*** !!WARNING!! *** Gay fiction about to begin!
If you're not old enough please come back when you are. If you're not allowed to see this wherever you're accessing it from don't! You should go now at a run-if not, it's your neck and don't say I didn't warn you to leave. And last but not least-if you are offended by the thought of homosexuality then you're in the wrong place. Please go back the way you came in or you will be offended.
Also, these characters come from my imagination. I know of no one like them in real life. Any one who sees himself or anyone they know should mark it down as a coincidence.
Now that you've been properly warned the story continues.
Ian smiled and stepped back from the door, "Please, come in."
Jeremy hadn't missed the excitement in Ian's eyes as he stepped over the threshold in to Ian's loft.
"I didn't realize you live over the restaurant." Jeremy said as he looked around.
"It makes getting to work pretty easy." Ian said. "But the downside is I can't make any excuses for being late. It's not like I can say I was stuck in traffic."
Jeremy laughed in spite of how bad the joke was.
Jeremy continued to look around Ian's loft. It was fairly open and very large since the loft took up the top half of the restaurant below. Jeremy could see the living area immediately to his left. Behind the open living area was the dining room, and then finally the kitchen area. A long counter was all that separated the kitchen from the dining and living areas.
On the wall to his left in the living area, Jeremy noted a large very expensive and modern home entertainment system complete with a large screen television. To the left of the television in the corner was a fireplace. Along the wall between Jeremy and the hearth sat a love seat and then an end table. A modern lamp sat on that table illuminating the area. Closest to Jeremy was another long sofa with an end table to it's left. There was a lamp and a telephone sitting on this table. There was a long sofa to the right of the couch nearest Jeremy that seemed to act as a dividing line between the living and dining areas. There were also end tables on either side of the sofa with a lamp on the one closest to where Jeremy was standing.
The dining area had a small round table that seated four people. The table was a dark wood, most likely cherry if Jeremy were right. All the wooden furniture seemed to be cherry the young man noted. The table was set neatly, and attractively. It would have been perfect in a smaller room for an intimate dinner, but in the large dining area it looked much smaller than it actually was. Behind it against the wall was a china hutch with glass doors. The dishes inside looked old with a very elegant floral pattern in china blue. Somehow it did not seem to fit Jeremy's picture of Ian.
From where Jeremy stood in the living area he could see that the kitchen was large. The cupboards were made of cherry wood, which Jeremy decided had to be Ian's favorite wood. It looked to Jeremy as though every modern kitchen appliance was in Ian's kitchen. Yet, it all seemed to be arranged neatly and in its place.
To the right of the kitchen, Jeremy saw a hallway and closed doors. He wondered what was behind those doors.
Jeremy was looking to his right now and saw a large open area with a black baby grand piano sitting in the areas' center. There was plenty of room to walk around the instrument or stand and listen while it was being played. Jeremy imagined that Ian did a great deal of entertaining in this area.
"This is a big place." Jeremy sounded impressed. "You could put my whole apartment just in the area with the stereo."
"When I decided to turn the place in to my home I didn't have to worry about having enough space." Ian nodded. "But it's too big for just one person. I entertain whenever I can. That fills it up fairly well."
"You know enough people to fill up this place?" Jeremy asked in disbelief.
Ian laughed, "Yes, I do."
Jeremy just shook his head.
Ian found Jeremy's disbelief endearing. In the next moment Ian silently scolded himself. Those were the kind of thoughts you had toward a lover, and Jeremy was only a friend.
"So are you hungry?" Ian asked.
Just then a sound came from Jeremy's midsection that made Ian raise an eyebrow.
"I'll take that as a yes." Ian said.
Blushing, Jeremy nodded. "I'm starved."
Ian's smile brightened, "Good, because there's plenty to eat."
They went in to the dining area to the small round table. There were two place settings with the food taking up the rest of the table.
Ian nodded toward a chair, "Please sit."
"I have wine to go with dinner, or would you prefer something else?" Ian said.
Jeremy shook his head, "No, that's cool."
Jeremy sat down and Ian sat in the chair beside him. Picking up the wine bottle Ian held out his hand. Jeremy understood Ian's gesture and handed him the lead crystal goblet sitting next to Jeremy's plate. Ian poured the sparkling clear liquid in to the glass and then handed it back to his guest. Ian then filled his own glass before setting the bottle back in the center of the table.
Ian picked up a bowl with wooden handles sticking up out of it and offered it to Jeremy.
"Would you like some salad?" Ian asked.
"Sure." Jeremy took the bowl then set it beside his plate. Taking the handles-which were salad spoons-the young man dipped a mixture of green lettuce, cauliflower, cherry tomatoes, and white cheese on to his plate.
"I wasn't sure what you liked." Ian said. "So I kept it fairly simple. Boneless lemon chicken breast, fresh salad, fresh cut green beans and a baked potato."
"You call that simple?" Jeremy asked. "That's a big meal."
Ian laughed, "You should see what my mother used to put on the table. I used to swear she cooked everything there was in the house when it came to meal times. Holiday dinners were the worst."
Jeremy nodded, "My mother cooks for two days getting ready for the holidays. You didn't dare not eat, otherwise she was liable to spoon feed you."
"No one went away from my mother's table hungry either." Ian nodded. "It's amazing that Dad and I weren't as big as houses from Mom's cooking."
Jeremy nodded. He missed his mother's cooking. He missed his old room, but his father had made it clear Jeremy was no longer welcome in Jack Mason's house.
Ian saw the look of pain in Jeremy's eyes. Home was a sore subject for his young friend. Ian was sorry he brought it up.
"I rented a movie to watch after dinner." Ian said. "It's action- adventure. I figured you'd like that."
"Yeah?" Jeremy's interest stirred. "What'd you get?"
"Perfect Storm." Ian replied. "Have you seen it?"
Jeremy shook his head, "Nope, I never made it to that one. It sounded really good though. Did you see it?"
Ian shook his head, "No, that was right after I split up with Marcus. I was in pretty bad shape then. I didn't go out for quite a while."
"You had it bad then." Jeremy said.
Ian nodded, "As bad as it can get."
"I guess I should've known that considering how you reacted to him in your office." Jeremy said.
"Well, Marcus is a bad memory I'd just as soon not talk about." Ian said. "Besides, talking about him will just spoil the food."
Jeremy smiled.
Ian liked the young man's smile. Then he remembered that he had promised Jeremy that he would be his friend and nothing more. Ian knew he had to stop thinking this way or he would never live up to his promise.
"Chicken?" Ian asked recovering.
"Thanks." Jeremy said.
Ian passed food, one dish at a time, until Jeremy's plate was full.
Ian kept an eye on Jeremy as the young man tried each bite. He wasn't looking so much out of a sense of insecurity because Ian was confident in his ability to cook. Ian was more curious as to what his guest liked on his plate. The young man's face did not reveal much as he ate. Ian wondered if maybe he had fixed too generic a meal.
Jeremy did not say anything as he ate. Ian noted his dinner guest did not utter so much as a moan.
Finally, Ian could take no more and asked lightly, "You're not much for dinner conversation, are you?"
Jeremy looked up and a look of embarrassment crossed his face. Ian noted that Jeremy's ears turned red when he blushed. Jeremy shook his head.
"No, my dad's a firm believer that meals are best when eaten in silence."
Ian shook his head. "Mine was always talking. He always asked about my day, and it never seemed to matter how hungry he was."
Jeremy shook his head looking sideways, "Not my dad."
"What about your mother?" Ian asked.
Jeremy shrugged, "Mom pretty much went along with anything Dad wanted."
"Not mine," Ian said. "She was Italian. She told my Dad and anybody else exactly what she thought."
"What did your dad do?" Jeremy asked wide-eyed.
It was Ian's turn to shrug, "Most of the time he listened and let her have her way. Once in awhile they argued about it. They didn't argue very much, but when they did. God, the neighbors three blocks away could hear them. Fortunately, those arguments were few and far between."
"Who won?" Jeremy asked.
"They both did." Ian smiled. "They would find some way to make both their ideas work, and if they couldn't they found a different answer altogether."
"Amazing." Jeremy whispered. "Your parents were so cool."
The tone of the young man's voice made Ian believe him. Their conversation told him quite a bit about his guest's home life. His father was both controlling and demanding. Expecting his home and his family to conform to his idea of perfection.
"Yes," Ian nodded. "Most of the time Jack and Rose Shea were cool parents."
"Your dad's name is Jack?" Jeremy gasped.
"Uh huh," Ian nodded. "Jack Thomas Shea."
"My dad's name is Jack." Jeremy said.
Surprised, Ian looked at Jeremy. "Seriously?"
Jeremy nodded.
"So, what did you do after I saw you this afternoon?" Ian asked.
"I spent the afternoon with my usual Tuesday client." Jeremy replied with a shrug.
Ian hesitated for just a moment. Then he said, "I see."
Jeremy looked up realizing what he had said. "That was stupid." He scolded himself. Then he decided it was not. If Ian were going to accept him then he would have to accept this part of his life too.
"Another satisfied customer." Ian said lightly.
Jeremy was impressed. Ian handled it well. Maybe they did have a chance together.
The rest of dinner went uneventfully. Jeremy watched as Ian seemed relaxed and enjoyed his wine while Jeremy nursed his one glass.
When they had finished, Ian started clearing away the dishes. Jeremy started to help but Ian shook his head.
"You're my guest." Ian said. "Why don't you go wait over on the couch and I'll finish this up. It'll only take a minute and then we can watch the movie. You want some popcorn?"
Jeremy shook his head, "No way, I'm stuffed."
"There's more wine, or would you prefer soda pop, or maybe ice water?" Ian asked still playing the part of the good host.
"I could go for a cola," Jeremy nodded, and then he remembered his manners. "Dinner was great, thanks."
"You're welcome." Ian smiled.
Jeremy went over to the long couch and sat down. True to his word, Ian finished clearing the table in a few minutes and joined him in the living area with the bottle of wine and Jeremy's cola. Ian started the movie and then moved over to sit beside Jeremy on the couch. Once Ian leaned back against the back of the sofa and tapped the button on the remote Jeremy sat back and relaxed too.
They sat and watched the movie in companionable silence. Each of them sipped their drinks until the movie was over. Jeremy could not help but notice that Ian enjoyed wine. Jeremy wondered if maybe Ian enjoyed wine too much. It bothered him a little but Jeremy said nothing to Ian. When the movie ended Ian raised the remote, pointed it at the VCR, and stopped the tape with a push of a button.
"That was weird." Jeremy noted.
Ian nodded in agreement, "Strange way to end a movie."
Jeremy sighed, "I suppose I should head home."
"Hold on and I'll drive you." Ian offered.
"I think you've had too much wine for that." Jeremy nodded toward the bottle.
Ian looked at the bottle on the table and shook his head.
"I'm sorry, I don't usually drink so much." Ian sounded shocked and embarrassed.
Jeremy chuckled, "Were you nervous?"
Ian shook his head, "No, not after you liked my cooking. In fact, I can't remember the last time I felt so comfortable entertaining a guest."
Jeremy looked at his shoes for a moment, slightly embarrassed. "Well, I had a good time too."
Ian looked at his watch, "My God, it's after ten."
"So?" Jeremy asked.
"Look, it's late and I've had too much wine or I'd take you home." Ian said. "I know you can take care of yourself and all that, but the streets aren't safe even for you. I insist you stay here tonight."
Jeremy was surprised. He had not expected this. It took a moment before he could speak.
"Where do you expect me to sleep?"
It was a good question. Ian had to think. Marcus' room was bare and the bed was gone. There were only two places Jeremy could sleep-the sofa, or Ian's bed. The sofa was so uncomfortable that it really only left Ian's bed.
"You can sleep with me." Ian said.
Jeremy raised an eyebrow, but Ian raised his hands before the youth could speak.
"Nothing will happen. I'm your friend not your lover, remember?" Ian said.
A part of him was disappointed, but Jeremy knew Ian was a man of his word.
"You don't even know how I sleep." Jeremy said.
"True." Ian agreed with a nod. "So how do you sleep?"
"Naked." Jeremy said calmly. The surprised look on Ian's face was well worth it.
"Oh." Ian said surprised for only a moment. "Well, um, that shouldn't be a problem. I sleep in pajamas."
"Really?" It was Jeremy's turn to be surprised. "I figured you for a pair of jogging shorts."
Ian laughed, "No, I wear pajamas; both top and bottoms."
Jeremy looked thoughtful for a moment, "Well, since we're friends I suppose it would be cool."
Ian smiled gratefully, "Good, you can get ready for bed first. You want a shower or anything?"
"No, but a toothbrush would be nice." Jeremy said.
"As luck would have it, there are a couple extra ones in the medicine cabinet. They haven't even been opened yet." Ian smiled. "Help yourself."
Jeremy went in to the bathroom and found the toothbrushes just where Ian said they were. He found the toothpaste and proceeded to take care of his teeth.
As he brushed, Jeremy found that part of him was nervous while another part felt perfectly at home. He had not been to Ian's home before and here he was about to get in to the man's bed.
Once that was done he went to the bedroom and found that Ian had turned down the top sheet and comforter on the king-sized bed. The walls were a dark gold color and the drapes were a chocolate brown matching the bedspread.
Ian was standing near the dresser. In his arms was a burgundy colored bundle. He looked over when he sensed Jeremy enter the room. Jeremy was still dressed in the clothes he had worn earlier.
Ian smiled, "Good, you're done. If you want to watch TV the remote's on the nightstand. All I ask is that you keep it down when I climb in to bed."
Jeremy shook his head, "No thanks, I'm tired anyway."
Ian nodded and then moved past him. "I'll be back in a few minutes. Make yourself to home."
"Thanks," Jeremy said and watched as Ian left the room.
He sighed and started to disrobe. As he took each piece of clothing off he wondered if Ian was going to be able to keep his promise. Jeremy found he would not mind if Ian could not keep his hands to himself. Strangely, he found himself hoping that Ian would break his promise.
Jeremy finished removing his clothes and then slipped into bed. He decided to sleep on the side of the bed farthest from the door. The fresh sheets were cool to his skin and felt refreshing as he pulled the covers up to his chest. He reached over to turn off the lamp on his side of the bed and then settled back to wait for Ian.
Ian came back from the bathroom to find Jeremy in bed covered up. The sight of the youth's bare shoulders and smooth chest made his body react. But he had given his word, and Ian was a man of his word. Though the way Jeremy looked in bed it was definitely not going to be easy.
Jeremy watched Ian come to the bed and slip under the covers. Jeremy was surprised because had expected the older man to throw the covers off and take a good look at him. Ian reached up and turned off the lamp.
"Night." Ian said and settled down to sleep.
Ian slept on his right side and was facing Jeremy in the dark though at the moment all he could see was black. It would take a minute before his eyes adjusted to the darkness. Ian closed his eyes worried that he would not be able to keep his promise if he could see the young man lying next to him in the dark.
Jeremy waited. He half expected to feel Ian's arms close around him. The arms did not come to him and when his eyes adjusted to the darkness he could make out Ian lying there next to him. Jeremy smiled to himself not sure why, but something about this felt right. Then he rolled over on to his right side and closed his eyes.
He was soon fast asleep.
The next morning Jeremy awoke to what felt like silk against his cheek and his chest. Jeremy felt the soft silk spread from his chest to his left arm. Jeremy opened his eyes to find that he was the one with an arm around Ian. Ian was lying on his back and Jeremy could see his face.
Ian's eyes were open and there was a look of contentment there.
Ian smiled pleasantly, "Good morning."
Startled, Jeremy jumped up on to his elbow. He looked around at Ian's bedroom and remembered where he was.
"Morning." Jeremy said finally.
Ian sighed.
It sounded so sad to Jeremy that he had to ask, "What? Is something wrong?"
"No," Ian's tone was not convincing. "I guess the moment had to end sometime."
"Huh, what moment?" Jeremy asked. Then he seemed to catch on, "What were you doing?"
Ian started to reach up and Jeremy was sure he was going to touch his face. Then Ian's hand froze. A slight frown crossed Ian's face and he let his hand drop. He merely said, "Watching you sleep."
Part of Jeremy wanted Ian to touch him.
Instead Jeremy snorted, "What's so good about that?"
Ian merely smiled, "You wouldn't believe how angelic you look asleep."
Jeremy felt his face flush, but he kept his cool. "I'll bet you've said that to the dozen or so guys you've slept with."
Ian shook his head, "No. I've only said that to one other, but even he didn't look so peaceful when he slept."
Jeremy grinned, "Two out of a dozen?"
Ian shook his head again.
Ian quietly said, "I've only shared my bed with three men. You are number three, and the first who's only a friend."
Jeremy laughed, "I haven't been to a sleep over in a long time."
Ian echoed Jeremy's laughter. Then the moment passed and the two were quiet. The silence quickly became awkward. Finally, Jeremy broke it.
"Well it's daylight now, so it should be safe to go home." Jeremy sighed.
Ian did not want the young man to leave. He started to offer him breakfast, but decided against it.
Instead Ian said, "I guess you should, but next time I'll have breakfast for you."
"I'd like that." Jeremy smiled.
Ian's face lit up like a man who had just won the lottery, but he quickly calmed himself and the expression on his face.
"Good," Ian replied. "I'll go in the other room so you can get dressed now."
Jeremy laughed, "You don't have to do that."
Ian slipped out of bed being careful not to expose Jeremy. He did have to leave because Ian could not trust himself at that moment to keep his word if Jeremy were to climb out of bed.
"Uhm, yes I do, actually, I need to go to the bathroom." Ian hooked a thumb over his shoulder.
Soon Jeremy was dressed and Ian walked him to the front door.
"Thanks for coming over." Ian said. "I enjoyed your company last night."
"I did too." Jeremy smiled. It had been nice.
"Hopefully we can spend an evening like that again." Ian suggested.
Jeremy nodded and spoke before he thought, "I'd like that."
Ian smiled politely on the outside, but was turning cartwheels on the inside. "Good."
"Well, see ya' later." Jeremy said and headed out the door.
"Bye," Ian replied.
Ian watched out the door as Jeremy walked down the wrought iron stairs.