Down the Rabbit Hole Chapter 52 – The Jabberwock - Street Spirit
A/N- The song for the chapter was release by Radiohead in 1995. "Rows of houses, all bearing down on me. I can feel their blue hands touching me. All these things into position. All these things we'll one day swallow whole." Oh and just to give you an idea of computer/internet use in 1995, the population of the USA that year was 266.6 million and according to a PEW Research Center article published in '95 only 12 million Americans were subscribed to an ISP (mostly for work) and 24 million had home computers. Those figures had doubled from '94 (5 million ISP subscribers and 12 million owners) since computers were becoming more affordable.
Kev's parents were ready to go home just before nine o'clock that evening, especially since the things they were interested in at Pride had started to wind down. The fact that they had to drop Marie off at her mother's apartment on the other side of Summerville was also a deciding factor in this decision. Arriving at their destination around nine-thirty, Jonny insisted on being a gentleman and offered to walk her to her door, to make sure that she got inside safe and sound. Being a small-town boy, he didn't feel that it would be right to let her walk the short distance from the car to her door unescorted at night in the big city. As though being a boy had somehow made him immune to the dangers the city could have waiting for them in its shadows and back alleys, ah to be young and to think oneself immortal. But whatever his mindset was on the topic, Marie appreciated the gesture and reward him with a sweet chaste kiss to the lips. Jonny was all smiles as he stumbled over his words as he said goodnight to her, the light giddy feeling in his heart had him walking on cloud nine as he made his way back to the car. The signs of his romantic malady had become quite apparent on the trip back to Peach Creek as the young boy stared up at the night sky from the backseat window, letting out a long drawn out sigh. Mrs. Anderson looks back at the boy and a warm smile graces her lips as she turn to her husband and softly says, "Looks like Jonny's been bitten by the love bug."
Mr. Anderson smiles broadly and looks in the rearview mirror at the boy as he replies, "Good for him, the boy deserves some love in his life."
The Andersons and their passenger arrive home just a little after eleven and have a quick meal of fast food take out before the adults make the boys head off to bed. Since they knew they would be getting home late that night, it had already been decided earlier that day that Jonny would be staying over instead of making his parents wait up for him. Walking into his room, Kev throws an extra pillow down on the floor beside his bed, then starts to unroll the sleeping bag for Jonny as his friend falls upon his bed and again sighs, "God, I think I'm in love." To be honest this was a slight exaggeration on his part, because in truth what he was feeling was more of a longing then love, since they had only just begun building those bridges between them.
Kev drops the sleeping bag on the floor unceremoniously and sarcastically replies, "Duh, thanks for telling me captain obvious." He then mumbles to himself as he reaches down to pick up Jonny's overnight bag, "As if it was some great mystery I needed to solve." He turns at the hip and, with a quick flick of his wrist, playfully tosses the bag at his friend's face, successfully hitting his target.
Jonny flinches, raising his arms up just in time before the bag hits him then quickly pushes it off as he laughs, "Hey asshole, you jealous?" He takes the hint Kev had so kindly given him and sits up to remove his shirt, his love-struck smile was still causing his face to glow with happiness. Kev turns his back to him to get his pajamas from his dresser drawer when Jonny stood up to undo his belt as he kicked his shoes off at the same time. "Oh god, I'm just, I don't know, I can't believe she actually kissed me," Kev could hear the creak of his bed as Jonny sat back down.
He looks over his shoulder at his friend as he undoes his own pants and sees him freeing one leg at a time from the denim cloth. "Well, it's a good thing, it means she likes you too," Kev tried to sound supportive as he shimmied his pants down his legs to reveal his tighty-whities.
He catches Kev's eye and stops what he was doing, "I'm dense, Kevin, not stupid," he frees his last leg and deposits his pants on the floor with his shirt, "But I know what you meant. To be honest I wasn't really sure if she liked me either," but now that he knows, he couldn't wait to see her again and taste those all too sweet lips once more. His heart ached at the thought that it might be some time before they could be reunited, but he would make damn sure to express his feelings to her the next time they spoke.
Kev steps into his pajama bottoms and takes off his shirt then turns around, "You need to have more confidence," he was hoping Jonny would realize he was ready to go to bed now.
"Well look at you short stack," Jonny says as he flicks the legs of his pajamas at Kev's stomach.
He gives the boy sitting upon his bed in nothing but his boxers a confused look, "What?"
"I always thought you were a scrawny ass dweeb under your dorky clothes, but damn, you're packing," Jonny said as he sized him up from stomach to chest. He puts one leg into his pajamas but then leans forward, quickly smacking Kev's stomach with the back of his hand right at the V cut above his hip, causing him to flinch. "I bet you've got a six-pack, don't cha," he looks his friend in the eyes and smiles, "Well come on, show me," Kev shyly smile at his friend's insistence but complies to his request. Flexing his stomach muscles, he exposes the slight beginnings of a six-pack. "See, you've got the bod, so maybe you're the one who needs more confidence."
Kev looks down at his mild muscle definition and halfheartedly protests "Whatever asshole," and nudges Jonny in the shoulder as he stands to pull his pajamas up, knocking him slightly off balance. He was a little embarrassed by the attention, causing him to advert his eyes as his cheeks redden, but he was also happy to receive the compliment.
It was when he looks to the floor in embarrassment that he couldn't help but see that his friends junk became prominently noticeable as his waistband lifts it for a second before it flops into his pajamas. "You know, you should change your look a little, show off your assets, then maybe you could be like me and get yourself a girlfriend." He catches Kev's eyes as he looks back up and with a playful smile as he bites his bottom lip, he wags his brows, "Or a boyfriend."
Kev looks away, irrationally fearing that he had been caught looking at his junk and stammers his reply, "I-I don't know if I want someone to only like me for how I look, you know." Jonny gets down on the floor and undoes the sleeping bag, "I mean isn't it what's on the inside that counts?"
"Hmmm," Jonny thought for a moment as he got comfortable, putting one hand behind his head, he exposes the small tuft of hair in his armpit. "I don't know, I think they're both equally important and everyone has their tastes, you get me." Kev sits on his bed and hums in thought, "But I also get what you're saying, because some people will date a complete asshole, fully knowing that they're using them, and be fine with it because they're hot. And you know what really gets me, is that when they're done with them and they throw them away for the next best thing, they'll practically beg them to stay. In the end they only fuel the assholes ego, giving them even more power over them."
Kev tried to put himself in their shoes as he spoke, "I guess it's, you know, all about the love we think we deserve."
"I guess," Jonny scrunches his brow as he thought about it, "I don't know if I'd ever want to be that desperate for love. But you," he pats Kev on the shin with the back of his free hand, "You've got the best of both worlds, you've got the looks and you're a total sweetheart." Kev looks at him in disbelief then turns away to look somewhere safe and not at his friend as he blushes again at his compliment. Jonny notices his reaction and tries to reassure him, "Hey, I might be straight, but I can still tell when a guy's hot ok and I'm just saying, you, are, hot. You just don't know it yet, which, in my opinion, makes you the perfect catch for one lucky person."
Kev lets out an incredulous chuckle as he puts his glass on his bedside table and gets under his covers, "Yeah, whatever."
"Oh, come on, you know I'm right," he smacks the side of the bed for emphasis, getting Kev's attention again, "Don't tell me you didn't notice that chick was all over you today. What was her name again?"
"Roxie," he had to agree with that observation, but for the life of him, couldn't figure out why she was so interested in him. For there were so many other guys there that blew him out of the water, hands down, and she could probably have her pick of any one of them.
"Well, if you had worn a tank top instead of that button up, you would have had her eating out of the palm of your hand, or sniffing your balls, if you know what I mean." Jonny's lips formed an uncontrollable wicked grin at the prospect of either one of them getting some action. Since they were the only ones in their small circle of friends that were still suffering a dry spell and had ownership of their V card.
"Oh god," Kev whines as his friend makes an obscene motion with his hands and thrusts his hips as though he was getting some head. Exasperated with Jonny's laughter at his reaction, he rolls over and covers his head with his blanket. Reaching out from under the blanket, he feels his way to his bedside table and turns out the light, allowing darkness to fill the room as his friend's laughter subsides.
"God you're such a virgin," Jonny objected to Kev's attempt to end the conversation, "But you know if her dick tooth was craving you just a little bit more, you would have been all up in it."
"Dick tooth," Kev asks with a curious laugh as he rolls on his belly and uncovers his head to look back at Jonny.
"Plank heard it from Tim," he started to explain, "It's like a sweet tooth, but they crave the cock, get it?"
"Oh," he mused.
"So, tell me the truth, if she was on her knees, right now, wanting to swallow your baby batter, you would, wouldn't you?" From what Kev could see in the dark, Jonny's expression was one of excited curiosity, his voice also seemed a little too eager to hear his response.
But Kev was no different, if truth be told, all this sudden sexual talk has his body naturally responding, giving him a mild chub, "Why do you want to know so badly?"
"It's just bro talk man," he responded quickly, "I tell ya, if Marie was here, begging for it, I wouldn't hesitate," Kev notices the cover around Jonny's waist move a few times in a bouncing motion. But he quickly realizes that it wasn't what he initially thought it was, because both of Jonny's hands were behind his head. "Well, come on dude, spill, would you let her slob your nob or what," he sees the telltale sign that Kev was blushing and laughs as he teases him, "You dog."
Kev adjusted his position to wrap his arms around his pillows to fluff them up a little, the motion causing his stiffening cock to glide between himself and the mattress. He tries to ignore the slight pleasurable sensation it caused as he replies in a horse whisper, "Yeah, so what, she's cute." He adjusts his position once more to allow his cock to slide against the mattress again, god would these hormones ever become manageable.
"That's my man," Jonny reaches up to give Kev five, the dork hesitates for a moment but doesn't leave his friend hanging for long. "There's nothing like a warm wet mouth on your cock," he adds as he withdraws his hand and puts it under the covers, it instantly becomes very apparent that he is kneading his dick now.
Why is the sudden reality that Jonny is boldly touching himself in front of him making Kev's lower body react and causing his heart to pound with excitement? He has never thought of Jonny in that way before, mostly because he is straight, so why now? Was it the conversation? Or was it the energy that was now flowing between them that was causing it? Kev asks himself these questions as he covertly slides his own hand down into his pajamas to touch himself and take a mental inventory of his friend. Jonny was still mildly awkward in certain situations and kind of annoying at times, but he has been growing into an attractive young man ever since puberty hit him a few years ago. He isn't a "Chick Magnet" by no means, but he is kind of cute, and thanks to Plank's influence he has gone from total dork to dorky punk rocker. "And how would you know," he asks, throwing a little fuel on the fire of the situation, "Aren't you still a virgin?"
He softly laughs as he responds, "Kevin, a BJ's just foreplay man," he has stopped kneading his cock and was now slowly stroke himself. He subconsciously knew what Kev was looking at and for some reason he was loving it, "It's just one step up from a handy." There was something strangely exciting about someone watching him do what he was doing, and he was gobbling up the attention. Don't get the situation wrong, he is extremely interested in Marie, but they aren't dating yet, and as they say, a hard dick has no conscience. "How about you?" He sees Kev's hips shift again and he smiles, "Has anyone gargled your goo yet?"
"No," he whispers, feigning distaste for his choice of words, but the slight tremble in his voice gives him away. His hand goes on the downstroke, sliding across the head of his cock, the slick sensation of his precum sliding across his glands almost makes him whimper.
"You need to hurry up and change that man," he gives himself a few prominent deep strokes to tease Kev, "It's fucking awesome," he adds as he sighs with pleasure.
"Yeah?"
He lets out a shaky breath as he stops his strokes for a few seconds to level out his pleasure and to not go over the edge, "Yeah, trust me, you'll love it." He looks down at his crotch as he slides his thumb around the tip of his prick to spread the precum over its head. Confirming that his actions were very obvious, even in the dark, he knew that there was no way Kev didn't know what he was doing. Why was have a guy watching him do this, even though he couldn't see his junk, such a turn on? Was it the dominance of the situation? His obvious teasing of him with the possibility of some play, but ultimately denying him the taste he was surely craving that was working him up. "So um," Jonny wets his lips and looks back up at his friend as Kev becomes braver and starts to slowly thrust his hips into his hand, "Have you, you know, sucked a cock yet?"
Kev's breath hitches as his dick twitches, why was he asking him that? He swallows, and tries to steady his nerves, to no avail, as his voice cracks a little as he speaks, "N-no, not-not yet"
"But you want to, right?" He grabs the base of his meat and shakes it a few times, making it push up against the fabric covering him, further teasing Kev with its outline.
His eyes widen with the quick covered view Jonny has given him as his mind begins to race with possible outcomes to this scenario, "Um, yeah, I guess." He is feeling shy and awkward again, even though it is Jonny who has started this jerk off session and is leading the way to something else.
"You guess," he softly chuckles at his response as he starts to stroke himself again, "Come on, you know you want some hairy man meat in your face. You don't have to be ashamed of it, it's only natural, just hormones man." This last part is to assure himself more than Kev, as his cock pulsates in time with his heartbeat and his balls pull up with each stroke of its head.
Kev shyly replies, "I'm not ashamed, I'm just nervous."
In the curtain filtered light from the outside lampposts, Kev could see the lust filled look in Jonny's eyes as he responds, "Why?"
"Well," he pauses as he tries to word it correctly, attempting not to sound too much like a dork, "What if I suck."
Kev had unintentionally poked the elephant in the room, "Then I'd say you're doing your job right," Jonny laughs as he catches the ball passed to him by his unwitting friend. It only took him a split second in his hormone driven state to decide to run with it to the goal. "But if you're that nervous about it," his nerves cause his voice to crack this time and he clears his throat, "I'd be willing, (cough), to let you practice if you want." If there was a god, like he knew there was, he would say yes, because a BJ would feel sooooo good right about now.
Kev could now hear his heart pounding in his ears and his palms were sweating with Jonny's invitation, "I-I don't know, yo-you're my friend and I don't want to ruin that."
Over the years Plank has taught Jonny several things, and the most important of them was to be confident, confidence was sexy, "There's nothing wrong with bro's helping each other out." He throws back the fabric covering him, exposing himself to his friend, "So won't you please help a bro out, because I've got a real bad case of blue balls man." He pulls down the front of his pajamas as he spoke, tucking the waistband of his PJs under his balls, causing the head of his cock to bounce against his belly.
"Mother fucking god DAMN," Kev exclaimed in his head as he realized that he needed to stop stroking himself right now or he was going to shoot right then and there. There was something overpoweringly sexy about his straight friend laying there in the dark, exposing his forbidden fruit for him to see. This bare-chested dorky punk rocker, sliding his hand back up to take hold of his fucking rock-hard cock, had him spellbound. The light treasure trail, that ran from his pubes up to his belly button, where the tip of his dick had deposited a small dab of precum was enticing. His free hand tucked behind his head was exposing the sexy patch of fur nestled in his armpit again, and his now all too sexy smile and lust filled eyes transfixes Kev's gaze. Jonny swallows to wet his throat and tries to hide his nervousness, "So what do you say? Do you wanna have some fun, just you and me."
Kev's hand was trembling as he nods and tucks himself back into his PJ's then slides out from under the covers to stand up, "Fuck man," Jonny compliments him as he eyes the tent in his pajamas. As Kev comfortably positions himself on the floor beside him, Jonny closes his eyes, releasing his hold on himself he tucks that hand behind his head to get more comfortable. His thoughts instantly go to Marie as he feels Kev's still trembling hand take hold of his manhood and slowly begin to stroke him. He slides his right hand down the side of his friend's body in search of the back of his neck and head to help coax him into action. He lets out a soft moan as the warm wet feeling of his mouth glides down on him, then a sharp hiss at the pain which forces him to instruct him to, "Watch the teeth man."
Kev comes up and breathes out, "Sorry," then takes a few excited breathes as he strokes and admires the nice cock in his hand, it was probably only six inches rock hard, but god it was beautiful. Leaning down, he takes it back in his mouth and tries his best to control how it slides in and out, as it had nicked one of his molars on a downstroke.
"It's alright, you're doing good, daaaaamn," he silently exclaims at the sensation of pleasure that was caused from Kev swallowing some excess saliva mixed with his precum. "Just like that, that feels soooo fucking good," damn Kev was a quick study. In his mind's eye he was imagining Marie doing the dirty deed for him, her beautiful eyes looking up at him as she teased the head of his cock with her tongue and his hands run through her hair. As Kev goes down as far as he could, Jonny grabs a handful of his hair and holds him down as his balls come up, he stifles a moan by biting into his knuckles. All his earlier self-teasing had brought this little experiment of his to a quick conclusion as his balls empty into Kev's eager suckling mouth.
Kev was surprised by the sudden explosion of liquid, but he didn't pull away or find it gross or disgusting, on the contrary it had brought a fire stirring in his loins as he swallows the seemingly endless load. Kev comes up breathing heavily when Jonny finally releases his hold on the back of his head. "Fuck, that was hot," so fucking unexplainably hot, to feel so connected to someone in that instant, to know that you could give someone so much pleasure.
"Fucking A it was," Jonny tries to catch his breath as he slides a hand down his face. Kev shifts his weight and gets up on one knee to stand, but Jonny catches him by the waistband of his pajamas, "Where do you think you're going?" Kev looks at him in mild confusion and Jonny replies to his silent question, "What kind of bro would I be if I didn't return the favor?" He pulls down on the front of his PJs and exposes Kev's red pubes, causing his hard cock to spring from its confinement and slap against his belly. "Lay back down," he commands with a euphoric smile and an excited Kevin happily obeys, laying on his back beside his friend. Jonny roles onto his side and spits into his hand, taking ahold of the pulsating meat he begins to stroke it with a steady but slow rhythm. Intrigued, he watches as it twitches in his hand and he feels the precum ooze from the tip to give him more lube to work with. Kev turns his head to the side to stifle a moan and sees, feels and smells Jonny's softening dick brush up against his nose. Without thinking, he sticks his tongue out and licks across its head, he feels empowered as it twitches against his touch and he hears a soft moan of pleasure come from Jonny's lips. Wanting more of that sweet intoxicating erotic sound he presses his lips against it and sucks it into his mouth. He tastes the remnants of Jonny's earlier load mixed with the taste of his skin as he feels the flesh come back to life through his touch. Jonny was emboldened by Kev's desire for him and decides to whisper a few dirty words, "Oh, you want some more, you little slut?" He thrusts slowly in time with his strokes, letting a low hum of pleasure escape before he speaks, "You can have as much as you want."
God damn, Jonny, why were you turning him on so much, you weren't normally his type, but now in his hormone driven mind you were a god of sex and desire. Jonny lays his head upon Kev's thigh and he could smell the musk coming from his friend's balls. He breathes in deeply and enjoys all the sensations that were flooding his mind, the smell, the feel, the sight of his friend on erotic display for him. Normally, he should be repulsed by what he was doing, as he really wasn't into dudes. But somehow the knowledge that his friend was desiring him this much right now, had him twitching in all the right places and his balls were ready to explode again at a moment's notice. He feels and hears Kev moan around his cock and the meat in his hand stiffens further and twitches hard against his grip. He looks up in time to see the first explosion go flying and land on his friend's chest and stomach, to feel the excess liquid slide down the back of his hand. "That's it, shoot that load," he urged him on in a whisper as slows his thrusts and strokes, enjoying the new sensation the vibrations that his friend's moans were causing. His eyes flutter shut, and he bites his bottom lip to quiet his own moan as his balls empty into his friend's mouth once more. He breaths in sharply as Kev's lips and tongue clamp down on him to swallow his fresh but smaller load. Collapsing once his orgasm was spent, he rolls over on to his back, pulling himself free from that wet and warm orifice he had so enjoyed. Breathing in deeply, he lets out a content sigh as he enjoys the afterglow and whispers, "Damn, short stack, you're talented."
Kev adjusts and lays his head on Jonny's thigh, he didn't dare to roll on his side as it would make a mess on the sleeping bag, "Thanks." Basking in his euphoria, he turns his head to look up at Jonny, enjoying the view from his vantage point of his friend's naked flesh, which was a feast for his eyes to devour.
"No problem," he slaps Kev on the thigh with two playful and appreciative strikes, "But you should really get cleaned up before you make a mess."
Kev had to agree as his attention was brought to the liquid that was now threatening to slide down his side. "Could you get me a towel," he points in the direction of his dirty clothes basket that was in the corner of the room.
"Sure," Jonny tucks himself into his PJs before getting up to quickly riffle through the basket for the desired piece of cloth, finding it he throws it to Kev then takes his place back on the floor beside him. "So, um," he was nervous with this new line of thought, now that the chamber had been emptied, and stammers, "If you ever want to, you know, um, practice again."
"Sure man, cool," Kev replies nonchalantly as to relieve his friend from the pressure of having to put his thoughts into words, but also as to not sound too eager.
"Cool," damn why was he so excited about his acceptance of his idea? Internally he was telling himself that it would be nice to have a substitute for Rossie Palm and her five sisters. And if someone wanted to suck him on a regular basis, regardless of who it was, so much the better for him.
"Well," Kev sits up and throws the towel back into the basket then looks down at Jonny, "Goodnight then." He was feeling awkward again, as he wasn't sure about the protocols for this sort of thing and was having trouble finding a smooth way to end the night after what has transpired between them. At least Jonny wasn't showing any signs of awkwardness, so his fears that his friend was going to treat him differently was put at ease.
"Goodnight," Jonny replied and covered himself up and started to drift off to sleep rather quickly in his content state, as though nothing strange had happened at all. It was weird, not in a bad way mind you, he just felt that, somehow, he had gotten a little closer to Kevin. Not in a gay way, because he's not gay, and didn't have romantic feelings for him, it was more like their friendship now had a whole new level to it. That they had become better friends because of what they had just done, and hopefully would do again in the near future. A strange and exciting line of thought dances through his mind in his last few moments of consciousness. How far would this go? What new things would Kev be willing to do? What things would he be willing to do? And the last one, which was a surprise to himself, who would he lose his virginity to first, Marie or Kev?
For the two months that followed the pride festival, Marcus would be spending most of his time during the work week at the office. Busting his butt and proving to the powers that be that he was worthy of their partners recommendation. Most of his time during the workday was devoted to acclimating himself to the firm's expectations of him, his workload, as well as becoming acquainted with the clients his father had lined up for him. He would often have to bring his work home with him in order to meet the deadlines the clients had established. This left little to no time for his social life with Alice or any of his other friends during the week. Making him feel drained of energy and cranky most evenings, but he told himself that the salary made it worth it. He would discover through these busy times that what they say is true, that absence does make the heart grow fonder. As their weekends were solely devoted to love making, followed up by cuddling under the covers as they watched movies together on his small bedroom television.
But as August rolled around, the owners of the house that he has been renting a room from, decided to make their subtle hints to him more direct. Jack and Danny brought up the uncomfortable conversation as they sat down with him that early August Monday morning with coffee in hand. "Good morning Marcus," they both greet him as they sat their mugs down on the kitchen island and he returns their greeting. "So, we've been talking," Jack starts as Danny gauges his reaction, "And we think it's about time that you found your own place."
Marcus lowers the paper he had been reading with a hint of irritation in his demeanor, whey did they feel like they needed to bring this up this early in the day. "Already on it," he replies as he turns the paper around to show them the classifieds he has been looking through.
Danny visibly relaxes a little, glad that he had already been thinking the same thing they were, "Thank god, I thought you might be a little upset." His fears were justified, since more than a few of the guys they have helped over the years have had a bad reaction to them telling them that it was time for them to move on.
"Why would I be upset," he asks as he flips his paper back up, "It's not like me and Alice can live in your spare bedroom for the rest of our lives." Jack and Danny both thought that it was cute that he thought they would last that long, especially since Alice apparently hasn't told him about her profession yet. And they couldn't blame her for that, as they knew it was best to avoid that drama.
"I'm glad you understand," Jack continues, "Because we've already told Danny's nephew that he could live with us while he goes to school."
He picks up his mug as he takes in this new information, he had to wonder how many times they have helped one of their "nephews" out. He pauses the motion of his arm and speaks with the brim of his mug inches from his lips, "How long do I have?"
"Two weeks," Jack replied bluntly.
"B-but if you need a little more time, I'm sure he wouldn't mind sleeping on the couch for a week or so," he looked between Jack and Marcus for some approval to this compromise to the sudden situation.
"Thanks Danny, but two weeks should be fine," he looks up at him and smiles reassuringly, "I just need to find a place is all." The truth is that he could move out today if he found a place, since he has already asked Alice to move in with him and his savings for the past two months could easily make this happen. It was finding the right place, in the right neighborhood, which was the right mix of modern beauty, functionality and location, which has been holding them back.
Jack sets down his mug and swallows, "Do you want me to see if Shane has anything available?"
The gay slum lord of the LGBT community wasn't exactly the type of landlord Marcus wanted to rent from, and not for the reasons that have probably just popped into your head. Sure, he would admit that being in Old Summerville would be the perfect location, as his drive to and from work would only be about fifteen to twenty minutes, depending upon traffic. And the treelined streets, handsome old houses and dreams of lazy summer nights on the front porch watching fireflies made the area charming. But the fact is that the two to three story old houses already converted into apartments that Shane bought, were run down from the start. That he did very little to fix their issues besides slapping on a fresh coat of paint, cheap carpeting when it was absolutely necessary and bringing the fire escapes up to code. The final straw which took him off Marcus' list of potential landlords was the fact that it took him forever to get around to fixing anything once it finally gave out, or so he's heard.
But he still wouldn't be rude by telling them his true thoughts on the matter, since he knew Shane and Jack were close friends, "Would you, that would be a big help." This didn't mean that he had to take the place Shane had open, he would just have to work fast and find one before they talked to him. Turning his wrist, he checks his watch then folds his paper and downs what was left of his coffee as it was time for him to head to work, "Alright guys, I'll see you tonight."
"Have a good day," Danny cheerfully says as he heads towards the back door in the kitchen.
Jack added, "I'll get ahold of Shane today and let you know what he's got tonight." For fuck sake Jack, why don't you go ahead and reserve a U-Haul while you're at it, Marcus thought to himself, not that he had any furniture to take with him when he left. "That went rather well," Jack said to Danny once the door had closed. In truth Marcus was pissed that they were putting him in this situation and giving him a time limit on when they wanted him out. Nephew, yeah right. Fueled by his anger, an image of him beating the ever living shit out of Jack popped into the furthest reaches of the back of his mind. This forbidden fantasy would join the myriad of other things in his life that he imagined he could have done differently in hindsight. By the time he reached the office, his temper had only been agitated more by a few lousy morning drivers who had cut him off. The time he would use to get another cup of coffee and chat with a few co-workers was spent calming himself down while still in his car in the parking garage across the street.
Though he had managed to calm down a little, his irritation was still evident by the time he made it to the office and saw his father as he walked in. He was parentally nudged into explaining why he looked so agitated this early in the morning, which he calmly did while omitting certain details. Getting the gist that his son only had two weeks to vacate his current residence, he assured him that there was nothing to worry about, then told him to keep his lunch open today. Which turned into an epic disaster in his opinion, as his mother had joined them, and had brought with her three listings she had her realtor friend suggest. Holding back his irritation, he smiled as he took the printouts that his mother handed over and immediately noticed that all three were located in what his parents would consider the "right" neighborhoods. As all three apartments were in the east side of Summerville, roughly located somewhere between were his parent's home in Worthington Hills was and the riverside country club they frequented.
He tried to politely refuse their help, citing the excuse that twelve hundred a month for a one-bedroom apartment in Kentucky was a bit steep. But his father quickly brushed that excuse away as he knew that it was well within his budget, and if he needed help furnishing the place, they had a few things he could have. Since his mother was looking to redecorate their living room again, because last year's attempt didn't turn out quite the way she had hoped. Begrudgingly he agreed to at least look them over before making his choice, "Good," his mother says as she slides a card over to him, "Call that number when you get off tonight."
He picks up the card and looks it over and see Joan Rios' information, which included her office number, pager number, cellphone number and fax number. "Mom," he started to protest, but his dad stopped him before he could.
"Joan is a very nice lady, and as a favor to your mother, is being gracious enough to show you these apartments after hours, so I expect you to be there and on your best behavior."
With those words there was only one response he could give, "Yes sir."
His father cut into his medium rare steak as he spoke, "Son, If Joan says these are the finest places she has to offer, then I can assure you, you won't find any better. She's a woman of integrity, and we trust her judgement, and you should trust ours," the conversation was brought to a close when he takes a bite of his steak. Marcus spent the rest of the meal listening to his mother getting her husband's opinion on her upcoming decorating project and his half-interested responses. Just great, another decision he needed to make in his life brought to a quick conclusion by his parents knowing what's best for him.
The most frustrating part about this was the fact that they were right, for each one of the places Joan showed him was spectacular. Their last stop was to a three-story townhouse which was more up for sale than for rent but was one of the places his mother had insisted that Joan should show him. Which was probably her way of push him towards building his future, which in her mind was a beautiful wife and adorable children. As they enter, she begins to explain the general stats of the home, it has 2429 sq. ft. of living space and was eighteen feet wide by fifty-one feet long with central air and heated floors. The space on the first floor was primarily taken up by the two-car garage which you entered through the street facing side of the home. The front door was more of a side door and lead straight to the stairs to the second floor, as the garage doors took up the slim front of the building. The only other room on this floor was the guest bedroom, with its own small bathroom which offered all the amenities and an adjoining closet. The ornate wood and glass set of doors that face the backyard, opened up to a brick laid patio large enough to host a decent summer barbeque. There was also an illuminated inground swimming pool and connecting hot tub for casual relaxation and fun, "But the yard still offers enough lawn for children to play on," she added.
Climbing to the second floor she went into her spiel about the kitchen and all its modern features as they step onto the hardwood floor and enter the room. He had to admit that it was an impressive layout, the dark mahogany cabinets and granite countertops with the matching kitchen island and black glass top stove was a nice color scheme in his opinion. She opens a floor length cabinet door, which he assumed was a pantry of sorts, revealing the concealed refrigerator whose outer doors were made to look like the rest of the wood cabinetry around it. Stepping into the room to the right of the stairs, she begins to paint a picture of lavish dinner parties or casual family meals this space could host. Another set of ornate wood and glass doors lead out onto the balcony which spanned the front of the home. On the other side of the kitchen was a massive family room, with its own balcony that overlooked the backyard. An entertainment center made out of mahogany was already built into the left wall which could house a decent sized television.
The third floor is where the master bedroom was, this room was almost the same size as the family room one flight down and had yet another balcony which overlooked the backyard. The master bathroom had two sinks which were separated by a floor length cabinet which could be used to store towels and such, an enclosed toilet, stand up shower and a separate garden tub for two. The adjoining walk in closet off the bathroom was big enough for most people to consider it a room unto itself. As it had a dividing set of selves down the middle for shoes and whatnot, two beautiful floor length mirrors and a decently sized hidden safe in the wall. The last room down the hall passed the utility closet and stairs was a little smaller, but not by much, and it to has its own bathroom with adjoining closet. "The perfect place for a nursery that can grow with your child," she added at the end of her sales pitch.
"Yeah it is," he lets out a deep breath through his nostrils as he looks around, "But how much is it?" She hands him a piece of paper that had the asking price of $575,954 along with the monthly payments of $1750 that would be expected with a thirty-year mortgage under the current interest rates. He quickly does some financial math in his head and realizes that the amount is only half his monthly salary, and with the other bills, food and entertainment expenses he should still be in the green.
She continues to drive the deal home as he steps over to the window, "This community is any homeowners dream. It's close to several beautiful parks as well as the top private schools in the city, Saint Sabastian's Academy. From here you're only a short drive to all your shopping and entertainment needs," she takes a short pause as she joins him at the window, "They really knew what they were doing when they built this community." She smiles softly, then continues, "You might also like to know that the Thompsons," she motions to a nearly identical house across the street, "Just moved in last Friday, and they're already in love with the place. Their two well behaved teenage sons just transferred to Saint S and are really enjoying their experience there. The house beside theirs was just bought by the Taylors this morning, they're such a lovely family," she sounded content that the two families were now neighbors, "Their son is the same age as the Thompson boys. And the house next to this one is going to be shown to a newlywed couple tomorrow," ok he gets it. The houses in the area are selling like hotcakes, but she was doing a good job disguising it by selling it as a family centric community.
"That's nice," he smiles warmly, hiding his annoyance at her constant sells pitch, "They must seem really happy."
"Gushingly so," she returns his smile, "And really excited about that house."
"OK, well, I'm interested," he states as he looks around and motions with his hands.
"Splendid," she calmly exclaimed.
Was he really doing this? His father would tell him that it was a good investment, and if the market was as hot as she was making it out to be, then he needed to grab it while he could. The side of his brain that looks for contingency plans rationalized that if worst comes to worst, he could just sell it off to pay back the considerable loan he was about to take on. "I just need to go to the bank tomorrow and iron out the details, so could you hold onto this place for me?"
"Absolutely," she smiled again, "I wouldn't dare let anyone else look at it," she added playfully, "Just get ahold of me sometime this week and we'll get the papers signed and the keys in your hand." With his interest confirmed, she knew that there would be no issues finalizing the sale. His mother having hinted to that affect when they had talked earlier that day, as she bemoaned the fact that Marcus had been "Slumming it" for the past four years in an apparent attempt to spite them. As far as Joan was concerned, the act of Marcus going into the bank to fill out paperwork was just a formality, for the benefit of their headstrong son, and that the loan was already approved well before ink touched paper.
"Thank you," he extends his hand, "I'll get in touch with you soon."
She takes his hand firmly, "I look forward to it," then walks him to the door. Marcus fell asleep that night nervous about getting the loan but yet excited over this new purchase and the independence in meant for him. The last thought to go through is mind before he fell asleep was the fact that he hasn't told Alice about any of this. Not about Jack and Danny's insistence that he move out, or about the new place he was about to buy, because of all the turmoil, excitement, and how late he had gotten home that night. But he solved this concerning thought by deciding he would just surprise her with their new home on the day they would move in.
The following day Marcus took an extended lunch to take care of his banking business and received their favorable response before he left work, getting home around seven that night. Now he could inwardly revel in the looks on Jack and Danny's faces when he gives them the news, then as he declines Shane's offer and finally tells them all about his new home. They tried to feign a sense of happiness at his good fortune, but he got the slightest sense that they were jealous of him, which he found to be an ego boost. He is young, good looking, dating someone he cares for, is on a carrier path for success and comes from old money, not that he often uses that to his advantage. These two on the other hand are in the Autumn of their years, are in their relationship solely because they don't want to be alone and are struggling to keep their businesses afloat, ah, the things you learn when you live with someone.
Even though they were jealous, they would keep their word and allow him the two weeks to get everything he needed to move into his new place. He did appreciate this but didn't require the time as he had the papers signed and keys in hand by the next business day. The day after that he was out buying the essential furniture he needed, and that his parents weren't going to give him. Such as a new big screen TV, which weighed a ton, a bedroom set, a dining room set which included a curio cabinet, furniture for his home office along with a new computer with a modem installed. Once dishes, utensils, pots and pans along with other amenities for the house had been bought, he had spent a large fortune, capping his credit cards and nearly draining all his savings, but it was worth it.
Moving day had finally arrived and his mother was well on her way with her own redecorating and thus he was free to take all the living room furniture he wanted or needed. With the moving van loaded with the furniture from his parents living room and the things he wanted from his old bedroom, he sets off and calls Alice from his company cellphone, "Hey babe, are you free right now?"
"Yeah," he could her the happiness in her voice, "I can be." The sudden call and the idea that they would see each other soon created a feeling of warmth in her heart. Their fleeting rendezvous over the past few months had been sweetly bitter for her as they kept her longing for more in her ever-expanding time without him.
"Sweet," his happiness was mirroring her own but was laced with excitement, "Can you meet me? Is your sister there to drive you? Or can you borrow the car?"
She lightly laughed at his flurry of questions as she spoke, "I can ask her." She turns the handset so that the mic was down by her neck as she yelled, "Hey Trixie."
"Let me ask her," Marcus insists.
Trixie begins to walk down the hall toward the living room as she replies, "Why are you yelling? It's not even noon yet."
She glances at the wall clock and replies when she sees that it is ten till twelve, "It almost is, and Marcus wants to talk to you."
She takes the cordless phone and turns so she is looking away from Alice as she greets him, "What's up handsome?"
Alice playfully swats Trixie on her rear for her fake flirtatiousness, "Can you bring Alice to meet me?"
She furrows her brows in confusion, "I can, but wouldn't it be easier to just pick her up?"
"I could, but I have a surprise for her that I can't bring with me," his excitement wouldn't let him keep it a secret, "Our new home."
Trixie's heart sank, she knew this day was coming, she just didn't think it would be here this soon, "That's great," she replied, mustering up some excitement for him.
"And I was also wanting you and Dino to see it as well."
"Oh, um, Dino's not here," she tried to hide her growing bitterness at Dino's disappearing acts lately.
"That's too bad, I could've used his help with some of the heavier stuff, but Nat's here so we'll make do," he knew they could handle themselves with the best of them. But the rules of masculinity clearly state that you shouldn't make women lift heavy things, as the act of doing so will some how make you less of a man because you are relying on them to do the work for you. Once again proving just how truly fragile masculinity is and that it is the source of several social issues, homophobia, transphobia and sexism being a few notable examples.
"So, uh, okay," she gathered her thoughts as she ignored that statement for Alice's sake, "Where are we meeting you?"
He gave her the directions and she starts to write down the more specific ones to help her get from the interstate to their location. "And can you do me another favor?" Trixie responds favorably, "Would you have her close her eyes when you're getting close."
"You old romantic," she teases and sees an anxious Alice out of the corner of her eyes, "Okay, we'll be there soon, and here's Alice back." She barely heard him thank her as she moves to give the phone back, "Don't be on there too long, we have to get ready to leave."
"I'm always ready," Alice refuted then puts the phone back to her ear, "Hey baby." Trixie shakes her head at the two of them and walks away as the bittersweet memories of how her and Dino use to be like that enter her mind. Alice was only on the phone for another five minutes before she was racing to get her shoes and socks from her room then teasing Trixie to get a move on as she walks down the hall.
The trip from their apartment to Marcus' surprise only took about twenty-eight minutes, and true to her word, Trixie tells Alice to close her eyes as they got close to the street they needed to turn on. "Oh, my fucking god," Trixie exclaims as they make the turn and sees where the moving van is but keeps her promise by covering Alice's eyes to make sure she wouldn't peek.
Seeing them pull up to the curve close to the moving van, Marcus made his excited way over and opens the passenger door, "Can I open my eyes yet?"
"Not yet," he replies as he takes her hand and helps her out.
As the door closes, she could hear, "Double D, pick up your end a little more," and the sounds of rustling.
"Is that Nat?"
"Yeah, that goofball's here," he replies as he gets her into position. Once he was satisfied that she could get a good view of the house, he leans in and whispers, "Alright, you can open them."
The instant her eyes open he could see her expression changing rapidly as thoughts race through her head and her hands cover her mouth, "Is this."
He chuckles at her reaction and that she couldn't complete her sentence, but answers her half-asked question, "Yes, it's ours. Welcome home." After a quick emotional moment, he takes the two of them on a quick tour of the home and laughs to himself as they nearly flip over the place. The move-in process continued shortly after the ladies regained their composure, Alice, Trixie and Leslie were tasked with the unpacking and putting things away as the men continue to bring the furniture up from the van.
Alice was kneeling on the floor in the family room, her butt resting on the backs of her feet as she unloaded and unwrapped the contents of one of the boxes. Carefully placing the ornate glass items on the shelves of the entertainment center so that Marcus could sort through them when he had time later. As she gets up on her knees to place the next item on the shelf, she was lightly bumped into by Double D who was walking backwards as he carried one end of the loveseat with Marcus on the other end. She was not hurt or pinned against the wall, but the item she was placing down drops to the floor as it was between being set down and precariously being held in her hand.
"Sit it down," Marcus grunts in aggravation as he squats to sit his own end down, "Are you alright," he asks as he bends down beside her, but his eye catch sight of what had fallen. The item was old perfume bolt that stood about five or so inches tall and was made of blue hand-blown glass and resembled a small decanter. As he picks it up, it became clear that the neck of the bottle had snapped off as it slide away from the body. The long stem stopper causes a twinkling sound as it strikes the serrated edges of the break and slips free of the container and taps the floor with a thud. His stress over the last week combined with the stress he has had at work for the past few months comes to a head and explodes. His brow furrows in anger as he exclaims, "Fuck," and tosses the remnants of the bottle against the wall, shattering it.
He stands as his eyes fill with unreleased tears of rage, embarrassment and loss, "I'm sorry," Alice apologizes, she was filled with shock and genuine remorse for the accident.
He turns and heads to go upstairs and get away for a minute as Nat speaks, "You need to calm down, it was an accident."
The antique couldn't be replaced, "It was my grandmothers," he replies as he bounds up the stairs.
Nat's expression softens as though he understood as Trixie yells after him, "That's still no reason to act like an ass," then her voice softens, "I'm sure she'll understand."
"She died two years ago," Nat softly informs them as he sets down his box and begins to look for a broom.
"I'm sorry, I didn't see you there" Double D meekly apologizes.
Alice swallows the guilt and takes a deep breath as she gets to her feet to follow him up the stairs. She found him sitting on the floor of the master bedroom, his back against the mattress that was leaned up against the wall, his knees brought up, arms wrapped around them with his head buried in them. He looks up and sniffles as he becomes aware of her presence and wipes a tear from his left cheek with his sleeve, "Are you mad at me?"
She shakes her head as she says, "No," and takes a few more steps closer, "I was just shocked."
She slowly sits down beside him and he feels worse now that she was being cautious around him, "I'm sorry I got so angry." He softly sobs as she touches his cheek with the back of her hand to brush away a tear, he shifts his weight and faces her. Burying his face in her neck as the torrent of emotions that he has barely been able to contain flows free now that the damn has broken.
"It's alright, she must have been a really special woman," Alice soothes him.
Of course she was special, she was his everything during high school when the people in his world were only truly interested in him because his family had money. Which is one of the reasons he barely talks about his family or flaunts his family's wealth to Alice until now. The other reason is because his grandmother was the only member of his family who supported him in his interests, never stifling his creative side in favor of his future. "She was the only one who ever saw me for who I truly am," he was beginning to calm down now, "She knew the true me, you know, even though I kept some things secret." Though she never said anything or acknowledged his bisexuality openly, they understood each other enough that he knew she supported him. She also knew that he appreciated the beauty this world had to offer and that he was more into the arts then he was into the sports his father made him play. She also understood that, to him, beauty wasn't simply defined as being feminine but could also be masculine, and that his best friend had a special place in his heart. Giving him a playful but knowing look when they both came downstairs after "studying" together. And she was there, silently comforting him in her sick bed when that friend broke his heart, asking him no questions and demanding no explanation for his tears. But she couldn't help but notice the absence of that person from his life from that moment forward. After she died, the perfume bottle was the only thing he wanted of hers, as the smell that still lingered in it reminded him of her.
Nothing more was said between them as Alice comforted him in her arms, just like his grandmother used to do whenever he couldn't hold everything in anymore.
A/N- "And, as in uffish thought he stood, the jabberwock, with eyes of flame, came whiffling through the tulgey wood, and burbled as it came!" The Jabberwocky by Lewis Carroll