You May Have Met Him

by Sebastian Carter

  Theo patted Elliot on the chest. “I’m hungry.” He pushed up from the bed and stood up at the foot of the bed with his hands on his hips. Elliot liked seeing him like that, and he lay with his hands behind his head, grinning as he studied Theo’s powerful body. He liked the way it enhanced the V created by Theo’s strong back muscles and the ridge of his pectorals. His abs stood out, a hirsute line down the middle of his torso that led the eye down to curls of bushy pubic hair and his cock—a cock, Elliot had to remind himself probably for the hundredth time that night, that he had actually had in his mouth, that, if he wanted to, he could reach out and grab it and Theo would let him. The idea of that shorted out his thinking again until Theo reached out and slapped the top of his foot playfully. “Are you coming?”

  “For food? Yeah.” Elliot moved down the bed, and Theo held out his hand. Elliot grabbed it, and Theo pulled him up. When he was standing, Theo licked the tip of his nose, and it made Elliot laugh out loud. Then he turned and left the bedroom, and Elliot followed.

  The living room was dark. They’d turned off the lights. The only light came up from the street below and cast orange, boxy shadows on the ceiling and over the walls. Theo opened the pantry, and he flipped on the light inside and stood as if he was taking survey of the whole space.

  “Well, this is abysmal,” Theo said.

  “Yeah, I don’t have a lot. I don’t eat at home very often.”

  “How do you eat?”

  “I usually order something on my way home from work, or I’ll grab something to cook for the night.” Elliot opened the refrigerator. It was pretty bare except for bottled water and some cans of soda, and a carton of takeout Chinese he was sure had gone bad by now. There were also condiments and a pack of American cheese. He doubted those few scant items would make much of a meal.

  When Elliot turned back to tell Theo about his abysmal holdings, he found Theo staring at him, his back up against the closed pantry door.

  “Stop,” Theo said. “Don’t move.”

  Elliot let loose an uncomfortable laugh—the kind of laugh he only ever issued when he found someone staring at him. “What?”

  Theo pushed up off the pantry door, and he walked over toward Elliot. “In that light,” Theo said. “You look really good in that light.”

  Elliot rolled his eyes, and he turned to face Theo. “Shut up,” he said with an embarrassed laugh.

  By now, Theo was standing next to him. The warmth of Theo close to him coupled with the coolness coming from the open refrigerator behind him was a confusing and stimulating tingle on his skin. The cool air moved down his legs and Theo pressed in close to him. Theo this close to him sent shivers of a different type through his body. “I mean it,” he whispered. “You sell yourself short.” Then Theo kissed him.

  Theo moved him away from the chilly air and closed the door, then Elliot’s back was up against the cold stainless steel of the refrigerator. He stood up on the tips of his toes as Theo pushed up against him, and they kissed longer. When they finished, Elliot looked into Theo’s eyes. “I like kissing you,” he said.

  Theo smiled. “You’re a good kisser.”

  Elliot rolled his eyes again, and he opened his mouth to respond, but Theo caught him up short with another kiss that Elliot had no choice but to sink into.

  “You were going to tell me to stop again,” Theo said when he finished.

  The heat rose to Elliot’s cheeks. He was right.

  “I’ve kissed a lot of guys,” Theo continued. “I know a good kisser when I have him pressed up against the refrigerator door.”

  He wanted to protest again. It was in his nature to push any sort of compliment away. He turned his face toward the floor. Compliments always made him even more self-conscious.

  But Theo caught him by the chin and turned his face back so that Elliot was looking again at Theo’s perfect mouth, the small bump on the ridge of his nose that suggested it might have been broken at least once in his lifetime, but only healed in such a way that it made Theo even hotter.

  As they stood so close to one another, Theo seemed to take inventory of him, of his features. His gaze almost had a physical quality as he eyes nestled over the features of his face, a silly yet sensual grin on Theo’s lips. Elliot wanted to cross his arms in that subconscious gesture meant to protect him from the outside world, from scrutiny of any sort. He was somebody who faded into the background, not one who opened himself to close scrutiny. That’s why he never went out for anything. He couldn’t put himself out there in a way that people would look at him and judge him. “I thought we were going to get some food,” Elliot said to break the spell.

  “Yes. We are.” Theo kept studying him a moment longer, then he leaned forward, and he gave Elliot a soft kiss on his lips. When he pulled back, his eyes twinkled in the dim light. “But you have a kitchen stocked like it’s in a third-world country.”

  “Yeah,” Elliot said with a blush. “I know. Um, there’s a diner down at street level we could go to.”

  “Sounds good.”

  “Good.” Elliot slipped from where Theo had him against the refrigerator. Theo was still close, and their skin brushed. He stopped. “But there’s one problem.”

  Theo looked up. “What?”

  “You promised you were going to stay naked all night.”

  Theo fixed Elliot with an electric expression—one that said he’d been challenged. “And you don’t think I’ll walk out of here naked?”

  Elliot’s eyes flared. “No. God.” It’s like he forgot who he was talking to, the guy who said he liked being naked. “I was kidding.”

  “I will.” Theo walked out of the kitchen and into the living room.

  “What are you doing?” He followed behind Theo, unsure if he should be mortified or if he was about to witness the funniest thing he’d experienced since college.

  When Theo reached the door, he turned back to Elliot with a grin. “I got nothing to hide.” He pulled open Elliot’s front door, and he stepped out into the hallway. “See?” He laughed.

  Elliot did his best to hide his own nudity behind the door as he held it open. “Get back in here,” he said. Elliot was laughing too, however. Every part of him said that anybody putting himself out there like that should cause him an acute, vicarious embarrassment. This was the very type of moment made for a hard blush. But he experienced none of that. In fact, he was laughing. “I have neighbors.”

  “That’s all right. Let them look.” Theo held his hands above his head, naked as could be. In the pale light of the hallway, he looked amazing. There was no doubting that. He turned and showed his sexy ass to Elliot, and he skipped down the carpeted hallway, singing.

  Elliot knelt down, doubled over. He could only watch. There was only so much he could do. His laughter followed Theo down the hallway where he turned. “You coming, Elliot?”

  Before he could answer, a door clicked in the hallway. Elliot heard it, and so did Theo. Mrs. Hegemeyer. She was an old retiree, a former schoolteacher who lived next door to Elliot in one of the rent-controlled units. Elliot closed the door even more enough to hide himself, his head peeking just a little into the hallway. Theo turned around to face her.

  “What is going on here?” she asked. She held her small dog in her arms, a Yorkie who trembled when anyone got close.

  “Hello there,” Theo said. He stood proud, his hands on his hips. “My friend, Elliot and I, are about to go grab a late dinner downstairs. Would you like to join us?”

  Mrs. Hegemeyer turned to find Elliot peeking from around the closed door. “Mr. James,” she said. “I should call the police.”

  “I’m sorry, Mrs. Hegemeyer.” Elliot’s face was a beacon of red. “He was just coming back in.” Elliot waved a bare arm toward Theo. He hoped Theo would come back inside this time.

  Theo started back toward the apartment. “Mrs. Hegemeyer,” Theo said. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.” He offered her his hand as he passed.

  She didn’t return the gesture.
But Elliot was pretty certain he caught her sneak a peek.

  Theo waved to the Yorkie. “Offer still stands,” Theo said as he reached Elliot’s door.

  “I certainly hope you will be dressed when you leave,” she said. She pet her dog on the head and closed her door.

  Back inside the apartment, Theo doubled over in laughter. Elliot joined him. He fell back against the door, and he put his hands on his knees, but he watched Theo. Elliot liked watching him laugh. He liked the way he smiled, the way a vein popped out on his neck, the way his skin flushed.

  “I think you better put on pants,” Elliot said when they settled down.

  “Okay, but I’m not wearing underwear.”

  Elliot smiled. “I can live with that image in my head.”

  Chapter Eleven

  Theo

  The restaurant was a greasy spoon, not really the type of place that Theo went into often. Keeping the body that he had took some effort, and it wasn’t by eating greasy food at an all-night diner.

  It was a place that was brutally cliché. Vinyl seating on the booths with chrome napkin dispensers and stainless-steel lids of the salt and pepper shakers glinting dully on every table and lining the long counter. The center of the diner was dominated by a long Formica counter and round stools bolted to the floor. Even the waitresses wore uniforms that looked as if they hadn’t been updated since the seventies, polyester and knee-length skirts. The only male in the place was the cook who wore a white t-shirt smudged with cooking grease. The air was thick with the odor of French fries and overcooked hamburger meat. If this had been his choice of places to eat, Theo probably would have turned around and left to find a grocery store and some healthier food options.

  But this was a special case. He was with Elliot, and that made for a special occasion, an occasion that, he realized, brought a smile to his face. He hadn’t smiled like this with Reid in a long time. He hadn’t had sex like that with Reid for a long time. This night made him a little giddy, a little more connected to a life he might have forgotten. Going into this, he was certain tonight was going to be awkward and a complete bust, but it was quite the opposite. He was remembering something.

  When they went in, Elliot went to the bathroom, and Theo pulled out his phone. Four messages, all of them from Brianna.

  Oh yeah, another thing he remembered when he saw Brianna’s name on his screen, tonight was going to get him paid.

  The first text message read,

  What’s going on? You guys get together yet?

  That was the gist of most of them. Brianna was impatient. In high school, she was a control freak. That hadn’t changed over the years. She had to know all the details.

  Theo texted her back.

  I sealed the deal. Twice. :)

  After a moment, she responded.

  Finally! Working overtime, I see! LOL!

  But was he working overtime?

  Elliot returned to the table, and Theo put his phone away.

  When the waitress came to their table, Theo said, “Coffee for me.”

  Elliot smiled up at the waitress. “Same for me.” He flipped open the menu. “I’m not going to be able to sleep tonight,” he said to Theo when the waitress left them alone.

  Theo stuck his foot out and rubbed it against Elliot’s leg. “With an ass like yours, you think we’re going to do much sleeping?”

  Elliot’s cheeks flushed, but only a little, and it made Theo smile.

  “You’re getting better at it,” Theo said.

  Elliot looked up from his menu. “At what?”

  “At taking compliments.” He lifted up his menu, but he kept a foot by Elliot’s leg.

  “I think psychologists call it desensitization.”

  “You seemed pretty sensitive to me.”

  “No.” But then Elliot understood what he was referring to, and he laughed. “It’s when you’re forced to experiencing something over and over so much that you become desensitized to it. It doesn’t affect you as much.”

  Theo’s brow furrowed in confusion. “So if we have too much sex, you won’t be able to feel it as much?”

  “I don’t think—” Elliot paused. “I’m pretty sure it’s only psychological things that it’s talking about.”

  “Good,” Theo said. “Because I think we should have a lot more sex before this night is through.”

  “I can get behind that,” Elliot said as he bit his bottom lip.

  “You already have once,” Theo said with a wink.

  Elliot laughed and rolled his eyes, and his cheeks turned a little red, but again, not as much as before.

  When the waitress returned, they both ordered cheeseburgers. This was a night to enjoy, Theo decided, and it had been a long time since he’d eaten a good, greasy burger. Sometimes it was nice just to let go and experience life a bit. That’s what Elliot was doing tonight, so why shouldn’t that extend to their food choices for a late meal out?

  The waitress left them alone after bringing their coffee, and Elliot set about unwrapping his silverware and setting it neatly to the side of his place mat and unfolding the napkin onto his lap. Theo watched him and sipped his coffee.

  “So can I ask…” Theo started, but then he stopped.

  Elliot turned his eyes to him. “Hmm?”

  Theo put his coffee cup down onto the table. “Earlier, when we were talking about the gaming stuff you did, why was that, I don’t know…” He studied Elliot’s face for any sign he was about to close up. Elliot folded his hands onto the table. “Why didn’t you want to discuss it anymore?”

  Elliot tilted his head. He seemed to consider it for a moment. “I don’t want to be disappointed, I guess,” he said.

  Theo didn’t understand. “Why would you be disappointed?”

  The look on Elliot’s face suggested this was a stupid question. “Have you seen the games out there? There’s some amazing stuff on the market these days. What I’m doing is nowhere near that.” He sighed. “I can’t compete.”

  “You’re right.” Theo took a sip of his coffee. “You can’t compete.”

  That seemed to take Elliot by surprise. The flash of hurt that crossed his face stabbed Theo in the heart, and he reached across to put his hand closer to Elliot.

  “What I’m saying is, you can’t compete if you don’t try. You have what it takes. All that stuff on your computer, you did all that on your own. Believe in yourself. How do you think those other guys who make that kind of stuff started out?”

  Elliot still frowned. “I just don’t get my hopes up.”

  “Yeah, that’s the easy way out.”

  “What’s easy is telling somebody that they can compete.” Elliot’s hand balled into a fist. “Actually competing, that’s what’s hard.”

  Theo nodded. “You’re right. It is hard to put yourself out there. You’ll get no argument about that.” He drank more of his coffee. They sat in a moment of silence while a group of four guys banged into the diner and sat at a table not far from them. They were a mixed group. They could be straight, but Theo got a vibe from them. They joked with each other with a bit too much camp. One of them even gave Theo the long look that said he was cruising. Theo ignored him.

  “How do you do it?” Elliot asked.

  “What?” He turned his attention back to Elliot.

  “You seem to have it together. How do you compete in whatever it is you do?”

  That question put him on the spot, and he set his coffee cup back down on the table. “Looks can be deceiving,” he said.

  Elliot wore a confused smile. “What does that mean?”

  “Well, I model,” Theo began.

  “Figures.” Elliot reached out toward Theo and laid his hand on the table next to his.

  “But not really,” he continued. “That’s just what I tell people to make my job sound more important than it really is.” He watched Elliot. He expected disappointment to flash in how he looked at Theo. “Honestly, my modeling job consists of standing shirtless outside of
a clothing store to encourage people to go in and buy their overpriced clothes. I also work part time in a boring copy shop on the campus of DePaul University.” He tried to cover his embarrassment by turning his attention a spot on the tabletop. He felt like his admission was shattering some sort of illusion that Elliot had built up in his mind. Now it was his cheeks that blossomed with heat, and he wondered if he was blushing. He glanced up to see if he was right, if Elliot was disappointed. He was unreadable. “The truth is, Elliot, you’re the one doing amazing things. I’m the one who’s not.”

  Elliot didn’t say anything at first. He kept his hand close to Theo’s, and he bridged the space enough to touch his fingers. “What is it that’s stopping you from doing the thing you really want to do?”

  “That’s just it. I don’t really know what it is I want to do.”

  “You have to have some sort of idea.”

  “My dad thinks I should join the military. My brother is in the Navy.”’

  Elliot wrinkled his nose. “Is that something you want to do?”

  He shook his head. “No. I feel like if I did that, I would just be doing what my dad wanted. I’d be selling out. He says I need it to, as he puts it, become a better man, which in his world means turning me straight.”

  “Maybe he just means disciplined.”

  Theo frowned even though he snickered. “No, he’s been pretty clear on that.”

  “I’m sorry,” Elliot said after a while.

  “Don’t be.” Theo forced a smile. “It’s okay. I’ve dealt with it.” Theo turned his hand so that his palm was up, and Elliot curled his fingers into Theo’s. “I’ve had a lot of years to get used to the idea that me and my dad aren’t ever going to get along anymore.”

  “Anymore?”