by Max Hudson
“Hey,” she said, waving in my face with her free hand, “where’d you go? I’m trying to talk to you about my new project.”
“Blanche, I am so sorry.” I rubbed my forehead and looked at her from under my hand. “I feel like I’ve really stepped in it. Why did I have to get involved in whatever Aris and Clive have going on? It’s none of my business.”
“Don’t beat yourself up,” she said, pointing her coffee ice cream cone at me. “You told him he was being played because you care. And you do. Right?” She waited and looked at me with those intense, dark eyes of hers. “Mark, you care about him, yeah? Don’t tell me you did this just to create a little drama.”
“I think,” I shifted in my chair and wiped the melting ice cream from my fingers. “I think he may be the love of my life. I just don’t know how to go about, um, being with him.”
“Call him.”
“Now?”
“Now. If you were right, he’ll want to talk. If you were wrong, he’ll want to gloat. Either way, you can move on with your life.”
She sat back and stared out at the ice cream parlor full of families and got an amused smile on her face. I gingerly set my ice cream down and stepped outside.
I dialed Aris’ number and listened to the rings. Voicemail. I listened to the robotic voice tell me how to leave a message but then I just hung up. Either he and Clive were having a lovely evening together or they were screaming at one another. Anything, literally anything, could be happening. I looked in at Blanche and she was watching me over her shoulder. I shook my head and went back in.
As I took my seat, I leaned in a little closer to my friend. “Blanche,” I bit my lip, tried to show that I was nervous, “you’re a psychic, right? Is that the best description?”
“Yes, I think so. I get flashes of this and that.”
“Wow.” I shook my head, awash with admiration. “That must be so incredible.”
“It can be.” She put the last of her cone in her mouth and wiped her lips. “More than anything,” she continued, “it can be a real nuisance.” She crossed her arms and cocked an eyebrow at me. “You’d be amazed how many friends expect me to read other people’s minds or tell them if their crush is currently making up or breaking up with his young lover.”
I deflated and fell back against the chair. “Can’t you? Tell me, I mean. You must have some inkling of what’s happening. I’m in pain, here.”
“You’re not in pain. You’re just waiting to hear if he’s available or not.”
I leaned forward and touched her hands. “Isn’t there anything you can do?”
She closed her eyes and let out a deep sigh. “Do you have something that Aris has held recently or that belonged to him?”
I started to say no, then paused. I did have something. I patted down my pockets and found what I was looking for—his lighter. “This fell out of his jacket at the restaurant. I meant to give it back, but I got sidetracked.” I handed it to her and she closed her hand around it.
She nodded slowly, focused in on the little gold pillar in her palm. “Okay. Okay. Don’t rush me.”
“Take all the time you need.”
Blanche closed her eyes and kept nodding, as if she were lulling herself into a mental state. She even swayed a little. She let out a little yell, a quick “Uh!” and then began mumbling to herself. A family off to the side of us looked over and stared.
I gave them a friendly wave with my fingers and then looked back to my psychic. My lips pressed together as I watched her eyelids ripple over her hidden eyes. What was she seeing?
Blanche gasped, opened her eyes and blinked, took in the ice cream shop. She fell back and I realized she was sweating. “I’ll get you some water.”
The cooler was at the other end of the restaurant and the only cups available were tiny paper things, so I stuck several between my fingers and gingerly carried them back to her. By the time I’d made it back, she was looking in her compact mirror and staring at the reflection she saw there.
The metal lid snapped down as I came back and she helped me with my tiny offerings. “Thank you, Mark. You’re sweet.” She sipped one and shivered at the cold.
“All right,” she said, setting it down, “I saw a lot more than I meant to. I want to be careful what I tell you, though. If you know too much, you might make a misstep.”
I leaned in. “How so?”
“You’ll get cocky and assume nothing can go in a different direction. The truth is, you can change everything with just a word, a movement. I’m always very careful what I share with people because I’ve seen that happen.”
“Okay. Just give me some clues or point me in the right direction.”
She downed the rest of her cup of water and reached for a new one. “All right. Something is up with Clive. He’s not being honest with Aris, and Aris will figure it out. Whether that’s tonight or another night, I can’t say, but the dishonesty will surface.”
“Wow. Really? You’re sure?”
She nodded and put a hand to her chest. “Oh. Oh, dear. My heart is going a bit fast.”
“Take it easy. Long slow breaths through your nose. There you go, that’s it.” I put a hand on her shoulder. “You don’t have to tell me anything else. I just wanted to know that I was right about Clive.”
She looked up nervously, then just nodded.
“What? Is there something else?”
She blinked away a tear. “I think… I think I saw something wonderful. I don’t know who, but I’m fairly certain it’s someone I’m close to. Or, maybe, it was me. I don’t know. Mark, something big is about to happen.”
“Oh, my God, Blanche.” I went around to hug her. “Don’t get ahead of yourself. Remember what you told me, okay? One thing can make it all go away.”
She squeezed me back and we held each other at the tiny ice cream table for a long moment. “Thank you,” she whispered, then added, “Go and see him tomorrow. He needs to know that you’re genuinely concerned.”
“I’ll go. I’ll tell him.”
She nodded and let me go. I helped her up and together we went to her apartment. I offered to sleep on the couch to make sure she was totally recovered from her episode, but she shooed me out.
“This is where I’m safest. I promise.”
“Okay then.” I hugged her goodbye and went outside.
Out in the dark, I decided to walk home. It wasn’t something I usually did. Normally my goal was to get back as quickly as possible, lock myself in the house, and close the drapes so I could throw myself into bed. That night, however, I wanted to pause and take in the cool air, the people walking in the streets, and the sounds of the city pouring out into the night air. I thought I would be exhausted by the time I got home, but I barely slept. I just lay on top of my perfectly made bed, eyes open, and tried not to think.
The next morning, I knocked on Aris’ door. When he answered, the horrible night he’d been through was written all over his face. His rough skin, his silvery stubble, and mussed hair told the whole story.
“Hi.”
“Hey.” I cleared my throat and looked in his tired eyes. “Just wanted to see if you were all right.”
“I am now. But last night was, well…” he opened the door a little wider. “Come in and I’ll tell you all about it.”
I stepped in and was not the least bit surprised to see that his apartment was minimally decorated but very stylish. Two huge paintings of his were on the main wall of the front room and took up almost the entire wall. It was two young men, each looking at the other as their skin flew off in tiny pieces into their surroundings.
We sat on a gorgeous green couch that was soft and cozy. I sank into it and gave Aris a sympathetic smile.
“You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to.”
“I do. I want to tell you what’s going on with me.”
I almost asked why I needed to know, then stopped myself. If he was in the mood to share, I was ready to listen.
/> “I met Clive while I was a guest lecturer at the local university. It’s a small department, about ten kids per class, plenty of studio space for each. I had a lovely time there. My curriculum was about the most pretentious thing you’ve ever seen, but they just let me go for it. My enthusiasm was enough as far as the administrators were concerned.
“Clive was introduced to me by another student. He told me Clive was one of the best sculptors he’d ever seen. Of course I wanted to meet an up-and-coming artist so I was eager to see for myself. I walked into the sculpture space and saw these beautiful little creatures Clive had made and, well, it was all over. I was crazy about him before I even saw his face. Then I saw how sweet and handsome he was and I couldn’t even think straight.
“After my course was over Clive and I started seeing each other. He explained to me that he was asexual, that nothing physical was on the table. He only wanted to spend time together. He wanted love; he just needed it a different way.
“I was against it at first, but then I kind of got into it. As I told you, I could get physical affection elsewhere. It never bothered him. In fact, he always seemed a little relieved.
“I asked him to move in with me about six months ago. That was when he started getting these random illnesses. A bad cold here, a sour stomach there, always in four week intervals. I could practically predict them. I always took him at his word, however. I never questioned any of it. So, when you told me he was cheating, well, I was sure you were wrong. I practically sprinted home just so I could call you up and rub your mistake in your face.”
He paused and laughed a little bit, then bit his lip. I saw a little tear slide out of his right eye, but he quickly wiped it away. “Sorry,” he said, trying to smile. “I just feel so stupid.”
“Why?”
“Because I didn’t see what was really going on.” He ran his fingers through his mussed hair, and I felt my heart jump up at the sight of it. His messy, sandy-blonde locks were stunning. “Clive wasn’t in love with me. He didn’t even care about me. He just wanted an in for himself. He knew a relationship with me, even an odd one, would be enough to open some doors for him.”
“What are you saying?”
Aris took a big breath. “Clive isn’t gay. He’s straight. He was pretending to be a young, naive gay boy because,” he paused and shook his head, unable to believe it, “because he thought that was what I wanted. I guess he was right.” He looked at me with big, undeniable tears swimming in his eyes. “When I got back home, I found him with a woman in his bed. One of my assistants at the gallery. Apparently, it’s been going on for quite some time.”
He pushed his fist to his mouth and stared off into the space behind the couch. I stood and moved a little closer so that I could put my arms around him.
“Thank you,” he whispered, then burst out into a sob. I didn’t say anything, just held him and let him cry. In my arms, his body shook and jolted. I pulled him in closer and waited until he was ready to take a breath. Eventually, his sobs waned and then he wiped his face and his nose with some tissues from a nearby container.
“You’re a sweetheart, letting me blubber like this.”
I stroked the top of his head and let his lovely hair run through my fingers. “I can’t imagine what this must be like—knowing that someone you cared about was using you. It sounds like a nightmare.”
He closed his eyes and let out a big, heavy breath. He opened them and looked down at my hands. “Well,” he said, gingerly moving his fingers in between mine, “it helps that I have so much love and support from the people around me. Otherwise, I don’t know what would happen. That would be the real nightmare,” he said, lifting my hands to his lips. “Having no one to turn to. Just being alone.”
I nodded, my heart going far too fast. I could feel his soft, pale lips against my skin and his breath whispering over my knuckles. My breath was suddenly uneven and panicked. I didn’t know what to do but I certainly didn’t want to stop him.
He turned my hand palm side up and kissed the heel of it, then put his forehead down on the same spot. I could feel his heavy eyebrows against my skin, their wiry ends tickling me. When he lifted his face, I grabbed it and kissed him on the lips as hard as I could.
Aris and I started to claw at one another, unable to stop tearing at each other’s bodies. I had to have him. Clive seemed to have taken all of my hesitation with him. My hands pulled open Aris’ loose robe and his bare chest was underneath. He had scruffy chest hair over a toned, beautiful chest. I rubbed my cheek against him and kissed his gorgeous torso all over as he arched his back and let out a groan.
“Take your shirt off.”
Complying quickly, I got my shirt off as fast as I could. I tried to undo the buttons but my hands fumbled. Frustrated, I tore it open and threw it down as my buttons plinked all over the coffee table and floor.
“Yes! Oh, I love it!” Aris wrapped his arms and legs around me and we slid to the floor, still kissing each other’s lips and grabbing at one another’s bodies. I wanted to feel every part of him—his shoulders, his arms, his wrists. It was all so beautiful, so beguiling that no matter how much of him I felt, it wasn’t enough. His waist was so perfectly sculpted that I had to see his hips. They were covered by light blue boxer shorts, and I removed them as fast as I could.
“Whoa, whoa, wait a second.”
I stopped and propped myself up on my hands, hovering over him. “You okay?”
“We need protection.”
“Oh. Of course. Where is it?”
“My room. But, let’s not stay there. I have a space in the back that’s perfect.”
We walked back to his room and he grabbed some lubricant and condoms. When he came back, he took my hand and led me through the kitchen and out into what I assumed was a patio. He opened the door and I gasped.
There, behind his kitchen was an outdoor shower sheltered from the neighbors with tall, lush green plants. Their full, heavy leaves made something like a curtain and the water came down in a faux waterfall. The floor was done in light blue pebbles of every shade.
“This is my little paradise,” he said to me, stepping out of his boxers. He stood and looked pointedly down at my pants. “You want to join me?”
“Yes. Yes, I do.” I undid my jeans and pushed them down, then got out of my black boxer briefs. When they hit the ground, Aris’ eyes widened.
“Oh, wow.” He stepped a little closer and put a hand on my hip to pull me in. “That,” he whispered close to my ear, “is quite a piece of equipment you’ve got there.”
“I know. Is it okay for you?”
“It’s fantastic.” He reached down to touch me and I felt my cock lift slightly at the touch of his hand. He groaned a little and wrapped his hand around my shaft and started to stroke it up and down.
I pushed him back a bit and we stepped into the stream of water. I leaned back against the wall and just let him stroke me. My cock was the hardest it had been in months, and I felt like the air on it alone might make me orgasm. He hovered over me in a kind of push-up against the wall and kissed me as his hand worked faster and faster, bringing me closer to the moment of my climax.
“You’re gonna make me cum.”
“Good. I want you to cum, and then I want you to turn around. I’m going to take you from behind. You want that?”
“Oh. Oh, yes. Yes! Please!”
He laughed a little and slapped my butt cheek with his free hand. “Mmm, my sexy detective.” He kept masturbating me and I could feel the build up inside me. I was about to cum. I opened my eyes and looked into his and saw his dilated pupils and his open mouth as he watched me start to climax.
“I’m cumming,” I told him, grabbing his shoulder. “I’m cumming.” My orgasm was intense. As soon as it hit, I was thrown into the wall behind me and my head seemed to spin like it had been struck with a blunt object. I lost all control of my body and Aris had to catch me before I fainted.
“Oh, no you don’t.” He caught me
and stood me upright, then turned off the water. “Maybe the steam was a little too much.”
“Maybe.” I slipped my arms around him and kissed him softly, feeling his clean, naked skin against mine. He was a little shorter than me, but solid and in great shape.
I stood there against the cold wall, wet and naked, and the two of us just smiled at each other. Then, we started to laugh.
“Why did we wait so long to do this?” he asked, touching my face.
“You were with a straight man posing as an asexual. So, you know, things got off-track.”
I leaned down to kiss him and tasted the saltiness of his lips. They were soft and warm, but strong. His face was full of tiny muscles that pulled me in closer and closer to him until our noses were side by side, pressing into one another until they were almost crushed. I slid my arms around his neck and he wrapped his around my waist.
The sun came out just then. It shone down on the two of us brightly, so much so that I remember I thought my skin would burn. Aris pushed me back against the cool wall and the contrast in temperature shocked me for a second. There was no time to react. Aris spun me around and I caught myself with my hands on the wall.
He kissed his way down my back, biting me a little as he went, and slapped my right butt cheek hard. “You ready for me?”
“Yes.” I closed my eyes. I heard the condom wrapper rip open and the sound of lube being rubbed on Aris’ erection.
He got behind me and the heat of his body so close to mine relaxed me. I felt him slide into me and my breath caught. His hand reached around and grabbed my chest, then gently pushed me back against him, making me take him in fully and deeply. The feel of him deep inside me made my orgasm start to stir again and I leaned back against him, letting out a little moan.
“Stay against the wall,” he whispered and started pumping into me in a steady rhythm. The force of him pushed me into the stone wall in front of me, and I turned my face so that my cheek rubbed against the hard edges of the flat rocks. He moved with force, making himself go faster, fiercer. I surrendered myself over to him, letting him take over my body completely. I belonged to him and I didn’t want it any other way.