This story contains gay themes and graphic depictions of homosexuality. If this offends you, then you probably shouldn't read it. I welcome any and all comments and appreciate all of the feedback I have previously received. I'd also like to say thanks to the folks at Nifty.
I immediately went into panic mode. Luckily David had already hung up. Why did he call? How much had Chris heard? What should I do? I needed reinforcements. I called Aisha.
"Ai, I'm in trouble" I said. I guess she could hear the panic in my voice.
"What's going on?" she asked.
"Something terrible has happened" I said. "I can't go into it now, I'm coming to pick you up, and I'll explain everything then." Two minutes later I was racing toward Aisha's house. When I got there she was waiting outside. I pulled up and she got in. I was always fascinated at how great she looked. Even in jeans and a tank top she looked incredible. As I started off, I started to tell what had happened.
When I had finished, she said "Calm down, we just have to find him"
"I don't even know where to look" I said. She looked at me. My eyes were watering.
"This is real, isn't it?" she asked.
"Ai, this is the guy." I said.
"Okay, let's go find him" she said. We put our heads together and decided that we should try his job first.
When we got there, I ran to the back of the store, hoping that I would see him. I didn't. I met Aisha near the front of the store, and then I saw a familiar face. Gwen was working the express lane. I ran up and asked if she had seen Chris.
Before she could answer, a woman in line said "There's a line here!"
"Does he look like he has any groceries?" Aisha shot back. She gave the woman a glare as if to drive her point home.
"I think he's off today" Gwen said. "Casey, have you seen Chris today?" she asked the cashier in the next lane.
"No, he's off" the cashier responded.
"Thanks" I said and turned to Aisha, who was still giving the customer a vicious glance. We left the store and rushed to the car. Aisha was still upset. She was muttering something about "kicking that bitch's ass"
"Ai, eyes on the prize" I said.
"Sorry, where should we look next" she asked.
"Well we could try his apartment" I said.
"Let's go" she said and we were off. We drove across town to Chris' apartment. "Good Lord, where the hell does this man live?" Aisha asked.
"Ai, he's a student." I said.
"It's a good thing he's so big" she said. I parked. "Should I wait in the car" Aisha asked.
"No! If he's there, I'm gonna need your support" I answered. We entered the old building and rushed up the stairs to Chris' apartment. I rang the doorbell and waited. When no one answered, I started to knock.
Shortly an old man opened the door across the hall. "He ain't there" the man said.
"We're sorry" Aisha began, "We didn't mean to disturb anyone"
"Whoo, you cute" the old man said to Aisha. "I always thought he liked boys, though" he continued.
"Um, do you know where he is?" I interrupted. "I saw him leave with luggage, he may have gone home" the man answered. My heart sank. He wouldn't leave without saying goodbye, would he? We thanked him and headed out. In the car I broke down. I always thought of myself as masculine. I rarely cried. I didn't have any need for sadness as an emotion, but this hurt. Ai did what she could to console me.
"Let's go get something to drink" she suggested. I didn't need alcohol. I needed Chris. Besides, I had taken up Ai's entire day; I didn't want to take away her evening too.
"I'm gonna go home" I said and asked her if she'd mind driving.
Later that evening I sat in the living room and thought about the days events. How did a day that began so right end so wrong. I wanted to kill David. The things that went down were his fault I reasoned to myself. But realistically I couldn't put the blame all on David. I should have been honest with Chris from the start. I looked around. The room looked big and empty. It felt cold even though it was a warm summer night. I couldn't focus on the game, so I climbed the stairs and walked down the hall to my bedroom. I turned on the stereo and lay down on the bed. The big bed seemed even bigger.
The night lasted forever. I slept when I could but, mostly I cried. I wanted a chance to talk to Chris. I wanted to explain. He might have gone home, the old man said. I only knew home was out of state. I should try to call him again on his cell, I thought. But if he wanted to talk to me he would have called me. The night seemed to go on forever. Eventually I got up and went out onto the patio to watch the sun rise.
In the quiet of the morning, the weirdest thoughts creep into your brain. A lot of what ifs and what would I do differently. Over my coffee I kept thinking what I would do and what I would say if and when I finally got to talk to him. I knew I had to start with the truth. He needed to know exactly what had happened with David and why I had unintentionally kept it from him. I watched the sun rise. I used to think it was so beautiful. It crept over and between the buildings downtown. Presently the city began to bustle to life. It was Sunday so it began slower than most days, but before long the din of churchgoers and delivery people began.
At some point I must have drifted off, because I awoke to the sound of the phone ringing. I stubbed my toe running into the house to answer it. It was Aisha.
"I didn't think you'd be asleep" she said. I told her about my restless night and she told me that she was coming over. I didn't have the strength to argue. I cleaned myself up as best I could and settled in to wait for her.
When she arrived I offered her breakfast, but she said she'd cook. I turned on the TV and wrapped myself in a blanket. Suddenly I was cold. Aisha impressed me with a delicious and rather large breakfast. There were eggs and sausage fresh fruit and juice. She said I didn't need any more coffee. I ate without realizing how hungry I was. I ate everything that she put in front of me. When I finished, she brought the dishes to the kitchen and then came back and sat on the couch with me. We didn't talk. We just sat there looking at the TV and silently enjoying each other's company. After a while I dozed off.
When I awoke I found my head in her lap. She was stroking my hair and humming something. For the first time since the whole ordeal began, I felt peace. I fell asleep again. I'm not sure how long I was out, but when I woke the second time, she was asleep. I got up and took the blanket and draped it across her. As I leaned down to tuck it in, she opened her eyes. She looked so beautiful then, that instinctively I kissed her. It was meant to be a friendly thank you kind of kiss, but it quickly turned into something more.