by Ana Newfolk
“It wasn’t until they’d been back for a couple of weeks that they realized Paula was also pregnant. I don’t think even Paula knew until Sílvia was here.”
“How do we know Sílvia didn’t know? Wouldn’t my mom tell her? And where was my dad then?”
“I don’t know if your mom had a boyfriend. I thought Sílvia knew, but after your mom died, we talked about it. Sílvia didn’t know. Paula kept it a secret from everybody.”
It didn’t make sense. Why would my mom keep it a secret even from her best friend?
I had a feeling there was something else Violeta wasn’t telling me.
“There was someone in your mom’s life at the time,” Violeta looked apprehensive, almost like she was choosing her words carefully.
“Who?”
“His name was Vítor.”
“Her high school boyfriend?”
“I don’t know about that. I always thought he was gay, but I don’t know for sure. They went to the same school. When he came back from military service I used to see them together a lot, even more after Sílvia left.”
“Where is this Vítor?”
“He’s been gone a long time. The best person to ask is your uncle.”
What? My uncle? Why? Fuck, there was no way I’d talk to my uncle about this.
“Thanks avó Violeta. I appreciate you telling me all this, and I’m sorry I don’t come round as often. I’m going to change that.” I got up from my chair and gave her a heartfelt hug just before I saw Joel smiling from where he stood leaning against the frame of the kitchen door.
Joel had driven us into Lisbon, which gave me some time to process the conversation with Violeta, but as soon as we got to the Center, my focus was on the kids and the class.
We had such a great time at the Center; I was still buzzing from it on the way home. The class had gone exceptionally well, the kids had loved it, and I’d talked to them about enrolling on a catering course if they were serious about it. I could top up their learning with more practical classes to help them practice.
I was still talking about my ideas to help the kids as we walked into my apartment. Joel went straight to the kitchen to put away the custard tarts the kids insisted we bring home.
I opened the balcony door and leaned against the railing. When I heard Joel coming back to the living room, I turned around and smiled. He stopped in his tracks and smiled back at me.
We stood like that for a few seconds, each waiting for the other to make a move.
I don’t know if it was because of the perfect day we’d had, because Isaac had “approved” of Joel even though I hadn’t officially told him we were together, or because I just couldn’t resist this man, but what I was feeling was unmistakable.
Joel launched at me at the same time as I moved forward and caught him. His mouth was on mine immediately, and his legs wrapped around my waist. He moaned when I held him in place with my hands on his ass but didn’t stop kissing me.
My need for him hit me like a freight train so without moving my mouth from his and my hands from where they were holding his ass I took us to my bedroom, fortunately without any major bumps or bruises along the way.
I lowered him on my bed, but he didn’t unwrap his legs, so I had no choice but to fall on top of him. His position allowed our cocks to align deliciously together despite our height difference.
“Jesus, Joel,” I gasped, grinding against him and feeling how hard he was, “clothes, off.”
We separated for a few seconds to get rid of our clothes and then resumed our position, except now we were completely naked. I kissed his cheek and nibbled on his earlobe while he pushed up against me.
I could feel him searching for air as I pulled out all the guns in my arsenal to make him feel good, until he stopped me. He turned us so I was sitting on the bed and he was straddling me, looking into my eyes.
“David, baby,” he said, an unnamed expression on his face, “it’s ok if you’re not ready, but I...” he ran his hands through his now very messy hair.
“What’s up? You can ask me anything, you know that, right?” I put my hands on the top of his legs massaging them gently, feeling his light blond hairs under my hands.
“I want you to make love to me, David.”
I realized then he wasn’t talking about all the stuff we’d done before, which to me still fell under the “making love” category.
“It’s ok if you don’t want to,” he said quickly, trying to take back his request.
“Don’t take my silence for refusal, Joel,” I put my hands on either side of his face and kissed him gently, “Don’t you realize is that I can no more refuse you anything than I can willingly stop my heart from falling for you?”
I didn’t allow Joel time to react to my declaration before I kissed him again. Our tongues played together a game of teasing and taunting. There were only winners in this game because I was pretty sure Joel was enjoying it as much as I was.
I hadn’t felt like myself for a very long time, certainly not as an adult and for extended periods of time. Volunteering at the Center was like a tonic I could take periodically but being near Joel, touching him, feeling him wasn’t just medicine, it was like being home in all senses of the word.
That was the reason why I had no hesitation or reluctance discussing the particulars of what we were doing. There was no point in hiding it, I’d never been with another man like this, and he knew it.
Joel being my first was just how it was meant to be. I knew that to my core. My body had been waiting for his, I just didn’t know it. I’d had plenty opportunities to be with other men, and to a degree, I’d wondered if there was something wrong with me for not being interested in them. Not anymore since Joel was my own personal aphrodisiac.
“How is this going to work exactly?” I asked while running my blunt fingernails up Joel’s sides and back making him shiver.
“Well,” he said putting a finger to his chin, “let me see, the rules are that the better looking of us gets to choose if they’re topping or bottoming.”
“The rules.”
“Yup, and since I’m clearly the better-looking one I--“
He was a fucking cute smartass, but I was stronger, so I put an arm around his waist and flipped us so I was on top of him again. While he was giggling, I grabbed his wrists and held them above his head.
“You were saying...”
“I... well I...” he stammered.
“You said you were the better looking of the two of us. I won’t disagree,” I looked him up and down, paying particular attention to his hard cock trapped between us already with a bead of pre-cum sticking to his abdomen.
“Fuck, David, I want you inside me so fucking bad.”
“I thought you’d never say it.” I slammed my mouth on his so hard I was sure we’d both still feel it in the morning, and then I ran my tongue down his body until it reached its destination.
I took him in my mouth, his taste now so familiar, and sucked the head of his cock until he was bucking his hips wanting more.
I replaced my mouth with my hand, slowing my movements but adding a bit of pressure.
“Can you reach out for the condoms and lube?” I asked, “bedside table.”
He reached to get the supplies but had to turn over, and since I hadn’t stopped touching him in some way or another, he was cursing me to hell, especially when I found a sensitive spot in the back of his knees. I would have to remember that for future reference.
When I saw he had a condom and the lube bottle in his hand I lifted his hips, so he turned completely and pulled him toward me placing him on his knees.
“You have a fucking perfect ass, sweetheart.”
“You better get on with it and get in-- fuuuck,” he moaned as I ran my tongue down his crease. I nibbled on the globes of his ass and went back to swirling my tongue around his opening.
“David, stop... please!”
I froze, “I’m sorry, did I hurt you? Was that wrong?” I
panicked. All I wanted was to make him feel good. Even with my non-existent experience I’d still watched plenty of porn and looked up information online to know what to do, but maybe Joel didn’t like what I was doing, or it hurt, or something.
“No, hell no! Another time you can go to town on my ass with your tongue, but I want to come with you inside me, and I was seconds away from blowing.”
“I’m that good huh?” I asked with relief and a tinge of satisfaction.
He got up on his knees to face me and looking into my eyes he said, “You’re fucking perfect, David.” He then lay down on his back and expertly put the condom on my cock and the lube on my hand.
“Make me ready, baby.”
And so I did. I was nervous because I didn’t want to hurt him but the noises he was making as my lubed finger moved in and out of his tight hole gave me the confidence to carry on. When he was ready and begging for my cock I obliged.
Joel felt tight and warm and having to enter him slowly only accentuated every single detail to me, his slow deep breaths, the light sheen of sweat on his forehead, his abdominal muscles contracting and the soft muscle opening relaxing around me, and mostly the look of pure bliss on his face.
It was almost too much, both in the sense that I could come at any second but also that I felt like my soul was finally latching on to its other half. How was it possible that I felt calm and exhilarated at the same time?
I almost didn’t realize I was fully seated inside Joel until he let out a content sigh. His eyes were half-lidded in abandoned pleasure. I was making this good for him, and I didn’t even know what the hell I was doing.
He started to move under me, which prompted me to follow suit. My hips wanted to move faster, the pressure on my lower back was telling me my orgasm was imminent, but that wasn’t what I wanted. This wasn’t about chasing my orgasm, this was about telling Joel how I felt, showing him so there was no doubt whatsoever.
“David, I’m close,” his breathing was erratic, and he was holding me close, using the heels of his feet to keep me inside him.
Without even withdrawing from him I kept pushing in, trying to get further and further inside him, trying to find that place I knew was just for me, my home.
Our bodies were so close together there wasn’t an inch of space between us. I could feel Joel’s cock hard and leaking, desperate for release.
Joel brought his hands up to hold my face in place, “Look at me, David, I...”
He didn’t finish what he was going to say because his orgasm ripped through him like a house on fire. His eyes were closed and his eyebrows furrowed as though he was in pain, but I knew there was nothing but pleasure coursing through him.
Looking at him enjoying the aftershocks of his orgasm as he slowly opened his eyes was all it took for me to let it finally go. It was explosive, life-altering and so much more than sex.
Neither of us could speak for a few minutes while we recovered. We just stared at each other in post-orgasmic bliss, unable to say a word.
It wasn’t late, but once we cleaned up and curled up together in bed again, it didn’t take long until I fell asleep. I woke up a few hours later needing to use the bathroom. Joel was in his usual sleeping position with his arms and legs around me so I was careful to extract myself from him without waking him up.
I looked at the time, it was just past two in the morning. Joel was lying on my bed like he was meant to be there. I joined him, making sure to place his arms around me again and his leg on top of mine.
He stirred slightly, holding me even tighter, and nuzzling my neck he uttered the words I’d been waiting to hear for a lifetime but also had the power to break me.
“Mmm, I love you...David.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
Joel
I woke up with a jolt and my heart racing out of my chest. I realized very quickly that I was alone in bed because since I’d started sleeping with David, I’d always woken up wrapped around him like a vine. I reached for his side and was happy that it was still warm, which meant he hadn’t been gone that long. I shifted, so I was lying on his warm spot.
His pillow smelled of him, which took me back to last night. It had been hands down the best night of my life. I smiled to myself at the thought. It seemed as though each night with David now topped any of the previous nights.
During our lovemaking, I nearly blurted out that I love him and it was only my mind-blowing orgasm that stopped me from doing so by rendering me speechless. I hadn’t missed David’s declaration either. He’d said he was falling for me. I took a deep breath to take in his scent and burrowed further into the cozy sheets.
David came back shortly after with two mugs of coffee and two custard tarts. I sat up and tapped on my side of the bed for David to join me. My mind still struggled to believe I was lucky to have this man to myself, but I wasn’t going to complain.
“You can bring me coffee in bed any day you want, but we’ll have to talk about your choice of breakfast,” I teased but still devoured my tart in three bites.
Apart from the walking, we’d done on holiday and of course, all the sex, I couldn’t say I’d been very active. My legs were itching for some exercise, so I suggested we both go to the beach for a run once we finished our coffees.
I was glad it wasn’t as hot today as it had been in the last few weeks, and there were even a few clouds in the sky. They were due to clear in the afternoon but it made the run a whole lot more comfortable.
“Let’s do a sprint to that lifeguard station over there,” David said once we’d jogged a mile to warm up.
“Loser cooks dinner tonight,” I said sprinting immediately ahead.
My muscles were feeling the sudden strain, but I enjoyed the burn before the muscles acclimatized to the push. I got to the lifeguard station first and turned around to brag but found David not even trying to win.
“You didn’t even try, and it was your idea.”
I poked him in the ribs.
“I was going to try but then your ass, those shorts,” he shrugged, “suddenly winning from the back felt like the best idea ever.”
I laughed, “Besides, you know you’re cooking dinner anyway.”
We ran for another few miles and then turned back.
“Hey, let's stop by Pedro’s for a drink,” he said.
“Ok.”
Pedro was in his usual good mood and seemed happy to see us again. He asked what we’d been up to so we told him about the trip.
When Pedro had to go back to serve other customers, we were left on our own enjoying the cold drinks while looking out to the sea.
I wanted to tell David about Max coming to stay with me for the next week, but every time I thought about it I chickened out. In the beginning, I didn’t want to mention it because we were still getting our friendship back on track but, but after it just felt like I’d be bursting our bubble. Now that Max was due to arrive in two days I didn’t have a choice.
“David, there’s something I have to tell you.”
“What’s that?” he asked. His expression was so open, as though there was no chance of me saying anything that could hurt him.
“You remember I told you about my friend Max? Well, after my parents died and we read the will we decided to come together. He’s been my best friend for years, David, and I needed him to be here with me.”
I knew I was rambling, but I just couldn’t stop myself, and David hadn’t stopped me either so I carried on, “he couldn’t take much time off work, but he secured a week off, so that’s why he’s only coming for a week. Yeah, it’s er only a week he’s here, and he’s staying with me, in the apartment. He arrives the day after tomorrow.”
David laughed, and I did a double take.
“What?” I was confused, why was he laughing.
“How long have you been putting off telling me your friend is coming?”
“A while? I wasn’t sure how you’d react at first, and then there wasn’t a good time. You know, with us jum
ping each other’s bones at every chance?” I whispered, trying to avoid prying ears.
David laughed even louder but then leaned closer and said, “come on, let’s go home, we need a shower and we only have two days to jump each other’s bones until your friend takes more of your time.”
“You know, I think you and Max are going to get along.”
David made good on his promise, and we’d spent most of the last two days in bed. Feeling David inside me still shook me to the core. Not that I believed that you had to have penetrative sex to have intimacy but giving David something I’d rarely given any of my previous partners made a world of difference to me.
When we were together like that, it was like my soul was latching on to his. Like I was opening the front door of my home and inside was everything that was right and perfect.
After we’d come back from our run two days ago we’d had a shower together and a snack, and then went shopping so we wouldn’t have to leave the apartment for the next two days. We ended up being pulled out of our self-imposed reclusion by my cousins who came to visit our grandparents and asked us if we wanted to spend the afternoon at the beach.
My cousins didn’t know about David and me, so we made sure to keep some distance. I wasn’t going to deny how close we were as friends though so I made sure to do what friends do and joined forces with my cousins to bury him in the sand and then throw him in the cold water of the Atlantic.
We’d had a great time; it took me back to my childhood when we used to play together and come to the beach as a family.
That evening after we had dinner we sat on the love seat in David’s living room and watched a film together. We cuddled up during the film parts and made the best use of the extremely long advert breaks. If I’d been watching it on my own, I’d have lost interest with how long those ad breaks took, but having the freedom to touch David’s body while he was complaining about the adverts was definitely a plus. He hadn’t complained for very long.
David went back to work today, and I went to the Lisbon Airport to pick Max up. The plan was to let Max recover from the flight and then David would join us for dinner.