"Do you have any idea how much I love you? I love you more than life itself. There is nothing I wouldn't do for you."

"I know babe. I would kill for you. I would lay my life down for you."

They kissed again and Luke opened the door.

"Okay, I gotta go. Love you, see you tomorrow."

Jon released Luke's hand. "I love you, too. See you tomorrow."

The Inn - Chapter 9

Friday arrived and Jon was looking forward to the weekend with Luke. He walked into The Inn and spotted him at a table with Paul and Joe. He walked across the room and took a seat next to Luke, squeezing his arm. Luke winked at him.

"What's up, guys?" Jon asked, looking at Paul and Joe.

"Nada," answered Joe. "Same old shit. We haven't seen you guys all week. Been busy, or what?"

Paul gave Joe an exasperated look. "Yes, Joe, I think it's safe to say they have been busy."

Joe smiled slightly and said, "Oh."

Luke changed the subject. "Hey, Paul. You ever call that chick that hit on you last weekend?"

"No, but I've thought about it. I might. She was kinda hot."

"Yeah, she was hot all right," said Joe. "Hot to trot. I wonder if she'll still like you when she's sober."

Jon laughed. "Whoa, the claws come out! Good one, Joe!"

"Meow," mouthed Luke.

"He gets his digs into me every once in a while," Paul said. "But it's hardly an even match. Joe's just too easy a mark. What are you guys up to this weekend?"

Jon said, "We don't have anything planned. It's supposed to rain tomorrow, so I'm guessing we'll come up with some indoor activities."

Paul rolled his eyes. "Oh, jeez, I gotta find a girlfriend. Or a slut. I'm not picky."

Luke said, "I can't believe it's hard for you to find a girl. They're always all over you."

"Sometimes, but not usually the type I feel comfortable with. I want to find someone I can pursue and win over."

"Oh, suddenly you're the romantic type? Gag me," quipped Joe.

"Keep it up, buddy. Keep it up," warned Paul.

Joe nudged Paul and whispered, "Hey, I think your girlfriend just arrived."

Paul looked around and saw Molly walking up to the bar. "Oh, this should be interesting," he mumbled to Joe.

Molly got a beer and sat at the bar. Then she noticed the four guys and waved. She got up and walked over to them. She took a long swallow of her beer and placed her glass on the table, standing behind Luke. Molly rested her hands on Luke's shoulders.

"What's new with you guys?" she asked.

"Not much. Just hangin' out," answered Paul. "What about you?"

"I got a new job with an insurance company. It's downtown and the commute is a bitch, but the pay is good."

Molly leaned forward against Luke to get her beer, pressing her tits against the back of his neck. As she did, she slid her hands down his chest. Jon wanted to strangle her. He didn't feel threatened, but he strongly resented the fact that she could have her hands all over Luke in public, and he couldn't. Paul and Joe watched, wondering if things were going to get ugly. After another swig, Molly put her glass back on the table and returned her hands to Luke's shoulders. She again leaned forward, close to his head.

"So how have you been, Luke?"

"Okay, I guess."

"You look better than 'okay' to me," she cooed, beginning to massage his shoulders.

Paul looked at Jon. He had his jaw set and appeared tense. Paul wondered what he could do to defuse the situation. The tension was building and Luke appeared uncomfortable. After several minutes Jon got up and stood behind Molly. Joe and Paul stared, wondering what might happen. Jon bent down and whispered quietly but sternly in her ear.

"Luke is too polite to say anything, but I'm not. If you don't get your damn hands off of him right now, I'm going to make a scene, and you'll be the star."

Molly froze. She thought for a few seconds. She wasn't dumb, and quickly realized what the score was. She removed her hands from Luke and stepped aside.

"Sorry," she mumbled to Jon.

Satisfied, Jon nodded and took his seat. Joe and Paul were dying to know what Jon had said to her. Molly picked up her beer and finished it.

"I gotta run. Nice seeing you guys again."

After she'd left, Joe and Paul looked at Jon. He had a hint of a self-satisfied smile on his face. It felt good to assert himself in defense of his man. Luke was smiling. He didn't know exactly what had happened, but he knew whatever it was, apparently Jon had handled it well.

Finally Joe asked, "What did you say to her?"

Jon looked at him, all innocence. "I just reminded her she had to be somewhere, that's all."

The other three burst out laughing. Paul doubled over with his glass in his hand. He had been in the middle of a swallow of beer and almost spewed it all over the table. A few minutes later Cathy walked in. She smiled and waved, then headed toward the guys. Joe got up and pulled another chair to the table for her. She thanked him.

"So what's up?" she asked.

"You just missed it," said Paul. "Molly was here and she started hitting on Luke." He stood and acted out the scenario he was describing. "Jon grabbed her by the hair and threw her against the wall. Bam! She sank to the floor and he was kicking her. I thought he was going to kill her!"

Cathy looked at Jon. "You did not."

Paul said, "Well, maybe I'm exaggerating just a little." He sat back down. "But whatever he said to her, she took off with her tail between her legs."

"What did you say?" asked Cathy.

"I just got my point across," answered Jon, smiling.

The waitress came by and asked if they were okay. They ordered another round. Cathy asked for a High Life and a shot of Jack.

Jon looked at her. "What's this? I've never seen you drink hard stuff."

"Yeah, well, I think I need it today."

Cathy looked at Jon. He could see she had tears in her eyes. He put his arm around her. "What is it?"

"I talked to my mom today. She found a lump in her breast."

"Shit," Jon said. He put both arms around her. Cathy rested her head on his shoulder, her face nestled against his neck. Jon could feel the tears soaking into his shirt. She was trembling, but she felt secure in Jon's arms. She felt like a little girl in her daddy's embrace. After a minute she straightened up. Joe handed her a napkin. She blotted her eyes and sniffed. The waitress returned with their drinks.

"I'm sorry, guys. I don't mean to be a killjoy."

"Don't be ridiculous. What are friends for?" said Luke.

Paul asked, "Has she seen a doctor?"

"No, she can't get in until Monday. I wanted to go and stay with her, but she said no, she was fine. But I know she's worried, of course. So am I. I don't know what I'd do if I lost her."

"Don't even think that," said Joe. "Chicago has some of the best doctors and hospitals in the world. Breast cancer has a high survival rate. You don't even know if it is cancer. It could very well be benign. Most of them are. Try not to worry until you know whether there's anything to worry about. I know it's easy for me to say, but hang in there. I'll put my money on she'll be all right and this will blow over."

"I know." She looked at Joe. She couldn't remember hearing him speak so many words at one time. She smiled at him. "Thanks. But when you hear news like this, you can't help thinking the worst. I'm probably overreacting."

"No, you're not." said Paul. "You're reacting like anyone else would. It's normal."

Cathy looked at the four men. She felt so safe with them. "I don't know what I'd do without you guys. It's like I have four guardian angels."

"You do," said Luke.

They finished their drinks and decided to leave. Cathy never did drink her shot.

Jon asked, "Did you drive here, Cath?"

"No, I walked. I needed some air and time to think."

"Here," said Jon. He unclipped his carabiner from his belt loop, removed his car key and handed it to her.

"Take my car. I'm staying with Luke tonight."

Luke looked up. "You are? I don't remember inviting you." They all laughed.

"Thanks, hon. I'll slip the key under your door."

"You okay?" asked Jon.

"Yeah, I'll be okay. You guys cheered me up."

The group split up and headed their separate ways. Jon and Luke walked on the street, their arms around each other's waists.

Luke said, "I was thinking of going into the city tomorrow. Do you want to join me?"

"I don't think so, you want to see your friends and I don't want to interfere. You'll have more fun without me."

"Like hell I will. You're a part of me, and I want to have you on my arm for everyone to see. They'll be green with envy."

"I don't know about that, but sure, I'd like to meet them."

When they got to Luke's, Luke sat on the couch. He pulled out his cell phone and made a couple of calls. Jon was in the bathroom. When he returned he sat next to Luke.

"It's all set. I told the guys we'd be there around six. We'll have dinner, then hit some of the clubs. It'll be fun. You know, I'm looking forward to dancing with you. You do dance, don't you?"

"Sure. I'm no Fred Astaire, but I enjoy it."

"Good. That'll be fun. You hungry?"

"A little."

"I'll make sandwiches. I did a pork roast a couple days ago."

Luke rose and went to the kitchen. Jon watched as he gathered what he needed and assembled the sandwiches. Jon was impressed with how at ease Luke seemed to be. Like he worked in a kitchen all day. Satisfied with his efforts, Luke returned to the living room and handed Jon a plate.

"This looks great," Jon said.

"It's not much, but it should tide us over."

Jon took a bite. "It's delicious. I didn't know you were such a good cook."

"It's nothing. But I do like to cook. One of these days I'll make a gourmet meal for you."

"You are my gourmet meal," Jon said as he leaned over and kissed Luke on the cheek.

They finished their sandwiches and watched a rerun of "Queer as Folk." When it was over Jon stood up and took Luke's hand.

"I cleaned my plate. Now can I have dessert?" Luke stood and maneuvered Jon into the bedroom.

Saturday morning was sunny and warm, making a mockery of the previous day's weather forecast. The men showered, dressed and ate a light breakfast. They decided to go for a walk. They headed for the lake and began to follow its perimeter. Geese honked and threatened them along the way. It was mating season and the geese were even more territorial and obnoxious than usual. Jon took Luke's hand in his. There weren't many people around, and it was unlikely anyone would notice.

Luke leaned into Jon. "I'm looking forward to you meeting my friends. You'll like them, they're really good guys."

"If you like them, I'm sure they are. I'd like to get to know them."

"You will. And I know they'll like you, too."

The rest of the afternoon was spent relaxing on Luke's patio. At five o'clock they climbed into Luke's car and headed for the city. The weekend traffic was light and they arrived within 45 minutes. Luke had agreed to meet his friends at a bar on Halsted Street. They finally found a parking spot that was barely longer than the car. Luke deftly maneuvered into the space. Jon was impressed.

"Man, you really know how to parallel park. I wouldn't have even tried getting into this space."

Luke smiled. "Country boy."

They walked a block to the bar, hand in hand. No one batted an eye. Jon loved the freedom to express his feelings openly. They passed several gay couples doing the same. When they arrived at the bar Luke entered first and looked around. He spotted his friends and walked over to them. He gave each a quick hug. Jon stood next to him.

"Guys, this is Jon. Jon, these are my friends, Carl, Mike, Tom and Chris."

"Oh, honey!" exclaimed Carl. "You might be a late bloomer, but you sure know how to pick 'em. He's gorgeous!" He turned to Jon. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't embarrass you. I'm happy to meet you."

"Same here, Carl," said Jon.

"You know," Mike said, "you look just like that soccer guy. What's his name?"

"David Beckham," answered Tom. "Yeah, he really does. They could be twins."

Jon and Luke pulled up chairs and sat.

"So where did you guys meet? We had just about given up on you, Luke," Tom said.

Luke smiled. "I saw him walking by the side of the road in the rain one day. He looked lost so I opened the car door, whistled and patted the seat. He jumped in so I took him home and decided to keep him."

They all laughed. Carl said, "Girl, if you have strays like this roaming the suburbs, I'm gonna move."

"Really, though," Luke continued, "we met right after I moved. But you guys know how anal I am. It took until now for me to come to my senses."

The six continued talking, filling each other in on what was new since they'd last been together. Jon was having a good time. He liked Luke's friends and felt comfortable with them. They were all friendly and treated him as if they'd known him for years.

Luke asked, "Where do you guys want to eat? I'm starting to get hungry."

Carl said, "I made reservations at Cornelia's for eight o'clock."

"Oh, good. That's a nice place," Luke said. He turned to Jon. "You'll like it. It's kind of cozy and friendly. The food's good, too."

They decided they had time for another round and Luke and Chris went to get the drinks. They resumed the conversation. Jon observed that Carl seemed to be the leader of the group. Not that he was pushy or overbearing, he just had that air about him. Like he had everything under control. Jon spoke up.

"So was Luke the choir boy he says he was when he lived here?"

"Yeah, right," snorted Mike. "More like a fallen angel. When it came to partying, Luke put the rest of us to shame."

"I did not," retorted Luke. He had returned just in time to hear Mike's comment.

"Luke had every guy in town drooling over him," Tom said. "We couldn't figure out why someone didn't snag him. I guess he was waiting for the right guy." He winked at Jon.

Luke put his arm around Jon. "Yes I was. And he was worth the wait."

He leaned over and kissed Jon. Jon was on top of the world. Here he was, with Luke, in public, and he could hold him and kiss him freely. And Luke's friends were great. He was sure they liked him. He had never felt so comfortable and carefree.

Luke looked at Tom. "And what about you? Do you still have the revolving door on your apartment?"

"Yes, but it doesn't get as much use any more. I have a boyfriend," said Tom.

Chris said, "Yeah, he's been going with this guy for what, six weeks? I think that's a record for you, isn't it Tom? A personal best?"

The good-natured ribbing continued for a while. Carl picked up his glass and said, "Drink up, guys. We don't want to keep Marcus waiting. You know how he gets."

They all stood and headed for the door. They walked the short distance to the restaurant and went inside. Jon looked around. He found the eclectic decor interesting. The room was small, but not cramped.

"Good evening, gentlemen. Good to see you again." Marcus smiled at each of them, then looked Jon up and down. "And who is this handsome creature?" he asked, giving Jon an even broader grin.

Luke put his arm around Jon. "Marcus, this is my partner Jon." He looked at Jon. "Jon, Marcus." The two shook hands.

"It certainly is a pleasure to meet you! Luke, you're one lucky man. Then again, so are you, Jon." Marcus leaned closer to Jon and added in a stage whisper, "I've been trying to hook him for years." Jon and Luke both laughed.

Marcus picked up six menus and gestured toward the dining room. "Come with me. I have your table all ready."

Marcus led them to a rectangular table with three seats on each side. Jon sat next to Luke. Everyone ordered drinks, but Jon and Luke decided on diet sodas. They were pacing themselves. It was going to be a late night, and they had a long drive home ahead of them. The men talked and sipped their drinks for fifteen minutes. The waiter returned and took their orders. When the food arrived the conversation dropped off. After eating they had coffee and talked some more. Just after 9:30 they decided to be on their way. They split up the check and tip and headed to the door, thanking Marcus and complimenting him on the food and service.

The group headed south on Halsted and Carl led them into Roscoe's. As they made their way through the bar and toward the back, Luke stopped a couple of times to say hello to people he knew, each time introducing Jon. The other four had become lost in the crowd. Luke and Jon made their way onto the dance floor and joined the frenzied throng. Jon was thrilled dancing with his love. After ten minutes the music segued into a slow song and the frenetic lights dimmed. Luke put his arms around Jon and Jon did the same. They rocked slowly back and forth, their cheeks touching. Jon was in ecstasy. He wanted to stay like this, with Luke in his arms, all night. He drew back a little and looked at Luke, then pressed his mouth to Luke's and they kissed until the tempo began to pick up. The lights came back up and they left the dance floor, sweaty but exhilarated. They returned to the front bar, which was only slightly more quiet. Luke got beers and the two people-watched. Several guys came up to Luke to say hello and ask how he's been. Each time Luke introduced Jon. Jon was impressed and just a little intimidated with how popular Luke seemed to be. But they were all friendly and he decided to put those thoughts out of his mind.

The other four returned to the front bar. They all decided to head down the street to another club. There was a lot more dancing, more introductions and more drinking. Both Jon and Luke had been careful of their drinking throughout the evening and they were in complete control. They went to a couple more clubs, one of which had a dance floor on the roof. Jon loved that but the evening was beginning to take its toll. It was 2:00 a.m. and both the men were ready to call it a night. They said good night to their friends and left, walking slowly to the car.

"Did you have a good time?" asked Luke.

"You know I did. I loved dancing with you, being with you, meeting your friends. I had no idea you knew so many people. But mostly I loved being able to hold your hand and kiss you without worrying about whether someone was looking."

"Yeah, me too. I love being with you." Luke yawned. "Man, I'm going to sleep in tomorrow. I used to do this shit all night, but I'm cashed."

"You're older," Jon smiled as he poked Luke. "Want me to drive?"

"You don't mind? That'd be nice." Luke handed him the keys.

They approached the vehicle and Jon was relieved to see there was now more maneuvering room around Luke's car. They got in, buckled up and were on their way. Jon rested his hand on Luke's thigh, only removing it when he needed to shift gears. He was just approaching the expressway entrance when he heard a soft snoring sound. Luke was sound asleep. Jon was glad he'd offered to drive so Luke could get some sleep. He tuned the radio to a smooth jazz station and turned the volume down.

Jon thought about their evening as he drove. He couldn't remember having such an exciting night. He and Michael had occasionally gone into the city and hit some clubs. But they didn't know anybody in town. It seemed like Luke knew everyone. Luke was in his element all night, and Jon could tell he was having a very good time. The thought occurred to Jon that Luke might resent living in the relative quiet of the suburbs and think of moving back to the city. That idea bothered him, but he knew Luke liked living where he did, and he never talked about moving back. He'd even said he wouldn't. Jon decided he was probably being paranoid.

Jon slowed and steered onto their exit. When he did, Luke stirred and opened his eyes.

"Oh, man, I slept all the way here. Usually I can't sleep in a car."

"You crashed the minute I started driving. You snore, you know."

"I was only doing it to keep you awake while you drove."

Jon smiled. "I know you really enjoyed seeing your friends and all. I could tell you were having a great time. Do you ever think of moving back to the city?"

"No, not really. I like living where we do, and we're not that far. I get my 'fix' once or twice a month and then I'm good. Why? Are you afraid I'll run off and leave you?"

"Not a chance. You can't get rid of me that easily. I'd follow you anywhere."

"You won't have to, because I'll never leave you."

Jon pulled into Luke's parking space and handed the keys to him. They went inside and straight to the bedroom. After they undressed and used the bathroom they got into bed and laid next to each other, holding hands.

"Jon, tell me about Michael."

"Why? What do you want to know?"

"He was a part of your life, I want to know everything about you. Unless you'd rather not talk about it."

"No, it's okay." Jon thought for a minute. "We met in college when we were seniors. He was in one of my classes. We started to study and hang out together and figured out we were both gay. After a while we started having sex and I moved into his place. Later on we considered ourselves a couple and became monogamous. I cared very much for him and we were very close."

"And you were in love with him?"

Jon thought for a long moment. "I was a lot younger then. Yes, I loved him. But I realize now I wasn't 'in love' with him. I know that sounds shitty, but I don't know how else to put it. No disrespect to Michael, I did love him--he was a great guy. But I didn't know what love really was back then."

Luke turned his head and kissed Jon on his shoulder. "How did he die?"

Jon sighed. "We were playing hoops one night with a bunch of other guys. We were very competitive and the game was close. Michael had just made an unbelievable shot and we high-fived. Then he doubled over and went down. He was on the ground, and he looked up at me. I'll never forget the look on his face. I yelled for someone to call the paramedics and stayed with him. The ambulance came but I think he was already gone by then. Later they told me it was an aortic aneurysm. Probably a birth defect no one knew about. There wasn't anything anyone could have done."

"I'm sorry," Luke said as he squeezed Jon's hand.

Jon took a deep breath and sighed. "Yeah, me too. But I've come to terms with it. I'll never forget him, and sometimes I wonder what my life would be like if he were still alive."

"We probably wouldn't be here together."

"Hard to say. And scary. But I know one thing for sure. Now I know what it means to be in love, and you're the reason for that."

"Me too," said Luke and they drifted off to sleep.

# # #

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