Coming Full Circle

by Liz Andrews

  “Fuck, yes,” Chase groaned. Shudders of pleasure were still racking her body as he continued to drive into her with a forcefulness that had her body vibrating with release. With one final stroke, he came inside her.

  Jasmine collapsed on the bench with Chase following her and pressing against her back. He pushed himself up and pulled out of her. She continued to lie there for a few moments longer, listening to Chase cleaning up. He returned to her side and helped her to her feet. Looking at herself in the mirror she was shocked to see how normal she seemed.

  Her skirt had fallen back over her hips when she stood and other than her mussed hair and full lips, she wouldn’t have been able to guess what had occurred. Chase handed her some damp paper towels and she went into one of the stalls to clean up.

  When she came out of the restroom, he was leaning back against the wall in the hallway, arms crossed over his chest and a satisfied smirk dancing over his lips.

  “How long have we been in here?”

  “Long enough the waiter probably knows what’s been going on.”

  Jasmine shook her head at his brazen attitude. “Oh my God. I’ll never be able to come back here again.”

  “So you’re saying it wasn’t worth it?”

  She walked up to him, leaning forward to press a quick kiss on his lips before flashing a wicked smile. “Hell yes, it was worth it.”

  Not for the first time since he’d dropped Chase off, Alex was wondering if this visit to his parents’ was the way he wanted to start his weekend. It was too late to change his mind since he’d already called to tell them he was coming. Turning the car into the driveway he stared at his childhood home. With a heavy sigh he exited the car, slamming the door behind him and trudging up the walk as if he were headed to a firing squad.

  His mother must have been watching for his arrival, because he didn’t even have the chance to ring the bell before the door swung open. Instead of letting him in right away, she looked over his shoulder as if confirming his earlier assurances he was coming alone, before speaking in a clipped tone. “It’s been a while.”

  Almost five years. Of course, his absence had as much to do with their bigotry as it did with his own hardheadedness. “You look well.”

  She had a few more wrinkles and some silver strands in her hair, but otherwise she looked exactly as she did the last time he came home for Thanksgiving, minus the holiday sweater.

  “Thank you.” She held open the door and stood back to allow him entrance. “Your father’s on the patio. I thought we could eat outside.”

  He nodded as he walked past her and leaned down to kiss her briefly on the cheek. She lifted a hand and gave him a halfhearted pat on the shoulder. Alex straightened and headed toward the back of the house. When he reached the screened-in back door, Alex paused and looked out onto the backyard. He noted his parents had extended the patio. The old lawn chairs had been replaced with a round glass table and four comfortable-looking chairs. There was a small bar in one corner and a new larger barbeque on the far side.

  His father was standing over the grill, messing with charcoal briquettes. Unlike his mother, his father was showing his age. He’d lost a lot of hair and the formerly fit man had developed a paunch. Alex opened the screen door and stepped out onto the patio. “Hi, Pop.”

  His father turned and nodded toward him as if he’d seen him yesterday. “Hey, Alex, can you pass me the lighter fluid?”

  Alex picked up the bottle sitting on the bar and walking to his father, handed it over. “How have you been?”

  “Not bad. Work’s a bitch.” His father spread the accelerant and then lit the coals. Gesturing to the chairs, he sat and Alex joined him. “Your mother and I are hoping to take a vacation next month though.”

  “Going anywhere special?”

  “She’d like to go to the beach.”

  The benign conversation grated on his nerves, but he supposed it was better than the yelling and tears that punctuated his last visit.

  “Alex, can you help, please?”

  He jumped up to open the door for his mother, who was holding a tray of ice-filled glasses and a pitcher of what appeared to be lemonade. Alex walked back over to the table and sat. His mother poured them each a glass before sitting to join the two men.

  “Pop was telling me you’re hankering for a beach vacation.”

  “Yes, it’s been a while since we’ve been somewhere nice.”

  That was an understatement. His father was a workaholic and they’d rarely left home for more than a long weekend when he was a kid. He thought perhaps after he and his sister, Carol, left home things might have changed, but wasn’t surprised they hadn’t. With nothing else to say on the subject, silence descended on the backyard. Alex lifted the glass to his lips to take a sip, trying for some sort of distraction. The discomfort of the situation was palpable.

  After a few minutes of awkward silence, his father finally spoke. “Your mother was taken aback to receive your call.” It wasn’t surprising his father would use his mom, instead of admitting he was astonished.

  “I happened to be in town and thought it would be nice to get together.”

  His mother leaned forward. “What…any special reason you came back to town?”

  “Yes actually, I’m visiting Jasmine Hayes.”

  His parents glanced at each other and he could practically feel the silent communication flowing between the two of them.

  “I always did like that girl.” His father stood to check on the coals. “You should have asked her out in high school.”

  “Actually I did. She turned me down.”

  “I didn’t know you two were still in touch,” his mother said.

  “We hooked back up recently. She visited a few weeks ago.”

  His father turned, a frown furrowing his brow. “It almost sounds as if you’re…dating her.”

  It was time for the rollercoaster ride to begin. “I guess in a way you could say we are dating.”

  “But…but you’re gay!” The flabbergasted expression on his mother’s face was almost laughable.

  “As surprised as I am to hear you finally admit that, I’m actually bi-sexual.”

  “Oh, for God’s sake,” his father muttered, turning back toward the grill. As much as his ostrich in the sand mentality hurt, Alex was used to it by now.

  “Bi-sexual?”

  “I’m attracted to both men and women, Mom.” Explaining his sexuality to his mother wasn’t exactly on his bucket list, but Jasmine was becoming an important part of his life. As he had once before, he felt as if he needed to share this information with his parents. Of course, that Thanksgiving dinner had ended in disaster, but he could always hope for a better outcome this time. At least there were only the two of them there this time and no extended family around to witness the histrionics.

  “Does this mean you and Chase have…broken up?” Alex was irritated to hear the hint of hopefulness in her voice.

  “No, Mother. Just the opposite. We are very much together. Jasmine came to visit us and we’re here this weekend to stay with her. All three of us are dating.”

  “I don’t understand.” He actually felt a little bad about his mother’s confusion. In her world it was bad enough having a gay son. Having to explain a threesome relationship was beyond her comprehension.

  His father, on the other hand, understood only too well. “I suppose all three of you are sleeping together?”

  Alex watched as his mother’s eyes widened. The hills on this coaster were coming pretty fast and furious for the Midwestern housewife.

  “That’s not really any of your business, Pop.”

  His father faced him once more and crossed his arms over his chest. “Actually, you made it our business when you showed up here spouting off about her.”

  As much as Alex hated to admit it, his father had a point. And if he could talk about his relationship with his parents, telling anyone else would be a cake walk. “Fine, I guess you could say all three of us a
re in a relationship and yes, sleeping together. At this point, we’re not sure where it’s going, but Chase and I are hopeful.”

  He watched a myriad of expressions wash over his mother’s face. “I’m really happy for you then, dear. If those coals are ready, I’ll bring out the burgers.”

  As soon as the screen door slammed behind her, his father cleared his throat. “You’re breaking your mother’s heart, you know.”

  Once again his father was using his mother as a shield. “That was never my intention.”

  “She wanted grandchildren.”

  “I’m sure Carol will be happy to provide them.”

  “It’s not the same as you carrying on the Landry name.”

  “Damn it, Pop, this has nothing to do with Mom and everything to do with the fact I’m not the son you wanted.”

  A flush stole over his father’s face, letting Alex know his barb had hit the mark. He felt no pleasure in the victory.

  “That’s not true. No father expects his son to announce during Thanksgiving dinner his college roommate and best friend is now his gay lover.”

  If only his parents were more like Chase’s and had accepted him when he came out to them, perhaps he could have had an ongoing relationship with them. Instead, they were willing to keep him in their lives if he didn’t include Chase, something he wasn’t prepared to do.

  “I can’t help who I am, Pop, or who I love.”

  “You love this girl?” Wonder filled his father’s voice.

  “I’m starting to and Chase is, too. We think she might feel the same way about us.”

  “Weren’t things hard enough when you were a gay couple? How do you think something like this is going to work?” A conniving look crossed his father’s face. “Or maybe this is your way of finally doing the right thing.”

  “The right thing?”

  “Yeah, maybe your involvement with this girl is a way for you to finally escape Chase.”

  Alex stood, fury vibrating through his body. “I have no desire to escape Chase. He’s in my life, whether you like it or not.”

  “I don’t, and I never will.”

  Alex should have known better. “I’m not sure why I even bothered to come here today.”

  “Me either. We never approved of your relationship with Chase. I don’t know what made you think we’d accept this.”

  “I don’t know. I stupidly thought you might want to know something about my life.” Alex shook his head with regret. “I’m out of here. Maybe I’ll see you around in another five years.”

  “Alex, no, you don’t have to go.” His mother stood at the entrance to the patio, a covered plate in her hand and a stricken expression on her face.

  “Sorry, Mom, but I won’t stay where I’m not accepted.”

  “Let him leave. He’s a freak anyway,” his father sneered.

  “Thanks, Dad, I love you too.” Without a backward glance, he opened the screen door and strode through the hallway to the front door, and out of the house.

  Alex was livid as he settled into his car and backed out the driveway. He knew he needed to cool off before he reached Jasmine’s house, but the more he reviewed the conversation in his head, the angrier he became. Damn them for being so judgmental and damn him for allowing them to affect him so easily.

  Chapter Eight

  When Chase and Jasmine drove into the parking lot of her apartment complex and into the parking spot, they saw Alex already waiting for them in his car. Chase immediately knew the visit to the parents’ hadn’t gone well.

  “Hey, Alex is here.” Jasmine started to honk the horn, but Chase reached out to hold back her arm.

  “No, this isn’t a good thing.”

  “What? Why?”

  “I didn’t say anything earlier, but Alex’s parents weren’t too thrilled when they found out he and I had become lovers. If he’s here this early, it’s either because his parents threw him out, or they argued and he stormed out.”

  “Oh no. I guess I never thought about yours or Alex’s parents.” Chase wondered if she was now thinking about how her own parents would react to learning about her relationship with the two men. He barely remembered them and couldn’t predict how they might respond to the news.

  “I was lucky. My mom later told me she had her suspicions back when I was in high school. When I came out to them, they were somewhat prepared. It also helped they had moved to Arizona by then and didn’t have to answer to any of the hometown friends,” Chase noted philosophically. “Alex’s parents were blindsided to discover their football hero son enjoyed sucking cock. And they were still trying to be part of the social scene of Middlebrook. A gay son didn’t help them fit that mold.”

  “How did they find out?” Jasmine bit her lip, apprehension clouding her face.

  “Alex and I were together a couple of years before he felt comfortable enough to finally decide to come out to them. We were living together as a couple, but no one in Middlebrook knew anything about us. Even my parents, who I’d come out to a few years earlier, didn’t know Alex and I were anything more than college roommates who decided to share an apartment to save on expenses.”

  “I can’t imagine how you both lived such a secret life. It must have been hard.”

  “Worse than you know. It was such a strain we almost broke up before anyone discovered we were a couple.”

  Jasmine leaned over and kissed him. “I’m glad that never happened, because then I never would have found you both again.”

  “As glad as I was Alex finally revealed our relationship, I ached for him and the hurt his parents inflicted on him. It was years before we were able to celebrate Thanksgiving again.”

  “Thanksgiving?”

  Chase nodded. “We came home for the weekend. Alex planned to talk to his sister first, and hopefully, with her support, go to his parents. Unfortunately, he never had the chance.”

  “Why? What happened?”

  “His mom put us in the same room; we were roommates, after all. She didn’t expect us to be sharing the bed as well.”

  “You mean she caught you…together?”

  “Oh yeah, she came to wake us up and found Alex sucking my cock.”

  Jasmine pressed her lips tight, but the laughter still escaped. “Okay, I know it’s not funny, but oh my God…”

  “I know, in retrospect it’s kind of amusing, but at the time it was disastrous. She screamed and brought the whole house running. His dad threw us out on the spot. They contacted him later as if nothing happened, basically telling him he could be their son as long as I was gone.”

  Jasmine’s eyes were wide as she listened to his story. “They’ve been able to keep things pretty quiet. I’ve never heard a whisper about either one of you or your sexual orientation.”

  “Probably because we’ve only been back to town once since Alex officially came out. After his parents’ reaction, he refused to come back.”

  Jasmine tilted her head thoughtfully. “So little ol’ me brought him back to Middlebrook?”

  “Yes, it’s true. You and your perfect pussy.”

  “Damn, I’m good,” she said with a laugh.

  “Come on. We better find out what happened.”

  They exited the car and hand in hand walked over to the car. Alex had pushed back the seat and was laying his head back against the headrest with his eyes closed. Chase almost hated to disturb him. Jasmine, however, knocked on the window. Alex jackknifed into a sitting position and turned toward them. He smiled, but Chase noted the expression didn’t reach the other man’s eyes.

  Jasmine reached out and opened the door, leaning down to kiss Alex on the cheek. “Hey, gorgeous, I missed you at lunch.” Chase suppressed the chuckle that bubbled to the surface when she flushed. She might have been a bad girl for a little while, but the good girl still lingered.

  Alex grasped her hand, holding on as if she were a lifeline. “I wish I would have been there.”

  “Have you eaten?” Chase decided to cut right to the
heart of the matter.

  “No.” One word, but it held a world of meaning. Things had disintegrated early, before Alex even had the chance to eat lunch.

  “Good thing we brought leftovers. Pop the trunk and I’ll grab the luggage.” Chase walked around to the back of the car and grabbed the large suitcase before slamming the lid shut. He looked up to see Alex was now standing outside of the car with his arm around Jasmine’s shoulders, holding her close.

  Together the three of them walked up to Jasmine’s apartment in silence. Jasmine opened the door and they all strode inside. “Damn, I left the food in my car. Why don’t you guys relax and look around the place and I’ll be right back.” Jasmine bolted before Chase could offer to get the food himself. He wasn’t sure if she left to give them time to talk, but he was certainly going to take advantage of the opportunity.

  “How bad was it?”

  Alex snorted. “My dad was his usual charming self and my mom was as inconsequential as always.”

  “Okay, am I going to have to pull the whole story out of you or what?” It was one of their ongoing arguments that Alex kept things to himself.

  “It doesn’t matter,” Alex insisted with a shake of his head.

  Chase was annoyed beyond belief at this point. “Yes, it does. You are still letting them control you.”

  “How do you figure?” Alex asked.

  “Jesus, Alex, look at you. You still crave their approval, even though you know they aren’t capable of giving it. I told you not to go over there, but you wanted to let them know about Jasmine. There’s still that need within you.”

  “Fine, you said I told you so. Happy now?”

  “No, I want to know what they said to have you looking morose. I hate to see you like this.”

  “It doesn’t matter.” Alex repeated his earlier assertion, but Chase wasn’t buying it any more now than he had a few moments ago.

  “Bullshit. You should know me better than this by now. I’m not going to let it go so you might as well spill it.”