Chapter 3-Midnight Rendezvous
Back at the hotel the guys were all a flutter over Casey.
"So THAT was him?!"
"You din't say he looked like THAT! Damn!"
"My god, if only I were single-ow! Kento! I was only joking!"
"Would you three knock it off! You're acting like a bunch of flirty fan girls!" Sage snapped.
"Sage..." Ryo began gently. But Sage gave him the LOOK that shut him up.
"Well.we'll get washed up and meet you downstairs for lunch in 20, ok?" Cye grabbed Kento and Rowen and hurried them out the door.
The sound of the door closing echoed in the room. It did nothing to break that static tension radiating from Sage to Ryo. Ryo knew what he was thinking, he was too. But the only difference was that he was more geared towards wonder and curiosity while Sage was geared more towards anger.
Over the past two years Ryo learned very quickly that there was no happily ever after. The euphoria that came after Casey's departure from their lives hadn't lasted long. One year, tops. Ryo realized he couldn't change who he was any more then Sage could. But oh, he tired. Sage tried so hard to be the perfect lover for Ryo. But compassion was not something Sage knew. Ryo had tired to be understanding. He tired to forgive and forget when Sage slipped up, which didn't happen as often as they used to and weren't as bad.
It wasn't that Sage was still cheating on Ryo. True to his word, he gave that up and remained loyal to Ryo. And he hadn't laid a hand on Ryo in anger. It was that the fire between them had gone out. There was no heated passion between them. Their love had gotten cold.
Still, there were moments of clarity; waking together after making love all night long, just holding each other. When Sage would give things to Ryo with out him asking, be a smile or when he passed the salt. It was these little things that they shared that kept Ryo holding on.
"I know that look, Ryo." Sage said sternly, arms crossed. "The look that you gave him. The look that you once gave ME. You like him still. Don't deny it!"
"Sage, just because of one LOOK doesn't mean I'm going to DO anything." A tiny voice in the back of Ryo's head taunted him-'liar, liar, pants on fire!'. Ryo shoved it away. "Look, we're both upset. Let's just take a break and think about this before we go flying off the handle. I think food would help us as well. Ok?"
Sage nodded sharply and stomped off into the bathroom.
Two hours later the gang left the restaurant and walked around, mostly window shopping but there were some nice sale that they couldn't pass up.
Ryo opened the door to their hotel room, stumbled pass the bathroom and flopped down on the bed. "No more shopping..please."
"Wimp," Sage teased.
"Right now all I want is a nice long nap."
Sage set down his shopping bags and toed off his shoes. He walked over to the bed and kneeled on the edge. He quickly disposed of Ryo's own shoes before cuddling up behind him. "So granted," Sage whispered and pulled the covers over them.
The big red block numbers on the clock read 11:45. Ryo finished putting on his shoes in the dark. Sage was sound asleep on the bed. Ryo paused to make sure, his own heart was pounding. If Sage woke up...
But Sage showed no sign of waking. Ryo slipped out the door without a sound. He hurried down to the front lobby and hailed a cab.
The ride to the club passed in a blur. Suddenly he was on the sidewalk. The street was dark, quiet, deserted. He walked up to the glass double doors and they opened.
Back at the hotel the guys were all a flutter over Casey.
"So THAT was him?!"
"You din't say he looked like THAT! Damn!"
"My god, if only I were single-ow! Kento! I was only joking!"
"Would you three knock it off! You're acting like a bunch of flirty fan girls!" Sage snapped.
"Sage..." Ryo began gently. But Sage gave him the LOOK that shut him up.
"Well.we'll get washed up and meet you downstairs for lunch in 20, ok?" Cye grabbed Kento and Rowen and hurried them out the door.
The sound of the door closing echoed in the room. It did nothing to break that static tension radiating from Sage to Ryo. Ryo knew what he was thinking, he was too. But the only difference was that he was more geared towards wonder and curiosity while Sage was geared more towards anger.
Over the past two years Ryo learned very quickly that there was no happily ever after. The euphoria that came after Casey's departure from their lives hadn't lasted long. One year, tops. Ryo realized he couldn't change who he was any more then Sage could. But oh, he tired. Sage tried so hard to be the perfect lover for Ryo. But compassion was not something Sage knew. Ryo had tired to be understanding. He tired to forgive and forget when Sage slipped up, which didn't happen as often as they used to and weren't as bad.
It wasn't that Sage was still cheating on Ryo. True to his word, he gave that up and remained loyal to Ryo. And he hadn't laid a hand on Ryo in anger. It was that the fire between them had gone out. There was no heated passion between them. Their love had gotten cold.
Still, there were moments of clarity; waking together after making love all night long, just holding each other. When Sage would give things to Ryo with out him asking, be a smile or when he passed the salt. It was these little things that they shared that kept Ryo holding on.
"I know that look, Ryo." Sage said sternly, arms crossed. "The look that you gave him. The look that you once gave ME. You like him still. Don't deny it!"
"Sage, just because of one LOOK doesn't mean I'm going to DO anything." A tiny voice in the back of Ryo's head taunted him-'liar, liar, pants on fire!'. Ryo shoved it away. "Look, we're both upset. Let's just take a break and think about this before we go flying off the handle. I think food would help us as well. Ok?"
Sage nodded sharply and stomped off into the bathroom.
Two hours later the gang left the restaurant and walked around, mostly window shopping but there were some nice sale that they couldn't pass up.
Ryo opened the door to their hotel room, stumbled pass the bathroom and flopped down on the bed. "No more shopping..please."
"Wimp," Sage teased.
"Right now all I want is a nice long nap."
Sage set down his shopping bags and toed off his shoes. He walked over to the bed and kneeled on the edge. He quickly disposed of Ryo's own shoes before cuddling up behind him. "So granted," Sage whispered and pulled the covers over them.
The big red block numbers on the clock read 11:45. Ryo finished putting on his shoes in the dark. Sage was sound asleep on the bed. Ryo paused to make sure, his own heart was pounding. If Sage woke up...
But Sage showed no sign of waking. Ryo slipped out the door without a sound. He hurried down to the front lobby and hailed a cab.
The ride to the club passed in a blur. Suddenly he was on the sidewalk. The street was dark, quiet, deserted. He walked up to the glass double doors and they opened.
