This work is copyright. I have given permission for a copy of this story to be placed on the Nifty Archives under the terms of their submission agreement. But This work may not be copied or archived onto any other website or newsgroup without the prior written permission of the author.
This story is fiction, it didn't happen, to the best of the author's knowledge no one in the story exists in real life.
If you have a problem with reading stories of a homosexual nature, then bugger off. Also you shouldn't read on if you are below the age of consent, or you have the misfortune to reside in an area where reading and downloading this kind of material is against the law.
To re-quote myself, and also Tim Mead, editors definitely are precious, and the work they do often goes unsung. Lars and Tom W put in a lot of hard work behind the scenes, making the words you read flow far more easily. Thanks Tim (the author of such gems as Dr Tim And The Boys - College section) for your kind words about my stories.
Chapter 13
"God, I'm bored!" Robbie grumbled.
"It was your idea to look at new cars," Carl replied.
"There's a difference between looking, and spending the whole morning traipsing round every bloody car showroom in this half of Lancashire."
"Well, it's important that you get the right model." Carl was enjoying himself, he'd always liked looking at new cars. Although his own finances wouldn't allow him to buy even the cheapest vehicle, he loved looking round all the various models, and pawing over the glossy brochures, riveted by the endless columns of performance data.
When Robbie had asked Carl to help him choose a four-wheel drive car he was unaware that his lover would treat it like a military exercise. Calling in a few favours at the building site, Carl had managed to get the Saturday off work. He thought that as he'd already enjoyed one day off work that week, he'd have to go in, but he'd been lucky. Robbie, Carl and Ben had eaten an early breakfast, and had spent the past few hours visiting many of the car showrooms in the area.
"This is the last one before we stop for lunch," Carl said. He'd loved driving Robbie's BMW, to him it handled like a dream, and he didn't know why Robbie wanted to get rid of it. He'd heard his lover say that the car was too flashy for his old home. Carl didn't think it mattered all that much; it was a nice car, and that was that.
"Well, that's a relief then," Robbie said, putting down one of the many brochures Carl had insisted on getting. He didn't understand any of it. He was just going by what the thing looked like on the outside; never concerning himself with what went on under the bonnet.
Ben just sat in the back seat staying quiet as usual. He'd followed along behind his dad and his Uncle as they'd visited several showrooms, glad to see his dad so content.
"So which one are we going to next?" Robbie asked.
"Well, I thought you might like to have a look at the Mitsubishi Shogun. It got an excellent write up in 'What Car' the other month." Carl went on to extol the details of this latest vehicle, Robbie just yawned and thought about what he'd like to have for lunch.
Drawing up outside the dealership, the three got out of the car. They'd barely taken a few steps before a salesman in the customary sharp suit accosted them. He'd seen the not inexpensive car draw up; sensing people with money; he decided to put on his falsest smile and most condescending attitude. As Carl had been driving the car, it was he whom the salesman approached.
"Good morning, or should I say good afternoon sir, erm sirs." He bowed. "And how may I be of assistance this fine day?"
The ritual, Robbie observed, was being played out again. At least with Carl seeming as though he was the one in charge, it was he whom the salesmen always bothered.
"The latest Shogun, we'd like to have a look at it, please."
"A most excellent choice, if I may say so."
The oiliness of the man irked Carl enormously, but he'd developed a good poker face.
The three were lead into the showroom, the salesman talking all the way about the wonderful attributes of the car.
Carl cut him off in mid gush. "Can we have a test drive?"
"Most certainly."
Robbie looked on as the salesman continued his patter.
"We've arranged to be somewhere else shortly," Carl said in an effort to re-focus the man.
"Oh yes, of course." The man went into the office and got out a key for the car in question.
When he handed over the keys to Carl, the latter gave them to Robbie. This surprised the salesman momentarily, but he soon recovered. As they walked back out onto the forecourt, the man turned his attention to Robbie, regurgitating the facts he'd just delivered to Carl about how well the car handled on the road, and how it got almost 50 miles per gallon, too. Robbie stood it for as long as he could then he said, "Where's the car?"
"It's next to you, sir."
Robbie was again reminded of Abraham Lincoln's phrase "Better to keep your mouth shut and be thought a fool, rather than open it and remove all doubt."
Once they were out on the open road, Robbie said, "God, I hate car salesmen."
"They're only doing their job, love," Carl said, admiring the internal trim of the vehicle. "How's it handling?"
"Oh nice," Robbie said.
"Does it have a CD player?" This latter came from the back.
"Yes, Ben," Carl said, examining the radio.
Ben settled back in the comfortable rear seat. There was enough leg room for him; that, along with the need for decent in-car entertainment, was all he was interested in.
After driving for a couple of miles, Robbie drove back into the dealership. He saw the salesman waiting for them. 'Here we go again,' Robbie said to himself.
"And what did you think of it, sir?" he asked Robbie.
"Oh, it handled the road beautifully." He remembered Carl saying it would.
"Yes sir, it's a very popular model amongst our more discerning clients."
They went indoors.
"How much can you take off of the list price? We aren't interested in a trade-in," Carl said.
Robbie sat back and let his lover do the bartering, he didn't like this side of buying a car. 'Why on earth can't they just put a price on it and mean it? When you buy a tin of beans from the supermarket, you don't haggle about the price.' His eyes began to glaze over as Carl and the sharp suited salesman did battle. Robbie had heard the same tired old phrases many times that day already. Carl told the man that as it was after the first of August, meaning the new registration plates had already come out, the car industry was enjoying a quiet time, so this ought to be reflected in the price.
"We have very narrow profit margins," the salesman returned.
Robbie, disinterested by the negotiations, started to look round the showroom. He saw a group of three guys examining a smaller car at the other end of the place. There was a rather nice beefy blonde who seemed to be asking most of the questions, the other two, a thinner and slightly younger replica of the first, plus a shorter black haired guy hung back somewhat from the proceedings.
"Well, we were given a better deal at another garage," Carl said standing up, pretending to leave the interview.
"Well, maybe we can work something out then," the salesman wheedled. He knew it was all part of the game, and as there were few other potential customers about, he decided to play along.
After another five minutes of haggling, Carl seemed satisfied. "Well, we haven't decided which model to buy, but you've given us a good deal, I have to admit that."
"Yes, we like to pride ourselves on our competitive pricing," the man oiled. If he got this sale, it would boost his monthly bonus quite nicely.
The three men plus Ben stood up; the man gave Robbie one of his cards, and then shook hands with Carl and then Robbie. As they were making their way out, they met up with the three men whom Robbie had seen earlier.
"The joinery business must be doing well if you can afford a Shogun."
"Oh hi, Chris. Didn't see you there," Carl said. "No, it's not for me, it's for my, um, friend. He wants a new car, but he's got no idea of what's good and what isn't."
"Oh right, I see," Chris said. "We're out looking at cars for Scott here. He's pretty clueless, too."
Robbie and Scott exchanged glances with one another that said 'What are we, chopped liver?'
"Yeah, Scott's going to Liverpool Uni in October, and he needs to be able to get there and back easily."
"Oh, you got the grades, then?" Carl turned to Scott.
"Yeah, I was lucky."
"Rubbish," Chris said wrapping an arm around his brother. "We're really proud of him. Aren't we, Danny?" Chris said, looking over at his other brother.
"Yeah, a real brain box is our Scott."
"Rob," Carl said turning to his partner. "This is Chris Blake and his brothers Scott and Danny. You remember I put in a new kitchen for them a few weeks back?"
"Oh yes." Robbie held out a hand which the others shook warmly.
"And this is Ben, my son." More shaking of hands.
"Have you decided which car you like?" Chris asked Robbie.
"Err, no. I've seen so many this morning, I've forgotten what's what."
"Same here." Scott said softly. Though it was exciting to be buying one's first vehicle, Scott was also rather apprehensive. It brought home to him that he would shortly be leaving the comforting bosom of his family to go off to university, something he had reservations about.
"Listen, we were going to grab some lunch at a pub somewhere," Chris announced. "Would you like to join us?"
"Thanks, that'd be great," Robbie said without consulting Carl. Although his partner had said that they would be going off to lunch after visiting this garage, Robbie didn't want to run the risk that Carl would somehow sneak in another showroom beforehand.
"Though it's a while since I've been, The Blue Ball isn't that far away, and it's a nice place. Do you know it?" Chris asked.
Robbie didn't, but Carl did. Carl agreed to follow Chris's car to the pub.
Back in Robbie's BMW, Carl said. "They're a really nice family, those three. It's how I think brothers should be."
Robbie laughed.
"What's funny?"
Robbie didn't know what to do. He couldn't be certain; his gaydar wasn't the most attuned, but he could have sworn he saw all three brother's exchanging loving glances with one another. Though it was obvious that Chris was in charge, the body language of the other two spoke to Robbie of loving deference to their larger brother.
"What!" Carl said when Robbie didn't reply.
"Car, erm, well I can't be certain," he dried. He didn't want Carl to make a scene or do anything embarrassing.
"What can't you be certain about?"
From the back seat Ben pricked up his ears.
"I'm not sure, but I think those three are a bit more than brothers."
Carl mulled it over for a bit. "You mean?"
"As I said I can't be certain. You remember me telling you about gaydar?"
"Bloody hell," Carl said, swerving slightly. "All three of them?"
"Looks that way to me. Look, Car, you mustn't make a scene. It's obviously something they try to hide. I mean, it is unusual for two brothers to have that kind of relationship, but when there's a third . . . ." Robbie trailed off.
Carl thought back to when he worked at the Blake house. He remembered seeing the three being rather physical with one another; he'd just passed it off as them being really close. Then he remembered seeing something in Scott's eyes once when Chris's name had come up in conversation. Scott's eyes had grown really soft and a smile had flashed across his lips.
"Well, it's different, I have to say," Carl eventually said.
"Look, I could be barking up the wrong tree," Robbie tried to back peddle.
"No, I think you're on to something." Then remembering Ben's presence, "Ben, you mustn't say anything about what me and your Uncle Rob have just been talking about."
"Dad!!! I'm not a kid you know."
Carl chuckled, "No, son, although you're only twelve, well, you're a really smart twelve."
In the car in front, there was a not too dissimilar discussion going on.
"I'm telling you, Lion, they are," Danny said. "I saw them get out of the car when they first arrived, before that salesman collared them. The curly brown-haired guy . . . "
"Rob," Scott put in.
"Yeah, him. Well, he gave Carl such a loving look when they got out of the car. I thought they were gonna hold hands. And the way Carl kind of looked after Rob, well, it's just like you do with us. I bet they're newly-weds, too."
"And what do you think, Cub?" Chris asked Scott.
"I think they are. You know that's Rob Foster, don't you? His dad used to own the glassworks."
"Really!" Danny said, still remembering the time he was made redundant from that establishment.
"Don't go there, Cub," Chris warned Danny softly.
Being made redundant from Foster's still rankled with Danny, though he had to concede that he now had a much better job as a porter at the hospital.
"Yeah Lion, sorry," Danny said ducking his head.
Chris continued to mull over what Danny and Scott had been telling him over the past couple of minutes. He wasn't as good at picking out other gay men as they were. He'd never have thought that Carl was gay, he was just so, so . . . Chris couldn't think of the right word, but then he himself didn't fit the gay stereotype, either.
Chris remembered a conversation he'd had with his two dads about finding more gay friends. He thought the three needed to reach out to other people to improve their social life, but given their rather unique circumstances, it wasn't easy.
Larry and Eric understood Chris's need for a broader circle of friends, though they had warned him to tread carefully. This was something Chris always did. He'd never do anything to jeopardise his relationship with his brothers.
"Okay, if there's a right time to bring up the subject, then I'll do it," Chris said. He knew his brothers had waited for him to make his mind up. If he had rejected the plan to speak to Robbie and Carl about their situation, then neither man would have said anything. Chris was their leader, they knew it and accepted it warmly.
Drawing up outside the Blue Ball, both groups alighted from their vehicles and went into the pub. The place was quite busy, but Chris pushed his way to the bar; he smiled at one of the barmaids, who as soon as she finished serving her present customer went over to him to ask what he wanted. Chris called over to Robbie, Carl and Ben; he already knew what his brothers drank.
Carl found a couple of tables; he pulled them together, and they sat down.
"Rob, Scott's going to study medicine at Liverpool," Carl said. He was still mulling over the revelations of a few minutes earlier. It surprised him to realise that he wasn't revolted by the possibility that his dining companions had an incestuous as well as polygamous relationship. Carl realised that he'd come a long way in a very short time. Thanks entirely to the precious soul sitting next to him. Carl surreptitiously gave Robbie's hand a squeeze under the table. Scott had seen him do it; he gave Danny a nudge, and they shared a secret smile between them.
The place was far too crowded for Chris to broach the very delicate subject of their love life, therefore the majority of the meal was spent discussing cars. The main contributors to the conversation being Carl and Chris, with the odd comment coming from Danny, too.
In an effort to include Robbie in the conversation, Chris asked, "So I take it you prefer four-wheel drives?"
"Yeah, don't know why really, it might be easier to get about in the bad weather."
"What models have you looked at?"
"Well, I thought I'd like the Range Rover. I'm not that up on cars."
"But you didn't like it?"
"Well, they're a bit reminiscent of middle-class parents, taking their overly spoilt offspring to their private prep schools in the leafy suburbs."
Scott laughed; Chris observed that they were a little on the heavy side too.
"Then, as I've already got a BMW, we looked at those, but well, I'm not sure."
"You like the car you've got now?"
"It was okay in London, but, oh, I don't know, I don't want anything too flashy."
The group then began discussing the type of vehicle that they were after for Scott.
"Although I've driven Chris's Saab a few times I'm scared to death of putting a dent in it," Scott said, treating Chris to a shy smile.
"You're a good driver, it's just you lack confidence," Chris smiled back at him.
"It's also a bit too big for me. I just need a run about," Scott put in.
"We were thinking of a Volkswagen Golf, or something like that," Chris told the group.
Although the subject matter of their conversation didn't really interest Robbie, he still felt a close kinship with the three Blake brothers. He was a little dismayed when the meal was over and they all prepared to leave. Once they'd separated in the car park, Robbie asked Carl if he thought it was a good idea to invite the brothers over the next Saturday.
"It's your house, love," Carl said.
"Well, I'd like to think of it as our house. And I'd like you to be there when they come over."
Robbie went over to their car and made the offer.
"That'd be really neighbourly of you," Chris said. "We've nothing on next weekend," Robbie noticed him say without consulting his brothers. "Thanks very much."
"If you're interested, bring your swimming trunks and we can make a day of it."
"Erm, oh yes, that's a good idea." Chris had forgotten that Robbie had his own pool.
"Well, what about the Land Rover Discovery? Isn't a Land Rover supposed to be a good vehicle?" Robbie asked.
He and Carl were sitting in the drawing room back at the house pouring over all the literature they'd amassed that morning.
"Yeah, the Land Rover is good, but the Discovery is prone to rotting."
Robbie slung the Land Rover brochure at the waste paper bin. It missed.
"What's next, ah yeah, Toyota." Robbie looked at the picture on the front. "I thought it was a bit posh looking," he said, remembering the vehicles in that particular garage; they hadn't even bothered asking for a test drive there.
"They are very sound and reliable," Carl prompted. "But yeah, you're right, they don't fit the image of the new Robert 'I don't want to stick out in a crowd' Foster."
"Charming."
"Only joking, sweetheart. I honestly don't think a Toyota is you, love."
"Nope, okay then." The Toyota brochures suffered the same fate as the Land Rover ones. Though this time Robbie managed a direct hit to the basket.
"I guess the same can be said for the Mercedes and BMWs too?" Robbie said, his hand poised to hurl the leaflets away.
"Yup, 'fraid so."
"Now, what's left?" Robbie looked at the remaining brochures. "I thought the Shogun was a good car."
"Yes, it's well thought of."
"Okay, we'll hang on to that one for a minute," Robbie said, putting the literature to one side.
"We didn't look in the Porsche garage."
"Even I know that they'd be much too opulent-looking for me."
"Yeah."
"Well, that leaves us with the Isuzu Trooper," Robbie said regarding the one remaining booklet in his lap.
"Now I liked that one. It wasn't as rich looking as even the Shogun, which I have to say has gotten flashier on this years model. It's got a good workmanlike appearance and sound engineering under the bonnet. It might not have the edge for its finish as the Mitsubishi, but it's a very sound car."
"So you think I ought to get a Trooper, then?" Robbie said, spying light at the end of the tunnel.
"It's your money. They are a bit cheaper than the Shogun, but they're still pricey."
"Yeah, but you say they are soundly made?"
"Oh yes, definitely."
"Wasn't that the first one we looked at this morning?"
"Erm, yeah, I think so," Carl replied.
"You mean to say that we spent the whole morning buggering about in car showroom after car showroom, me listening to the same conversation over and over again, and we end up choosing the first one we looked at?"
"That's about the size of it."
"Shit."
"Didn't you enjoy being in my scintillatingly studly presence all morning?" Carl said, leaning over and treating Robbie to a full-on lip lock.
"I kept wanting to rip all your clothes off of you, and take you on the back seat of one of their cars."
"You might have got something knocked off the price if we'd stained the seats, you know, 'shop soiled'," Carl said, going in for another kiss.
Once they'd settled down again, Robbie asked, "Look, can we go back to the Isuzu dealership tomorrow and buy one? I'd rather get it all over with this weekend if I can."
"Won't you need to sort out finance? I know it wasn't the dearest car we've looked at, but it's still not cheap."
"Oh, it's okay, I'll write them a cheque. It'll take a few days to clear, but I imagine we'll have to wait that long for them to get the exact colour and internal trim I want."
"You can write them a cheque? What are you, a millionaire or something?" Carl joked.
Robbie just looked evenly at Carl.
"What?"
"Car, look, I don't like talking about money much, but well, erm. . . . "
"You're not telling me you're a millionaire? Stop buggering about, Rob." Carl gave a nervous laugh at Robbie's continued serious expression.
"Although I don't have that much in the bank, I've got various portfolios as well as guilt edged government bonds and the like, and with my shares in the company in London, plus my half of the glassworks, well," Robbie hated discussing money with Carl, but he knew he couldn't back out now. "Well, I'm worth a little over a million on paper," Robbie said quickly.
Carl stared open mouthed. "Fuck!"
The room fell silent; Carl got up and began pacing.
"Well, I knew you had money, of course, but, oh shit, I didn't know . . . ." Carl began to worry. He had nothing like that in the bank; in fact he battled each month just to remain in credit.
"Car, sit down, love." Robbie was growing agitated, too. Carl sat; Robbie took hold of his hands. "Love, I hesitated about telling you because I knew you'd react like this."
"But Rob, I'm not, shit, with that much money you could have anyone!"
"Don't you dare go down that road!" Robbie said angrily. "I've got money, so bloody what? It can be a curse as much as a pleasure. Yeah, I can go out and buy pretty much anything I want to. I've done that. I thought that buying nice things might make me happy, but the happiness only lasts for a short while. Having someone to love and who loves you in return is worth far more than any amount of money."
"Yeah, but I'm not rich like you, I can't treat you to nice things."
"I don't want nice things, Carl. I've just told you I've done all that, and it's empty, pointless and very lonely. Car, you can give me something that no amount of money can buy. You can give me your heart, your love and yourself. That's worth billions to me."
Carl was still in shock. Rising from his seat, he resumed his pacing, he needed to think. He'd been brought up to be the chief wage earner in any relationship. He'd known that probably Robbie had more money than him, but he'd not really thought about it that deeply. However with Robbie having that much, shit he just couldn't compete with that. Carl headed for the door, but Robbie got there first.
"Oh no, you don't! You're not gonna stick your head in the sand and brood again. I'm not going to sit here for day after day until you try and sort your head out."
"But Rob . . . " Carl said pleadingly.
"My money is useless to me if I've no one to spend it with."
"I don't want you to be buying me things. I won't be, well, a kept man."
"You have your pride. I understand and appreciate that. Don't you think that this morning, as I was looking round thinking about spending a ridiculously large sum of money on a new car, which I probably don't need, I wasn't fully aware that you go around in a vehicle that I suspect is mechanically not all that sound? Carl, don't you think I didn't realise that you are far more in need of new transportation than me?"
"Yes."
"Though it would give me more pleasure than you'll ever know to buy you a new van, I'm fully aware that you couldn't accept me doing it. So I've stayed quiet. Because absolutely the last thing in the world I ever want to do is to hurt your feelings. Please Car, please try and look at it from my point of view. I've got the means to help you, but I know I can't do it. Can you imagine how frustrating that is?"
Carl stayed silent for a minute; he was still facing the door, with Robbie barring his exit. "Yeah, I can see what you're saying," Carl said, his shoulders relaxing. He returned to the sofa, Robbie going after him.
"God I love you, Rob," Carl said hugging his man tightly to him.
"I love you, too."
They stayed connected for a couple of minutes, neither of them saying anything.
Robbie eventually broke the silence. "You okay, now?"
"It was a shock, Rob, I've got to tell you that."
"I know, sweetheart. I didn't know when would be the best time to tell you. But let me make one thing absolutely clear. I'd give away every cent of it if it would make you feel better."
Carl looked into Robbie's eyes; he could see the sincerity in them. "No, Rob, that's daft. All I'll ask of you is to let me pay my way when we go out. It's a pride thing, you know?"
Robbie nodded. "I understand, Car. As I said before, I'd buy you everything your heart desired, just like that." Robbie clicked his fingers. "But you wouldn't let me, would you?"
Carl shook his head in the negative. "No, I'd feel so uncomfortable about that."
Carl had lived up to his promise to Robbie about taking him to the cinema. Robbie, knowing of Carl's intentions to show some outward display of affection during the film, had persuaded Carl to take him to an out of town theatre. Robbie had used the excuse that the cinema on the outskirts of Liverpool was a multiplex, which would give them more choice.
So they'd gone in Robbie's car; Carl had insisted that as he'd made the invite, he was going to do the driving, too.
"Oh, doing your macho bit?" Robbie teased. He loved it when Carl asserted himself like that.
"No, I just like driving your car," Carl joked.
As they stood in line looking at what was on offer, even though it was Robbie's choice, he didn't know what to pick. He didn't think they could cuddle up whilst watching an action movie, nor did he think Carl would want to watch a slushy romance. Seeing that one screen was replaying 'Beautiful Thing', a story about two gay teenagers living on an inner London housing estate, Robbie wondered if he dared pick that.
Carl saw where Robbie was looking. "If you want to."
"But would you feel too uncomfortable about seeing it?"
Carl shook his head. "No, I wouldn't, and as I said before, it's your choice."
Getting to the front of the line, Carl asked for two tickets for 'Beautiful Thing'.
On the way to the auditorium, Carl stopped at the refreshment stand and bought a large bucket of toffee popcorn, as well as two carbonated drinks. Robbie feared that Carl was spending too much; the tickets, the snacks, plus a meal which Robbie knew they were going for after the film. However, he held firm to his promise about letting Carl put his hand in his pocket, and made no comment.
As the movie began, with The Mamas and the Papas singing 'It's Getting Better', Robbie snuggled down in the seat. He'd gone into the auditorium first, thinking they'd sit somewhere in the middle. Realising that Carl was no longer with him, he looked round, only to see Carl standing at the end of one of the rows of double seats at the back. Robbie didn't think Carl would have followed through on his intentions to sit at the back. Sitting together like that wouldn't leave anyone who saw them in any doubt that they were 'together'.
Walking back up the aisle, Robbie asked, "Are you sure about this?"
Though very nervous about showing such a public display of his affections, Carl had determined on the drive to the cinema that he'd make this a date to remember for Robbie. The man had waited half his lifetime for the experience, so he was going to pull out all the stops and bugger the consequences. "Yes," Carl said quietly. He didn't mind admitting that he was scared, his knees were starting to shake, and he was coming out in a light sweat, too, but he was going to do it to show Robbie that he loved him.
As the opening sequences ended, and the story proper began, Robbie remembered seeing the film when it had first come out. Though there were significant differences between his own life and that of Jamie, one of the chief characters, he couldn't help drawing some comparisons. Jamie didn't like sport, and bunked off school to avoid it. Robbie, in the pre-Carl days had thought about escaping games in a similar manner, but he knew he'd get found out. Ste, the other major character in the movie, was popular with the other kids; he was also good at sport. A person not too dissimilar to Carl, Robbie believed.
Robbie's thoughts were interrupted when Carl snaked his arm around his back. At first he stiffened; what if anyone looked round? But then he realised that he didn't care. They were far enough away from Greenville to hopefully not encounter anyone they knew. Robbie snuggled into Carl and sighed in contentment.
"Enjoying it?" Carl asked softly.
When Robbie turned his head to reply, he found Carl's lips on his.
"Told you I'd give you a kiss when the lights went down." Carl said, seeing the mild shock on Robbie's face.
"I love you," Robbie whispered.
Robbie spent the rest of the film in a haze of happy thoughts.
Meanwhile, Carl couldn't help draw parallels between this date with Robbie, and his first visit to the cinema with Maureen. Although the time with Maureen had been pleasant enough, Carl was certain that despite the fact that he was sitting close to another man, with all the potential problems that that might bring, he felt supremely comfortable. It all felt just so good, so right, and very satisfying. Another difference that was making itself made known to Carl was the fact that he was sporting a hard-on, something he was sure he hadn't achieved on that other occasion.
After the film, Carl took Robbie for an Indian meal. Robbie had eaten food from various cultures many times before. Patrick, his late partner, had loved pasta; the two had often eaten out at various Italian eateries. Secretly, Robbie was glad that they weren't eating Italian that night.
They'd ordered too much; one Nan bread and a single portion of Basmati rice between them would have been sufficient.
Throughout the meal, the pair treated one another to soppy glances and loving smiles, not to mention the frequent games of footsie under the table, too. The low lighting and romantic sitar music in the background didn't hurt, either.
They'd rejected the offer from the waiter of coffee, however they did take advantage of the proffered warm washcloths to wipe away their sweat at eating quite a spicy meal, though neither of them had dared to choose anything too fierce. Then they made their way back downstairs to pay.
In front of them stood another couple; once the credit card receipt had been signed by the male patron, the member of staff checked the signature, gave the man back his card and his receipt, he then presented the lady with a single rose. The couple left, and Carl moved up to pay. He presented his credit card; fortunately the meal hadn't been that expensive. The guy behind the counter swiped the card through the reader and the till printed out a receipt, which Carl signed.
As the man handed Carl's credit card and receipt back to him, Carl asked, "May I have one of those roses for my boyfriend, please?"
To the man's credit, he didn't bat an eyelid. "Yes, of course, sir." He plucked one of the flowers from the display, and handed it over.
Carl took a gob-smacked Robbie's arm and lead him from the restaurant. Neither of them saw the smiling faces of the male couple who were standing behind them waiting for their turn to pay.
"Did you enjoy our first date, sweetheart?" Carl asked rubbing Robbie's back.
"I, I, oh shit!" Robbie said battling with his emotions.
"I thought you'd like a flower, that's all."
"Carl, it was beautiful, very romantic, and where on Earth did you get the courage to do it?"
"Well, I know you've waited a long time for this night, and I wanted to make it as special as I could for you. I saw the woman in front get a flower, so I thought why shouldn't you be given the same consideration?"
"I know, believe me, Carl, I wish that our relationship could have the same level of public acceptance, but you were brave. Not just in there, but also in the cinema. If I didn't know better, I'd have thought you were a different Carl Powers from the man who, well, you know."
Carl knew. He remembered the journey home from the site that one day, when he had planned to tell Robbie that he'd made a mistake, and that he couldn't love him. Carl was so glad that he hadn't spoken up back then, because he knew that he'd have destroyed any chance of the happiness he was now enjoying.
"You okay?" Robbie asked after Carl had walked along in silence for a couple of minutes.
"I was just thinking back to that horrible week and . . . and, well we don't need to go there. I know now what I want, and he's walking next to me, and I know he loves me just as much as I love him."
Robbie squeezed Carl's hand briefly. They were on a well-lit public street, with cars passing them, so Robbie couldn't be as demonstrative in his affections as he would like to have been. But Carl knew what that squeeze signified.
To be continued
Author's note - Wow, what a week. Although I have individually thanked each person who has been kind enough to write to me, expressing their support for this story, I would like to thank them all again publically. Without feedback and encouragement from readers, there would be little point in an author continuing to post. Please remember this the next time you come across a story on Nifty that you like.
To Evan Bradley, who said some pretty flattering things about me at the end of chapter 25 of his excellent story 'The Crew' (Adult Friends) 'Thas a reet un ya daft aypeth.' Although this story is set in Lancashire, I'm a dyed in the wool Yorkshireman, and proud of it. You're a wonderful person, Evan, and I'm proud and honoured to call you friend, even though you don't speak the Queen's English.