Chapter 7
Chapter Seven
A very concerning picture was beginning to emerge as Theo acquainted himself with the workings of the bowling alley, its owner, and its patrons. After witnessing friends struggle with various addictions, Theo began to suspect that Dewey’s crankiness, occasional slurred words and clumsiness, and secret naps were signs of a far more serious problem.
His suspicions were confirmed when Theo heard a tap at the Winnie’s door, after returning from his second day of work at the bowling alley.
“What’s this?” Theo asked as he leaned out.
Dewey held up a six pack of beer. “A belated housewarming gift?” he attempted with a wide smile. “I thought it might be nice to have a little company, instead of heading straight home and drinking alone.”
“Company is always better,” Theo agreed and Dewey set up two folding chairs that had been resting against the wall by the bowling alley’s exit. The six-pack was placed between them and Theo was handed a bottle. He watched and mimicked as Dewey twisted off the top and took a sip. Theo coughed and scowled at the bottle, offended at it. Beer was supposed to have body and bite and flavors like malt and spice. This was piss. “R?udig,” he said, giving the white and red label a skeptical glance ‘Genesee?’”
“That’s pretty much all Jim carries across the street. And Bud Light. R?udig?” Dewey asked.
“Delightful!” Theo held up his bottle before taking another drink. “Thank you for sharing,” he said, remembering his manners.
They both reclined with their beers and were content to enjoy the stars and the peaceful night in silence until Dewey cleared his throat. “Is it Interpol? Or something political? Are you hiding because you can’t get on a plane or cross the border?” he asked in a hushed whisper, making Theo laugh.
“Nee! I swear, I am not evading arrest, running from my debts, hiding from the mafia, or any government. And I’m not a spy, Brooks. I’m just a bored, over-indulged aristocrat. Instead of backpacking around Europe and staying in hostels like a university student, I’m wandering around Upstate New York and doing my best to be useful along the way.”
Dewey nodded thoughtfully. “I guess I can see that. But I still don’t get why you’d pick Upstate New York and Oslo.”
“Because I’ve already been to the other Oslo. I’ve been to lots of places, all over the world, but I haven’t experienced much of America outside of Manhattan, Chicago, Las Vegas, and Los Angeles.”
“We’re certainly different from all of those places,” Dewey said, then took a sip from his bottle.
“Any other probing questions or conspiracy theories you’d like to run by me?” Theo asked him. “I’m not an alien or robot either,” he whispered out of the side of his mouth, earning a wry chuckle from Dewey.
“I haven’t figured out what you are yet, but alien and robot weren’t at the top of my list.”
“Hmmm…” Theo tapped his fingers against his bottle, considering how much he could say without giving too much away. “I was born a month early, while my parents were in Italy visiting my mother’s family. My father was Austrian and I grew up rather modestly in the countryside until I went to university in England.”
“What did you study?” Dewey asked, suddenly alert.
Theo paused and winced. “Mostly business and finance,” he said vaguely and leaned away as beer sprayed from Deweys’ lips.
“What the almighty fuck are you doing here, Theo?” he laughed as he sat forward, wiping off his shirt and sleeves.
“I told you, I’m figuring out who I am and trying to be useful.”
“Come on! You went to university and studied business and finance,” Dewey said, mimicking Theo’s accent. “You should be anywhere else but here.”
“And yet, here is where I am,” Theo said as he gestured around them. “I went to university because it was expected, but I never really applied myself. I assumed I’d stay with my brothers and help them with their lives. Then, Elio started school and they all went in different directions. So, I started traveling whenever I felt like I was…” He rolled a hand as he searched for the proper expression. “Eine Ablenkung. Jemandem auf den Keks gehen. Irritating or underfoot?” he attempted.
“I can’t imagine that,” Dewey murmured. “Have you tried asking them about it? They might not feel like you’re in the way,” Dewey suggested and Theo gave him a severely skeptical look.
“I doubt very strongly that you would ask.”
“Eh, you’re smarter than me,” Dewey said dismissively. “You don’t have to suffer in silence or pretend it doesn’t hurt.”
Theo groaned and shook his head. “Matteo was the one who told me to get a life. Leo probably knows because he knows me better than I know myself. He would have me stay with him and Jonathon, but who wants to be trapped with two love birds?” he asked, sticking out his tongue. “And why should I trouble Matteo or Eli? They’re young and should have their own adventures.”
“That, I understand,” Dewey said as he tapped the neck of his bottle against Theo’s. “I don’t want to be a burden on anyone and I don’t want people’s pity.”
“Pity about what?” Theo asked, but Dewey waved it off.
“What’s to pity? I have everything I could possibly want and my kid is going to be the world’s best engineer,” he stated.
“Prost!” Theo said, giving Dewey’s bottle another tap. “What is that?” he asked and turned in his seat when he heard a bit of a song. It had been popular in America and a novelty in England and Austria when Theo was still a student.
“Just a car driving by,” Dewey replied.
“I assumed but what was that song?”
“Oh. ‘Friends In Low Places,’” Dewey said with a chuckle. He hummed and began to sing in a low, deep rumble, causing goosebumps to spread down Theo’s arms as his hair stood.
“Brooks!” Theo jumped to his feet. “You can sing?”
He just shrugged and rumbled a lazy “I’ll be okay,” that went straight to Theo’s boxers.
“Hold on!” He yanked his phone out of his pocket and quickly found the song. “Come! Bitte!” he said and held out his hand.
“Come, and what?” Dewey asked, cocking a brow up at Theo while stretching and crossing his legs.
“I want to hear it from the beginning. Dance with me!” he urged but Dewey shook his head.
“Not much of a dancer. Not much of a singer, either.”
“You are lying!” Theo said as he pointed. “I heard you and it was hot .”
Dewey shook his head quickly and squirmed. “No, it wasn’t. I was just goofing around.”
“Please! I’ve never danced to a country song.”
“It’s not that great and I’ve never…” Dewey flailed and spluttered. “I’ve only danced a handful of times and never with a man. It’ll be stupid,” he predicted. But Theo could tell by the way Dewey averted his eyes and by the pink stains spreading across his cheeks that he wanted to.
“Who would know? It’s just us,” Theo noted. He hummed encouragingly, then cheered when Dewey swore and dragged himself out of the folding chair.
“Just one song,” he stipulated as he set his beer on the pavement and straightened. He held out his arms and Theo set his beer down and started the song, then rushed over.
“I am so excited!” he said as took Dewey’s right hand, then gasped in approval as he was pulled closer.
“We’re gonna have to two-step,” Dewey said, winding his other arm around Theo’s waist so they were chest-to-chest. “It’s all I know and I barely know how,” he warned in a grumbled rush.
“Ausgezeichnet!” Theo whispered, fascinated and slightly giddy as Dewey’s hips swayed against his with the music.
“You want to step, step, and slide, slide. Like this,” he said as he led.
It only took Theo a moment to get the gist of the waltz and Dewey began to sing again as they glided down the alley. Theo stumbled a few times, he was so captivated. Dewey was incredibly handsome when he wasn’t staring at his boots or snarling. And it was very nice, being in Dewey’s arms and having all that strength and warmth wrapped around Theo. Dewey turned them, giving Theo a quick twirl before they danced back toward the Winnie.
“You lied again. You’re an excellent dancer,” Theo noted and settled in Dewey’s arms, thoroughly enjoying himself.
“Nah.” Dewey shrugged it off. “I used to spend a lot of time practicing alone, in case I ever found myself in an alley with a mysterious Austrian.”
That got a good laugh out of Theo. “Were your imaginary partners always women, when you practiced by yourself?”
Dewey shook his head. “That’s kind of how I knew that I liked both. I liked watching my parents and I’d practice in case I was ever brave enough to ask someone at a dance. I mostly imagined girls until I was like fourteen or fifteen. I started thinking about dancing with some of the other boys at school and I got that tickle, you know?”
“Mmmhmm…” Theo hummed, letting out a dreamy sigh. “My father wanted us to have a ‘proper’ education and scraped so that Leo and I could go to boarding school. I was very popular. Lots of tickles.”
“I bet you were.”
“I take it American boys don’t explore as much with each other,” Theo said, causing Dewey to rear back and shake his head.
“God, no. What the fuck happens in boarding schools?” he asked and Theo gave him a wide grin and wiggled his brows.
“Pretty much what you’d imagine in a school without girls. ‘What you got there and how does that work?’ A lot of comparing of techniques and assisting,” he explained. “It’s a pretty good way to find out, though. You’re just there for the assist or you’re into it . And I was always into it. I can find a spark with just about anyone, if they’re willing to give me a chance.”
“Because you’re pansexual?” Dewey confirmed.
“If a woman tells me she’s a woman or a man says he’s a man, that’s enough for me.” Theo made a dismissive sound. “And I think there’s beauty in the middle as well. Why should the type of equipment matter, if there’s a spark and the other person feels it too?”
“I didn’t know that pansexuality was a thing and I don’t know that I’ve ever met a trans person,” Dewey admitted. “But it wouldn’t matter to me. If I was the kind of person who dated. And assuming anyone would want to date me,” he mused.
“Then, that would make you pan too,” Theo said, frowning at Dewey. “What do you mean, assuming anyone would want to date you? You’re quite a catch, Brooks.”
“Hardly,” Dewey said with a snort. “I bet you’ve never had a problem. I bet lots of people have been willing.”
“More than I could count,” Theo confessed and raised a shoulder. “I’ve never offered anyone anything other than the present, because that’s all I’ve ever had to give. Sex can be incredibly intimate and thrilling when you know there will be nothing afterwards. You can put your whole self into it without reservations or shame because you won’t have to look the other person in the eye later. You’re free to enjoy the moment and revel in another body without the obligations and ups and downs of a relationship.”
“I guess that’s fair. As long as no one gets hurt.”
“That’s my only rule,” Theo said with a sigh, reminding himself to stick with dancing.
He was sorely tempted to rock his hips so Dewey would notice his hard-on and Theo’s hands itched to squeeze one of those big, firm asscheeks. He could have easily danced Dewey to the Winnie and spent the night scaling this mountain of a man, but Theo knew there would be real consequences in the morning.
“Thank you!” Theo said brightly when the song ended and offered Dewey a proper bow. “That’s one more thing I can scratch off the list.”
“Happy to help.” Dewey said and went to fold his chair and collect his beer. “Think I’ll take off. See you in the morning.”
“See you in the morning,” Theo said as he returned to his seat and the rest of the six pack. “Think I’ll stay out here and enjoy the stars. They’re very different in this part of the world.”
“Enjoy those stars, Theo.”
Dewey left, but he still lingered. The low, deep rumble of his voice echoed in the little alley and Theo missed the warmth of his embrace and his dry humor. It was hard to tell, but Theo was beginning to suspect that Dewey might like him.
He was obviously curious and had attempted to interrogate Theo with his beer and enthralling company. Theo regretted not coming clean and telling Dewey the truth. He felt like a creep for omitting that Leo was a prince and that their cousin, Maximillian, had fully restored the family’s reputation and finances after their parents had died.
But Theo didn’t want to lose what little trust and respect he had gained. Dewey was just starting to like and accept him. A bond was forming and Theo was honored to be Dewey’s first queer friend and to share whatever insight he had gained. For a man like Dewey in a town like Oslo, having even a tiny community to connect with could make a momentous difference.
Theo was aware enough to accept that he wasn’t the ideal bowling alley employee— yet— but he could be an amazing friend and help Dewey in other important ways. He would start by being as openly and obviously queer as possible so that everyone knew that Dewey wasn’t alone and that there was a big, gay world outside of Oslo, New York. And Theo would prove that Dewey wasn’t a nobody who ran a bowling alley, but a desirable, successful bear of a man who deserved to be happy with whomever he pleased.
“Pillepalle,” Theo predicted with a firm nod.
There was also the matter of Dewey’s possible alcohol addiction. It seemed very unlikely that Cassie and Bryce hadn’t noticed if Theo had picked up on Dewey’s problem in just a few days. Others around Dewey might have noticed as well but were waiting for the right moment or reason. Perhaps, Theo was meant to be the impetus they needed to finally confront Dewey and help him on his journey to recovery.
By being Dewey’s queer cheerleader, Theo could help him find more of his queer identity and get the help he needed with his alcohol addiction. There was a good chance his alcoholism was related to the lack of support Dewey received from his friends and community. Theo was happy to be the conduit for that support and had seen how much of a difference that made when coping with addiction.
The only real challenge, as far as Theo could tell, would be to keep his hands to himself and his dick in his pants. Because Dewey truly was a desirable, successful, sexy bear of a man with a voice like velvet. Who deserved to be happy .
Theo sensed that he could do a lot of damage if he wasn’t careful with Dewey. Unlike Theo, Dewey’s roots were firmly planted in Oslo and he was guided by his nobler principles. Duty, loyalty, dedication, sacrifice… He lived with those values every day and would logically crave that in a relationship. Whereas, Theo had always reserved that kind of duty, loyalty, and dedication for his brothers and they were the only ones he’d ever considered sacrificing himself for.
Those ironclad principles were like catnip for Theo, he was finding, and it was hard to ignore how large and sexy Dewey was. And those blushes and flustered mumbles suggested that there was a great deal to explore and that Dewey was hiding all sorts of delicious surprises beneath his cranky, stoic facade. Nothing turned Theo on more than honesty and curiosity and there was so much he could teach Dewey.
Theo got dizzy, just imagining all the arousing possibilities a large, blank, and willing canvas like Dewey could present for the right man.
“Not so pillepalle,” he admitted in a frustrated groan. He decided it was better to call it a night as well, instead of drinking terrible beer and dwelling on all the things he should never, ever do with Dewey Brooks.