A light in the dark

Coming home, seeing his house full of police and remembering what Nicholas had told him, Mark was more nervous than usual. While Nicholas tried to get some order to the chaos, he left to his private rooms and refused to answer calls and messages until there was more peace around him. Finally Nicholas joined him in the study.

'Guards have been doubled, doubt anyone can get through now,' he said as he looked at Mark, who sat by the desk signing a pair of forms.

'Good,' Mark put down the pen and lifted his eyes from the paper and to Nicholas. In the glow his friend's eyes were kind and understanding. 'Care to join me for dinner? There's no reception tonight and it would be too odd for me to be all alone. Jennifer is a bit distressed and Sally and Nasreen have some things to see to at the embassy and won't be contacting me until tomorrow.'

'Sure,' a smile spread on Nicholas' thin lips returning Mark's. 'I'd like that.'

They had a late night's dinner in a far-off room with view to the less crowded part of the garden. They sat at each end of the long table enjoying a nice dinner, listening to the rain thunder on the windows, seeing the flicker of the candles in the dim glow of the overhead lights.

'Phil suggests you take some time off,' said Nicholas, being the first to empty his plate as a servant came and served another glass of red wine for him.

'Yes, well, let Phil suggest what he suggests,' said Mark quietly, draining his second glass.

'Is this so unsettling to you?' Nicholas asked as the servant poured Mark another glass of wine and left

'Why shouldn't it be?' Mark looked over the candelabrum to Nicholas. 'I mean, death threats by letters or anonymous phone calls, package bombs and the like, I can handle that, but this, well, it's quite disturbing, yes.'

'He's just a madman, the police will capture him and he'll have a mental treatment,' said Nicholas and lifted his glass. 'Cheers.' Mark returned the toast but he did not feel up to a cheery mood.

'Can you tell me more about this stranger friend of yours?'

'Not really,' Nicholas answered. 'I never knew what he was doing, never got to know him truly during the half year I was with him.' Mark managed a smile and shook his head with a silent attitude. 'You think it's funny?'

'Well, I'd like to know what kind of person I'd be dealing with before engaging any kind of relationship,' Mark eyed Nicholas with a dark glance, and something in his eyes made Nicholas' heart skip a beat.

'Oh, well, right you are,' he said. 'I was stupid then, it won't happen again.'

'No, I certainly don't hope so,' Mark said and lifted his glass this time with a genuine smile. 'No more mistakes.'

'Never again!'

After dinner they withdrew to the Mark's private rooms again and spent the time for once, with Phil as a stand-in for emergency calls at the embassy, listening to music, having more than two drinks. Mark's mood brightened considerably, but he knew he could not let his boundaries slack too much, no matter how many precautions he had taken to ensure himself a bit of peace.

'It's incredible we've held on to each other for so long, don't you think?' Mark asked as they had just finished a game of chess. He had beaten Nicholas cruelly in few draws.

'All eight years, yes,' said Nicholas with a nod and leaned back in the chair.

Mark rose, staggered slightly on his heavy legs and went for a refill from the bottle on the drawer under the oval mirror. He watched Nicholas in its reflection, seeing the eyes follow him intensely, with their blue keenness and restless vigilance. A light, nice shiver ran down his spine. At the other end of the room he could see the curtains flicker in the draft and the lights from the spot lights on his house hitting the upper frame of the windows.

Nicholas rose slowly and approached as Mark turned and offered him the glass, but his interest seemed somewhere else than in the drink.

'I think I've been lucky having a friend like you, Mark,' he said.

'Well, cheers to that,' Mark toasted.

'Mark, seriously, I mean it,' said Nicholas with a firm voice. 'It's not a joke.'

'Well, the time isn't exactly for being sentimental, is it?' Mark asked. He was about to smile, but not even the muscles around his lips made it to react before Nicholas had leaned in and kissed him gently. It was light at first, merely lips touching lips, nose tips colliding awkwardly, the taste of alcohol subtle and fine on the lips. Mark knew he was in troubled water, but Nicholas steered him gently, letting his tongue strike the lips before parting them enough to enter. It was wonderful, pure emotion and Mark felt inclined to go on, sensing some adventure getting closer. The thrill was unmistakable and made him shiver in excitement as he felt the stiffness press on his clothes. He knew Nicholas felt the same, and he withdrew to look at his friend with the questioning, exploring, enthralled eyes. Their lips collided again, this time stronger, more insistent and heartfelt. Fingers flew to the buttons of the shirts, loosened the ties, slipped off trousers and underpants until they both lay on the soft carpet in front of the fireplace, kissing fiercely, panting heavily into each other's mouths, hands grasping for sensitive places.

At one point they stopped, both aware that this would be a great part of them forthwith, Nicholas hoping to achieve or gain something, Mark unable to thoroughly understand what was going on. He felt a shift, turned around on his stomach and the next thing he knew was the unexplainable pleasure and extreme pressure down his back side. Nicholas went in, one inch, stopping, the next inch, stopping, drawing out full and then back to where he had stopped and so forth and so on until the passage was clear and there was nothing left but full excitement and pleasure.

The climax came faster than expected and they both collapsed on the carpet, Nicholas drawn up in Mark's arm and their silent sighs and diminishing heavy breath escaping their lips. They did not speak, only looked at each other, kissing now and then, making it happen again this time with Nicholas below Mark, who was near fainting from the incredible sense of pleasure he experienced. He did not mind the stains on the carpet; he did not flinch at a slightly violent kiss or quick, stabbing pain down his back. It was full of raw desire and unexpected kindness.

They fell asleep with a woollen blanket over them, arm in arm, drunk on their lust and irresistible love for each other.