Bernie Lomax's beach house was big enough that even if the huge amount of partygoers were there, or if it were just Rich and Larry no one would ever notice. Still, Larry was right about the Saturday parties; they were always better than the Friday ones.

And Rich, well, he had Gwen and you had to be crazy to think they weren't already "at it", the way they tagged along together. It didn't hurt to have that, yet Rich still wasn't fully content with his lot.

As for Larry he could feel Rich's eyes following him when they partied together in their dead boss's house full of people they barely knew and probably couldn't stand if they did know them. Drinking what was left of the bar and making a travesty of the place; still, there were people employed by Lomax to take care of that so it was no trouble to them. Better still, Larry had no idea of the feelings his friend was harboring for him even though he got the girl.

Rich's thoughts, focus and attention quickly turned away from Gwen who was gazing at him in a besotted way to his friend who was evidently making a huge dick of himself to impress the various women who had joined the floating party.

It was then that Rich realized it wasn't the first time, and it wouldn't be the last, if he had anything to say about it about thinking about Larry in such a way – as in, an attracted way. After all, they were close at work and were always completely honest with each other. And anyway, Larry had gorgeous eyes and Rich was fine, perfectly fine, with needing to take things slow. He'd show Larry how good this could be, get him hooked, get him in. Larry had never been able to say no to Rich; Larry had never been able to say no to anybody. He wasn't going to start now.

Definitely not when Rich realized how good it could be like this.

"You seem distracted," Gwen pointed out to Rich, coming from in between his thoughts.

"Just tired, I guess," he lied, perfectly.

"I guess you would be after being chased by a killer through your dead boss's house," she supposed, smiling softly. "How about we catch up tomorrow then – so that we can catch the ferry together?"

"Yeah, sure," he hastily replied. "See you tomorrow."

She raised an eyebrow at him giving her a sloppy kiss on the lips, immediately prompting her to feel that there was a thoughtlessness to it. After he walked her to the door and shut it behind him he saw Larry at the top of the stairs, engaged in pointless conversation with one of the female partygoers who was clearly showing no interest whatsoever. Feeling Rich's gaze on his back he quickly glanced to see that he was lurking at the foot of the stairs.

A male guest, possibly the woman's "companion", then staggered into him and Larry caught him by the shoulder to keep him from doing a header down the stairs. They talked for a few minutes, the older partygoer slurring drunkenly and leaning too heavily against Larry's shoulder. The entire time Larry was aware of Rich lurking at the bottom of the stairs, leaning back against the wall with his hands tucked into the pocket of the light linen jacket he had on.

By the time he made his slow way down the stairs, Larry was staring away from Rich and when Larry walked by he felt Rich's hand on his back. The touch didn't shock him in the slightest but it caught his attention by looking directly at his taller friend who tipped his head towards the sliding door that led out back and overlooking the sandbanks. Larry stiffened and swallowed hard.

Rich was first in making his way across the wooden floorboards in the darkness, the ground cool yet dry beneath his bare feet. He heard the slide of the door being shut carefully and the sound of footsteps across the inlay and he knew Larry was following him.

Rich grabbed handfuls of Larry's printed shirt and pushed him up against the nearby wall, pressing him up against it and shoving his tongue into his mouth. Kissing Larry was far from the sloppy ones with Gwen and he felt so warm, so soft. He had no idea if what he was doing was sitting well with him but he had to know, to find out what it'd be like.

Rich withdrew from Larry who had stiffened against the wall and opened his eyes, gazing straight into his friend's big, blue orbs which had paled in shock. A deep rosy blush had appeared high in his cheeks and he licked his lips nervously before swallowing hard.

Larry wasn't sure what to say, instead preferring to remain stock-still and gaze blankly at him. He could feel his friend's hands loosen their grip on his shirt and move to his hips. Another couple of minutes went by before he said anything.

"Why…?"

Rich didn't expect him to be ok about it. He felt a warmth accumulate inside him at the feel of their lips connecting and the fact that he was touching him. It made him feel good in comparison to what being with Gwen was like. He slid the tips of his thumbs back and forth over the crests of his friend's hips, stroking them through the light fabric.

Larry was shuddering slightly; what from he wasn't sure but he could feel the remnants of Rich's kiss lingering on his mouth. Should he have liked it? Well, he didn't dislike it for a start. "Why?" He reiterated, a little clearer than before.

Rich stopped his stroking and looked at his friend carefully. "I'm sorry," was all he could say. "I just thought…"

"Well, you thought wrong," Larry retorted before pulling himself away from Rich and going back into the house.