Chapter Seven
The alarm clock's piercing ring shook Chad out of a rather disturbing dream in which Taylor was chasing him with a baseball bat whilst Ryan pelted him with his entire hat collection. Shaking his head in an attempt to clear his thoughts, he sat up and noticed a sheet of paper on Taylor's vacant pillow. He picked it up and, rubbing his eyes to clear away the cobwebs of sleep, read:
Chad,
I've had to leave for an early meeting and didn't think you'd want to be woken. There's a couple of pancakes in the kitchen for your breakfast.
T x
He dressed slowly, his thighs and back aching from the night before. Tidying his hair in the bathroom mirror, he watched himself blush and grin sheepishly at the memory. Humming brightly, Chad all but skipped down the stairs and into the kitchen. His cheerful, almost euphoric mood was abruptly punctured as he caught sight of the plate of pancakes on the table.
The buoyant feeling was suddenly replaced with nausea and a heaviness resting somewhere around his naval. He stared at the plate for a moment then impulsively tipped the contents into the bin, grabbed and apple and headed off to work.
****
By eleven o'clock he was in desperate need of some caffeine so, putting his computer on standby, he followed the mid-morning rush to the coffee machine and waited impatiently in the queue. As he reached up to punch in the numbers for a double espresso, a voice behind him interrupted his thoughts, asking,
"Trouble with the wife?"
Stunned, Chad searched his memory for any obvious clues which may have allowed his colleague to make the all too true assumption. He began to deny it when he suddenly noticed his left hand, the heavy gold band's absence making his finger look naked in the harsh light of the office. Mumbling an excuse, he extracted his coffee and hurried back to his computer, searching frantically through his pockets for the ring.
From the other side of the room he heard his name being called repeatedly.
"Danforth, phone call for you. Are you listening to me, Danforth? Chad Danforth!"
He looked up and realised that his boss was gesturing angrily in his direction and pointing at the phone. Wondering what could be so urgent, he rushed over and the receiver was thrust into his hand.
"Hello?"
The voice at the other end was nothing short of ecstatic.
"Chad! I was worried I wouldn't be able to get through, but your boss seemed happy enough when I explained I was calling about a logo you'd designed."
"Ryan?" Chad asked incredulously. "How on earth did you find the number?"
"A little thing called the phone book. Did you know there are five other graphic design companies in Albuquerque? I wouldn't have thought New Mexico needed so many, but I guess – "
Chad cut in quickly before his boss became suspicious,
"Well, it's really nice to hear from you, but I'm kinda busy right now. Can I call you back later?"
Ryan sounded a little put out.
"Oh, I was ringing to see if you wanted to get lunch with me."
Checking the time and noticing his boss standing with his hands on his hips, watching him, he replied quietly,
"Yeah, that'd be great. I get off at one so – "
" – I'll come and pick you up in two hours then."
Ending the call a swiftly as possible, Chad tried to slip back to his desk when his boss intercepted him.
"Problem with your designs?"
"Er......no, they're fine. He just wanted to check the final copy before it's printed."
The other man rolled his eyes and walked away, muttering,
"Think we can't do our job right......"
Chad breathed out slowly and collapsed in his chair. He stared at his screen saver for a few minutes until his eyes darted back to the clock.
One hour, fifty-five minutes........
****
As Chad stepped out of the office building, a familiar silver convertible screeched to a halt in front of him, the driver waving enthusiastically. He opened the passenger door and slid in, ignoring the stares of his colleagues smoking nearby.
Ryan leaned across to brush a featherlight kiss against his cheek, causing a pleasurable shiver to course through Chad's body. Noticing his reaction, Ryan laughed with such ease that Chad couldn't prevent the corners of his mouth upturning in a wide grin.
They sped off towards the centre of town, Chad asking,
"So, where are you taking me?"
Ryan replied mysteriously,
"Somewhere I'm pretty sure you haven't been before, but the food's delicious and it's relatively quiet."
Ryan pulled up outside an unprepossessing building, indistinguishable from any of the others that lined the street. They stepped inside together, Chad slightly behind, a bell tinkling at their entrance.
Seated at a table small enough that their legs touched at the slightest movement, Ryan ordered his favourite for both of them as Chad took in their cramped surroundings.
"I never knew this place existed and I've lived in Albuquerque my whole life. How did you find it?"
Ryan looked down at the fraying tablecloth as he answered,
"I used to come here all the time with Shar, after our Saturday morning dance class. She loved it here, despite it's....." He searched for an appropriate word. ".......appearance. The Sharpay you knew at school......she was different here, more relaxed.....more fun. Of course, now she wouldn't dream of setting foot in here. Funny how things change, isn't it?"
He raised his eyes to stare out of the clouded window, looking onto the quiet street. This time Chad didn't hesitate and stretched his hand to grip Ryan's tightly, stroking it gently with his thumb. Ryan sighed and flicked his gaze back to Chad.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to lower the tone like that."
"Hey, it's okay, man. Tell me about it; your Saturday meals with Sharpay."
Their food arrived as Ryan was mid-flow, describing in detail the time when he'd forgotten his dance shoes and was made to wear his sister's spare pair.
"......and if enjoying wearing pink ballet shoes didn't make me gay, I don't know what did!"
Giggling together, Chad allowed his foot to brush up the other man's leg slowly, stopping when Ryan's expression became more serious.
"I seem to be spilling all my problems to you and not letting you get a word in. Promise me you'll talk about any problems you have."
Chad clenched his jaw and tried to keep his tone light.
"I promise, Ry. If I'm having a crisis, you'll be the first to know about it."
Ryan didn't seem to be aware of the tension and allowed Chad to pay the bill with a generous tip before they left the tiny restaurant and headed back to the office.
****
The smokers had disappeared inside leaving the front car park completely deserted in a light summer drizzle. Suddenly uncertain, Ryan appeared to be considering how best to take his leave when Chad grasped the back of his neck and pulled him into a searing kiss.
Breaking it, panting slightly, Ryan asked nervously,
"Do you.....do you not mind if anyone sees?"
Chad refused to allow any feelings of guilt to override his desire and shook his head.
"Doesn't matter, nothing matters."
Pressing his mouth against Ryan's, he struggled to position himself comfortably in the confined space. Unwilling to pass the opportunity up, Chad awkwardly crawled through the seats to the back, dragging Ryan with him.
The pristine black leather squeaked as they adjusted themselves; Ryan straddling Chad who lay back on the seat, his knees bent. Slipping his hand beneath the hem of Ryan's shirt, Chad stroked the smooth pale skin before focusing on the ornate belt buckle.
Realising that he was struggling, Ryan replaced Chad's hands with his own, pulling the zip down swiftly. Chad plunged a hand inside, grasping Ryan's semi-erection as he felt his own trousers being undone. Within minutes they built up a steady, insistent rhythm, their breaths coming in shallow gasps.
Watching Ryan, lips parted, eyes closed, Chad noticed a bead of sweat begin to slide down his pale throat. He forced himself to sit up, almost throwing Ryan off balance, and bit down savagely on his neck. Ryan's shuddering groan and the wandering hand that knotted itself amongst his curls spurred him on as he traced kisses on every inch of pale skin he could reach. Wrapping his legs tightly around Chad's waist, Ryan allowed himself to be lowered backwards onto the leather seat, grasping a handful of Chad's tshirt to bring their mouths together once again.
Their hands continued moving in unison, each enjoying the feeling of the other's erection whilst their own was taken care of. Chad slid down Ryan's body, undoing shirt buttons as he went and enjoying the moan of protest when he paused the stroking action of his hand.
He'd gone this far, surely this wouldn't be too much? Pausing for only a second, he took Ryan into his mouth whole, trying to relax his jaw and throat. A year ago, even last month, he wouldn't have considered wrapping his mouth around another guy's erection, much less discovered it to be far more erotic than anything he'd experienced.
As his began sliding his mouth up and down, Ryan threw his head back with a groan, the loud thump it made against the car door hardly seeming to bother him. In the cramped space Chad felt the muscles in his legs protest as they were contorted, but the captivating sight of Ryan's narrow chest shuddering put all thoughts of discomfort out of his mind.
Feeling more confident, he grazed his teeth along Ryan's length, taking him in right to the back of his throat. Hips bucking, Ryan thrust himself faster into Chad's mouth until, all of a sudden, he froze before he came, his whole body shaking.
Swallowing, as if it he'd done it countless time before, Chad winked cockily at Ryan.
"Bet you never thought a jock's mouth could be so skillful."
Ryan caught his breath, and replied with a familiar gleam in his eye,
"Well, that certainly was a decent attempt, but I think more practice will help you improve further."
Chad pinned Ryan roughly to the seat, whispering in his ear,
"Is that a promise? That you'll allow me to practice more, I mean."
Pulling Chad's mouth to his, kissing him softly, Ryan murmured,
"They say practice makes perfect, but seeing as you already are I don't think we'll lose anything by continuing this."
He emphasised the last word with a sharp tug on Chad's throbbing erection, making him squeeze his eyes tightly shut and forget the guilt, forget the deception and forget his own name.
****
Scorched by the heat of the summer sun, the population of Albuquerque spent as much time as possible reclining in their back yards, a cool beer in hand with a couple of friends content to watch the few clouds drift across the clear sky in companionable silence.
Chad's office was unbearably stuffy and he wasted many hours simply staring out of the small window, watching the world go by and waiting for his lunch break or the end of the day; whenever he had agreed to meet Ryan.
The weather didn't seem to affect Taylor in the slightest as she dressed each morning in formal clothes, ready for another tiring day full of meetings and paperwork. Her attitude towards Chad, however, had relaxed considerably; she no longer yelled if she came home and found him watching a game, but, truth be told, these days he was hardly ever home.
He fed Ryan excuse after excuse, blaming decorators, electricians, anyone who made his house unsuitable for their liaisons. Ryan never complained, he seemed perfectly happy to invite Chad to the Evans' family home again and again where they were never bothered by either his parents or Sharpay.
The eager anticipation and the fluttering feeling in his stomach that preceded their frequent meetings never faded, and it became easier and easier for Chad to live his double life and suppress any whisperings from his moral conscience.
Despite this, periodically, he stared at his reflection in the bathroom mirror, examining himself from every angle, wondering if his appearance gave the slightest indication of his deceit. He knew deep down, no matter how many times he saw Ryan and pushed thoughts of Taylor out of mind, that it would all have to come out sometime. He may have become adept at lies, something which he never would have imagine possible having always been known for speaking the truth when no one else would at high school, but over time they began to eat away at him whenever he turned over in bed and watched Taylor sleep, completely unaware of his betrayal.
****
Lying on his back, his arm wrapped around Ryan's body who lay draped across his chest, Chad couldn't recall ever feeling more peaceful and content. Ryan traced a pattern across his bare skin, his fair hair tickling slightly, and Chad lifted his head to press a gentle kiss to Ryan's forehead.
"Sorry, Ry, I've really got to pee. Could you just move slightly?"
Ryan reluctantly rolled off him, following Chad with his eyes as he walked across the bedroom to the en suite bathroom. Already missing his warm, comforting presence, Ryan drummed his fingers on the mattress impatiently, a grin spreading across his face as he thought back to their afternoon activities.
The shrill ring of Chad's phone coming from the heap of clothes on the floor near the bed woke him out of his reverie. He ignored it at first, hoping whoever it was would hang up when Chad didn't answer straight away, but the caller persisted. With a sigh he reached down and rummaged through Chad's jeans pockets, answering the phone without checking the caller I.D,
"Hello, Chad's busy at the moment, could you – "
" – who is this?"
The voice was vaguely familiar and Ryan searched through his memory for a face to match it. He replied hesitantly,
"Ryan Evans, Chad's.......friend from high school."
"Ryan! I didn't even know you were back in New Mexico!"
It struck him instantly, and he smiled as he spoke,
"Taylor, isn't it? Long time, no speak. How've you been?"
"Oh, fine, fine. Busy, but well. We really should meet up some time to chat."
Visualising a perfect summer evening spent in both Taylor and Chad's company, Ryan was silent and jumped when he was asked,
"So, why are you answering Chad's phone? He needs to come home straight away, this instant. Sorry to deprive you of his company, but I need him here right now."
Taken aback by Taylor's vehemence, Ryan stuttered,
"Home.........are you.........living with Chad? I never knew you were still in touch."
Taylor laughed, answering in her lecturing tone he remember clearly from his days at East High,
"Well, you see, Ryan, when two people are married, they do tend to live under one roof."
Ryan's mouth went dry, his whole body numb. The en suite door opened and Chad stepped back into the room, his voice cheerful until his noticed Ryan's expression.
"So, where were we? Ryan.........?"
Letting the phone slip through his fingers, Taylor's insistent voice abruptly cut off, Ryan mouthed wordlessly and pushed Chad away as he tried to wrap his arms around him. Trying to distance himself from Chad as much as possible, Ryan hunched his shoulders, his eyes fixed on the carpet as he whispered shakily,
"You're.......married......"
Chad's ran his tongue over his dry lips, desperately searching for some explanation or apology. Anything that would fill the sudden void between them, but he kept drawing blanks.
Speaking again, Ryan's voice shook,
"Taylor wants you home now. Get dressed and go."
Unable to stop himself, Chad walked towards him, but tripped on his jeans that lay in a pile of his clothes which they had so quickly discarded with only a few hours ago. He pulled them on unwillingly, his limbs stiff and his mouth dry.
Fully clothed, he began to speak, but his words, completely devoid of meaning, seemed to go unheard. Ryan reached for the bedroom doorknob and clicked it open, his gesture having more impact than a thousand screamed insults.
Chad spoke hesitantly, before he left,
"I can explain, Ry. Let me – "
Ryan's voice was stronger and more resolute when he interrupted, but he refused to look Chad in the eye.
"Just go."
A tangle of words caught in his throat, Chad found himself stepping through the open doorway. As he turned back to offer a meaningless apology, the door swung shut in his face and he heard the unmistakable sound of a muffled sob.
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