FRIDAY Morning
"Shit!" I had slept late! Lindsay should by this time be ready for school. Clambering out of bed I rush to the door.
"Hey, Cath... man, I overslept. Sorry." I ruffle my hair and let my colleague and friend enter.
"Hi. Where's Lindsay?" Catherine looks around, noticing Lindsay is not sleeping on the couch as she was supposed to be.
"Uh... my bed."
Cath spun around, eyeing me suspiciously, "What's she doing there?"
"She had –" only then it dawns what Catherine's question implied. She's standing there like a cougar, ready to strike out and kill whatever may dare to get too close to her baby. I raise my hands in a defensive gesture, "Hey, wait a minute! You don't really think that I -?" this stings a lot, hurts like hell. People could say many things about me, but this was... unthinkable! Doesn't she know how much I adore Lindsay? I may be bi, but that is light-years away from a child-molester!
We stand there, both frozen. I because I cannot believe anybody who's supposed to know the least bit of me would ever think THIS of me. For a split second I'm tempted to throw her out, my hands clenched in fists.
But then she breaks and that evaporates my anger immediately. I'm not really over her, am I.
"God, I'm sorry, Warrick!" she's contrite and tired, the lines in her pretty face deep after a long shift.
"Bad night, huh?" I can relate perfectly. Surely some case with a kid involved. That always got to her badly.
"Yeah."
I hug her, my hands rubbing her tense back, my chin resting on her head, holding her for a few moments. Cath melts against me in that way that immediately wakes my protectiveness. And a part of me, the more primal one, could imagine other things as well. "Why don't you go and wake her while I fix us some coffee, hm?"
"Thank you so much, Warrick."
"Hey, we're friends! Maybe we don't date, but we're friends, right?" this was not the time for a serious talk, but it was a start.
"Sure." Cath nods before she turns to wake her daughter.
+++++
Is this a bee-hive? Not an hour after Cath left, there's somebody knocking on my door. Not that I'm not having friends and buddies dropping by from time to time, but it's morning, they know I'm supposed to sleep now and most of them are off to work by that time anyway. They are rare, I have to admit. My working-schedule leaves not too much overlapping with 'normal' peoples'.
I put down the paper and my coffee with a sigh and walk over to the door. I'm still in shorts and tank-top; don't see why I should not take my time with getting' ready for the day. It's Gil. Now, that's cool! Haven't expected to see him that soon. I rip open the door.
"There's my man! Come-in." he slips in, quickly closing the door behind him. He's about to brush a quick kiss on my lips but I won't let him get off with that little! Not after two days. I pull him flush against me and ravage his mouth. Yeah, that taste, how I have missed it. And his soft moans – like he's constantly trying to suppress them. I drink him, inhale him, wrap myself around him until – for a short moment – my world is completely filled by him.
I only release him when I have the feeling it was a worthy welcome-kiss. Left me breathless and aroused. "You been workin' late again." I chide him though I sure know it's useless. Gil is married to his work, will ever be. I know better than offering him coffee: for Gil it's late and almost bed-time. He's exhausted: deep dark shadows under his eyes.
"Whoa, Rick! You surely know how to wake the dead!"
"Feels like." I chuckle as I let my hand cup the swelling of his crotch. Gil gasps although I can see the disapproval in his eyes. He doesn't like too explicit acting outside the bed, it seems. OK, I'll make a note.
"I have this weekend off." He starts.
"I know. Don't you wanna sit?"
Gil shakes his head, "Naw. Need to crash."
"Ah, mi casa es su casa. Might as well crash on my mattress." I don't see why he should drive any farther.
"Appreciate it, Warrick, but I prefer my own bed. Why I'm here: I'm leaving for Soda Springs over at Devil's Playground this afternoon and I wondered if you'd like to come along?"
Ah, spending quality-time! Yeah, I had hoped for it but had not dared to push him.
"Sure! What's at Soda Springs?" I'm not sure if I've heard the name ever before.
"An old resort. Was closed decades ago. Now there's just some biologists."
"And bugs." Not really a long shot, is it?
"Tons of them. Very interesting species, some endemic." Gil's excited, I can see that much. He looks around, the always alert observer he is, and spots the remains of Lindsay's bed on my couch, "You had a visitor?"
"Yeah. Cute little blonde." I joke. Regret it immediately because I can see he's shutting down.
"Oh."
I really should have known! "Lindsay." Clarifying, "The babysitter was sick and Eddie-dear..." I make a deprecating gesture. We both'd like to put some pressure on the guy's gums, maybe give his nose a new angle.
"Ah." Oh man! What a relief he's trying to hide. Still, I know him long enough to read him properly, can see him relax a tad. If you can SEE Gil relax, that's a lot of relaxation! He's yawning heartily, I'm afraid it may split his face. I should not let him drive.
"So, I'll drop by this afternoon. Anything special I'll need?"
"Water. It's out in the desert. A sleeping-bag and hiking-boots." He informs me after quickly thinking over what I need to know.
"OK."
"I'll call you when I get up. See you." He gives me a quick hug.
"Gil? I'm looking forward to it!" the only response I get is a quick, small smile.
+++
What to put on? Standing in my closet I have no idea what to wear. I'm positively excited about this little adventure. To grow up in Las Vegas does not imply you go out into the desert often. At least I never did. I'm a purely urban warrior and know shit about wilderness.
Sunscreen. Sure. In the age of thinning ozone-layers nobody walks unprotected in the sun right? That eases my choice and I pick a pair of loose, thin long pants the color of khaki. A tee-shirt and two or three more to take along with some underwear. OK. I put the few items into a duffel-bag. Soap, towel, toothbrush – check. Condoms! Yeah, tons of rubbers and KY – I'm determined to fuck Gil's brains out.
I have to go shopping since I don't own a sleeping bag. There are some outdoor-shops listed in the yellow-pages. The first one is mainly for fishing, the second closed but the third looks like what I need.
Stepping inside I get immediately caught up in an atmosphere of adventure. Tents on display, kettles hung up on some wooden sticks, it's a set-up scenery and it's done damn well. But they have too much stuff and I get lost choosing a sleeping-bag. They're mostly colorful, fluffy and expensive.
"Can I help you?" a young woman stands there, friendly smiling, her long blond hair is bleached by the sun, her skin tanned to a dark bronze and her bright blue eyes are sparkling. Surfer, I conclude. Or maybe roller-blader. She looks me up and down like my gold-chain and rings don't meet her picture of the usual shopper.
"I hope so! I need a sleeping-bag."
"What purpose?"
"Sleeping?" I give it a try. She's laughing.
"Obviously. But where? On a glacier, on a boat, in the desert? The type of bag depends on where you will use it." She explains. I have outed myself as a novice already. I hope she will not take advantage of my lack of knowledge. "You wouldn't be able to sleep in the desert in summer using a bag that is designed to keep you alive in the Antarctic winter."
"Oh, makes sense. It's out in the desert and I'm going to need it right now."
"OK. Then you should take a look at these..." she walks to the other end of the bags' line-up. They are much thinner there, the woman pulls out three different sleeping-bags. "This one is really high-tech with Gore-Tex lining to keep away moisture from outside and provide best transportation of sweat to the bag's outside."
"Hmmm."
"You are new to this, right?"
"Yeah. Bloody embryo." I mutter. I don't like being ignorant. She smiles again.
"OK. My suggestion is this bag: " it's a simple blue one, "it's last season's model, therefore I could give you some discount on it. If you find out this is now what you want, it wouldn't be too much of a waste of money. You can still buy a better one later."
That seems a fair offer to me and in the end I have a brand-new sleeping-bag and a pair of hiking-boots in my duffel-bag. All I have to do is wait for Gil's call.
"Shit!" I had slept late! Lindsay should by this time be ready for school. Clambering out of bed I rush to the door.
"Hey, Cath... man, I overslept. Sorry." I ruffle my hair and let my colleague and friend enter.
"Hi. Where's Lindsay?" Catherine looks around, noticing Lindsay is not sleeping on the couch as she was supposed to be.
"Uh... my bed."
Cath spun around, eyeing me suspiciously, "What's she doing there?"
"She had –" only then it dawns what Catherine's question implied. She's standing there like a cougar, ready to strike out and kill whatever may dare to get too close to her baby. I raise my hands in a defensive gesture, "Hey, wait a minute! You don't really think that I -?" this stings a lot, hurts like hell. People could say many things about me, but this was... unthinkable! Doesn't she know how much I adore Lindsay? I may be bi, but that is light-years away from a child-molester!
We stand there, both frozen. I because I cannot believe anybody who's supposed to know the least bit of me would ever think THIS of me. For a split second I'm tempted to throw her out, my hands clenched in fists.
But then she breaks and that evaporates my anger immediately. I'm not really over her, am I.
"God, I'm sorry, Warrick!" she's contrite and tired, the lines in her pretty face deep after a long shift.
"Bad night, huh?" I can relate perfectly. Surely some case with a kid involved. That always got to her badly.
"Yeah."
I hug her, my hands rubbing her tense back, my chin resting on her head, holding her for a few moments. Cath melts against me in that way that immediately wakes my protectiveness. And a part of me, the more primal one, could imagine other things as well. "Why don't you go and wake her while I fix us some coffee, hm?"
"Thank you so much, Warrick."
"Hey, we're friends! Maybe we don't date, but we're friends, right?" this was not the time for a serious talk, but it was a start.
"Sure." Cath nods before she turns to wake her daughter.
+++++
Is this a bee-hive? Not an hour after Cath left, there's somebody knocking on my door. Not that I'm not having friends and buddies dropping by from time to time, but it's morning, they know I'm supposed to sleep now and most of them are off to work by that time anyway. They are rare, I have to admit. My working-schedule leaves not too much overlapping with 'normal' peoples'.
I put down the paper and my coffee with a sigh and walk over to the door. I'm still in shorts and tank-top; don't see why I should not take my time with getting' ready for the day. It's Gil. Now, that's cool! Haven't expected to see him that soon. I rip open the door.
"There's my man! Come-in." he slips in, quickly closing the door behind him. He's about to brush a quick kiss on my lips but I won't let him get off with that little! Not after two days. I pull him flush against me and ravage his mouth. Yeah, that taste, how I have missed it. And his soft moans – like he's constantly trying to suppress them. I drink him, inhale him, wrap myself around him until – for a short moment – my world is completely filled by him.
I only release him when I have the feeling it was a worthy welcome-kiss. Left me breathless and aroused. "You been workin' late again." I chide him though I sure know it's useless. Gil is married to his work, will ever be. I know better than offering him coffee: for Gil it's late and almost bed-time. He's exhausted: deep dark shadows under his eyes.
"Whoa, Rick! You surely know how to wake the dead!"
"Feels like." I chuckle as I let my hand cup the swelling of his crotch. Gil gasps although I can see the disapproval in his eyes. He doesn't like too explicit acting outside the bed, it seems. OK, I'll make a note.
"I have this weekend off." He starts.
"I know. Don't you wanna sit?"
Gil shakes his head, "Naw. Need to crash."
"Ah, mi casa es su casa. Might as well crash on my mattress." I don't see why he should drive any farther.
"Appreciate it, Warrick, but I prefer my own bed. Why I'm here: I'm leaving for Soda Springs over at Devil's Playground this afternoon and I wondered if you'd like to come along?"
Ah, spending quality-time! Yeah, I had hoped for it but had not dared to push him.
"Sure! What's at Soda Springs?" I'm not sure if I've heard the name ever before.
"An old resort. Was closed decades ago. Now there's just some biologists."
"And bugs." Not really a long shot, is it?
"Tons of them. Very interesting species, some endemic." Gil's excited, I can see that much. He looks around, the always alert observer he is, and spots the remains of Lindsay's bed on my couch, "You had a visitor?"
"Yeah. Cute little blonde." I joke. Regret it immediately because I can see he's shutting down.
"Oh."
I really should have known! "Lindsay." Clarifying, "The babysitter was sick and Eddie-dear..." I make a deprecating gesture. We both'd like to put some pressure on the guy's gums, maybe give his nose a new angle.
"Ah." Oh man! What a relief he's trying to hide. Still, I know him long enough to read him properly, can see him relax a tad. If you can SEE Gil relax, that's a lot of relaxation! He's yawning heartily, I'm afraid it may split his face. I should not let him drive.
"So, I'll drop by this afternoon. Anything special I'll need?"
"Water. It's out in the desert. A sleeping-bag and hiking-boots." He informs me after quickly thinking over what I need to know.
"OK."
"I'll call you when I get up. See you." He gives me a quick hug.
"Gil? I'm looking forward to it!" the only response I get is a quick, small smile.
+++
What to put on? Standing in my closet I have no idea what to wear. I'm positively excited about this little adventure. To grow up in Las Vegas does not imply you go out into the desert often. At least I never did. I'm a purely urban warrior and know shit about wilderness.
Sunscreen. Sure. In the age of thinning ozone-layers nobody walks unprotected in the sun right? That eases my choice and I pick a pair of loose, thin long pants the color of khaki. A tee-shirt and two or three more to take along with some underwear. OK. I put the few items into a duffel-bag. Soap, towel, toothbrush – check. Condoms! Yeah, tons of rubbers and KY – I'm determined to fuck Gil's brains out.
I have to go shopping since I don't own a sleeping bag. There are some outdoor-shops listed in the yellow-pages. The first one is mainly for fishing, the second closed but the third looks like what I need.
Stepping inside I get immediately caught up in an atmosphere of adventure. Tents on display, kettles hung up on some wooden sticks, it's a set-up scenery and it's done damn well. But they have too much stuff and I get lost choosing a sleeping-bag. They're mostly colorful, fluffy and expensive.
"Can I help you?" a young woman stands there, friendly smiling, her long blond hair is bleached by the sun, her skin tanned to a dark bronze and her bright blue eyes are sparkling. Surfer, I conclude. Or maybe roller-blader. She looks me up and down like my gold-chain and rings don't meet her picture of the usual shopper.
"I hope so! I need a sleeping-bag."
"What purpose?"
"Sleeping?" I give it a try. She's laughing.
"Obviously. But where? On a glacier, on a boat, in the desert? The type of bag depends on where you will use it." She explains. I have outed myself as a novice already. I hope she will not take advantage of my lack of knowledge. "You wouldn't be able to sleep in the desert in summer using a bag that is designed to keep you alive in the Antarctic winter."
"Oh, makes sense. It's out in the desert and I'm going to need it right now."
"OK. Then you should take a look at these..." she walks to the other end of the bags' line-up. They are much thinner there, the woman pulls out three different sleeping-bags. "This one is really high-tech with Gore-Tex lining to keep away moisture from outside and provide best transportation of sweat to the bag's outside."
"Hmmm."
"You are new to this, right?"
"Yeah. Bloody embryo." I mutter. I don't like being ignorant. She smiles again.
"OK. My suggestion is this bag: " it's a simple blue one, "it's last season's model, therefore I could give you some discount on it. If you find out this is now what you want, it wouldn't be too much of a waste of money. You can still buy a better one later."
That seems a fair offer to me and in the end I have a brand-new sleeping-bag and a pair of hiking-boots in my duffel-bag. All I have to do is wait for Gil's call.