You know the drill: The story below is a work of fiction, set in the format of reality. Any resemblances to real people, alive or in the hereafter, is entirely coincidental in nature. It is not meant to accurately reflect upon persons, of continents or islands, in countries, counties, cities, towns, villages, neighborhoods, streets, cul-de-sacs, nor governmental or non-governmental areas, which the story is staged. If a sexual scene involving male-to-male relationships offends you, then why are you here? Seriously, if guy-to-guy sex stuff makes you barf or is going to screw up your mind, you should not read this story. Additionally, if you are under 18 years of age, in most states and countries, you are not allowed to read this story, by law. Check with your local laws regarding such.
% Sexual safety matters. Remember guys, this is fiction. In real life, use protection.
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DECEMBER tis the season to be merry wriTten by T. Chase McPhee
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one
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"What do you think?"
Kevin answers as he sits with his ass on the edge of the table, "If working for you is this hard, I'm going to ask for a raise!"
Laughing, Rahmi sets down a vase, reaches in the temperature-controlled fridge, removes a red rose and puts it in the small clear glass container. Walking over to Kevin, he says, "If I hadn't known you were already involved, I would offer this to you more romantically."
"It's okay," Kevin replies. "Nobody's ever given me a rose before. It's cool though. Thanks." His nose taking a long drag off the scent, Kevin's eyes widen with inhaling the fragrant breeze. "Powerful!"
Observing Rahmi's soft touch with Mike Knight, Kevin experiences it, the soft fingers playing over the side of his face, more a gesture than something meant as romanticizing him. "I thought you might 'like' it!"
However, Tariq shows up at the most importune time, gazing in through the glass door from outdoors. 'Oh shit!'
Unlike with Mike, Rahmi has extended his 'thanks' with a sweet peck on the cheek.
"Thanks," Kevin replies. But to let Rahmi know where he stands, "That's nice and all, but if we are going to work together I think we shouldn't do this type of stuff. Keep it professional?"
With door ajar, Tariq heard the whole thing, which instantly put his mind at ease. Too, he sensed his brother had a good man behind him in that Kevin didn't bend towards temptation and give in. He knew he was unobserved, so made some racket, making like he is stumbling in through the doorway, "Did you save any work for me to do?"
Like nothing was said or done, Rahmi sprung into action, behaving more like a boss and handing out detailed jobs, like washing down dusty counters and mopping the floor. On the other hand, he also set about teaching Kevin the ins and outs of starting up a day, laying out a cash draw, making sure flowers were 'as fresh as a daisy' and other things mandatory to a five a.m. opening of business.
An hour later, Rahmi was marveling at the spotless cleanliness of the shop, congratulating Tariq on the good job. The setup was one thing, but for ongoing employment, Rahmi knew he would only be able to keep on one of today's helpers. He figured it would be a good idea to break the news to Tariq over lunch. "You two have worked so hard today. Let it be my treat and we can go for lunch?"
"I'm starved," Kevin replies. "I could like eat a whole pizza!"
Tariq showed signs of hunger, but not the scale of Kevin's appetite.
So, locking the door behind them, Rahmi allowed Kevin to do the honors.
Kevin joked about his nervousness regarding his first official job as Rahmi's assistant, "At least I know how to put the key in the door!"
So, down the sidewalk they went, the three taking in the sights and sounds of the neighborhood.
"Pizza at three o'clock sharp!" Kevin announces, walking in between two parked cars, waiting to cross.
But something else caught Tariq's focus. The big sign overhead caught the initial sighting, 'Anarkali Cafe and Restaurant', but even more so the dude at the cash register, who just happened to look up as Tariq looked inside through the doors to the place. They locked smiles. Tariq would have passed it up, only the third thing which caught his eye is the 'help wanted' sign leaning against the window.
Seeing it heavensent, Rahmi spotting the same help sign, suggests, "Why don't you go for it Tariq?"
Tariq was confused, then thought how ridiculous. Of course, Rahmi meant the 'job', not the 'guy'! He was also confused about the work he did today and playing right into Rahmi's hands, "Working for you... was it only for today or...."
"Only today," Rahmi grabbed the opportunity, "but I can have you do odd jobs around the shop until you find something else?"
Fighting Rahmi, was Kevin's hunger pangs.
Thinking of the 'responsibility' thing Brendan presented to him this morning, the eighteen year old took it upon himself, "You and Kevin go to lunch. Maybe I will eat here."
"Whatever you say," Rahmi said with a smile, handing Tariq some loose bills, terming them an advance on today's paycheck!
Breaking away from Emre's more reserved manner of dealing with situations, assuming Gazi's attitude of forthrightness, Tariq takes a deep, deep breath, expanding his teen chest and as he walks in the door, an arm plucks the 'help wanted' sign from the window as he marches up to the desk. To the eye-flirting dude he says, "I'm here for the job!"
Very reserved, the dude at the small register counter replies, "I know you are!"
Just as Tariq had removed the sign from leaning towards the window pane, it is taken out of his hand and set behind the counter.
"I am?" He asks, unbelieving he had just pulled all this off with a few seconds of conversation, instead of a long, drawn out interview.
"You're new at school, aren't you?"
His outgoing attitude backing down, Tariq replies, "You don't look like a high school guy?"
From that moment on the two hit it off, Rosario Chasse taking Tariq right back to the kitchen, filling him in on 'his' family history, the reasoning behind him being termed the 'mutt' of the family, then immediately face-to-face with his employer, probably the most beautiful looking Pakistani man Tariq's ever laid eyes on!
"Oncle-Javid, this is our new waiter!" Seemingly slurring the two namesakes together
Tariq at first wondered which part of Rosario's heritage the greeting was, but then all of the multi-national aspects were put aside as he extended his hand, Jean-Claude's influence, to greet Rosario's 'oncle'. What a surprise, when Rosario's Oncle Javid put his hands on his shoulder and did 'like they do in France', welcomed him, like family, a kiss to each cheek.
"Now Oncle-Javid, let us not go overboard?"
Waving Rosario aside, Uncle Javid replies, "Shoo!" Then addressing Tariq, "Welcome to my restaurant."
"'Your' restaurant Oncle-Javid? As I recall, it is 'my' father who owns half of the business?"
Tariq thought all this serious, until the two began slinging tit for tat, putting on a fake boxing match, Rosario, almost his age, batting around his open hand, slapping his uncle about the arms, thighs, a fake slap to the side of the face, all with intent to create a merry show for his benefit.
"You... you hooligan!" Uncle Javid accuses Rosario, "I whip your little gay ass!"
"Oncle-Javid!" Rosario suddenly stopped.
"Oh-no-I-am-in-trouble!" his uncle exclaimed, hand over his mouth, as the playful motion stops, middle of the scene. Standing there, he looks back and forth between his nephew and the new employee, knowing he should not have shot his mouth off about Rosario being 'gay'.
Tariq, immediately liking Rosario, even before he set foot into the food establishment, but also falling prey to the kitchen shenanigans, liking his uncle from the start, decides to put all notions asunder. Reaching out a hand, he takes Rosario's hand in his, telling, "It is okay 'Oncle-Javid'!"
The gesture set forth by Tariq immediately sends jiggles of electrical comfort towards Rosario, but for his uncle, "It is okay with you Rosario and me gay?"
It was just jolly with Tariq, from the beginning, but he had no clue as to Oncle-Javid's sexual calling until he mentioned it!
Putting it as nice as possible, Tariq asks, "Would it be okay if I am gay and work here?"
By now the mutual understanding had already set in and the three were playing each other up.
Though, Rosario poised his palm to his uncle's chest, when he suggests, "Maybe we seal it with a kiss?"
"I don't think so," the nineteen year old replies, stopping his uncle in his tracks. Then Rosario informs, "If he gets too horny Tariq, just haul off and give him a swat!"
Rosario's uncle smiles as his nephew gives him a tender little swat aside the cheek.
Taking it all in stride, maybe a bit of family-love encrusted in the deliverance, Tariq smiles, seeing the closeness of the nephew-uncle relationship. As Rosario and Tariq leave Oncle-Javid behind in the kitchen, he turns to Rosario and innocently asks, "Between being a mutt; the French, Italian and mid-Eastern cultures in you Rosario, how would all of these," and he tries his luck at utilizing a word he learned this morning in English class, hopefully in the correct context, "infuse to bring a greeting?" He hoped he got it right so as to produce the outcome of his meaning.
In the hallway, the one which led to the restrooms, quite dark and shadowy, it seemed the perfect place for a demonstration. Feeling led on, Rosario states exactly what he's thinking, "If I didn't know much better I would think you are coming on to me, Tariq?"
A cross between Emre and Gazi, possibly leaning more towards his older brother's sexual antics, Tariq replies in a flirtatious manner, "Oh, I thought it was clear when we both were checking each other out before I even set foot in your restaurant!" Again, he hoped he was using the correct set of words to express himself, because he 'was' trying to lead all this somewhere!
"Hey wait!"
And at this moment, it all came together, Rosario swinging him around, plastering his teen bod up against the wall, stopping only momentarily, the two waiting to see if the fake Degas was going to fall off the shaking wall, then the serious moment returning, Tariq feeling the pair of warm lips caressing his own, in a sweet welcoming kiss!
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Several miles across town, Brendan was coming out of the security building at Brookdell Community College, all abuzz with his good news of the day. However, it seemed his partner, whom he left middle campus, sitting on a bench with the latest installment of Architectural Digest, was already receiving a bunch of attention.
"Am I interrupting something?" he asserted himself, nicely pushing his way into the middle of the grouping of students. He wondered who the dude was, sitting right next to Jean-Claude.
"Oh Brendan, I'd like you to meet a very good friend of mine, Jake Klass."
'Friend?' Brendan greeted with a handshake, more or less lifting the young dude out of his seat.
"I'm a very big fan of your partner," Jake said, as he surrendered his seat over, almost planting Brendan onto the hardwood surface.
"Oh really?" Brendan replies, more or less asking 'in which way?'
The sixteen or so students who had congregated, much as if a famous rock star were sitting on the bench, listened attentively as Jean-Claude turned from the article in an old issue of Architectural Today magazine, "Yes, I was just reading over this article on the first attempts of a 'Green house' and who happens to walk by is Jake here."
Of course Brendan was the minority here. Maybe not as far as his sexuality. With seven in every ten being of different gender, other than hetero, there had to be more than he and Jean-Claude... oh but then he realized, the hot looking college dudes were throwing him way off track, plus the one whom he dethroned, Jean-Claude's friend, Jake Klass.
Jean-Claude half-smiled as he explained, knowing his lover wasn't paying full attention to him, "Jake and I had a collaboration of ideas when I was at NYU..."
It was the new-found fact which jarred Brendan's attention from youth, back to thought, "You were at NYU?"
Even though their relationship extended back a few months, not every base had been touched.
"Back in... what was it Jake?"
Brendan, looking to Jake for an answer thought, 'How gorgeous!'
"Uh, let's see... two years? Three at the most?"
"Right," Jean-Claude allowed the amount of time to fluctuate, "Jake and I had presented some ideas to the board, regarding the 'Green project', which never set too well on account of the location..."
Jake cut in, to praise, "But leave it to Jean-Claude... his idea didn't die, it being picked up by a college in Kentucky."
Then, as when all became quiet with his butting in, the crowd kicked up, one of the dorm-dudes saying, "Right, oh man I wish we had the dorms your partner designed right here at Brookdell!"
It made Brendan feel great! This time it wasn't about the hot college dude's muscled frame or the accompanying damn good looks, but instead the calling, 'your partner'. They've been together for awhile, been through some good and bad times in the past few months, but right now he felt 'owned' and it was a really good feeling, coming from a different perspective in regards to someone else recognizing their relationship.
"Oh there you are babe!"
He smiled when he saw the openness of the college campus, hardly anyone paying attention as Jake greeted what seemed to be a boyfriend, lover, maybe partner, a tall, long-haired blond greeting him with a kiss.
"Brendan, Jean-Claude, this is my partner, Thor Johanson. He's a fine arts major here at Brookdell."
'What a sweet guy,' Jean-Claude thought upon greeting him back, the Scandinavian accent quite sexy in his return.
As for Brendan, the electricity had returned, him feeling the big hand of the 'norseman'!
With the turn from an educational viewpoint, the reason students had gathered around to meet and debate with the world-famous architect, Jean-Claude Lomberiou, to a more personal nature, the large group turned into a foursome, Jean-Claude offering, "How about a cup of coffee gentlemen?"
As they strolled from midcampus to the parking facilities, Brendan made mention of the beach house.
The telling of its location, Jake Klass informs them, "Oh yes. Thor and I have our eyes on it ourselves!"
Not it would matter, there being dozens of prime real estate properties for sale on the Jersey shore, but for whatever reason, possibly the thoughts of sitting behind his computer, gazing at this one in particular, Jean-Claude had already pictured it as his and Brendan's 'nest-egg'. "Oh... well... It's more or less sold." He further bullshitted them, "Brendan and I are going to take one last look at it."
Knowing something was going down here, Brendan figured good reason for Jean-Claude to say something not true, but he also sensed a good feeling, one of trust. Figuring if his lover thought he was going to fall madly in love with this property, he went right along, "Right. We're going to check to make sure there's enough sand in the backyard!" It was stoopid, but the only thing Brendan could think of on the spur-of-th-moment!
"Ahem!" Jean-Claude replies, clearing his throat and responding like saying, 'that the best you can do,' rolling his eyes as he glances over the middle of the car to his lover.
"Good reason," Thor replies. "I like to play in the sand."
'Oh-h-h-h-kay,' Jean-Claude thinks to himself.
Off in another direction, Brendan is thinking of how much fun it would be to be buried in the sand by Thor and then having his manly hands dig him up!
From the back seat, Jake says, "Well there's plenty of other properties. Good luck to you and yours," he extends his congratulations to Jean-Claude.
But they went and checked the roughly five million dollar beach house out, Brendan paying more attention to Thor than the interiors of the lovely home.
With Thor and Jake out on the beach, Jean-Claude poses the question, "So. What do you think Bren?"
"I'd sure like to see him shirtless!"
"Idiot!" Jean-Claude remarks, slapping Brendan in the stomach.
Breaking his attention from peering out a rear window, "Oh! You mean about the beach house! Great. I think I would like it here."
"Yeah right," Jean-Claude is wise, but playfully adds, "and we're going to have blinds put on all of these giant glass windows which face the beach or else it'll feel like I'm talking to the wall!"
"Get off it J-C... I'm only looking."
But then it's Jean-Claude doing a little 'star-gazing', his attention out the back double glass doors, "Oh now isn't that a pretty sight!"
As if the 'Oasis of the Sea' pulled up in front of their beach house, the two stand there in awe, looking upon Thor stripping off his shirt!
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"I have the feeling you are going to fit right in around here, Gazi?" Gregg Ballintine says, standing next to the bed, studio B, in the heart of the Ballintine building.
But it made Ballintine laugh out loud when out of Gazi's mouth came, "We need to talk money!"
Seeing Gazi lying there in bed, not a stitch of clothing on, made his mouth water. Too, he was extremely enjoying the audacity set forth by this young lad, barely with his foot in the door of the porn movie industry. Before he was to do any negotiating, he had to clear the air, "You're all dismissed!"
Phil Precott, the twenty-four year old theater arts major at Brookdell, who also serves as a camerman, but stepped down from his job for a couple of hours to 'moonlight' as a bedfellow for Gazi, seemed satisfied with having a 'drink' on Gazi, plus feeling it 'in the can' and was ready to move on, especially at the boss' strict command.
On the contrary, Taylor Ridgeston was hoping for some equal time in bed with Gazi, but was distracted by Phil, "Nice couple of hours with Gazi, but I could do with a little pampering myself about right now?"
How could Taylor turn down the hint, Phil scratching his dark pubic bush?
After the door to Studio B slammed shut, the owner of Ballintine Studios, a man in his mid to late thirties, begins to unbutton his shirt as he says, "Now, shall we get down to business?"
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"Oh man am I full!" Kevin remarks, as he sits there in the booth of the pizza place.
"As I can see," Rahmi replies, seeing Kevin stretch his arms out above his head, his shirt tail hiking up and revealing his teen treasure trail, seemingly 'growing' out of his deep innie.
"Don't you have a boyfriend?" Kevin asks as he smooths his shirt down over his gut.
"Aldo and me. We hit it off for awhile, but it wasn't meant to be."
"Why not?" Kevin unashamedly replies as he picks up his Dr. Pepper and sips.
Decisively, Rahmi says, "Because I want more than a romp in the bed everday."
"Only sex?" Kevin boils it down to.
Seeing Kevin sees it his way, Rahmi elaborates, "It would so nice to have someone to travel with, to enjoy going to an art museum and debating on the aspects of an artist's choice of color or the brush stroke. It's only an example of what I would like a man of mine to be like."
Not meant to be philosophical, Kevin renders, "What about what 'he' wants?"
"Oh sure. I'm not meaning for a relationship to be one-sided."
"So you would be okay if a guy wanted to go to a Yankees game, even if you had no interest?"
"I suppose I would go along," Rahmi replied.
Kevin was skeptical of his answer, so thought it best to skip out on the conversation, "I wonder what Tariq is up to?"
He went for the rectangular piece of paper lying faced down, but Rahmi beat him to it, "This lunch is on me, considering you haven't received your first paycheck!"
While Kevin waited outside, scouting out the street traffic, he thought it a little strange, Rahmi coming onto him in the shop a while back, but his challenging words about his views of a relationship. He pay it no mind as a guy in a top-down convertible whizzed by on this un-December type of weather day.
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"A little chilly for sunning?" Jean-Claude says to his two 'fares' as they lay on the beach, shirtless and their belts and pants buttons ajar.
Suddenly paying attention, Jake figits with his pants to set them right, Thor lying there, doing something erotic with his thumbs.
It didn't go unnoticed with Brendan, him almost salivating, watching the blond Scandinavian lying there, rubbing sand into each nip with his thumbs, the grains of sands reflecting off the sun, all enhanced by the light covering of blond pec covering.
"Isn't that right Bren?"
"What?"
Jean-Claude knew of the distraction, the reason for his questioning about the view as he called Brendan's attention to it with a slight jab in the tummy.
"Oh yeah. I think the beach house is a beautiful find and we're going to be real happy here!" He said it like a 'proud owner'!
It wasn't hidden for Jake, knowing Brendan was checking out Thor. He himself thought it a very strange, erotic thing, a guy firming his pec-spots up by rubbing his thumbs over them, grinding beach sand into his nips. "You're a lucky man, Jean-Claude," he remarks.
"I'd say we 'both' are!" he replies to Jake as they walk up the beach to the house.
Lingering behind, Thor and Brendan have their own little conversation.
"Um, that thing with the sand and your pecs..." Brendan evokes curiosity, as he looks upon the open shirt, Thor's hot bod visible from mid-chest to beltline.
"Would you like to try? I will help you?" Thor openly replies as he bends down to pick up a few granules of sand.
"Not today thanks," Brendan cordially replies. "Maybe when I'm not so dressed up!" He tried getting himself off the hook.
The early-twenties college student replies, "I could help you out of that shirt?"
"I'm sure you could," Brendan says with a smile.
"Jean-Claude is a lucky man."
"Oh? How's that go?" Brendan replies, even though he knows how lucky 'he' is!
"A man who is not easily swayed."
"Yeah. I suppose. I mean, not that you aren't a man that is easy to be swayed toward... or something like that!"
"It is what I like about Jake. He is easily swayed. It is not very easy to find a man with interests as mine."
Brendan knew he was being led on here, but at the same time the turn of subject matter was driving on his curiosity, as well as sexual drive. "You mean other than having your nips massaged with sand?"
Right before they enter the beach house, joining up once again with Jake and Jean-Claude, Thor tells, "You let me know if you want to feel something as erotic as having a leather belt played on your back?"
"I'll keep it in mind Thor," Brendan replies. And as they enter, "After you?"
"Of course," Thor throws hint, "the master 'always' before the slave?"
'What a lucky man', Brendan thinks of Jake, literally sucking up to Thor!
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"There is nothing really more to do today Kevin, if you would like to take off?" Rahmi informs him as they reenter the florist shop.
"Cool!" Kevin replies. "So you want me back at what time?"
"Eight o'clock will be enough time to get ready for business."
With slight confusion, Kevin asks, "But I was under the impression I had to be here earlier, like five or so?"
"That was before lunch... before we had our long talk..." and with regret, "before I found out how attached you and Tariq's brother?"
It all became clear to Kevin, "You mean you thought... I like maybe... maybe you and me could..."
"My own fault," Rahmi replies. "Even though I have my priorities, I sometimes allow my 'wicked side' out think what I really desire and I forget what I'm really looking for."
Smiling, Kevin says, "And how would it make you any different than any other single, gay man?"
In closing, wanting to close it up quickly, Rahmi replies, "Thanks for understanding. I'll see you tomorrow at eight," he said as he unlocked the door from the inside, then holding it for Kevin to walk through.
"Oh I forgot. What should I wear?"
It was one of those moments, one gay men share, the silence prevailing, which signifies 'none', Rahmi quickly dismissing both their thoughts, "Ironed white shirt, tie and dark dress pants and shoes?"
"Oh man. I better get going. I've got some shopping to do then!" Kevin replies in a hurried fashion.
"Then I suppose I better advance you some pay?"
"Nah. I'll hit J-C up for it!" Kevin says reassuredly.
On his way out of the florist shop, Kevin realizes his ongoing dilemma - no wheels! First thought to come to mind is meet up with Tariq, so he heads back down Cookman Ave. and comes face to face with the sign reading, 'Arnakali Cafe & Restaurant'. "Got a table for one?" He questions the host from behind.
Tariq knew who it was right away, "Guess what Kev? I got a job and promotion all in one day!"
"Wait... slow down. What's this?"
"Yeah," the eighteen year old spewed forth with excitement, "I was hired as a waiter, but when it got busy and Oncle-Javid needed Rosario to help him out, I got promoted instantly, but I'm also a waiter!"
"Oh-h-h-kay!" Kevin replies, not sure he got the whole gist of the almost one-breath readout. "Now, want to explain it in my terms?"
Tariq smiled, saying, "I will, but I'm busy right now." And when another couple walks in, Tariq says, to Kevin, stuffing some menus into his chest, "Here, show them to an empty table."
'Me?' Kevin thought, but seeing Tariq table-hopping, felt admirable helping out his buddy, not to mention brother of the man he loved. And as he helped out, too came back thoughts of Rahmi, him thinking of how lucky he was and hoping his new boss would find in life what he had... even more, because Kevin knew there was a lot more to come!
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After delivering Jake and Thor back to their car, parked at Brookdell Community College, the two finally had moments together-alone.
"So, what do you think?"
Jean-Claude left it open, almost knowing he was going to get a wisecrack 'Thor' response.
He was wrong, Brendan replying, "I think I could grow to like living in a five million dollar beach house, lazing on the sand morning, noon and night."
And since he didn't get what he was looking for, indirectly, he provoked, "No, I meant about Thor rubbing sand into his nips?"
"Oh well, that!" Brendan replies.
But not opening another Pandora's Box, Jean-Claude side-steps it, "I'm terrible."
"About what?" Brendan retorts, his facial expression changing remarkably.
"All this afternoon we talked about me and the beach house and I completely overlooked the reason 'why' we were at Brookdell today?" As they sat in the parking lot of the college, Jean-Claude smoothes it over, an arm to Brendan's midsection, leaning over for a 'forgiving' kiss.
They were very much interrupted though by a knock on the car window, Brendan responding, "Oh shit! Snagged!"
Indeed he was, by the official at the college whom just hired him!
"Who was that?" Jean-Claude asks, watching the figure get smaller and smaller as he wades through the yard of cars.
"Juan Vasco? The man whom just interviewed me for the security person and was more or less responsible for hiring me, raving about my credentials in front of the college board?"
"Uh-oh," Jean-Claude replies, his attention re-scanning the parking lot, seeing the pin of a figure opening a car door in the very far distance.
"I'm not worried," Brendan says, cool and calmly.
"You're not?"
"Nope. Not after he also informed the board that I'm 'related' to you?"
Playing coy, Jean-Claude replies, "Oh? Is that so? And in which respect did Juan happen to mean it?"
It led to another tender moment, Brendan 'showing' Jean-Claude the exact way in which his answer swayed!
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Kevin in all intentions had decided to stop by the cafe and walk home with Tariq in tow, but in light of the non-alleviating stream of late afternoon diners, the time slipped into early evening. Also, by the time two hours had passed, Kevin found himself more gravitated into the kitchen interiors, finding manual labor more to his liking than playing host out in the front room.
"Here.. you try!"
"Me?" Kevin questioned flipping a small sized piece of dough, similiar to a mini-pizza. "But I've never done anything like that, Javid!" Ignoring his protests, Javid tosses the ball of dough to Kevin, with no excuse but to catch it.
"I bet you good with your hands Kevin!"
Not afraid to say, Kevin replies, "You're a sly bastard Javid!"
"I know," he replies, wiggling his eyebrows as he sports a hefty smile.
Kevin than recalls a couple of hours beforehand, his words to Rahmi, about gay men in general. He had seen this only done a couple of times, in particular when he and Rahmi sat, waiting for their pizza, Kevin watching the pizza-dude toss the dough up and catch it on his hands, the circumference expanding over and over. 'How tough can this little one be'?
Ten minutes later, Javid came back, still finding Kevin trying to make a perfect circle. "Don't have it yet?"
"No... but I'll get it!" Kevin replied, as he ignored every other aspect of the restaurant business. So intent at getting it right, practicing over and over, Kevin had no idea Javid was checking him out everytime he flipped the dough almost overhead, his shirt hiking up, then down, then up, each time revealing his bare waist.
"We can go home now, Kevin!"
"Wait! I've almost got it... watch this Tariq!" Kevin said to Tariq and Rosario, Javid nearby. He tossed the dough up in the air, but catching it, the dough formed holes about all his fingers. "Well I almost got it!"
"You come back tomorrow for more practice," Javid says.
"Oh sorry, but tomorrow I have my first day working at the florist," Kevin informs.
"Then you come after work and work for me!"
It was all talk, Tariq and Kevin chatting about his good fortune, landing two jobs in one day.
"Look!"
"Cool!" Kevin said, seeing Jean-Claude's car parked in front of the florist. The two high-tailed it down the street.
"You just get here?" Kevin asks, as he and Tariq hop in the back seat.
"No," Brendan replies. "We've been sitting here and waiting for the last half hour."
"Really?" Kevin asks.
Brendan cracks up, "No!"
It set about Kevin, reaching over the seat and 'fake-strangling' Brendan.
In return, Brendan suggests to Jean-Claude, "Oh, I bet you could Kevin give a better massage than Thor!"
It then opened up the conversation, which more led towards the real estate the two took the afternoon to peruse.
"Cool! What's this place look like?"
But more concerned, Tariq asks, "Are Emre and me going to have to find a new place to live?"
"Not until you start having 'babies'!" Jean-Claude jokes, which set about Tariq trying to figure it out.
"Kids! Now there's something I hadn't thought about," Kevin replies. "I think I'd like to be a father someday."
"Me too," Brendan smiles and looks across the way to Jean-Claude.
To put the matter to rest for now, Jean-Claude asks, "How about we spin around and pick up Emre, then we all can go check out the beach house?"
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Copyright 2009 T. Chase McPhee
"December Lullaby - DECEMBER - tis the season to be merry" may not be sold, nor made part of any collection, without prior consent from the author.
The more you stretch, the more you can fit in... 'spread' happiness! TCMcP.....