Made In Portugal

by Ana Newfolk

  I was currently in the arrivals area holding up a sign that said Maxwell Maximilian III. I saw Max as he turned the corner from the arrivals door towards the main concourse. I held the sign up and saw his face light up when he recognized me but then scowled when he saw the sign.

  I laughed as we hugged each other.

  “The Third? Seriously?” he said in mock outrage.

  “Yeah I thought it would give you lineage,” we’d played this name game a few times before. It started when I’d arrived from a trip where I’d been to a seminar and Max was waiting for me at the airport holding up a sign that said Professor Joel Joelius. Sometimes they were just variations of our names, other times they were entirely made up names, like when I’d waited for Max at Grand Central Station with a sign saying Sir Maxwell Jack Sallot.

  Max fell asleep on the drive back, so I decided to surprise him with an impromptu stop at the beach like I’d done on the first day I’d arrived. That had only been three weeks ago, but it felt like a lifetime had happened since then.

  It didn’t feel right going to Fonte da Telha with Max, I couldn’t tell why, it just a beach, but it held such significance to my relationship with David and I wanted to introduce them to each other first.

  Max woke up just as I was pulling up at the beach near my apartment.

  “Fuck,” he said rubbing his eyes, “I was out like a light. Sorry bout that. Where are we?”

  “At the beach,” I said, “come on, let’s get your toes in the sand, it’ll make you feel better, and then we can have a drink if you like before we go home and you can sleep some more.”

  Max changed from his jeans to shorts in the car, which was a challenge since he was a bit taller than me, and the car quite small. He came out of it looking so proud of himself it made me chuckle.

  His face took on a more relaxed expression as soon as we set foot on the sand, and then he smiled and put his arm around my shoulders.

  “This is beautiful Joebug, look at that,” he said looking out to the sea, “and the smell,” he lifted his head up and inhaled, “what’s that smell?”

  “It’s the smell of holidays and salt water my friend.” I said, “So how have things been at home?”

  “Not bad. We have a new chief nurse; he’s quiet, doesn’t quite have the same energy as mom. I really miss her,” he looked out towards the horizon as he spoke again and I knew he wasn’t just talking about work, "she’s out there, isn’t she?”

  “She is. Flying in the wind and swimming with the fish. And dad is chasing after her like he always did.” I’d meant to say it as a joke, but even as I spoke, I felt my eyes sting. I knew I would grieve their loss for a very long time, probably forever, and it was going to be harder before it got a bit easier.

  We held each other for a bit in silence, remembering our parents because that was what they were. They’d been as much Max’s parents as they’d been mine. My mom may not have given birth to Max, but she’d loved him from the moment he came home to study with me one afternoon shortly after we met.

  I'd seen first-hand how he was treated like a son when his own parents never seemed to care. When he was at our house, he had responsibilities as I did, but he’d also been loved like I’d been loved. I’d never forget my mom’s face when Max said he wanted to be a nurse just like her.

  “So,” Max said interrupting my thoughts, “tell me about David.”

  I looked up at Max and decided not even to try to cover up my blush, and my smile. Ok, my grin.

  “That good, huh?” he teased.

  So I told him about David. I told him how we’d reconnected after all the years apart. Told him about the journal and the road trip, and told him how I was absolutely sure I was in love with David and had no clue what to do about it.

  “Fuck, Joel, you’ve been gone three weeks. It may as well have been three years for all that happened.”

  “You’re telling me. What the fuck do I do Max?”

  “What do you want to do?” he asked.

  “I want him. I want to be with him, but you know my job, and my life is in New York, and he’s not even out. I can’t live a pretend life with him, lovers indoors and friends outdoors. It would tear us apart. And did I mention I live and work in New York?”

  “Do you have to?” he asked.

  “Do I have to what?”

  “Do you have to live and work in New York? Do you have to live a pretend life?”

  I knew the answer to the first question. I didn’t have to live and work in New York. I could easily move back to Portugal and teach here. I would be close to my family, see my grandparents all the time and my uncle, aunt, and my cousins. I could still do some work with my school remotely. Maybe I could even start writing. It’s something I’d always wanted to do, but school kept me so busy I hadn’t had time to put some of my ideas into a draft. I’d miss Max like hell, but I could visit him in New York, and he could come to Portugal too. I explained that much to Max.

  “You haven’t answered the second question.”

  “That’s because it’s not up to me to answer it.”

  “Then have you asked him?”

  “He’s not ready, Max. For god’s sake, he’s only just started having sex with a man.”

  “What? Fuck, I bet he’s tight. Is he tight? It’s gotta be the best sex you’ve ever had, right?”

  “Trust you to lower the tone, Max.”

  “Just stating the facts, my friend. Please, can I have a go? Pretty, please.”

  I knew Max was teasing, so I mock punched him in the gut to shut him up. We’d always been into completely different type of men so it had never been a problem, but I also knew he would never make a move on a guy I like, and I’d never do it to him either.

  “Trust him, Joel,” he said more seriously, “I don’t know this guy, but I know you. If he’s half as serious about you as you are about him, he’ll make the right decision.

  With that thought in my mind, we walked back to the car and went home.

  Max slept for a couple of hours. I tidied up the apartment, which hadn’t taken long since I’d barely spent any time here, and then I sat on the balcony reading.

  David arrived just as the sun was getting low in the sky. I’d been so distracted by my book I hadn’t even realized it was getting darker. Max was still in my room, awake but looking quite groggy so I gave him some time before I made introductions, which was perfect since I missed David and wanted to kiss the hell out of him. And I did as soon as he put down the boxes of food he brought with him.

  “Hmm,” I moaned into his lips, “I missed you.”

  “I missed you too. Getting up early for work didn’t give me any time for a morning workout.”

  “Oh, is that what we’re calling it now?”

  He laughed, and then jumped at the sound of a throat clearing.

  “David, this is Max.” David got his hand out for a shake, but Max got in his space and hugged him. I smiled as I remembered that was how Isaac had introduced himself to me when we met. Then I put myself between them, and leaned my back against David, pushing Max out with my arms.

  “Maaax.” I scolded.

  Dinner was delicious as always, but Max was uncharacteristically quiet, which I initially put down as jet lag, although he was going for his third serving of dinner, so maybe he was just hungry.

  “How are you feeling Max? Still tired?”

  “Nah, I’m good now but this food... it tastes just like mom’s.” He said, “I'm so full, but I can’t stop eating. I'm so going to be in a food coma tonight.”

  His face looked so serious as if it could actually happen. David laughed, taking the compliment and offered to cook for us all again. I touched his leg under the table and gave it a squeeze. He smiled back at me.

  After dinner, we just hung out in the living room with a beer and ended up talking about the work that Max and David both do with LGBT youth. My chest was blooming with happiness and pride. I felt lucky for having them here, lucky that Max and D
avid seemed to genuinely like each other, and so proud of them for the time they gave to others in need.

  Around nine o'clock I could see Max flagging again, so I offered him a cup of coffee. He just informed me he was going to sleep on my bed and I better stay with David tonight and not disturb him until the morning.

  I sent him a silent thanks with my eyes and said goodnight before I saw him turn the corner of the corridor towards the bedroom.

  I immediately sat on David’s lap facing him and took his mouth for a searing kiss.

  “What do you say?” I whispered.

  His eyes were half-lidded with lust and then with promise as he opened them fully, “I say Max needs a really good night sleep, you better be a good friend and give him his space.”

  He pulled me down for a kiss and I gladly took it as he placed his hands on my ass making me grind against his hardening length.

  “Jesus, guys. I haven’t left you a minute yet.” Max said coming in to grab a glass of water.

  We stopped but didn’t move.

  “You guys are making me horny. We’re going out tomorrow. The three of us. I need to get myself some ass, if I'm going to be putting up with you two all week,” he declared.

  “Let’s make it four,” David said and winked at me. There was a hint of mirth in his voice, and I knew what he was thinking.

  Max disappeared back into the bedroom, and we left to spend the night at David’s.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  David

  I wasn’t surprised that I liked Max immediately; after all, he was Joel’s best friend. If Joel had struck a friendship with him so easily when they were young, and they were still friends after all these years, then there was a reason for it.

  I had a feeling that there was more to him than met the eye. On the outside, he looked a picture of confidence, almost unflappable, but when we’d talked last night, I could see another more vulnerable side I’m not sure I’d see if Joel wasn’t there.

  After we’d gone to my apartment last night, Joel couldn’t stop talking about Max, how his parents had treated them both like brothers, and all the things they got up to together. It was quite endearing. I could see how different Joel was when Max was around. Good different, like another vital piece of the Joel puzzle was back in place with the rest of him.

  Joel and Max were spending the day together, probably on the beach. I had promised to help Isaac with some stuff at the Center, so I’d taken the train to Lisbon. Joel would drive in later with Max, and we’d all go out dancing to an LGBT club we knew well.

  I was glad there wasn’t a queue at the door when we’d arrived. Inside the club was busy but not packed as it would typically be on a Friday night or at the weekend. We saw a table in a corner and claimed it as our spot and got some drinks.

  “So who is this friend that Joel is bringing?” Isaac asked.

  “Oh, you’ll like him,” I said, “You have a lot in common, and he’s definitely your type.”

  Isaac raised a brow but took a sip of his drink, “Can’t wait to get on the dance floor, this friend better be a good dancer.”

  I saw Joel as soon as he walked in the club despite the relative darkness of the place. It was like my whole body knew he was in proximity and fuck if he didn’t look good tonight.

  He was wearing a pair of black jeans that were tight enough that they showed off all the right parts of his body without being too tight, and a red t-shirt that was just a tad shorter than normal. I was sure if he lifted his arms only slightly I’d be able to see his gorgeous flat stomach and the blond hairs of his happy trail.

  Max was just behind him looking around at the guys who were already on the dance floor getting down and dirty.

  I got up to greet him with a kiss and whispered in his ear, “I’m going to make you pay for looking so fucking sexy tonight.”

  I put a hand in Joel’s lower back to keep him close, happy that he put his arm around my waist too, and turned to introduce Isaac to Max.

  Joel and I must have been too caught up in ourselves because we’d both missed what had happened around us. Isaac, who’d been sitting down, was now standing up and staring at Max with an expression of total disbelief and something else I couldn’t read.

  Max was equally frozen in place and staring at Isaac. Even in the darkness, I could tell a lot was being said between them just through their eyes. What the fuck was happening?

  “Oh fuck,” Joel said. It sounded like a whisper because of the music around us, and I was pretty sure no one else had heard him.

  Suddenly I felt like I was the only one missing a piece of vital information, but I didn’t have time to ask any questions, or do any introductions because Joel grabbed my hand and pulled me to the dance floor.

  “What’s going on?” I shouted in Joel’s hear since the music was much louder on this part of the club.

  “They’ve met before.”

  “What? When?”

  “Last Christmas, in New York.”

  Things were slowly making sense. Isaac had been different when he’d come back from New York before Christmas. All he’d talked about was the Youth Center he visited and the couple he’d met last summer that run it. We spent a lot of time together just after Christmas going through some of his ideas for fundraising and getting through red tape to turn the Center into an emergency shelter.

  Isaac had at no point mentioned he’d met someone while in New York, and from the body language emanating from both of them, it looked like it hadn’t just been a fleeting encounter either. Both Max and Isaac were now sitting on opposite sides of the small round table, leaning forward, supposedly so they could hear what each other was saying. They both looked tense, but from a distance, I couldn’t see their faces.

  I felt a pair of hands coming from behind me settling on my waist, and a distinct hardness pressing against my ass. Suddenly my attention shifted from the two men at the table to the sexy man pressing against me.

  A breath of air tickled my ear, “hey gorgeous, do you come here often?”

  We were gently swaying in time with every other beat of the music. Everybody around us was moving to the same beat but at a different speed. There were groups of a few guys dancing in circles, some couples closer together and even a few girls dancing on their own. Even though I didn’t come out with Isaac often I’d always liked this club because it was truly diverse; there were guys and girls just enjoying the music together regardless of who was gay, lesbian, bi or trans.

  I closed my eyes and leaned my head back between his shoulder and ear, “No, but I think I’ll change my mind.”

  “Anything I could do to make your decision easier?”

  His teasing breath as he spoke was getting me full on hard, so I had to turn around to face him so I could keep my erection between us.

  I ran my hands slowly up his chest, loving that he was that little bit taller than me.

  “You could kiss me gorgeous,” I said.

  Joel looked like was about to lean down to kiss me when he saw something and looked over at the table where Max and Isaac sat. I looked in the same direction. They weren’t alone anymore. There was another guy seating next to Isaac with his arms around him.

  Joel turned to me with a questioning look but I shrugged. I had no clue who the guy was. I saw Isaac get up and leave the table with the guy, leaving Max on his own. He looked defeated.

  We walked over to the table. Joel sat next to Max who was watching Isaac as he danced with the other guy, and put an arm around him.

  “Max, is Isaac your Isaac?” Joel asked.

  Max looked at Joel and nodded, his eyes were shiny with unshed tears.

  This wasn’t the time to get to the bottom of this. Isaac looked like he was with someone he knows, and he’s a short taxi ride away from home. I leaned over the table and asked Max if he wanted to go home. He nodded.

  I took my phone out from my pocket to send Isaac a text to let him know we were going home and I’d catch up with him soon when a
voice came from behind me.

  “Well, if it isn’t the extraordinaire custard tart man.”

  Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Lucas was an open as gay as they come kind of guy who had moved to my area a few years ago. When he came to my café for the first time, he’d shamelessly flirted with me, which I gently shut down making a joke about his gaydar needing a reset.

  “Oh hi Lucas, how are you?”

  He looked me up and down with overt interest, “much better for seeing you here honey,” he drawled in a way he probably thought was appealing but to me was downright weird and unwelcome. He put his hand on my chest which made me flinch.

  “Lucas, I’m just here with my friends. Not because I’m gay.” I grabbed his wrists to remove his hands from me.

  He seemed to have only just noticed Max who was still looking towards the dance floor and Joel who was looking at me with eyes wide open.

  “Are you sure, honey? Because I saw your two dancing earlier and it didn’t look like you were just friends.” He looked between me and Joel as though he was waiting for one of us to agree with him.

  “That was just a joke,” I laughed, “my friend here was trying to make his boyfriend jealous, and I just went along with it. They were just teasing each other, that’s all. In fact, they were just about to leave.”

  “That’s right,” Joel said standing up and grabbing Max by the arm to stand up too, “we were just leaving, weren’t we sweetheart?” he said punctuating the word sweetheart as though it was two words. That’s what I’d called him sometimes, sweetheart, and it was a clear message that he was beyond angry. I’d not only come out and said I’m not gay, but I also lied and made it look as though Joel was in a relationship with Max just to save face.

  I watched as Joel and Max left the club hand in hand, while I stayed where I was feeling like the biggest asshole in the history of assholes.

  “So now that your friend is gone maybe we can have some fun on the dance floor.”

  “Lucas, I’m not gay, and I’m not interested. I’m just hanging out with friends for a drink.”