Sleepy Days

Sleepy Days, Come No More

Chapter 37

My day went by pretty quickly. Honestly I was glad that it was Monday. I wanted to focus on something other than my life. Everything made sense at work. I knew exactly what to do. People looked to me for guidance and answers. The same could be said for school. Monday through Friday always provided me with stability; it was the weekends that seemed to cause the problems.

Sean and I went out to dinner with a couple of his friends, Liam and Dylan, on Tuesday night. I never met Dylan but I had seen Liam out a couple of times, but never really spoke to him. He was usually preoccupied and he didn't seem like the approachable type and I am not exactly an outgoing person.

We arrived early and were seated. We talked amongst ourselves as we waited for our companions.

"So how was work?" Sean asked.

"It was fine, no problems. How about you?" I asked.

"The same, no problems." Sean answered.

"So, why did you want to go out with Liam and Dylan?" I asked.

"I thought you might want to get out." Sean replied.

"Really? That is the only reason?" I asked.

"Why are you so suspicious? Maybe I just want you to meet a couple of my friends." Sean said with a sweet smile.

"I am not suspicious, but we have never really gone out with any of your friends. I mean we may see some of your friends out, but never really a planned encounter." I said.

"Do you not want to meet them?" Sean asked.

"No, that isn't what I meant; I just thought it was a little unusual." I confessed.

"There is nothing unusual about friends meeting for dinner." Sean countered.

"Okay." I smiled. "So, I know Liam is the party planner but what about Dylan? I don't think I have ever met him." I inquired.

"I think you have seen him out before, he and Liam are a couple." Sean informed.

"A couple?" I asked.

"Yes, they have been together a long time, especially by gay time." Sean said with a chuckle.

"Gay time?" I asked.

"You know, gay relationships seem to be less likely to last as long, especially when both guys are young." Sean explained.

"So what is a long time by gay standards?" I inquired.

"A couple of years." Sean replied.

"That must be an eternity by your standards." I said with a laugh.

Sean smiled broadly, again revealing those dimples, "Six months has been the longest I have lasted." Sean admitted.

"You were in a committed relationship before?" I asked.

"Once." He confessed.

"What happened? Who was he?" I probed with excitement.

"Calm down. It was a long time ago; we were both young and thought we were in love." Sean said.

"What happened?" I asked.

"Nothing. Life. We were just too young and neither of us was ready to be in a serious relationship." Sean explained.

"You are being awfully vague. Did someone break your heart pretty boy?" I asked playfully.

"I thought you said I didn't have a heart?" Sean said with a smile.

"I never said anything like that, you must be confusing me with one of your others buddies." I said.

"You may not have said it, but you have certainly implied it." Sean contended.

"Oh, have I hurt your feelings?" I asked playfully.

"Maybe?" Sean said with a smile.

"Well, you know that I was just kidding." I said.

"Oh really?" Sean asked with a grin.

"You are so full of it. You just don't want to talk about your ex." I asserted.

"You just don't know when to stop. First you imply I have no heart and now you insult me, do you want me to cry?" Sean asked facetiously.

"As if you could." I countered.

"There it is again your cruelty." Sean laughed.

"So, Liam and Dylan are a serious couple?" I inquired.

"That's what they say." Sean said.

"You don't think that they are?" I asked.

He sighed and smiled, "If there is a such thing as real love, they seem to have it." Sean said.

"Is this like a double date? Because I didn't think that you dated." I said with a grin.

"Double date. This isn't junior high. I was going out with a couple of friends for dinner; I thought that you might like to come. You do eat right?" He retorted.

"It just seems odd to go out with a committed couple, it is strange that you would even associate with a committed couple." I said.

"I didn't know that I was restricted to sexual deviants." He said with a chuckle.

"Oh, I'm sorry you are absolutely right. Of course you can be friends with whomever you please." I said sweetly.

"Thank you. I am glad that you acknowledge that. Besides the real reason I wanted to bring you out to dinner was so we could go back to my place for dessert." Sean said with a devilish smirk.

"Now that sounds more like you." I replied.

"Liam and Dylan are very nice guys. I just didn't want to go out with them alone, you know a third wheel. Besides if there is someone with me they won't give me a hard time." Sean explained.

"A hard time?" I inquired.

"We have this nice guy you should meet. He would be perfect for you." Sean clarified.

"They are trying to convert you." I observed.

"They mean well, but I didn't want to hear it tonight, so I brought my own good boy. That should appease them." Sean said.

"Oh, is that what this is. I am just some type of diversion." I exclaimed with a smile.

"Hey, I'm going to buy you dinner and reward you handsomely tonight." Sean said.

"Wow, now I am an escort." I countered.

"You could be worst things." Sean said.

Once Liam and Dylan arrived we ordered our meals and talked.

"We're sorry the traffic was heavy. Have you guys been waiting long?" Kyle asked.

"No just a few minutes, it gave us time to catch up." Sean said.

"So, Steven, I think I have seen you around a few times." Liam observed.

"Yeah, I think I have seen you too, though I was surprised to learn that you were Liam, the party planner." I confessed.

"Most people don't think that I am a party planner." Liam replied.

"Yeah you are built more like a linebacker." Sean said.

"There are no physical requirements for party planners. It is all about creativity and vision all of which my baby has in spades. And for the record, I am very pleased with his physique." Dylan said with a smile.

"Calm down Dylan, the linebacker line was a compliment. In fact I think it is rather interesting that a 6 foot 2 inch tall jock, about 210, is choosing china patterns and stemware. It is a beautiful contrast between expectation and reality." Sean joked.

"China patterns? You plan formal parties as well?" I asked.

"Yes. I do receptions, birthday parties, holiday parties." Liam informed.

"Though it is more than just china patterns and music selection. He also coordinates staff, manages location logistics, like how many people will be able to attend, he applies for permits and all the small things that go unnoticed." Dylan gushed.

"I see you are still the president of the Liam Terrell fan club." Sean said.

"I think it is sweet." I said.

After dinner we decided to go down the street to a small bar to talk more and have some drinks. We were all having a good time, plenty of laughter and smiles. At one point Liam and I were left alone.

"So, how did a nice guy like you get mixed up with Sean?" Liam asked.

I smiled in surprise, "What?" I asked.

"I love Sean, but you are not his usual type." Liam explained.

"What is his usual type?" I asked.

"I think you know what I mean." Liam said.

"Well, everyone can change. Everyone likes to try something new from time to time." I replied.

"Is that what you're doing?" Liam asked.

I chuckled, "I like Sean, he is a lot of fun . . . . . a real bad ass, without the bad, you know." I said.

"That sounds like him; he is a really nice guy beneath all the bullshit." Liam said.

"Yeah, he is." I agreed.

"You know he is the one that set me and Dylan up." Liam informed.

"Really, I never thought of him as a match maker." I said with a smile.

"Yeah. I had broken up with my long term boyfriend. It was a really bad break up. I had caught him cheating on me, in my own apartment. I was really devastated by the whole thing." Liam said.

"In your own apartment?" I asked in surprise.

"Yeah, that wasn't even the worst part. He was doing with a straight guy from his study group. We had been out with him and his girlfriend. I would later find out that he had been sleeping around with a lot of straight guys." Liam went on.

"I don't want to pry, but how was the break up? I mean how did it go? Did you still see each other?" I inquired.

"It went terribly. I was in love with this guy. I thought he was the one; I even wanted him to move in with me. When I found him with another guy, I was devastated. I couldn't even look at him. He begged me to forgive him, he told me that it only happened the one time, but I knew that it wasn't the first time." Liam said.

"How did you know?" I asked.

"When I caught them, the guy wasn't surprised. It was like he expected to be caught, he was just so casual. That is why I knew it wasn't the first time. Of course Eric, my ex, claimed it was the first time and that it would never happen again, but I just couldn't shake the feeling that it was a lie. So, I did a little investigating and it turned out he was being fucked by a lot of guys. Guys who didn't care anything about him. That was the worst part, I loved him and he was willing to give himself away to people who didn't care for him at all. People who treated him like nothing, when to me he was everything." Liam paused for a moment and then continued.

"He finally confessed to cheating and promised that he wouldn't do it anymore, that he would change, but I couldn't believe him. He kept sending me texts, calling, waiting outside my apartment; he even wrote me a letter. But I could not look at him in the same way. I couldn't be with him anymore." Liam said.

"How did you handle seeing him all the time?" I asked.

"It was hard. I mean, I was angry with him, but he was still the guy that I loved and sometimes I wanted to hold him and kiss him, wanted to say let's try again." Liam answered.

"What stopped you from trying again?" I asked.

"I couldn't trust him. He lied to me for the duration of our relationship. I just couldn't go back." Liam explained.

"So, how did Dylan come into the picture?" I asked.

"After I broke up with Eric, I started to obsess over our relationship. Like all the signs I missed, all the guys it turned out he had been with. It was bad. Then one day I said I needed to stop thinking about. So, I started going out a lot, fucking around with a lot of guys, which was never my thing. I don't know; I was just doing whatever felt good at the moment. It was actually Sean that told me that I should slow down." Liam said.

"Sean said that?" I asked in shock.

"Yeah, I know he is . . . . busy in that area, but he knew that wasn't me. So, after a while, he pulled me aside and said enough fun." Liam said with a laugh.

"Really? How did Dylan come into the picture?" I inquired.

"Well, Sean and Dylan go to the same gym. Sean had a little party at his apartment and introduced us, and after a while we started dating and we have been together for four years now." Liam informed.

"Was it easy to get into another relationship after the whole thing with Eric?" I asked.

"After Eric, I didn't think I wanted to be in another relationship. Honestly, I didn't want to take the chance. But there was just something about Dylan, he is just so cute and sweet, he made me feel good, you know." Liam said.

"And it was just that simple?" I asked.

"Well, at the beginning, when we started to get serious I pulled away. I was stupid and a little scared, but I realized that Dylan was worth the risk and when I came and apologized to him, he forgave me. I know it sounds clich , but I think that everything I went through with Eric was to get to Dylan . . . . . he is my end game, my true love." Liam said.

I sat and listened to Liam speak about his lover, he spoke with such sincerity and warmth. The things he said about true love and the "end game", did sound clich , but when he said them I believed him. He was really in love with Dylan, it was the sweetest thing.

He was a good looking guy with rugged features, short blondish brown hair and light brown eyes. He had a bit of an intimidating presence, but when he spoke about Dylan his entire face lit up and he was so adorable.

We stayed at the bar until midnight and then we parted ways. I really had a good time with them. It was good to see Sean with his real friends, not just the guys he went clubbing with. He seemed a little less cocky with them, more sincere. It was a nice thing to see.

After we left the bar we went to Sean's place. Sean expected the usual but I was not really in the mood and was quite tired, so I declined. He was visibly disappointed but he wasn't too much of an ass about it. Despite the fact that I was so tired I could not get to sleep initially and once I had finally reached a point of comfort I found myself falling.

I don't know how long I was asleep but I know that it was a terrible experience. Thoughts raced through my mind as feelings of fear and exasperation surged through me. I cannot remember the specifics of the dream. There were several scenes set in places past all woven together in a mesh of chaos.

I must have been pretty disruptive because Sean woke me up. I was actually startled by his contact and put up a bit of physical resistance before I had come to.

"Hey! Stop!" Sean yelled.

I opened my eyes to find Sean looking down at me. The look on his face was strange. It was not a look of fear or concern necessarily but more of confusion. I took a couple of breaths and tried to collect myself. I was awake but my mind was still in a haze.

"What's wrong with you?" He asked.

"Nothing . . . . . . . just a bad dream I guess." I replied.

"It was worse than that, you were kicking and mumbling. I spent five minutes trying to wake you." He informed.

"Sorry. I have nightmares sometimes, not often." I assured.

"It must have been some nightmare." Sean added.

"You should go back to sleep." I said.

"I don't think that I can. What were you dreaming about?" He asked.

"I don't remember, it doesn't matter. Turn out your light, so we can get back to sleep." I instructed.

"I'm going to get a glass of water, you want anything?" He asked.

"No, thank you." I said.

He pulled the sheets from his naked body and sprang to his feet. I watched him as he disappeared from sight. It was still dark outside, so I must not have been asleep too long. I turned on to my side and tried to get back to sleep.

After a few minutes I heard Sean enter the room and soon he had climbed back into bed. The bed vibrated slightly as Sean moved about, apparently trying to find comfort. Then there was stillness. I closed my eyes and began to drift off to sleep, but I had the strangest feeling; the feeling that I was being watched.

"Stop looking at me, you are making me uncomfortable." I said.

"How do you know that I am looking at you?" He asked.

"I can feel it." I replied.

"Sorry." He said.

"What's wrong?" I inquired.

"Nothing, I was just admiring your ass." He replied.

I chuckled groggily, "Well, could you stop?" I asked.

"Yeah, go back to sleep." He instructed.

I took a deep breath and again tried to get back to sleep. This time I was disrupted by Sean. He had cuddled up behind me and gently draped one of his arms atop me. A surge of tension ran through my body.

"What, do you want to fool around?" I asked.

"No." He replied.

"You sure? I wouldn't mind." I said.

"No." He affirmed.

"Are you cold or something?" I inquired.

"I can't be affectionate with you? We have cuddled a couple of times before." He said.

"I know but it is always awkward, I didn't think you liked it." I responded.

"You ask too many questions. Go to sleep." He instructed.

Soon we were both asleep. I woke up later than usual, since I did not have to be at work until the afternoon, it was no big deal. Sean on the other hand seemed more rushed. He had gotten up before me and was starting to get dressed. He looked very tired. I pulled the covers off and sat up in bed.

"Good morning." I greeted.

"Hey." Sean said flatly.

"What's wrong? You look so tired." I observed.

"I didn't get much sleep." He replied.

"I thought you went back to sleep the same as me." I said.

"I fell asleep but I could not stay asleep." He informed.

"Sorry about that. I know that my episode woke you." I acknowledged.

"Don't worry about it; I just need a couple cups of coffee." He said.

"Well, thanks for being so understanding. I appreciate that." I said.

"Hurry and get dressed. I will drop you off on my way to work." He said.

"Okay." I agreed.

I got dressed and Sean took me home. That afternoon I went to work and attended a couple of meetings. I spent majority of the day reviewing client assessment and incident reports. Around 5:30 that evening I sent out a few emails and called it a day.

I called Sean to see if he wanted to get together that night but he had other plans. It was still pretty early and I didn't really want to go home so I decided to go to see a movie. I knew that Marie was probably getting off of work so I called and invited to her along.

She agreed and we met up at the theatre. We saw a romantic comedy, it was well publicized and had a lot of big stars but it was pretty terrible. We spent the majority of the time laughing at how bad it really was. After the movie we stopped at a food stand and got a couple of gyros. Then we went to my apartment.

"So how is everything going?" I asked as we sat on the sofa.

"Nothing much, just work." Marie answered.

"How is Thomas?" I asked.

"He is fine, just doing the same as me, working." She replied.

"I guess that is adulthood, working and working." I laughed.

"Yeah, so what's up with you?" She asked.

"Nothing much, umm, work, school, attacked Blake's cousin at a club, umm, I'm seriously thinking about switching cable providers." I said casually.

"What?" She exclaimed.

"You wouldn't be surprised if you saw my cable bill, there are so many taxes and service fees, it is ridiculous." I said.

"You attacked someone?" She inquired.

"Oh, yeah. I attacked Blake's cousin at a club Saturday night." I told.

"What! Why?" She asked in shock.

"I thought that he was Jonathan." I confessed.

"Blake's boyfriend? That is enough cause to attack him? What did he do . . . . . what prompted that? Did he threaten you or something?" She probed.

I sighed heavily, "Nothing of the sort. That would have made it less horrific." I paused. "I saw Blake at the club with some nice looking guy, so I assumed it was Jonathan. I tried to get out of there before he saw me but he saw me and before I knew it he was ushering me off to meet someone. When I saw the guy I realized that he was wearing a shirt that I bought Blake and he was just smiling, I don't know . . . . . I just went mad for a few minutes. I dove across the table and began to rip the shirt off of him." I informed.

"What did Blake do?" She asked.

"He grabbed and pulled me off of Westin, his cousin." I explained.

"Then what happened?" She pressed.

"By that time there was a group of people watching us and Sean came over and he and Blake had a few words, then we were told to leave. Later I went home with Sean." I said.

"What did Blake and Sean say to each other?" She asked.

"Sean came to ask me what was going on and Blake was telling him to mind his own business, I really don't remember, but it was along those lines. Blake practically told Sean to stay away from me and said that I wasn't leaving with him and Sean said that I was . . . . . . as I said I can't remember exactly but it was along those lines." I said.

Marie leaned back against the sofa; she closed her eyes briefly, sighed and shook her head.

"That bad huh?" I said with a chuckle.

"Yes, it really is that bad, and what's worse is you don't seem to see how bad it really is." She said.

"I know that it is bad. I went to Blake's Sunday and I apologized, that is when I found out that it was his cousin and not Jonathan. He was very nice about it but I am still ashamed. Blake and I are supposed to talk sometime this week but I am not really looking forward to it." I divulged.

"That is not what I meant, I mean I am glad that you apologized to Blake's cousin, but that still doesn't change anything." She said.

"It was a onetime mistake, it won't happen again, come on you know me better than that." I said.

"I don't know if I do, I don't even know if you know. You know that I love you and I know that you have a good heart but you have just been all over the place lately." She said.

"I said that I am fine and everything is going to be fine." I said firmly.

"First you meet a guy on the bus. You declare that you are gay and that you are in love, all in the space of a couple of months. Then you say that you are so depressed and have to go and get help. You come back and start school, originally you said only a couple of classes a semester but you more than doubled that. A few months pass and you and Blake break up, he has been cheating on you and he can't forgive you for leaving. Okay, you say that you are moving on. You are going to therapy; you have the promotion coming up. Next thing you know you are having casual sex with some other guy, you cut back on the therapy that you yourself said you needed and you move Michael in, who is a nice kid, but whom you barely knew." She paused. "And now you are attacking people at a club. Can't you see how drastic these swings have been?" She asked.

"Marie, you are making it out to be more than it is, everyone has turbulent periods, I have just been having a few recently. They will pass." I said nonchalantly.

"Steven, you are so full of shit. Everything is not alright and I suggest that you take a serious look around friend because if you don't get a grip soon, I don't expect that things will get better any time soon . . . . . and that promotion and your degree won't help any either." She said sternly.

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Bono's Corner:

In chapter 34 Steven decides to have a threesome with Sean and Bruce, but once the process begins Steven starts to panic. Do you think that he went through with the threesome or pulled out?

If he did indeed go through with it what kind of effect do you think the encounter will have on him?

Whatever you have planned will be interesting... I see Steven freaking out either way... Lol! With his panic attack going on he could freak out like he did with Blake the first time... Then again he could go through with it but after it's all said and done he could feel cheap and regret what he'd done and freak out... But then again... If he doesn't freak out and actually enjoys the threesome... I hope Steven doesn't change his mind and runs back to Blake to have a three way relationship... Lmmfao! That would suck!

Brad

Hey Guys, i dont think Steven went through with the three some.ÿ I think he couldnt handle it mentally and agree he would freak out like his first time with Blake.ÿ Steven is freaking out with the thought of meeting Blake's friend, how could he surviveÿa threesome??

Paul

We don't think he went thru with it. Because it was out of his character. Meaning Steven is more laid back and it just don't fit his style. Whereas Sean is more outgoing and worldly. So to say. Steven is some what new to the game and a threesome seems like a good idea in his head but we are thinking it's a bit much for him (that explain the panic attack). Maybe Sean and Bruce put on a show for Steven? Knowing Sean he wouldn't let a piece of ass or dick past thru his fingers so to speak. But don't think Steven went with it he's more of a private person and a one on one type of guy.

J.T. & Mikal

Appreciation:

Special thanks to Oscar, Lou, Arch, Clayton, Jake, Ed, Adolfo, Khalid, Gary, Lucas, Vern, John, Lance, Oz, Dudung, Alan, Terry, Paul, Greg, John J., Harold, Kim, Small, Barry, Michael B., Cameron, Randy, Liam, Byron, Kris, Bryan, Fred, Tomaz, David, Alex, Tony, Emmanuel, Joseph, Bruce, Matlock, Shawn, Bobby, Gregory, Bill, David R., Bradley, Ron, Bruce, Tom, Mick, Curtis, JT and Mikal for their support, and everyone who has taken the time to follow this story, I really appreciate you all.

Sincerest thanks to Nifty and all of the wonderful participants who make this site possible, from the generous donors to the archivists and administrators, you all are truly appreciated.

Last but not least, thanks to the editor, Raziya, for all of the wonderful work.

Let Me Know:

Please, forward any comments or feedback to bonotorros@yahoo.com. I would also encourage you to visit the yahoo group, Bono's Corner at http://uk.groups.yahoo.com/group/bonoscorner.

Whichever one you choose I look forward to hearing your thoughts.