Caesar songs for this chapter:

Astral

/9
October 31. 2013

Since his first date with Gary, something had happened to Pete. For starters, inspiration had hit him like a freight train, and he had finally begun working on his project for the art gallery. It was coming along nicely, and he was proud of himself, even if he still wasn't prepared to show it to anyone. He never liked showing his works-in-progress, he felt like it cheapened the effect of the final piece.
Not that this stopped either Julia or Gary from constantly trying to sneak peeks at it.

Pete hadn't seen much of Gary, since their first date last month. Not Gary's concert and the party afterward, though Pete would always remember and be grateful for that night. No, their real first date, as Pete thought of it;
Pete had asked Gary out to a movie. He was reluctant at first, but Gary eventually accepted, on the condition that he pick their seats. Not seeing anything wrong with it, when they arrived at the movie theater, Pete let him choose the seats. When Gary suggested the very last row of seats in the completely empty back row of the theater, Pete immediately figured out what he was up to.

Silently cursing himself for missing such an obvious trick, he tried to give Gary a disapproving look, but couldn't hold back his own smile. He wasn't about to make out with Gary in the middle of a theater, - or anything else Gary had in mind, for that matter - but he was certainly open to having a little bit of fun.
They took their seats, as the lights dimmed and movie previews started to play, and Pete waited for Gary to make his move. When the previews had ended and the actual movie started, and Gary still hadn't made a move, Pete figured he was just teasing him by building suspense.
When they were half way into the movie, and Gary hadn't moved an inch, Pete got impatient. He quietly snaked his arm over the side of the seat, and placed his hand on Gary's thigh. He must've caught Gary by surprise, because he flinched and quickly turned his head when he felt Pete's hand. Gary soon got the idea, as Pete slowly moved his hand up toward Gary's bulge, which he could feel was already getting hard. Pete rubbed Gary through his pants this way for a while, feeling his length. From the feel of things, he guessed Gary wasn't much longer than he was, but he was definitely thicker.
Pete slid his hand down between Gary's legs, and gave him a little squeeze in just the right spot. A half moan escaped Gary's lips and he squirmed in his seat, before taking Pete's hand away.
He exhaled and licked his lips,
"Like I said Pete, the end of me." He said, as they both shifted in their chairs to hide their erections.

Pete had enjoyed that night. Not just the movie theater, but the conversation he'd had with Gary afterward. It was part of the changes he was noticing in himself. He'd never really been like this with other guys. He'd gone on dates, and fooled around, he certainly wasn't a virgin. But when he was with Gary, he felt... more free, somehow. He felt like a part of him awakened, and that he could do anything, even make Gary Smith squirm.

Since then, Pete had been busy with painting and his internship, and Gary had been busy with the band. They had seen each other a few times, but hadn't been able to really spend any time with one another.
That was changing, today. Pete was meeting Gary for coffee. Well, Gary would have coffee, Pete decided he would have some hot cider, or something.
It was Halloween, and they'd both had the evening free since it was a Thursday, so they decided to meet up at a coffee shop near Gary's studio, which just happened to be roughly half way between Gary's house, and Pete's apartment. It was raining, as it did every Halloween, but Pete couldn't have cared less. A hurricane could show up, as long as he was on his way to see Gary, he'd smile through it.

As he walked up to the coffee shop, he could see Gary already seated inside, and waved to him through the window. Gary saw him and gave him a warm smile and a wave.
When Pete walked up to the table, Gary gave him a good look,
"You look... wet."

Pete rolled his eyes as he took off his jacket.
"Yeah, it's a little rainy out there." He said playfully.

Gary tried to move his chair closer to Pete's, and their hands accidentally bumped together.
"Pete, you're freezing." He said, his voice clearly concerned.

"Oh, I'm fine- " Pete started, before Gary cut him off.

"No, you stay here and warm up, I'll go get your drink." Gary was already standing as he said it, and turned around to face Pete.
"What're you having?"

"A hot cider, please." Pete answered, smiling.

"Coming right up." Gary said, and for a moment, Pete thought he looked like he wanted to say something else. But instead, he winked at Pete and made a shooting motion with his thumb and forefinger, then headed for the counter.

Laughing to himself, Pete wondered how this could possibly be the same Gary he had gone to high school with. Back at Bullworth, Gary was a typhoon of fire and impulse. And now, there was still a trace of that fire left, Pete could see it every time they locked eyes. But it was a different fire. It was just as intense as the other, but it didn't feel as dangerous, to Pete.
This Gary was getting Pete's drinks for him, and kissing him. This Gary was sweet and charming. The fact was, he was everything Pete had wanted him to be in high school.

But then, Pete thought that maybe Gary was meant to be the way he was. Maybe if he had been nicer in high school, he and Pete would've dated and broken up by now. Maybe he was meant to meet Gary this way, at this time in his life.
He didn't know if he actually believed it, but it made him feel better, for the time being.

Pete was so lost in thought, that he almost jumped out of his chair when a pair of arms came down over his shoulders, placing a steaming cup of cider in front of him. He smiled, when he realised it was Gary, and rested his head on Gary's right arm.
Gary came in from behind Pete, and gave him a soft kiss on his neck, sending shivers down Pete's back.

"Feeling warmer?" He said, sliding back into his chair.

"Definitely." Pete answered, feeling himself blush.
"So, I told Julia about Caesar's show tomorrow night." He continued, picking up his cup of cider. It was still too hot to drink, he just wanted to hold it.

"Oh yeah?" Gary asked, sipping his coffee.

"Yeah. It took a bit of convincing, like me paying for her ticket, but she eventually came around."

Gary let out a small laugh.
"I get the feeling she doesn't like me very much, even though she's never met me."

"No," Pete assured him, "She just has some... unfortunate ideas about people."
"I promise, when she does meet you, she's going to like you as much as I do."

"I hope not." Gary replied with a smirk.

"Well, you know what I mean." Pete said, smirking right back at Gary.

It was true, even though Gary had come to Pete's apartment a few times in the last month, he always managed to show up when Julia wasn't around. He didn't like the fact that she was so judgemental about Gary, when she hadn't met him or heard any of his music, so he was eager to have them meet.
He figured the special Halloween show that Gary's band was playing would be the perfect place to break the ice. Everyone would be having a good time, so it would be difficult for Julia to maintain her negative attitude toward Gary.
He really just wanted her to give Gary a chance.

They sat at their table and talked for what seemed like hours, to Pete, even though he knew it couldn't have been that long. Pete tentatively brought up Gary's past, and asked him how he had met Connor and the other guys in the band.

"Well, I could tell you," he said, looking thoughtful, "But wouldn't you rather I showed you?"

Pete gave him a confused look, but Gary only grinned, grabbed him by the hand, and lead him out of the coffee shop and onto the street.


They reached their destination in about ten minutes; it was Gary's studio. It was really more of a studio apartment that had been converted into a music studio, but Pete was still impressed. Most of the "musicians" he knew spent their time strumming guitars outside of the art school.
As they walked up to the door, Gary produced a set of keys from his pocket, and quickly unlocked the door, so that they could get inside from the rain and cold. Pete had a look around, and saw that the place was actually bigger than he thought it would be. The section behind glass where the band recorded, was almost as big as his bedroom.

"What do you think?" Gary asked, switching on a few lights.

"I like it." Pete answered, smiling at the torn-up couch on one side of the room.

Gary nodded, and headed for another side of the room, where dozens of pictures had been mounted on the wall.
"You wanted to know how me and the guys met up?" He said, leaning against the wall.

Pete walked over to the spread of pictures. There were various sizes, and they had been taken on various formats. There were polaroids, gloss, some looked like they had printed from a computer. Some were taken on colour film, others on black and white. A few were framed, others had frames drawn around them on the wall.
Gary pointed to one of the smaller pictures, that had been printed on regular paper.
"This is us, I think a couple of weeks after we had first met."

Pete moved closer to study the picture. Sure enough, he saw the same group of wild guys he had partied with, just last month.
Of course, they all looked a lot thinner. Maybe even sick, Pete thought.
"You all met at once?" He asked.

"Yep." Gary responded quietly.

There was something strange about the picture. The dirty clothes they were all wearing didn't seem to fit with the clean, corporate-type room they were in. Pete thought it looked almost like a conference room.
"Where are you guys?" He asked, still studying the photograph.

"A... 'Narcotics Anonymous' meeting." Gary replied, his tone hushed and serious.

Pete's eyes widened, as he turned his head to look at Gary, then back at the picture.
"Oh." He said quietly. "So you were all... ?"

"Yeah," Gary said, looking straight at Pete.
"We all had our problems," He continued, looking away from Pete, but not an ounce of shame in his voice.
"When we ran into each other, we realised that we'd only make it, if we stayed together."

Pete understood, now, why they all seemed so close to each other. They had formed a sort of family, that day. All five of them.
Five... Pete thought, as he counted the faces in the picture.
There were six of them. To the right of everyone else, Pete could see a smaller person. He had brown hair, and looked to be the same age as everyone else.
"Who's this guy?"

Gary glanced at the picture, before turning away again.
"That's Paul." He said. "He... didn't stay with us."

Pete wasn't exactly sure what that meant, but he wasn't going to press Gary for more, since he already seemed uncomfortable with the discussion.
He quickly moved over to Gary and hugged him.
"Hey, thanks for sharing this," He said, "It means a lot."

Again, Pete felt like Gary wanted to say something. Instead, he cleared his throat.
"Speaking of old friends," he started, moving he and Pete to the couch, "Do you still talk to Jimmy?"

Pete hadn't thought of Jimmy for years.
"Um, we kept in touch for a year or two after we graduated." He said, settling onto the couch.
"Last I heard, he moved to Chicago to become a cop."

Gary let out a loud laugh, "Hah! Hopkins as a cop?" He said.
Then, looking thoughtful, he said "In some sick, profoundly disturbing way, it kind of makes sense."

Pete was glad they had been able to change the subject, and he watched as Gary picked an acoustic guitar from the wall. But he still had one question he wanted to ask.
"So what was yours?"

"My what?" Gary replied, tuning the guitar.

"Your 'problem'?"

Gary rested the guitar on his leg,
"That, my dear, is a tale for another time." He said, faking an English accent.

Pete smiled, "Okay, fair enough."

"Good." Gary said, "Now, I want you to hear this new song I've been working on."

Gary positioned the guitar, and Pete was all ears. Getting to hear a new song that only Gary's band mates knew about, was certainly a treat for him.

He watched as Gary began playing. Without the rest of the band, every move his fingers made seemed so much more intimate, to Pete. And when he started to sing, Pete was transfixed.
It was a slow, somber song, but in this setting, Pete could make out every word he was singing. He realised that Gary wasn't just singing to him, he had written this song for him. Every word Gary was singing was for Pete, and they were good words. They made Pete feel like there really could be something between he and Gary, and they made him wonder how much Gary actually felt for him. All those things he'd almost say, but then change his mind. Maybe this was Gary's way of saying them.

The song ended, and Gary set the guitar down beside him. Pete stood up from the couch, walked over to Gary, and kissed him. It was a lingering kiss, and Pete wished they had been somewhere else. He felt ready for more.
As they separated, Gary looked into Pete's eyes,
"I take it you like it, then?" He said quietly.

"It was amazing." Pete said, "You're amazing."

"Well, Mr. 'Amazing', you feeling hungry?" Gary asked.

Pete was hungry, but it had gotten cold and windy, and he didn't really feel like going outside for food, let alone to walk all the way home. They both decided to stay in the studio, and order a pizza. There was a tv in the studio, so they watched a scary movie marathon that was playing on a local station while they ate.

As it got later, and both boys got tired, they stretched out on the couch.
Gary held Pete, and Pete nuzzled into his chest.
It was exactly how Pete had imagined it, Gary's arms made him feel safe.

As they both drifted off to sleep, Pete wondered what more he could possibly need.