A/N: I half-assed editing this chapter. Poor George is so horrendously OOC and I don't even know where to begin fixing that, sooo uhhhh *does the handwave dance* These hands, they wave! Other than his weirdness, this is a pretty cute slice-of-life chapter, but I've been waiting to use this song as a chapter title, and it fits pretty well with Trent's actions!

Rebecca and Trent finish out their night in their own chapter, as do Nathaniel and… it's a surprise! But I'd rather edit and post three 20-something-page chapters (Times New Roman, 16pt) than one 60-page chapter.

So without further ado, I present to you…

Chapter 21: I Am Very Glad, as I'm Finally Returning Back Home

"Man…I don't know about you, Rebecca, but I don't want to leave," Paula said with a soft sigh as a masseuse worked her shoulders and back, hitting a few sore spots before it all melted away on a cloud of bliss.

"I know what you mean… this feels soooo good." Not as good as Trent's hands, but still, Rebecca thought to herself with a giggle. "We still have to go venture into the store when we are done here though… uuugghhhhh…" She melted into the table and smirked to herself.

Though they had to leave later in the day, she was excited to see Trent again, and tell him all about her weekend and hear all about his. They could even 'experiment' with a few things she was thinking of bringing back home. Wouldn't that be fun!

xoxo

Trent slept in, as he had nothing to do on Sunday. Nathaniel was already gone by the time he woke up, which was fine. He'd left his bathrobe, though, and the laundry hamper was full, so Trent did a load of laundry and ate some cereal. He texted Rebecca,

[Good morning, my love 3 I hope you and Paula are enjoying yourselves. I miss you so much :-* can't wait to see you tonight! I love you, babygirl 3 3 3]

Then he booked their plane tickets for Iowa and packed a couple of outfits and other necessities in a backpack.

Rebecca's phone pinged with Trent's custom tone. She read his text and smiled, flushing, then replied.

[Good morning my King. Having a fun time, thanks. About to go explore the store they have here. Anything I should look for? :) :) I miss you too and can't wait to see you tonight! I love you more than anything, Trent. 3 3 3]

Once the massages were done, she looked over at Paula and smiled. "Ready to get dressed and tackle that store?" she asked wickedly with a giggle.

"Girl, you know it! Let's go!" Paula laughed and they went to shower and dress. She hadn't any idea what to look for in that store, though it was fun to look. Maybe she would find something fun there too.

Trent smiled down at his phone. [There are a few things we haven't tried yet], he said. [Would you please look into flavored condoms, a riding crop, and]

He paused to look up the name of the next item.

[Bombex toy? I'm looking forward to experimenting a little ;)]

He grinned to himself as he sent that text. Oh, he was a naughty boy indeed!

Rebecca giggled at Trent's next text and replied, [Your wish, my command, my Love. Have a great rest of your day, babe. See you soon! I love you! xxx]

Once they'd showered and dressed, she and Paula made their way down to where the store rested deep within the spa and came to a complete stop upon first entering.

"Holy…" Rebecca gasped.

"Shit…." Paula finished for her. "Where do we even begin?"

Rebecca looked at her friend and smirked. "Lingerie or toys?"

Paula gasped excitedly and smiled at Rebecca. "Ohhhh…Lingerie, first! You have to look good on your wedding night, Girl!"

And hand in hand, they made their way towards that part of the store, Rebecca flushing at such a thought and barely listening as Paula told her that that night was going to be the most important night of her life, but also the funnest!

xoxo

Trent's chores having been concluded and preparations for tomorrow being made, he had some time to kill. Today was a good day for a matinee. But first, he thought it only polite for him to drop off Nathaniel's bathrobe.

He drove to Nathaniel's apartment and knocked on the door, bathrobe neatly folded under his arm.

George had gotten the house cleaned and the errands run, gone grocery shopping, and was in the process of putting the food away when he heard a knock on the door.

Couldn't be Nat as he wouldn't need to knock. Maybe it was that lawyer Trent had mentioned? Mr….? He couldn't remember, but George simply shook his head and went to answer the door. But he wasn't expecting who he found on the other side.

"Hello Trent….What can I do for you?" He tried to keep his voice civil. It wasn't entirely the man's fault that Nat didn't love him….oh wait…yes it was!

Trent smiled. "Hi, George," he said pleasantly. "I just came to return this." And he thrust the folded bathrobe into George's arms. "Silly Nathaniel left it in the bathroom last night. It was so sweet of him to come help me at a moment's notice, but I could have waited for him to get dressed. Well, I guess it doesn't matter because he ended up showering too, and passing out in my bed, to boot! Well, I'll see you around. Bye!" And Trent turned to go.

George had no time to respond as he stood there, frozen in place for a few moments. By the time he unfroze, Trent was already walking away.

He looked down at the folded robe in his hand, and back at Trent's retreating back. Without even bothering to go inside, he exploded, right there on the doorstep!

"SONOFABITCH!"

Trent paused on his way back to his motorcycle. "Is something wrong, George?" he asked innocently.

George collected himself enough to give Trent a small smile, swallowing thickly as he clenched the robe tightly in his fist without realizing it.

"Problem? No! Not at all, Trent." The way George said his name came out a little forced.

"Really? Because you just stared at me, and then cursed loudly," Trent recapped. "Think of the neighbors, will you? And be careful with that, I just washed it."

George gave Trent such a look of loathing and jealousy that if looks could kill, Trent would be dead and still digging! He sighed silently and settled himself. His body language turned from openly hostile to completely calm and of nonchalant emotion.

"You have a wonderful rest of your day, Trent," he said with a smile that would have looked 100% genuine if it had reached his eyes, then went inside and slammed the door. He reached for his phone and texted Nathaniel:

[Trent just stopped by to return your robe. Thanks for the heads up.]

"Okay then, you too. Bye-bye!" Trent called cheerfully through the door. Then he got back on his motorcycle and headed to the theater.

Nathaniel was just getting to the theater when he got George's text. He parked, read it, and rolled his eyes.

[What's the BFD with everyone today?], he typed back, annoyed. Then he shut off his phone and went in to browse showtimes and buy a ticket.

George really had had enough, so he turned off his phone and after putting things away, went to pick out the raunchiest, sexiest, most degrading movie Nathaniel had in his collection: The 120 Days of Sodom.

Making himself some popcorn and sitting down with a beer in the drink holder next to him, George was planning on getting good and fucked by the end of the movie. Literally or physically…it didn't matter by that point.

xoxo

Nathaniel heard a familiar voice behind him.

"Little bug?"

He turned and smiled. "Hey, Trent. What brings you here?"

"My hog," Trent said cheekily, nodding at his motorcycle. He noticed Nathaniel eyeing up his leathers.

"So I hear one of the movies here has an actor who looks like me," he said.

"Yes, I was actually going to see that one. Would you— I mean…"

Trent nodded, and they bought their tickets. They ordered chicken wings and grilled vegetables from the concession counter, then went in and sat together.

"Just to warn you, this is an NC-17," Nathaniel said. "Uh, Josh…pointed it out. I'm watching it again because I wanted to see what it would be like sober."

Trent nodded solemnly. "Well, I'll just avert my eyes and keep my ears open for nuggets of plot, then," he said. He appreciated the heads-up, but he was also curious to see if his lookalike looked exactly like him.

xoxo

"What about this one? Matches my eyes?" Rebecca asked Paula, who turned and shook her head, making a face.

"No. Not that one. It's too…frumpy. You want to scream 'Sex Goddess' and 'fuck my brains out' while looking innocent at the same time."

Rebecca laughed, put back the outfit she had picked out, and continued to look. "If I knew it was going to be this hard, I might have never made it through without your help," she teased gently.

"Ohhhh! This one!" Paula enthused as she pulled down a nice light blue number and held it out to Rebecca. The bodice was silken, flowy in an ethereal type of way, with a tiny lace "skirt" that was barely dense enough to cover her intimate places. It was sold as a set with a matching G-string. "Go! Go try that one on! Let me see!"

Rebecca laughed and took the outfit. "Ok, ok." She smirked, went to the changing room, and blushed at seeing just how skimpy the outfit looked. "Are you sure it's going to fit?" she teased.

"Just put it on!" Paula called out and then randomly threw a long, leather whip and a hat that looked like a German officer's cap over the changing room door with a chuckle. "Try on the hat too and come out holding the whip… Just do it!"

Rebecca rolled her eyes at her friend. "You are so weird…" she said as she changed. "Ok…here I come…and you better not laugh." She came out. Paula's jaw dropped, and her eyes bugged out at the sight of her friend.

"It's weird…isn't it?" Rebecca asked, feeling a little self-conscious.

"SHHH SHH SHHH!" Paula waved her hand at Rebecca and simply gushed. "Ohhhh! Honey! If Trent doesn't come at the sight of you in that then he is either stupid or dead!"

Rebecca blushed again and smiled, laughing with her friend.

Now that they had picked out the wedding night outfit, Rebecca and Paula headed over to the other side of the store where all the toys were kept.

"I had no idea there were so…many!" Rebecca smirked over at her friend, who gave her a 'Really?' look, and blushed.

"Girl, you didn't know? Wasn't Josh or Greg or even Nathaniel into anything…odd?" Paula laughed softly as she walked over to the handcuffs and electric stimulation toys.

"Not really…no." Rebecca paused and then chuckled. "Well, Nathaniel was into weird things, but I didn't really think about it at the time." Her eyes furrowed slightly as the thought of what Nathaniel had been into ran through her mind. Why was she thinking about Nathaniel?

Shaking her head to clear it, she smirked over at Paula. "So, you think these will be fun?" She motioned to the cuffs and smirked. The idea of having Trent at her mercy was thrilling. But…would he let her? She'd buy a few pairs, since he was abnormally strong, just in case.

"Yeah! Those make anything fun…." Paula smirked and noted how many Rebecca had picked out. "Three?"

"Yeah, Trent's strong. Like, you would not believe how strong…wouldn't be fair if he simply broke out of the first pair while we were playing, and we didn't have a spare." She laughed and went looking for the things Trent had asked her to pick out too.

xoxo

Even knowing what kind of movie this was, and who was in it, both men were shocked to actually see Not-Trent onscreen.

"I'm already jealous of him, because he can swim," Trent whispered jokingly in Nathaniel's ear.

Then, a few minutes later, "He's holding that wrong. Making himself far too easy to disarm."

Nathaniel sucked in a sharp breath. Trent knew about that kind of thing off the top of his head?

Then, when the naughty scenes started, "I wondered if he looked like me everywhere."

"Does he?" Nathaniel whispered back.

"Yes, exactly. We could have been separated at birth if I didn't know for a fact I absorbed my twin in the womb."

Wow. Twin Trents. Two gorgeous, mischievous, muscular, well-formed, well-hung men…. The thought was almost too much for Nathaniel. He could feel himself straining against the jeans Trent had lent him.

"Hmm, that's interesting," Trent whispered.

"What?! I'm not— what?"

"No, I'm not talking about your erection. Look. See how they're each holding one of her legs? And look how close their faces are. Their tongues are practically touching, and they're on either side of her…."

"Oh… Do you think that would actually work? I've never tried anything like that."

"I have no way of finding out, remember? Monogamous marriage."

"How could I forget."

"But these techniques are interesting. They're not in any of my books."

Nathaniel almost laughed at how cute that was. "You learned about sex from books?" he asked.

"Well, yes. I lost my virginity when I was 27, so—"

"Twenty-seven?!" Nathaniel struggled to keep his voice at a whisper.

"Yes," said Trent patiently, "that's when Rebecca asked me to have sex with her. Why, how old were you?"

Nathaniel was glad Trent couldn't see him blushing. "A lot younger than 27," he said. "My friends in prep school and I used to, you know…fool around, to take the edge off."

He could feel Trent looking at him like he was a Martian. It didn't do anything to lessen his arousal. He shifted uncomfortably, trying to stifle a moan. And the next thing Trent said made it even worse, especially the way he brought his mouth so close to Nathaniel's ear he was practically kissing it:

"I never touched any man before you."

Trent watched Nathaniel literally squirm in his seat. He didn't look like he was going to last through the rest of the movie.

"Now I understand why you tried to kiss me last time," he whispered, still closer to Nathaniel's ear than absolutely necessary. "You're really riled up over this, and the first time, you didn't know what to expect and you were drunk and high."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Nathaniel whispered back. He did, but he wanted to hear Trent say it. He liked Trent whispering in his ear a lot more than he should.

But Trent didn't take the bait. "If you need to finish in the bathroom, I can wait for you."

"I'm fine," Nathaniel gritted out. He had to make it to the end of the movie this time. "God, why do you smell so good?"

"It's a custom cologne. Clove oil with cinnamon and sandalwood. I make it myself."

"That was rhetorical, but okay," Nathaniel gasped. "Ohhhhhhh, Trent…"

Just as Nathaniel moaned Trent's name aloud, Not-Trent on the screen came all over the lead actress, and Nathaniel came in his borrowed pants. He panted for breath, then looked over at Trent in horror.

Trent just smiled serenely back at him. "Yes, Nathaniel?"

xoxo

George was feeling a buzz by the end of the movie. Next, he put on Caligula and continued his downward spiral. By this time, he was well and truly aroused, but it mixed with his rage, and it turned into something dark and dangerous.

The titular Caligula resembled Nathaniel in George's hazy, influenced mind and sitting back in his chair, towel in his lap, he began to pleasure himself, while growling out snarky, dark comments as he watched the actor go through his role in the movie.

"That's right, you little bitch, take it! Bet you like that don't you. You horrible, dirty boy." He growled under his breath, eyes glued to the tv.

And so it went for the entire two and a half hours. Then it was time for a third movie.

At a particular gruesome point in the next movie, where the actor—who also bore a striking resemblance to Nathaniel—was caught and experimented on by the killers, George let out a groan as he heard the screams, for it reminded him of Nat's screams when he had begged George to take him, to hurt him, to make him bleed.

"FUCK! You are going to be my good boy, aren't you! ALWAYS MINE! If not, this is what happens! You get punished!" He came with a loud cry and collapsed into his chair, a quivering, heaving mess.

Totally spent, George went to clean up after himself, but so out of his mind in lust and anger still, he forgot to put the towel he had just dirtied in the laundry and left in where it fell on the floor. He really didn't give two shits at this point and that was odd for him, for he was naturally a clean and organized person.

Why couldn't Nat love him! Why did he have to fall for someone who was well…TRENT?! Trent wouldn't give him what George knew Nat wanted or needed. Trent wouldn't be there waiting when the going got rough. He was getting married, for fuck's sake!

In the shower, George worked himself back up again and came once more with a cry of rage this time. Damn that man! Damn Nat! DAMN THEM BOTH!

By the time he was done, he was spent. He cleaned himself off and went to make something to drink to try to sober up. Would do no good for Nat to come home to George falling apart.

Sitting at the kitchen table, he sipped on his drink and nibbled on some pineapple slices while he waited. This had to be the longest day of his life!

xoxo

Trent helped Nathaniel out of the theater when the movie was over. "Come on, let's get you to Brooks Brothers," he coaxed. Nathaniel leaned on him, jelly legs making it difficult for him to walk. He nestled closer to Trent than necessary, enjoying the comforting warmth of his friend's body.

"I was wrong about you," he said. "You're so nice."

"Thank you," Trent replied. "Okay, steady…"

They made it into the outlet and picked out a new outfit for Nathaniel, something a lot closer to Nathaniel's usual style (he bought a new shirt too, just to be safe), and Nathaniel went into the men's room to clean himself up and don his new clothes. Then they went to the nearest laundromat so Trent could wash his soiled clothes.

As they were waiting for the clothes to wash, they discussed the movie, just practical aspects of it, being incredibly careful not to get Nathaniel too riled up again.

"Oh shit," Nathaniel remembered, as Trent switched the clothes to the dryer. "I forgot to turn my phone back on."

"Oh, me, too. I hope no one has been trying to reach us."

xoxo

George had turned on his phone long enough to text Nat to find out what time he would be home.

[Hope you enjoyed your movie. Dinner will be waiting for you when you get home. I got everything you required, healthy food and natural things as well. See you when you get home.]

He tossed his phone aside in indifference and went to make them both some dinner. Something easy, so that he could put it in the oven and leave it even with the oven off, so it would stay warm till Nat got home. He put all his attention into making something he knew Nat loved that would be hard to resist. Then he went to go finish cleaning up, trying to make himself relax.

xoxo

Once the shopping was done, Rebecca and Paula headed back to their rooms to pack up their things and get ready to head home.

It had been the best weekend, but Rebecca was looking forward to getting home, to seeing Trent again. To hug and kiss him again and see the way he looked at her and smiled at her. She was getting flustered just thinking about him and Paula noticed.

"Save it for when you get home, hun. I don't want to see any of that," Paula teased as they finished packing and headed down to reception to check out.

xoxo

Nathaniel checked his messages. "It's just George," he said. Trent rested his head on Nathaniel's shoulder and read as Nathaniel replied.

[I'll be home in an hour. I ate at the theater, but thanks, I can have it tomorrow.]

"Brr," Trent remarked. "You're barely even fond of him as an assistant, are you?"

"He's okay," Nathaniel replied flatly. Trent raised an eyebrow. Nathaniel sighed. "He's entitled. Even before he confessed to me, he acted like a jealous boyfriend when I said I was going to go out with Cat. I didn't see it at the time, but now, it's GLARINGLY obvious. He already thinks of me as 'his', and he's so aggressive about it."

"I came on strong with Rebecca," Trent pointed out.

"Yeah, but you're—" Nathaniel bit his knuckle. "I don't know how to explain it. I've never once heard you raise your voice, not even when you put me in the hospital. You're so poised, so gentle on the outside even though you're capable of dangerous things. And if I may say so, I don't think he'd look nearly as hot in leather pants."

Trent had to agree with what he heard between the lines. George was toxically jealous and didn't seem to give half a crap about his personal presentation. "He yelled at me today," Trent said. "Well, after me. When I went to return your bathrobe. He stood on the stoop and called me a son of a bitch as I was leaving."

Nathaniel shook his head. "I can't feel safe with someone like that."

"And you feel safe with me?" Trent asked, a little incredulously.

"… Never mind, just check your messages."

xoxo

"But of course…" George muttered under his breath and went to put the food away so Nat could have it tomorrow instead. This was all so frustrating to him, but he had promised to try and thought even pulling back a bit might help? But he didn't know. He didn't understand what was going on in his head either.

He was mad because of the situation he found himself in. He had been led to believe that Nat had loved him, and thought Nat was being purposely obtuse about it. The time they had shared.

Now, he knew that Nat had drugged himself that night and it had, in fact, not been his name, Nat had said he loved at all, but…Trent's! Which Nat found ridiculous, but whatever. So he was mad about that.

And he was a little upset that Nat had said he wasn't ready for any type of relationship with a guy, yet he dashes out nearly naked and where does he go? To Trent's! Hearing how he took a shower there and slept there, put god only knows what ideas into his head that he tried so hard not to think about. But he couldn't help it.

And now, he was acting like George's hard work didn't matter….so cold and frigid his reply when he was only being nice and letting Nat know that he was thinking about him and had things ready so his life, could be made easier. Just like he always had. Well…FINE!

Slamming the door to the fridge shut, George went to lay down in bed to read for a bit. He wasn't waiting up for Nat. Nope! No he wasn't!

xoxo

Once they were in the car, Rebecca texted Trent to let him know she was on the way home.

[Hey handsome, I am headed home and will see you in about an hour, given traffic. I miss and love you so much, Trent. Forever. xxx 3 3 3]

She turned to look at Paula and smirked. "Ready to go?"

"If we must…" Paula giggled softly and smirked back at her friend.

"Yeah, we must. Lives to get back to and all." Rebecca chuckled, put the car in drive, and pulled out of the parking lot. She had enjoyed her time, but was excited to be heading home, to the man she loved.

xoxo

"Ohhh… I think she's going to beat me home," Trent said. Not that there was anything wrong with that, but he hadn't prepared dinner or anything for her.

"I should—" Nathaniel was about to leave, when an older lady came up to them and said,

"Can I just say, good for you two."

Trent and Nathaniel looked at each other, then at her, nonplussed. "What do you mean, ma'am?" asked Trent politely.

"You two make such an adorable couple," the older lady gushed.

"Oh, we're not a couple! That's so funny, she thinks we're a couple!"

"No, we— we're friends. Platonic friends. He's engaged, actually. To a woman."

"Whom I should text back. Please excuse me," said Trent, turning his attention back to his phone. Nathaniel patted Trent's shoulder goodbye and left.

[I'm not at home right now, but do you want me to pick something up for you on the way home, my love?]

He'd left his motorcycle at the theater— they'd taken Nathaniel's car here— but he'd just call an Uber back and drive it home.

xoxo

Reading Trent's message, Rebecca smiled and chuckled. He must be busy indeed if he isn't home yet.

[I'm starving! But not for food…], was her first text, which she sent with a soft giggle. [But, if you wanted, could you please pick up something filling, like a pasta dish, Love? Surprise me.]

Smirking over at Paula, they conversed about their weekend. Their favorite parts, the drinks, the store, the things they bought, just enjoying themselves, on the long ride home.

xoxo

When Nathaniel got home, he texted the Joshes to help him assemble the couch, preferring to avoid George as much as possible, especially after the brief discussion with Trent. He couldn't help comparing the two men. Optimistic, determined, mild-mannered Trent; vs. pissy, entitled, overemotional George. Trent took excellent care of his body and was in absolutely perfect physical shape, even after breaking all his bones twice in a year; George was just… "Average" would have been the polite way to phrase it, but Nathaniel preferred "mediocre". He wasn't sure his WASPy parents would accept him going with a man even if Trent was available, but there was no doubt in his mind that they would accept achingly handsome, successful, accomplished Trent, who had impeccable manners and— well, Nathaniel didn't know his pedigree, but he seemed well-bred— over the alternative.

WhiJo was sitting at home, reading when a text came through from Nathaniel. Curious, he nodded as he read and responded. [Sure man. Be right over.] Grabbing his jacket and his keys, he drove over to Nathaniel's.

Things were a little tense when the Joshes came over. Josh Chan had undoubtedly told WhiJo, and WhiJo was a pretty judgmental guy, although to his credit, he wasn't bringing the subject up.

While they were working on the couch, Nathaniel received a text from Trent.

[I have an idea. George made you a dinner you're not going to eat, and I didn't prepare Rebecca's dinner. Would you please check what he made?]

Nathaniel did so.

[Looks like lasagna, probably cauliflower lasagna, which tastes the same but isn't carby.]

His phone pinged:

[Perfect. I'll be by to pick it up.]

It wasn't long before a knock sounded at the door.

"I'll get it," Nathaniel called. He went to the fridge and got the food, then opened the door with one hand while holding out the deep-dish baking tray with the other. "There you go. Hope she likes it."

Trent put the tray in the thermal backpack he had bought just before coming over to retrieve. "Thank you, little bug," he said warmly, "and give George my thanks, too."

Nathaniel hesitated. "… I don't think he'll be too happy about me giving away the food he cooked."

"Well. Like you told me earlier, you don't belong to him, and he should stop acting like a jealous boyfriend. I'll see you when we get back from Iowa, okay?"

Nathaniel nodded and closed the door, then turned back to his friends.

"See?" he said to Josh Chan. "Trent and I are friends. That's it. Satisfied?"

Josh looked skeptical, but there wasn't really anything suspicious in that interaction, so he nodded.

Trent put the Brooks Brothers bag with his clean laundry in it, into the thermal backpack, got on his hog, and drove home.

xoxo

George heard Nat's voice when he came home and shrugged, going back to his reading, till it felt like Nat was purposely avoiding him. But it was when he heard WhiJo and Josh's voices that curiosity got the best of him, and he marked his place in the book and slid off the bed and came out of the bedroom.

Coming into the massage room, seeing the two friends there helping Nat set up the couch, George paused and breathed a moment as pain flared up inside him, but he squelched it and gave a shy smile.

It was when he caught Nathaniel's eye, that he noticed! Nathaniel was in different clothes then when he had left the house this morning. George's body tensed and it took a moment of deep breaths to get him to relax again, before he motioned to Nathaniel.

"Nice clothes. They look good on you, Nathaniel," was all he said and the way he said it made it sound like he really meant it. In a way, he did, but he tried to cast out the suspicious thoughts that raced through his mind. He had missed the interaction between Trent and Nathaniel, or it would probably have gone a lot worse, but he was trying dammit!

"Thank you, I went shopping after the movie," said Nathaniel casually. True, these new clothes were more his style…but he missed the old ones. Maybe he would ask Trent if he could keep the shirt.

"Hey guys…" George said, his voice calm and low. "Can I help?" This was so freaking hard! Nat wasn't his and he had no right to act like it, but that didn't mean George liked that idea after thinking that Nat had said he loved him. He was still trying to work past that. Perhaps therapy? That he was even considering that meant he should probably go.

"I think we got this," said Josh, "but if you want to, knock yourself out." He was an easy-going fellow, after all.

George nodded and came to sit down beside WhiJo, who smiled at him appreciatively and handed him the directions.

"Can you make anything out of this, man? It's like…Latin to us." WhiJo said with a hint of smirk. Men really were helpless in putting things together and though WhiJo knew how to read the instructions, he also knew the look of wanting to be included when it was written upon someone face…so…he played dumb.

"Sure, I could help with that. Where were you all at?" George asked with a small smile, taking the instructions from WhiJo, and looking at them a moment, before looking at all the pieces. "There's a lot here! Wow! Who knew it was so much in putting something like this together?" He joked.

Josh picked up a towel on the floor and was about to wipe his face with it, then made a face and quickly dropped it again. "Oops."

All color drained out of George's face. "Josh…ummm…here! I'll take that." He scooped the towel up and blushed. "Just…forgot to put it in the laundry when I was doing it. Sorry…one second." And he darted out of the room to throw the offending thing in the washer. Embarrassing!

Nathaniel clocked the expression on George's face when Josh had picked up the dirty towel. He raised an eyebrow after George but said nothing. George did have his own apartment; Nathaniel would have preferred he take care of personal business there instead, but he wasn't going to humiliate the man in front of his friends.

After taking care of that unpleasantness, George returned, with a tray of drinks and some healthy but yummy snacks and set them on the side table for the guys to enjoy while they worked on the project.

"Hey! Thanks man! Snacks!" WhiJo got up from where he sat and took a handful of the snacks and got himself a drink. "These are really good. You make these?"

"Yes…" George said with a hint of a blush on his cheeks. "Thank you." He smiled then and went to rejoin Josh in helping to put the couch together. "So…let's see…have you all found Slot A yet, or the little pin that goes with Slot C?"

WhiJo smirked and shook his head. "Naw. We had only just started. Till Trent showed up and took some food with him. He forgot to cook for his lady." WhiJo whistled playfully and shook his head. "He'd be in trouble if Nathaniel didn't save his bacon," he teased.

"Thanks for that," Nathaniel aimed at WhiJo. "Look, Rebecca and I may have gone through some rough patches, but she's my friend too, you know. I'm not going to let her starve."

George paused and only slightly tilted his head in Nathaniel's direction before smiling pleasantly. "Well, I hope they enjoy it. Besides, that was mighty nice of you, Nathaniel." He said it in such a way as to seem that he meant it, and he did; he just swallowed the burning anger and then feelings of guilt for feeling that way down instead of venting them. Point for him? Or would Nathaniel even notice how hard this was for him? Or care? He was trying…he really, really was.

Nathaniel was getting a weird vibe from George that was making it hard to be in the same room as him, so he quietly slipped out and went to take a shower.

George watched as Nathaniel left the room and sighed. He knew why the man left and he felt badly for it. He tried to contain himself, but he guessed his emotions were just too vibrant to be contained. Maybe a little time away would help?

Clearing his mind, for right now at least, he helped WhiJo and Josh put the pull-out couch together, chuckling over their antics as they teased each other as they went.

"So this piece goes here, and this piece…wait. I'm lost?" WhiJo laughed as he made a grab for the instructions, which George readily handed over with a smirk.

"Honestly, you two are helpless…" George teased and soon, after a fashion, they got the couch set up and checked to see if it worked. Once that was done, George went back to Nat's room and packed the little things he had come with and taking up a notepad and a pen wrote a letter to Nat, leaving it on his pillow where he would be sure to find it, and wishing WhiJo and Josh a good night, departed.

Dear Nathaniel,

I am truly sorry for my actions in the past few days. It is hard to begin to explain my feelings about all of this so I will not even try. I know now that things are not what I had first thought and so, in anger, I reacted harshly…rashly and made you doubt me and hurt you. For that, I am truly sorry.

You are not mine, and I need to accept that and try to get back to where we were as friends and work associates. I would like for that to continue, friends, if you were still up for that at least. I now know that forcing things doesn't work and it instead makes things worse. I am really, truly sorry.

I am going back to my apartment for the night, but if you need anything, you know how to reach me. I am not quitting, just giving you the space and respect that I know you deserve.

Sleep well.

Sincerely,

George