Yo guys!! What's happening??
I'm overwhelmed with the feedback I got. THANK YOU. This story really means a lot to me.
I'm always up for a chat so if you wanna get in touch, just shoot some words my way liciousryan@gmail.com
Love Always, Ryan
LOVE HAS NO GENDER CHAPTER TWO
Rocco wiggled his nose. He turned around on his side and tried to get back to sleep. Only the universe...and two little boys had other ideas. Something was tickling his nose. He wiggled it again. WHAT...THE HECK...he sprung up and immediately he heard laughing scatter throughout the room. Along with two small boys, but mostly their running little legs scurrying away. Boyish laughter could be heard al the way into the house. Wait a second. This wasn't home...where the hell...??
Oh yeah. It everything came flooding back like an re-enactment of the Titanic. Teresa, his wife, going way too far, and him taking Ryder, his seven year old son and deciding once and for all to get him away from that sick, sick woman who couldn't stand her son or infact her embarrassment of a husband. Her words. Rocco sighed as he remembered that he and Ryder only managed to get as far as the the house next door, where his new neighbour, Doctor Brad, the very same man he accused of molesting Ryder, when the latter was only trying to help the boy when he complained of his tummy itching due to a rash. Not to mention that Brad was the dad (!) of Ryder's bestie at school, Dave. Rocco closed his eyes and thanked God that Ryder didn't seem to be ill, what with him carrying Ryder out in the cold at two in the morning. Brad was kind enough to invite them to at least stay the night. Rocco only accepted because his first priority was Ryder's safety. Still...along with the embarrassment of knowing his new neighbour knew of everything that was going on inside his home...well there was nothing he could about it now. He could only apologise for Teresa's screams which actually woke Brad up in the middle of the night. And all because little Ryder had a bad dream and woke his mother. Fuck me.
Brad seemed that he was an okay dude. He accepted Rocco's apology and before both went to bed last night, things seemed to be fine. And so it seemed...when he looked downwards and him seeing the tree twig that either Dave or Ryder must have used to wake him, both boys must have had the time of their lives. Infact, now that he thought about it, this was actually Ryder's first unofficial sleep over. He smiled. Funny how in the middle of all this chaos between him and Teresa, Ryder was still smiling and happy. He smelled coffee. His weakness. He heard footsteps. His agony. He saw Brad, as he looked up and immediately began to try and somehow clean the couch where he fell asleep on.
"Brad, I...sorry I slept so late. You know what, I will just finish up here and Ryder and I will be out of your hair..."
"What's the hurry, mate? Seriously, will you chill? You're more feisty than Nicci is in the mornings, and that is saying a lot! Feisty...in the bedroom. If you know what I mean."
Rocco stood still with a pillow in his hand as he listened to Brad speak. Wait...just like that Brad revealed details of his marriage to a perfect stranger? His face must have spoken a thousand words indeed as he saw Brad double over in laughter. He had to put the two cups of coffee down he was carrying, in order to stop them spilling. He plonked himself down on the opposite couch as his laughter subsided. One sneaky look at Rocco though and his laughter was back. Only Rocco didn't find any of this funny. Not in the least.
"What, I'll just stand here and be your entertainment of the morning, shall I? Sorry I can't replace your wife in bed but hey...you sure had a good laugh!" Rocco said angrily. He was so sure that he was wrong about Brad after the whole paedophile saga but clearly he sussed him correctly first time out. No, he wasn't a molester but he was a little shit head. He had so many troubles with Teresa, he REALLY couldn't deal with a laughing doctor/neighbour acting like a tool. Eventually Rocco's true feelings had to be seen and it meant something to Brad because he straightened out his face and got much more serious. He leaned back into the couch and took a sip of his coffee.
"Will you stop throwing daggers at me? Only way I could get you to stop worrying about...how the couch looked! Really? Mate, I wish you can just relax for a bit. You're always jittery, worrying about everything. I get it. You're worried about Teresa and how she's affecting Ryder. Mate, trust me. If Nicci ever talked like that about Dave I'd divorce her in a heart beat. That little boy is my entire life."
"Now you know how I feel. He's all I got. I ain't got no one else!" Rocco hissed, careful not to allow the boys to hear him.
"I wouldn't say that. I'd like to think me and you can become friends, being neighbours and all. That's if you don't do a runner again."
"Fuck. What am I gonna say to Teresa? She's probably called social services and the police on my ass by now!" Rocco whispered, sitting down on the couch he slept on, his face in his hands.
"I'm sorry if I sound blunt but...why? You said it yourself, she doesn't give a shit about your son."
Rocco looked up and tangled his hands into a knot. Stress did that too him.
"Brad, she would do that if only to get revenge on me daring to leave with Ryder. That's what you get for getting filth pregnant, living with filth and marrying filth."
Brad stood up and made his way over to Rocco. He sat down beside him. Rocco didn't seem to mind. In fact, he didn't even remember what being close to a man felt like. He never knew his own father. Slowly, Brad reached out and placed his hand on Rocco's shoulder.
"You wanna tell me about it? Because...who am I gonna tell?"
Rocco's lips twitched. He looked over at Brad. He smiled. Suddenly that little sentence...those few words were the funniest thing he ever heard in his life. Because...who would Brad tell? Brad joined into the laughter and together the two men laughed about nothing in particular until they were wiping their eyes and rubbing their tender stomachs. It felt so good to just...laugh. For just one or two minutes, not to worry about anything and just be himself. The laughter eventually stopped and both men just sat comfortably in silence. A scream from the back yard startled both of them. Rocco sprung up and dashed outside...only to see both Ryder and Dave indulge in what was clearly a scene from the latest Pokemon episode. Ryder was playing Ash and Dave was playing Kiawe. They were practising a Z-Move.
Rocco wanted to break up whatever they were doing and tell his son not to scream like that in other people's houses...until he felt a hand on his arm, gently pulling him back. He turned around, only to see Brad shook his head, and afters, look out into the yard with a peaceful smile on his face watching the kids play.
"Don't mate. Look at them. They're happy. They're free. Dave has never had friends over. Not ever. He's a bit of a loner. Has been ever since his twin brother died."
Rocco's face softened. He turned away from the boys and stared at Brad in sheer disbelief.
"Dude...I am..I'm so sorry, I...what happened? Fuck...sorry, ofcourse not...I'm such a damn idiot..."
"It's okay. Hmm where do I start...well we were having holiday at the beach. Two years ago now. It was my birthday. The kids were in the water. Nicci was having a session or something at the spa. I said I'd look after the kids. I rubbed in their sun cream that morning. I told them not to go in too far in the water. I turned my back for a split second to get my phone to take pictures for Nicci. I swear, mate. It was literally that long. I think. But...the next thing I see Dave running out of the water yelling and screaming that he couldn't find Ned. And since they were both in the water where else would Ned be...afterwards the nurses at the hospital told me Ned bumped his head against some rocks and Dave, being five, didn't realise what happened. Ned must have been underwater for a while before Dave finally realised his brother wasn't just playing a game with him like they sometimes did."
Rocco felt an immense sorrow and pity for this tall man before him. If something would ever happen to Ryder...he'd go ballistic. Without thinking HE reached out this time...suddenly the roles were reversed...and he squeezed Brad's shoulder. Brad sighed, blinked hard a few times, and smiled.
"Since then, Dave never really had a close friend. That's until he met Ryder. Ryder is a great kid, and that's because you did a hell of a job raising that boy. Because Lord knows, from what you told me, he's nothing like this mother."
What was a weird, warm, comforting feeling flowing through his body, the mere mention of Teresa turned it ice cold. He took his hand from Brad's shoulder and walked to the back door.
"Ryder! Come on, we gotta go!"
"You're heading home?"
"Yeah man...probably have a lot of explaining to do to the wife. Like I said...she's not exactly the forgiving type."
"Yeah, I figured," Brad said, with a smirk on his face.
"You're a freak, man," Rocco said, but he couldn't help but smile back. He liked Brad. He liked him a lot. The absense of a male friend in his life was bothering him for a while now. It was one thing going to the pub with a couple of work colleagues and having an actual friend at your side. Ryder came running inside, and Rocco took off his own jacket and placed it around his son. He took Ryder's hand in his own and saw Brad opening the front door.
"Come on buddy, say goodbye to Dave and his dad."
Brad smiled at Rocco's words. It was like he was looking at a mirror image of himself. Once all of them were outside, Rocco turned back, to face Brad.
"I...don't know exactly what to say except...thanks. It meant the world to me, you alowing a stranger into your home. Even after I called you a..."
"If you mention that one more time, I'll kick your ass."
"You wish. I'll kick yours first."
"I bet you kick ass like a girl."
"I can show you, you tosser!"
Again, both men laughed. And again, it felt good. Rocco flt like a new person. Brad stretched out his hand and asked...
"So...We're cool?"
Once more Rocco felt a kindship with Brad he never did in his life before. It felt good to have someone watch your back. Yeah. It felt damn good. He saw the fist in front of him. Confidently, he smashed his own onto that of Brad. Yeah. They were cool.
Rocco unlocked the door of their home as he whispered to Ryder to go and get dressed for school. He didn't wanna have him in the room when he faced Teresa. She might not give a fuck about him or Ryder anymore but the mere fact that he left the house with their son in the middle of the night...she's not gonna let that go. He slowly walked into their bedroom. Not a soul around. Weird. He walked back into the living room. No one. He frowned. Where the hell was she? Nope, not in the kitchen either. Was she at the police station grassing him up for child kidnapping? Stunned, he walked outside. He saw a mutual friend of his and Teresa jogging her way up the road. He gave her a wave, but she jogged towards him.
"Rocco! Morning! What time did you get up this morning?"
Rocco froze.
"Uhm...not too late...why?"
"No, it's just I ran into Teresa when she left for work. That was about 06:00. It was still dark out but John was with me. She said she was late for work and you were still asleep. Seemed in a hurry, she did."
Fuck me. You wanna tell me that Teresa was in such a fucking hurry to leave the fucking house, she didn't even fucking realise both himself and Ryder was missing?? Wife of the fuckin year, she was.
"Oh, you know Teresa. Always having a meeting somewhere. I'll see you," Rocco replied. Fuck his wife. He needed to get his son to school.
A few days passed. Yes...Teresa never said anything about her husband taking their son out in the early hours and not returning until the next sunlight. That moment, Dad and Son were filthy as...Ryder and Rocco was planting some seeds Ryder needed to do a project on for school. Sure enough, Teresa was inside the house, behind her desk. When Ryder innocently told his mom about what he needed to do, she told Rocco to "handle it" and to just keep Ryder and his dirty hands out of her way. Rocco didn't even respond. They had been busy for a while when Rocco heard a voice from behind the wall (Not Trump's hahaha) which separating the two houses.
"Need some help there, mate?"
Rocco's first instict when he saw Brad overlooking the fence was sheer happiness. He really wanted to see him again. To thank him properly for what he did for him and Ryder. Maybe it was just relief to see a friendly face. He smiled at Brad and pointed at the ground.
"As you can see me and my foreman are hard at work, aren't we, buddy?" He said and ruffled Ryder's hair.
"Yeah, I can see that. Maybe I'll pay you guys to sort out my garden aswell," Brad said with a sly smile.
"Forget it. We're contract workers only," Rocco joked back. Man, this felt good. Almost like a normal human being. Fuck me.
"I was wondering... Nicci and I are having a barbeque tonight. She said to invite you and Teresa over."
Rocco's smile faded.
"Uhm...yeah...I suppose we can do that. I'll just get cleaned up and ask Teresa if she's up for it. But I'll be there. Count on it."
What made him sound so bloody confidant, he didn't know.
"Good idea. Get away from the tyrunt, yeah?" Brad joked. Rocco didn't wanna smile at Brad teasing his wife but the man was just too much. So full of life. Happiness. Everything Rocco craved.
"Something like that. But as for me, better have a few beers ready, okay?"
"Hey, mi casa, es su casa. If you thought my coffee was good, you should taste my meat. Its marinated to perfection."
"BRO...don't get me started, I love steak.. !!"
"Better get the all clear from the wife then!" Brad laughed, holding out his hand in a fist, and again history repeated itself as Rocco pressed his own against that of his new found buddy for their fist bump.
To be honest, he thought Teresa would say no. But she didn't.
"Perfect opportunity to meet our new neighbours. God knows Susan and Chris were such a dull pair. I swear that woman is still a virgin because there is no way that little cock could satisfy her. I'm telling you, you could see his little peanut through his pants!"
"They seemed happy enough," Rocco mumbled. And then, for good measure... "We never heard them arguing."
"Come to think of it...I did see the husband some days ago...quite a looker. Take some lessons. Look what I have to live with."
Trust Teresa to get the last punch in. Rocco clenched his fists.
"Then why continue to live with me? Come on Teresa. You hate me. You hate Ryder. You blame me for getting you pregnant. You forget we BOTH were drunk that night. It takes two people, Viper."
Teresa swung around, if looks could kill, Rocco would have been a goner.
"Don't...ever...call me Viper again. Its in the past. Move on. Okay?" She whispered dangerously.
"How can I when you keep acting like Viper?" Rocco whispered back, standing his ground.
"Get dressed. We can't be late..." Teresa hissed before leaving the room.
Dinner went surprisingly swimmingly, as Teresa domimated the conversation with her important job. Oh yeah, she shot a few daggers his way when she told everyone with great pleasure that SHE was looking after her poor unemployed husband. He could strangle her. She was clearly impressed with all the sauces and salads Nicci prepared...but when Brad's meat products were finished, she politely declined. Rocco nearly choked on his own steak. My god...Brad went through SO much trouble to make these delicious steaks! What was wrong with Teresa aka Viper? That was her gangster name from back then, suited her perfectly. Her tongue snapped just as fast.
Before the pudding was served, whilst Teresa and Nicci chatted in the kitchen, and Brad was no where to be seen, Rocco took his chance and went to check on Ryder and Dave. His expression and stress on his face and heart melted away when he saw the boys had fallen asleep in a heap, between Dave's so many Pokemon toys. He stepped forward to pick Ryder up, but he felt a presence behind him.
"Makes you feel so peaceful. Watching them."
"Yeah dude. I haven't seen Ryder this happy since...well...its just been a long time."
Brad walked past Rocco and kissed Dave's forehead. He picked up a blanket and carefully placed it over the boys.
"Its cold. Let them sleep. They'll be okay," Brad whispered. And then, he looked up suddenly, directly at Rocco.
"Everything will be okay."
Rocco felt the tears flooding his cheeks before he realised he was silently crying. His own childhood came flooding back...and those times where his own mother had to work two jobs just to make ends meet, some months were so bad, where they would share one measly orange for dinner, and she always gave Rocco the biggest half...she'd always hug him and say..."everything will be okay."
He turned away from Brad. Fuck sake, the last thing he wanted was Brad thinking he was a sissy. A fucking poof. Because real men don't cry. He angrily choked back the tears and forced himself to clear his throat. He expected Brad to be disgusted with him now. So much for this weird...but exciting new friendship between them. Its the second time he had allowed his pent up emotions to spill themselves out infront of his new friend. His best fri...Wow. In just a week, he felt more kindship and a bond with this man than any of his other mates. How? How was this possible? Was he that lonely and pathetic?
Suddenly Brad was in his way. He saw those blue eyes looking back at him. Two hands reached up and gripped his shoulders. Rocco shook with emotion and heart ache. Brad looked him straight in his eyes.
"Everything will be okay. You'll see."
Rocco didn't know who made the first move. He didn't care. Suddenly his arms was around Brad. And Brad's were around him. The two men held each other tightly, like they were each too afraid...too yourself scared, too hesitant to let go. The warmth of the others body was gripping, exciting...wonderfully reassuring. Together they stood in unison, each male enjoying the touch of the other. "You wanna take care of everybody, mate. Who the hell is taking care of you...?" Rocco heard Brad whisper.
"I guess me, Ryder...and..." He didn't wanna say it. He wasn't sure. But he didn't need to. Brad did.
".. and me? You bet your ass I care. I care a lot".
For just under two minutes they stood in their embrace. Nothing more, nothing less. They heard the women's voices downstairs. Still, they didn't let go from each other's grasps.
"Thanks..." Rocco heard himself whisper.
"You're welcome..." came the reply.
THANKS FOR READING!!
Okay, so no sex scenes yet. But if you read this far, I thank you. Love really has no gender! #LoveIsLove
Wanna chat with me about the story?? Feel free :) liciousryan@gmail.com