Art by Adonis

by Kris Sawyer

  Aidan pointed behind him, exhausted. “I was actually working all day and I think I left my phone back in my room. I still haven’t checked it yet.”

  “Blah, blah, blah.” Corey rolled his eyes. “Fame’s definitely gotten into Adonis I guess.” For that comment, he received a well-deserved punch. Aidan laughed. These guys could anytime perk him up.

  “Hey Aidan,” Naomi plopped herself back on the couch and asked, “Who was that cute guy earlier who let us in?”

  Rick.

  He had to talk to him and apologize for his mean behavior. “Um… that was Rick. He moved in a few days back.”

  “Oh. Is he like a visiting friend or …?”

  Aidan didn’t know what she was getting at. “Or what?”

  She smiled sheepishly. “Or are you guys in a relationship?” she asked.

  Corey snickered and said to his girlfriend, “Don’t be ridiculous, love. Didn’t you see? He’s a crip. Why would Aidan be with him of all people?”

  “Actually, asshole,” Aidan said. “I am seeing Rick and we are together. So, show some respect, okay?” The name calling had ticked him off. An awkward silence fell in the living room. He shook his head, not wanting to ruin anyone’s mood. “Why don’t you guys get comfortable and call up for pizza? I’m gonna go see if Rick will come to join us.”

  “Don’t shit me. You’re inviting him? To our party?” Corey made a face.

  “You’ve got a problem with that?” asked Aidan, definitely more than a little angry now.

  Before the guy could say anything though, Naomi held his hand to stop him and said instead, “It’s my birthday we’re celebrating here and I’d love to get to know the new guy in your life. So, go bring him out. Tell him your friends want to meet him.”

  Aidan knocked on the door and heard nothing. When he didn’t get a response, he quietly opened the door and looked in. Rick, who sat on his bed, looked up from the novel he’d been reading. His face remained blank, completely emotionless. If he was still mad at Aidan, he didn’t show it.

  “Hey-uh…” he stepped in and closed the door. Cautiously approaching the bed, he said, “I want you to meet my friends. Can you please come out with me?” Rick simply stared. “We are celebrating Naomi’s birthday tonight and she said she’d like to meet you.” No reaction. He’s mad. Aidan sighed. “Look, I’m sorry okay? I shouldn’t have snapped at you like that.”

  Rick tilted his head and smiled. “It’s all good, Aidan. I’m not upset.”

  Hesitant, he smiled back. “You aren’t?” he asked, surprised.

  “No, no,” he replied shaking his head. “And yea, I’d love to meet your friends too.” He placed the bookmark on the page he was reading and set it aside. As he crawled to the edge of the bed to get to his wheelchair, Aidan stepped up to help him as usual. But as soon as he touched Rick’s hand, the man immediately shook it off. “I can do it myself.” He snapped.

  Oh yeah, he’s still mad. Aidan quietly watched as Rick slowly managed to get into his wheelchair. He had never turned down an offer of help before. This time, though, he seemed furious.

  Aidan had to recall the exact words he’d uttered back in his art studio and was appalled by the way it’d come out. No wonder it’d affected Rick so much. It was as if Aidan had accused him of being too dependent on him to leave him alone even for a short time.

  He hadn’t meant it that way, but he couldn’t blame Rick for being hurt. He’d be too if the roles were reversed.

  Both of them arrived back in the living room with Rick pushing his chair beside Aidan. Naomi jumped from her seat and animatedly came around the coffee table for a hug. Whenever she hugged someone, it was never a quick one, ever. Her small arms were even capable of squeezing a big man like Corey. It usually annoyed Aidan and the other guys because at times, they couldn’t even breathe. Rick, however, seemed happy to be greeted like that.

  “Happy birthday.” He said as she stepped back from the hug.

  “Aw, thank you.” She pinched his nose and looked up at Aidan. “He’s like a Ken doll, so cute.” Although, Aidan believed Rick was one of the cutest guys he’d ever met, he found Naomi’s comparison amusing.

  Corey’s laugh however sounded too sarcastic to everyone and Naomi gave him a killing glare. Aidan decided to ignore it and cleared his throat. “Rick, you’ve already met Naomi. That’s Corey, Brandon and Phil. We were in college together. I’ll spare you the guessing part – Corey and Naomi have been fucking for the past five years. Brandon and Phil, though it seems they are, actually aren’t.”

  Naomi slapped his bicep. “You’re such a douchebag. Rick, don’t listen to him. Corey and I are in a relationship. Fucking sounds so… animalistic.”

  “But you can’t deny babe, when we fuck, we fuck like animals.” Corey winked.

  She rolled her eyes but a smile still played on her blood red lips. “Too much information?”

  “And Rick,” Brandon butted in, resting his arm on Phil’s shoulder. “Just to get the facts right, although we haven’t done any fucking recently. We’ve definitely done things in the past.”

  “Oh! So you guys dated back then?”

  “No!” They both said in unison. And Brandon looked at Phil with a grin. The brunet, though, looked away. So, Brandon took it upon himself to elaborate. “I don’t do dates and we weren’t really compatible in bed, if you know what I mean.” He leaned forward making a face and whispered loud enough for everyone to hear. “Phil here is kind of an amateur when it comes to sex.”

  His laughter echoed in the living room. Only Corey joined in as the rest found it demeaning. Phil, obviously, was mortified. He pushed his buddy away pretty hard and stood up. “Fuck you, Brandon. Fuck you!”

  The group watched as he went out the front door. Aidan frowned at Brandon. “Real smooth, man.”

  “Don’t worry. I’ll handle it,” he said getting up too. As he followed Phil out, Aidan heard him mumble, “The guy really needs to get over his sensitive behavior.”

  Surprisingly, Brandon did manage to bring Phil back to the party and it seemed they both were back to normal again.

  Aidan was envious. He looked at Rick, who still refused to talk to him like he usually did. For the rest of the evening, Aidan tried to initiate conversation with him, but all he’d come up with was monosyllabic replies.

  “The pizza’s good, right?”

  “Yep.”

  “We … um… always order it from this place which serves great custom made pizzas. I’ll take you there some day.”

  “Okay.”

  “Hmm… oh, do you want another slice?”

  Rick shook his head and turned to Naomi asking her about the work she did. Aidan was pulled into a different conversation going on between the guys. But he couldn’t concentrate at all. His gaze would travel back to Rick and sadness engulfed him. How can I enjoy myself when I know Rick’s hurt because of me?

  As they sat around chatting on random topics, Bratty made her presence known and found her place on Aidan’s lap. “Hey there. Where have you been all day?” He caressed under her neck because he knew she liked it a lot. “Guys, this is Bratty.”

  “What a funny name!” Brandon laughed. “Is she yours?”

  “More like, she owns me,” Aidan replied, rolling his eyes.

  “Wow Aidan, I’m impressed.” Naomi stared at the cat with her big, green eyes. “I could never have imagined you owning a pet of any sort. Let alone a cat!” She turned to Corey. “Do you remember how mean he was around my cat? He wouldn’t even let her stay in the same room.”

  Corey snorted. “Your cat was weird and scary. Aidan was actually doing me a favor, so I wouldn’t be the one to complain.” Brandon and Phil nodded in agreement.

  She slapped his chest with the back of her hand and gave him a look. “Anyway… my point is – Aidan, you’ve changed a lot.” Her beaming face suggested she thought it was a good change.

  “I agree, Nay.” Corey nodded. “He’s definitely gotten into the habit of
picking up strays. Doing a bit of charity, are we now, Aidan?”

  The room fell silent. Aidan could feel the eyes on him and he didn’t dare look at Rick.

  He plastered a fake smile on his face. “Corey,” he said in his sweetest voice, “can I see you outside in the backyard for a minute? I think we need to talk.” Corey shrugged and they both stood up. Bratty leapt on the floor and sprinted toward the kitchen. “Rick, I’ll be back in a minute, okay?” He signaled Naomi to hold the fort for a while in his absence and she nodded.

  Aidan fumed as they stepped out of the back door and was all set to blast his anger on his best friend. Throughout their interaction that day, Corey had behaved like a jerk to Rick and Aidan couldn’t take it anymore. He had completely played out in his mind what he had to say.

  Instead, Corey was the first to yell. “What the hell is wrong with you?” His voice echoed through the empty backyard and Aidan was left stunned.

  “Excuse me?”

  “That guy in a fucking wheelchair? You’re dating him now?”

  Aidan clenched his teeth. “His name’s Rick. And yes, I’m dating him. Why can’t you just be happy for me?”

  He shook his head. “I’d be happier if you were seeing someone … someone normal.”

  “Don’t be such a fucking asshole, Corey.”

  Corey exhaled and held Aidan by his shoulder. “You’re my friend, Aidan. And I can’t see you getting involved with someone like Rick. Do you know what I mean?”

  He shrugged him off and crossed his arms defensively. “No, Corey. I do not understand what you mean.”

  “Ugh. Aidan!” He watched his friend turning from him. “You’re signing up for a hell of a lot more than you can imagine. It’s a lot of work being in a relationship with someone who is disabled. He’ll be your responsibility all the time. You cannot live your life the normal way again.”

  “Will you stop it with the normal shit? I’ve been living with him for a week now and things have been moving pretty smoothly around here.”

  “Exactly my point, Aidan. It’s all new for you at the moment. And you’ve got way too involved with him.” He pointed to his side. “Back in there, I could see how you behaved around him – like … like a lovesick puppy. You’re infatuated with him right now, man! Once it fades away and you come back to reality, it’ll be too late … that’s why I want to warn you now.”

  Aidan closed his eyes and smiled. “You’ll never understand,” he whispered and slowly opened his eyes. “I know you’re thinking this is wrong for me. But it feels so damn right, Corey. It feels amazing to be with Rick in here.” He patted on the left side of his chest. “In my heart.”

  Corey laughed sardonically. “That’s the lovesick puppy talking. Right there.”

  “You’re wrong, buddy. I hate to say this, but you are wrong.” Aidan wasn’t angry at him anymore. He knew Corey had his best interests in mind. But he was doing this all wrong. Corey didn’t know Rick the same way as Aidan.

  The guy shrugged. “You could do way better than him.”

  “And I tell you, there’s no one in this world who’s better for me than Rick.” He slowly stepped toward the door and stared at his friend for a while. There was concern and sadness in Corey’s grey eyes. “I think we should call it a night. I’m tired.”

  Aidan didn’t mean to end the party the way it did. Even though, Naomi claimed she enjoyed every minute of it, he knew she only said it to make him feel better. By the time he and Corey got back into the living room, Rick was long gone. “He said he wasn’t feeling too well, so he went back to his room.” Naomi told him. So, as soon as everyone left, Aidan went to check on Rick.

  The door was half way open and he found Rick emptying his stuff from the wardrobe. His heart skipped a beat. “Hey,” he said and Rick turned. “What’s going on?”

  Rick folded the shirt in his hand and kept it on his lap on top of the few others he’d already removed. Slowly, he pushed his wheelchair toward the bed. “I’ve decided to go back to Missouri tomorrow. I already called up my friend there and she’s ready to take me in for a few days. I had a job before I moved to LA, so it’s all going to work out.”

  Aidan walked up to him and held his hand. He took the bag away from him and said, “You’re not going anywhere.”

  “Aidan …”

  “If this is about me yelling at you earlier… I told you I’m sorry. It totally came out wrong.”

  He smiled sadly. “No, Aidan. You were right. You have your own life to live and you cannot spend your precious time taking care of me. I’m a broken piece.”

  A lump formed in his throat. He sat on the edge of Rick’s bed and took his hands in his own. “Don’t fucking say that, Rick! You’re not, you’re not broken. And I love taking care of you.”

  “I don’t like it though.” Rick looked anywhere but at Aidan. “I hate the fact you are wasting your life on someone like me. You deserve someone who’s capable enough to care for you back.”

  “Why don’t you guys let me decide …” he was about to say it was his decision who he wanted to be with but then suspected something fishy. “Wait,” he said suddenly, narrowing his eyes. “Where’s this coming from really?” Rick didn’t reply. He stared down at the set of clothes in his lap as if there was something very interesting about them. Aidan pulled at his hands and yelled, “Look at me, Rick!”

  It made him jump but it worked. Rick did look up and Aidan noticed the tears forming in his eyes. His voice cracked when he said, “I overheard your argument with Corey.” Aidan huffed. Damn Corey! “He’s right though,” he rushed to explain, “I completely agree with him. I can give you nothing but endless problems. You’ve been good to me, Aidan but it’s all been too good to be true.”

  Aidan shook his head vigorously. “No, Rick, you’ve been too good to me. I don’t know what I’d have done when Bratty went missing if it wasn’t for you. You were by my side the whole time and it wasn’t even your problem.”

  “That was nothing.”

  “It wasn’t nothing for me.” Aidan said softly. “You comforted me. Because of you, I didn’t let go of my hope of finding her.”

  Casting his eyes down, Rick swallowed visibly. A tear escaped his eyes and fell freely. “If you are doing all of this because you think you owe me anything …”

  “Are you out of your mind, Rick?” Aidan yelled. He took a pause, realizing anger would only worsen things. So, he attempted to calm himself down and continued in a softer tone. “Why can’t you understand what I’m trying to say here? I appreciate you being in my life, Rick. I want you in my life. Not because I think I owe you or something, but because I …” He had to say it. It was high time. “I love you.”

  Rick’s eyes grew bigger as he looked up and his mouth remained wide open. Aidan gave him time to let the words sink in. He didn’t dare look away because he wanted Rick to know how serious he was. When Rick recovered, he shook his head ever so slightly. “You don’t mean that!” The words came out in a gasp.

  “Of course, I mean it.” Aidan felt offended at how Rick would think otherwise. “I wouldn’t have said if I didn’t mean it. I love you and I’ve been in love with you for a while now.”

  Rick withdrew his hands from Aidan’s hold and silently continued to pack his clothes away. His shaking hands held onto the wheels of his chair and pushed them backwards. “You can’t love me, Aidan. I’m not worth it.” He said in a heavier voice and turned away.

  “You don’t get it, do you?” Aidan walked up behind him and bent down. He placed his chin on Rick’s shoulder, putting his arms around his body. With their faces close beside each other’s, he whispered near Rick’s ear, “This is what I want to do.” His smell allured him so much that he couldn’t stop himself from kissing his neck.

  Rick let out a heavy breath. “Aidan…”

  “Do you trust me, Rick?”

  “Yes,” he replied almost immediately. He, then, turned his head bringing them face to face. Staring deep into Aidan’s ey
es, Rick nodded before saying, “I trust you.” His gaze travelled down to Aidan’s lips. Little by little, the distance between their mouths diminished.

  Their breath mingled before their lips could even touch and Aidan felt a rush within him. When their lips finally met, both men let out a moan. This was definitely better than the last kiss they’d shared, Aidan thought. Maybe it was because the bond between them had grown stronger during the last few days and a lot of emotions had taken over, he didn’t know, or perhaps it was because the lust was replaced by the feeling of love inside him.

  Whatever it was, it felt heavenly to kiss Rick at that moment.

  Though he didn’t wish to, Aidan had to break their kiss because his legs were starting to kill him. So, he stood up straight and turned the wheelchair to face him. Rick smiled as he stared up at him.

  Aidan caressed his cheek with the back of his fingers. “You’re so beautiful.” Rick leaned into the touch and kissed Aidan’s hand. “Come on,” Aidan said and bent to pick him up. Rick laughed as Aidan carried him in his arms, out of the guest room and into his own bedroom. Putting him down right in the middle of his bed, Aidan then laid on his side resting his head on his left hand and facing him. Rick turned too, mimicking the exact mirrored position and smiled. He reached out to hold Aidan’s right hand and placed it on his own chest. Aidan let it rest there for a while and slowly began to rub it sensuously. Within minutes, he could feel Rick’s hardened nipple through the t-shirt and he circled his finger around it.

  “Kiss me again.” Rick asked.

  Aidan obliged happily and kissed Rick hard on the lips. It made him fall back, giving Aidan the opportunity to clamber on top of him. He thrust his hand under his body somewhere near the waistline and began to pull him closer so their groins rubbed each other’s. Rick cupped Aidan’s face, sometimes running his fingers through his grown out strands of hair. He kept pulling his face down deepening the kiss more and more with every passing second. Soon, their tongues made their way in and began to explore. Aidan enjoyed tasting every part of Rick’s warm mouth. Without a doubt, the man was an awesome kisser.