by Sean Michael
“Hey, man. We’re trying to have a quiet breakfast here. Why don’t you just carry on to wherever your table is. Or, you know, you could just leave.” Dave knew Kenn wouldn’t want to make a scene, but he would do it if necessary. He wasn’t scared of this asshole.
“Go away. I don’t want you to join us. Leave me alone, or I will call the police.”
Dave was so proud of Kenn. “I think that was clear enough, buddy.”
Bram stared at Dave. “You know he’s a—”
“I’m leaving. I’ll pay at the door.” Kenn stood and headed for the front, grabbing his coat on the way.
“A wonderful man. I am aware. And you are an asshole. Leave us alone, because if he doesn’t call the cops—I will. I know what you did to him. I know that you are an abusive fuck. I’ll stand by him if we have to take you to court to prove it.” He stared the man down for a moment, then turned on his heel and went after Kenn.
Kenn had obviously paid and was heading out the door at a dead run toward home.
As soon as he was clear of the restaurant, Dave called out to him. “Kenn! Hold up!”
Kenn shook his head and hunched in his coat. Dave hated that. Kenn had nothing to be ashamed of. He put on some speed, jogging to catch up with him.
“Hey. I’m here.”
“I’m sorry. I paid the bill.” Kenn wouldn’t look at him.
“I know you did.” He touched Kenn’s arm. “Stop for a minute. You didn’t do anything wrong.”
“I know. I mean, he never…. What is he doing here?”
“I don’t know.” He hugged Kenn tight and held on for a moment. “He had you followed by that private eye. Maybe he needed to see in person that you had moved on. Maybe he was trying to mess us up. I don’t know.” He slid his arm around Kenn’s shoulders and continued walking with him.
“I’m going to go home and… maybe go to the pool or something.”
“I know you’re upset, and I can guess why, but I’d like you to talk to me about it. The pool sounds good—get some of that negative energy out through exercise.”
“Right. Go and go.” Kenn sighed. “There’s nothing to talk about.”
“No? You’re obviously upset. I want to help make you feel better. I want to remind you that he doesn’t get to judge you.”
“I just… feel dirty.”
“Because of him or because of the things we do together?”
“Because of him.” That was immediate, quiet, but sure. And Dave was glad of that being the answer.
“Then let’s go home and wash him off you.”
Kenn looked at him, tears in the pretty eyes. “Yeah?”
It broke his heart to see those tears. “Yes, absolutely. We’ll wash him away. Come on, we’re almost there.”
“That was my place, you know?”
“It still can be, if you want it.” Kenn didn’t have to let that man run him off the places he enjoyed being.
Kenn shook his head. “It was a luxury, that’s all.”
“There’s nothing wrong with luxuries. We could find someplace that’s ours. Yours and mine.” He guided Kenn across the street to Kenn’s place.
Kenn nodded, but Dave wasn’t sure he was listening.
They went up the stairs and into Kenn’s apartment, and Dave tugged Kenn in close, wrapping him in a hug. Kenn was stiff for a second, then he melted.
Dave kissed the top of Kenn’s head. “I’ve got you. Hell, you’ve got you. You are strong and good and your own man. You stood right up to him. It was hot.”
Kenn stiffened in his arms, then looked up at him. “It was?”
“Uh-huh. It totally was.”
“I just… I didn’t want him to hurt you.”
“That you were so brave to keep me safe is even hotter, babe. I’m okay, thank you.”
“Good. Shower? Please?”
“Yeah. Definitely.” He began to strip Kenn down, beginning with Kenn’s coat.
He was filled with a deep rage that the asshole had hurt his Kenn, scared him, but the fact that Kenn defended him? That was delicious.
“Do me while I do you, babe,” he suggested.
“Yes. You’re coming in with me.” It wasn’t a question.
“Absolutely.” He began working on the buttons of Kenn’s shirt, half shuffling them toward the bathroom as he undressed Kenn.
Kenn answered him, sliding his shirt down over his arms.
It didn’t take them long to be standing naked together in Kenn’s little bathroom, facing each other.
Kenn searched his eyes. “We’re okay?”
“We’re okay. I am firmly in camp Kenn. I don’t care what he said or thinks. You know I believe in you.”
“I know. God, my head hurts.”
“How about a couple of aspirin before the shower?” He opened Kenn’s medicine cabinet and located the pills.
“Thanks. I hate that he can still make me so freaked out.”
“Yeah, me too…. But it didn’t paralyze you. That’s a big thing.” He squeezed Kenn’s shoulders. “Promise me you won’t try to confront him or anything without me.” He didn’t trust the guy not to hurt Kenn.
“I don’t want to confront the motherfucker. I want him to leave me alone.”
“You want to call the police? We could do it right now. Tell them what happened.”
“No. No, I just want a shower. I want my Sunday back.” Kenn stared at him, eyes begging him for help, then turned away, heading for the shower.
As he followed, he grabbed the glass on the side of the sink and filled it with water. Then he offered Kenn the pills and the water. Once Kenn had taken the aspirin, Dave turned the shower on, adjusting the knobs until it was the right temperature. Kenn liked it fairly warm, but not too hot. Dave didn’t talk; he simply focused on Kenn. On comfort.
One day this would be aftercare after a scene. One day.
They washed each other, Dave taking extra care to massage the tension in Kenn’s back and shoulders. When the temperature began to cool, he turned the water off and helped Kenn out of the tub before wrapping him in a towel. Kenn leaned toward him, offering a sweet, soft kiss.
He hummed into the kiss, sliding one hand around Kenn’s head, cradling it. He poured care and love—yes, love—into the kiss, offering Kenn all of himself. Kenn accepted him, opened to him.
He brought his other hand up, cupping both cheeks as he hummed over the flavor of Kenn’s mouth.
“I hate being so… broken.” Kenn’s whisper brushed his lips.
“I don’t think you’re broken. Bruised, maybe. But you’re strong. You left an abusive relationship. That’s not easy to do.”
“I did. And nothing will make me go back.” A line of steel ran through Kenn’s voice.
“That’s what I like to hear. You don’t need him. You don’t need anyone, though I’m glad you keep me around.”
“I am too. I’m glad you’re around.”
“So did you want to go swimming, or did you want to make love?” He thought either would be a good way to work off some energy, and he was willing to follow Kenn’s lead.
“I want to get out of here, Dave. I want to just… go.”
“Okay. Swimming or… I could borrow Annie’s car and we could drive out of the city and go hiking?”
“Can we? Just drive out for the afternoon?”
“Let me double-check with Annie.” He grabbed his phone and zipped through his contacts, finding Annie’s name and pressing it.
“Hey, Davey. I thought you were deep in Kenn-town this weekend.”
“Ha-ha. You think we could borrow your car? We’re looking to go see the countryside.”
“Sure thing. Just make sure you gas it up when you get back, eh?”
“You got it. Keys in the usual?”
“Yep. Have fun.” He could hear her laughter as she cut off the call.
It had him grinning as he pocketed his phone. “We’re on.”
“Thank you. I just… I need to get out of my hea
d.”
“That totally makes sense. You need anything before we go?” He started getting dressed.
“No. I’ll grab us a couple of waters and some apples.”
“Sounds good. Did you want to stay here while I go get Annie’s car, or do you want to come with me?”
“I’ll come with you. It’ll be a fun walk.” Kenn hooked arms with him, bumped their shoulders together.
“Everything with you is fun.” He loved being with Kenn. Loved it.
“Not everything, huh? But a lot.”
“Even the not-fun parts are okay because I’m with you.”
“Flattery will get you anywhere.” Kenn was beginning to relax as they walked.
“Oh good. I was hoping so. Today I’d like it to get me to the Gatineaus. Maybe we’ll find a place that serves ice cream or something.”
“I can handle that. I love ice cream. All sorts.”
“Have you got a favorite?” They rounded the corner and there was his place, Annie’s car in the driveway.
“Oh, dulce de leche.”
“Can you get that as ice cream? That’s pretty cool. I’m a pistachio man myself. I just need to grab the keys from the front hall.” He left Kenn by the car, zipping up the front walk. The keys were on the hooks in the front hall with an A on the keychain. He grabbed them and headed back to Kenn.
Kenn watched him, a warm gaze on his face. He took a moment to bask in that, in the way Kenn looked at him. How fucking lucky was he?
It hit him suddenly, almost like a physical punch. He loved this man. Not just cared for him or enjoyed spending time with him or wanted to do scenes with him. He loved Kenn.
He knew there was a pretty goofy smile on his face as he came to a stop in front of Kenn. “Hey.”
“Hey. You look happy.” Kenn touched his stomach.
“I am. I’m very happy. Thank you.”
“Thank you for everything. Let’s go play.”
“I would love to. Love to.” He chuckled. He loved Kenn. He unlocked the car and opened Kenn’s door for him.
Kenn slid in, body language relaxed again, happy.
Dave got around the other side, started the car, and pulled into the street. “And we’re off on our adventure.”
Chapter Thirteen
KENN STARED at the new sets of pictures that came in the mail. Every one was taken from outside. Some showed them walking in the neighborhood or on campus. Some caught them through windows at home or in restaurants.
None were… explicit, but the promise was that they could be.
Dammit.
There was even a photo of Dave’s mail, the box with the plug in it.
This was crazy. Insane. And scary as hell.
He texted Dave to cancel their date tonight. He needed to spend a few weeks alone to get Bram to calm down.
He’d barely hit Send when there was a knock at the door.
Kenn’s breath caught in his chest, his eyes going wide, and he had to force himself to say, “Come in.”
Dave entered and waved his phone at him. “Why are you trying to cancel our date?”
“I need to. I’m going to be busy for a bit, that’s all.”
“What’s all this?” Dave asked, pointing to the pictures spread across his mattress.
He stepped closer to Dave, standing between him and the pictures. “Nothing. Please, I—”
“Kenn. Those were pictures of us. Is this more stuff from your ex?”
“He’ll leave me alone. I just have to lay low a while.”
“So as long as you stay hidden inside by yourself, he leaves you alone? That’s crazy. Let’s gather these up with the envelope they came in and go to the police.” Dave started gathering the pictures in a pile.
“It’s not illegal to take pictures.”
“No, but sending them to you like this is a sign of harassment. They have a file, right? From when he beat you? So we take these down and get them put in your file. Build a case.”
“They have a file, but I don’t want to make it worse.” He didn’t want Dave in trouble.
“What do you mean you don’t want to make it worse? Bram is the one making it worse. If he didn’t want his file any uglier, he shouldn’t be stalking you, sending you pictures of yourself.”
“And you.”
“Right. So he’s stalking me now too. I could make sure that’s on record with your stuff. More evidence against him in case he ever escalates. The fact that he showed up in person at the restaurant worries me. What if he corners you somewhere? We definitely need to have this documented with the police.”
“I want to stay here and sleep for a little while.” With the curtains drawn.
“I let it go last time, Kenn. I think you need to report Bram this time.” Dave drew him in for a warm, strong hug. “I want you to be safe and happy, fulfilled without worrying about Bram.”
“I do too.” But what he wanted didn’t matter. He’d learned that lesson well.
“Then let’s go to the police station now, cite your file, and give them these photos. What Bram is doing is wrong. If we don’t stand up to him, he’s going to keep trying to make you unhappy. Or worse. Please, Kenneth. I think it’s really important.”
He nodded and stood up. His entire body was shivering, and he covered it with a hoodie. “Let’s do it.”
Then he’d come straight home and go to bed.
Dave grabbed his hand and squeezed tight. “I’m very proud of you, Kenn. I know this is hard.”
He squeezed back, but he didn’t answer. He just nodded and put the new photographs, along with the others, into an envelope.
“When we’re done, we can come back here or go to mine, and I promise to make you forget everything else.”
“Didn’t I cancel our date?” Kenn managed a wink.
“This isn’t a date. We’re on an errand, and then we’re going to make love. See? Not a date.”
“Not a date? Are you sure?” He didn’t want to be in a better mood, but he was.
“I’m pretty sure. Like I said, we’re running an errand. We aren’t going to go out to eat. Or see a movie.”
“No. Going to the police isn’t a date.” He bumped their shoulders together.
“There you go.” Dave took his hand as they got to the sidewalk, and they turned toward the police station. “It’s going to be all right.”
“I hope so.” For Dave’s sake.
“I’m not going to let him hurt you.” Dave sounded so sure, so confident.
He knew better. The physical pain had been fleeting. The real pain never ended.
Dave looked at him, one eyebrow raised. “What?”
“Nothing. Nothing at all.”
“You sure you’re not holding anything back?”
“I’m fine, Dave.” Perfectly fine.
“Okay.” Dave squeezed his hand, and they turned up the walk to the police station.
A man was standing there as they entered, watching them. Watching him. Asshole.
Dave frowned and went up to the guy. “Excuse me. You got a problem?”
“Not at all.” The guy snapped a picture of Dave with his phone.
“You son of a bitch. You leave us alone.” Dave grabbed Kenn’s hand and tugged him toward the officer at the front desk. “We’d like to report harassment.”
“Please have a seat.”
They went to perch on the hard seats. The envelope shook in Kenn’s fingers. Dave covered his hand and squeezed gently.
“I’m sorry. I wanted to let him calm down.”
“What you do should have nothing to do with Bram’s behavior. He’s his own man. You are your own person. Are we going to lay low and hide anytime he gets it in his head that you’re somehow overstepping your bounds?”
Yes. Yes, he probably would.
“He needs to understand that he’s not a part of your life.”
“I’m sorry.” He should never have let Dave in.
“Shh. You don’t need to apologize to me. But yo
u deserve better than you’re getting.” Dave jiggled Kenn’s hand emphatically. “I’m going to make sure it happens.”
The officer finally called them up, and a detective came over. “I’m Detective Simmons. My desk is over here.”
Kenn sighed and stood. He introduced himself and the situation, starting out with “I have a restraining order.”
“And the person you have it against hasn’t been following it?” Simmons asked, pointing to a couple chairs in front of a desk.
“He’s sent a private investigator.”
“And you know this because…?”
Kenn passed over the photos. “He sent pictures the guy took. From different days and different times.”
Simmons looked through the pictures. “Unfortunately, if he hasn’t been following you himself, he hasn’t broken the restraining order.”
“He was at the restaurant on Sunday, Kenn. Remember?”
“Did he threaten you?”
“No. I left.”
“Yeah, he didn’t have a chance to. He said, ‘I wouldn’t have expected to see you here,’ like Kenn didn’t belong at the restaurant.”
The detective sighed. “Next time, ask him to go, and if he doesn’t, please call us.”
“So we shouldn’t have left—he should have?” Dave asked.
Simmons nodded. “He’s been served. He knows if he sees you somewhere, he has to leave. Coming and talking to you is a violation.”
“Good to know,” Dave said. “What about the private detective and the pictures?”
“He’s not doing anything illegal, sir. I’m sorry.”
“And mailing them to Kenn isn’t illegal either?”
“Not unless he includes an obvious threat.”
“But you’ll put these in the file, right?” Dave insisted.
Simmons took them and put them into a folder. “Absolutely.”
“Thank you.” Kenn didn’t say “I told you so” because that would be bitchy. He wanted to, though.
“Should we not bother next time he sends pictures?” Dave asked. “Because there will be more—his private eye is in the lobby. He’s already snapped several pictures of us here.”
“He’ll slip up eventually. He can’t invade your privacy. You hear me?”
Kenn nodded, gave the policeman a smile. “I think I want to go home now.”