Alex-
Almost one month had passed since that fateful night. Till now only a handful of persons knew. Not that I minded, in fact I was happy; I did not want to rush into a relationship. I met Rick very few times. Both of us were busy with our personal lives- as journalist, his timetable was pretty charged and I had to juggle with my studies and my job at the Italian restaurant, `At Adriano's'. But we never failed to keep in contact. I dropped at his apartment or office one or two times on the way to the restaurant but mostly we phoned and talked. For others, it might be very lame but for me, it was heavenly. Waiting for his phone calls, the heart beat increasing every time the phone rings and the joy to hear his voice was becoming the essence of my life.
Right now, I did not know what to do. I had decided to abstain from relationships till I grew much mature. Hasty commitments bring only pain and disappointment. Till now, it was okay but this resolution seemed much more difficult after I met Rick. He was a really fine man. He loved me very much and cared for me. Was he the man of my life? I don't know. Should I never let him go? I don't know. But about the pain, am I ready for them? I don't know. Should I tell him to wait for me? No, it would not be fair to Rick since I was not certain about what I feel for him. Perhaps, I should let everything in the hands of time and circumstances.
Eventually, the circumstances presented themselves a Friday night. It was raining outside and I had closed myself in my dorm room. With coffee by my side, I was going through a report I had to submit the following week. It was ten, a few hours before I normally went to bed. The warm music of an unknown artist was chasing the eerie silence when someone knocked at my door. Well, I did not have any friends in the dorm so I was quite alarmed. My first thoughts were of drunken gay bashers. But when I heard the voice of Rick calling my name, I opened the door.
"Hi!" he said completely drenched and looking a bit lost. We stood there looking a bit uneasy when I realized: "Oh, I'm so sorry, come in! I'm not the best host."
"Would you like some coffee?" I asked as he entered and I closed the door.
"Yeah, it would be nice," he said as he sat on the edge of my bed. Damn it, my hand was shaking as I made the coffee. He was looking so sexy with drops of waters dripping from his wet hair. His drenched white shirt was clinging to his well-toned chest and his soaked pale blue pants were, oh my god, almost transparent. His dark briefs and the bulge inside it were more than noticeable.
"Here, it is," I said as I kept two cups of coffee on the nearby table, "I'll fetch you some towels."
I brought some dry towels from the closet. I was amazed that my knees did not give way when I turned around and found Rick standing in front of me, shirtless. I clenched the back of a chair to keep standing.
"I was feeling cold in the drenched shirt so I removed it. I hope you don't mind," he asked innocently. I instantly sat down to hide my aroused state.
"It's okay," I uttered breathlessly. I clenched my hand as I saw him dry himself with the towel. The nails dug in my skin as I observed his perfect chest. It was not heavily muscled with muscles only where necessary. It was a real torture for a guy like me, who had a certain fondness for nice chests, to keep hands off him. `Lucky towel!' I thought.
"There are some t-shirts in the closet. Choose anyone who like. You would not like to be shirtless in such a freezing room, would you?" I said as I toiled to keep my eyes off his chests or pants. Rick looked a bit disappointed but nevertheless, he put on a navy blue t-shirt. Ouf, if I did not get this last-minute idea, I might have committed a rape that night!
"So^Å," I said after some lengthy minutes while both of us sat down and sipped the coffee.
"Well, it's just that^ÅI was passing by and decided to drop in to see you," he answered hesitantly. I instantly knew that he was lying but I did not say anything and gave a weak smile. He was looking at his feet and suddenly, he inhaled extra amount of amount as if he was about to shout but he only said, quite rapidly: "I'm lying. I left early from office and had been standing out in rain for about two hours before I got enough courage to knock at your door."
We both stared at each other for a few seconds. He was waiting for my reaction but before I could stop myself, I burst into laughter. He looked away sheepishly. Muttering something like "its okay", he started towards the door. I stopped him.
"Sorry, it was not really wise and responsible from my part to laugh. Come here and sit by my side. Why you waited so long? We're friends so you're free to come here. You could have fallen ill?" I said empathically.
"In fact I have to ask you something. Alex, would you like to go on a date with me tomorrow night?" he said calmly. I just sat still, digesting the news. I opened my mouth but did not know what to say.
"Listen to me first. It's not that we are going to be boyfriends. It will just be an occasion to know each other more. There'll be no commitments. We are just going to be^Åspecial friends. But please don't refuse," he said earnestly. I was simply at loss. Perhaps, Rick is right after all.
"Okay, we can try," I said uncertainly. A large grin broke on the face of Rick. His exuberant face told me that I took the right decision.
The next night, I found myself pacing nervously at the dorm's gate. Rick was about to come. He said that a simple formal dress would suffice, like shirt and pants. After foraging about two hours in my wardrobe and cursing my bad taste of clothes, I settled into a lavender shirt and black pants. It was my first date since years. My friends tried to hook me up with several guys but I stepped back each time. I was checking the time for perhaps the tenth time when Rick showed up in a black car.
"I'm sorry I'm late," he said as I got in.
"Don't be stupid. It's me who has come down early. So where are we going?" I said.
"Dinner! There's a nice restaurant some fifteen minutes from here. I'm sure you're going to like it," he said smiling.
We kept talking for the rest of the trip, mostly about restaurants and food. He was looking really nice with a pale green shirt with `Richard' embroidered on the pocket. His brown hair was fluttering due to the wind coming in by the window. They were now shining in the moonlight as if gold. Each hair seemed to be designed a great artist and the way the hair was dressed was not less than a masterpiece. I had never been so fascinated by someone's hair.
We arrived at the restaurant, Homely'. It got an oriental touch, mostly Indian. It was rather cozy. We ordered an Indian dish, sounding something like Tandoori'. It consisted of chicken and spicy sauces. Anything besides pizza or Italian dish was welcomed; I did not want to remember my job in a date. Right?
Rick-
Last night was probably one of the most important ones of my life. Nothing went as I planned but instead it was even better. It seemed that nature itself was by my side. I did not know that my drenched state would have such an effect on Alex. It would have been hilarious to see him so baffled if I had not been nervous myself. For a moment when Alex laughed, I thought it was over but luckily it was otherwise. I would have certainly been broken-heart if he would have refused.
I was a regular customer of the restaurant Homely'. It was recommended by the editor-in-chief of the newspaper I worked for. The plus was that I benefited from privacy. Mainly I came here for a dinner in solitude but that night, it was really special. For the first time, I was finding the red drapes, the slow music and even the food romantic. I had in front of me my Mr. Perfect. I could not help staring at him. Even in those simple clothes, he was looking gorgeous. First two buttons of his shirt was undone. Little hair from his chest was visible. He wore a silver chain with the letter A', written in gothic style. He certainly had style and that made him damn sexy. I just wished the time stood still. It did seem like the line of a movie or book but I meant it.
Suddenly, I found him shivering from cold so moved next to him.
"I'm sorry I did not wear any jacket or coat," I whispered in his ear. I could feel the heat of my breath going all over him. "I'm ok. It was my fault to wear something as impractical as this." "You're spell-binding," I said looking into his blue eyes, "Really Alex, it's not your fault." I wrapped my arms around him protectively.
"Look at these two! They should be shot at sight, disgusting fags. The next thing you know is that they be fucking everyone they lay hands on," they heard a gruff voice say behind them. Fear and anxiety flashed in Alex's eyes but I could feel myself shaking with fury. I hated homophobes. I got up from my seat, despite Alex's protest and went towards the table from where the voice came. Everyone had their eyes on me at that moment.
"Excuse me, can I talk with you for some minutes," I said to the man, not concealing my anger. He was the splitting image of the character Uncle Vernon in the Harry Potter series. He was a really fat man with a moustache and no neck at all. He had with him a tall bony woman and a tiny skinny girl.
"What if I refuse?" he said smirking.
"Oh, I insist. Or else, the scene won't be good in the restaurant and I don't think the owner would thank you for that," I said with the same angry tone. The owner was known to be a vicious man, hating disturbance at his restaurant.
He then followed me to the balcony. It was a quiet place with no one else but only a glass pane separated the inside and the balcony. I could see Alex fidgeting in his seat, worried.
"Why you brought me here? Want to have piece of me?" he barked.
"Just shut up, bastard and listen to me. First of all, I would not think about touching you, even if you're the last man on earth. So you can stuff your piece in your ugly ass! And second, you'll have to present your apologies to my partner for insulting him," I said threateningly.
"If you that I'll apologize to a faggot, you're dreaming," he spat.
"I don't think so, I believe. Or else the consequences won't be pleasant for you. I don't think you would like to have Richard Grey as your enemy, would you?" I said. He opened his mouth to say something but when he saw my name written on my shirt, he closed his mouth. I could sense his tiny brain working.
"By Richard Grey, you mean the reporter of Every Time and son of Arthur Grey, owner of Grey Breweries?" he said in a small voice.
"Yeah, the same Richard Grey. I'm waiting for you apology and it has to be in front of every one just like you insulted him. You better hurry, mother fucker," I snarled. He wanted to retort but bit his tongue. Like a dog with his tail between his legs, he went towards Alex.
"I'm sorry that I insulted you," he said so that everyone could hear him and in an eye blink, he left the restaurant without looking back.
I sat down next to Alex. His moral was really down.
"I think we should leave," he said quietly. I nodded and we left. We did not talk after that until we were fully ensconced in our seats.
"Alex, what's wrong? C'mon tell me. You have been awfully quiet," I asked as I started the car.
"Was it necessary to make the man apologize? You should not have stretched the matter!" he said as his eyes flashed with anger. He looked pretty dangerous this way.
"So you think I should have lie down on his path and allow him to trod on me?" I said trying to keep my clam.
"No! But when dogs bark, you don't bite them. He would have shut himself up even if you had not done anything. You can't shut everyone's mouths! Today you answered to one but there are thousands outside. What about them?"
"If everyone think and act like me, not thousands but millions can be answered. Someone got to start and why not me?" I replied furiously. `What's wrong with him' I thought.
"You are protected by your money and your father, Rick. But common people can't afford to fight for our rights. If tried, we are shunned by our own and bashed by strangers. I'm sure if that man did not know your identity, he would have beaten you up. Due to your stupidity, you could have landed in hospital. Are you aware of this? You know how worried I was?"
"What is stupidity for you, for me it's courage. I cannot stand someone insulting us, especially you," I said.
The rest of the drive went in silence. Neither of us was wrong; just our perceptions were different. It was just that I wanted the dinner to be better. I was relying on this dinner to change Alex's mind. Perhaps, I ruined the sole opportunity I got. I wanted to explain everything to him but what will I tell him. What if the matter is worsened? I did not get more time to think because we arrived at the dorm.
"Bye!" he said as he got down.
Bye!" I replied. Our eyes met and we gave each other a weak smile. We were both still lost in our thoughts.
It's a long chapter compared to the others. And, this one got the POV of both Alex and Rick. So, what do you think of this chapter. Don't hesitate to send your views to sexhavoc_66@yahoo.com. You can tell me what you think of the story the quality of language and the style.