutes later, Patrick felt himself climaxing and came inside of Aaron. He dismounted from the straddling position and moved in between Patrick’s legs. Patrick lifted his legs, holding them under the knee, and positioning his ass for Aaron.
“I don’t think I’m going to last long,” Aaron whispered as he pushed himself into Patrick.
“Then we’ll do again when you’re ready.” Patrick didn’t want to fall asleep. He wanted the night to be just about taking turns with each other, pleasuring themselves and expressing the feelings that were making his heart pound in his chest. He desired Aaron. Not just his body, but his whole being. It felt like love.
Aaron’s lovemaking was firm but loving. He was taking his time, thrusting slow and deep. The whole time, he looked directly into Patrick’s eyes, barely even blinking. He only looked away when the climax overtook him. H
e looked back down, leaned in, and kissed Patrick. Patrick put his hands around Aaron’s face to hold him there, not wanting the moment to end. Time was not their friend. Soon, it would bring them to a place where they might find out a truth that would tear them apart. No matter what happened, this moment he would hold in his heart forever.
“I love you.”
They had both said it. At the same time. Patrick started to cry again.
Aaron moved to cuddle in next to him, pulling the sheets and comforter from their tangled mess up over them. He wrapped his arms around Patrick as he sobbed.
“I will always love you, no matter what.”
They held each other and cried, huddling from the world and the forces that threatened them. In their cave of blankets, they were safe. They could be who they were and love each other. For tonight, they were safe.
Twelve
Patrick tried to focus on his work. He met his first client at six the next morning. He was awake, but his head was not in the game.
“One more? I’ve already done eleven this set!”
“Sorry. I guess I lost count.”
His client was a housewife that was desperate to lose ten pounds and tried to book any available spot that Patrick had in his schedule. Mondays were rough which meant that she was there at six in the morning.
“I’m paying you to count. Otherwise, I could do this on my own.”
If all he needed to do was count, she could do this all on her own and Patrick was irrelevant. She had a right to be frustrated with him today, but it still bothered him. He spent a lot of time putting together workouts tailored to his clients.
“I’m sorry. Let’s go ahead and rest before the next set.” He scribbled some notes in her file about the set she just completed. He also pretended to write more than he actually was to avoid having to do any small talk.
He hated leaving Aaron that morning. He wanted to stay in bed with him all day. He wondered what Aaron was doing today. He had a long shift at work. In a few days, he would be back at work. Just when they needed to figure things out, their lives were getting busy.