Thirty-Two Noah
thirty-two
Noah
What did you mean by research ?” Ramin asked, leaning closer to Noah.
They were seated next to each other in the business-class car, enjoying the spacious seats and ample leg room and general vibes on the train. Noah couldn’t believe he’d gone his whole life without knowing how awesome trains were.
A tiny part of him felt guilty that Jake wasn’t with them. But Jake was on his own adventure, with Angela, probably having the time of his life, so Noah shushed that part. He was here with Ramin, finally getting time together, and he was going to savor every second.
Noah cocked his head. “Research?”
Ramin traced his index finger along Noah’s forearm, where he’d rolled his sleeve down to cover his notes. His thoroughly exhausted member twitched in his singlet, remembering Ramin’s touch.
Oh. That research.
Noah reached for his cross, but he didn’t grab it. “Um. Just looking up best practices.” He swallowed. “And maybe some examples. Like… scripts.”
“That’s really hot,” Ramin whispered.
Noah grinned. It was hot. He didn’t know how much he’d like it until he was—well, they were —doing it. Literally.
He shivered and tried to keep his body under control.
The Italian countryside sped by outside the windows, sunlit fields reflected in Ramin’s green eyes.
Noah would never get enough of them. His hands itched to sketch them, but even more, his hands itched to touch Ramin, to hold him, to pick up where they’d left off in that bathroom, but that was definitely not appropriate in the middle of a train.
Instead, he leaned over and gave a peck on Ramin’s exposed shoulder. He loved seeing Ramin in a tank top. A few times, he’d even caught a glimpse of ink on Ramin’s skin.
“I like you in this,” he said. “You should wear it more often.”
Ramin blushed and tugged it lower. He was always doing that, tugging on his hem. Noah reached for one of Ramin’s hands, laced their fingers together. Ramin’s hand was warm, smooth, strong.
Perfect.
“This okay?” Noah asked, when Ramin glanced around.
“Yeah, just making sure…”
“Making sure?”
Ramin’s voice dropped. “Making sure it’s safe? For two guys?”
Noah wanted to smack himself on the forehead.
He’d never even thought about that before. At least not in anything more than the occasional hypothetical. He’d certainly never looked over his own shoulders.
“Got it. Sorry.” He felt himself getting warm all over. “Can I ask another question?”
Ramin lips quirked. “Sure.”
“What’s prep? You mentioned it earlier, when we were… you know, with the condom?”
“Oh. Pre-exposure prophylaxis. It prevents you getting HIV if you’re exposed. I started taking it again before I came here. I thought I was going to… well.” Ramin’s voice dropped lower. He reached up to twist one of his studs. “Meet lots of men.”
“Should I be on it, too?”
“I mean…” Ramin took a long breath, and Noah couldn’t help feeling like he’d stuck his foot in his mouth somehow. Ramin scratched his chest with his free hand, pulling the tank top down just enough for Noah to get another glimpse of ink.
Ramin caught him staring.
“What? I’m curious.” Noah reached for Ramin’s shoulder, but Ramin swatted him away.
“Don’t!” he whined, but his dimples were popping. “It’s peeling.”
“I don’t mind.”
Ramin shook his head. “ Behave. Anyway, with PrEP… it’s a good thing to be on if you’re worried about HIV exposure.
It’s preventative. And I’ve been on it ever since it came out, even when I was with Todd and we were completely exclusive.
I only really stopped it the last year or so, when I thought… well. Doesn’t matter.”
“When you thought he was the one. And you were gonna get married,” Noah finished for him.
He was glad that hadn’t happened. So glad. Otherwise he and Ramin never would’ve found each other again. But he still wished Ramin hadn’t been hurt. Noah would’ve taken that pain for him, if he could’ve.
“Yeah. So, anyway, I’m on it again, but it’s a personal choice, and you can talk to your doctor about it if you’re worried.”
“Okay.” That all made sense. Another thing Noah hadn’t ever really thought about before. Condoms had always seemed like enough for preventing STDs (not to mention birth control), but HIV was definitely scarier than most things.
“But if you’re not, you know, sleeping around… I mean, if you and I are going to be exclusive… that is what you’re thinking, right?”
“Absolutely,” Noah said. The thought of Ramin with anyone else made his hackles rise. He leaned in so he could growl in Ramin’s ear. “You’re all mine.”
Ramin laughed and shoved him. “Down, boy.”
Noah giggled too.
“Anyway, growing up gay, hearing stories about AIDS… I guess it’s always been a lot bigger fear for me than it was for you. I don’t say that to guilt you, just so you can understand where I’m coming from. Does that make sense?”
It did. It made a lot of sense. Even after realizing he was bisexual, Noah had never given much thought to what sex with men really meant. His only two encounters had been so disastrously one-sided, he’d never ended up learning more. Learning what he needed.
He didn’t regret the path his life had taken, all things considered. But sometimes he wished things had gone differently with one of those guys, or both. That he’d found more queer folks to talk to about this stuff, to learn what he needed to know.
Then he wouldn’t feel like Ramin was having to tutor him in Gayness 101.
“I’m sorry so much of this is new to me. I promise you don’t have to hold my hand through every little thing.”
“I like holding your hand,” Ramin murmured.
“I like holding yours, too.”
They sat quietly for a moment, watching the verdant Padan Plain speed by, but then Ramin sat up straighter.
“Hey. Where did you get that singlet, anyway?”
The last half hour or so of the train ride was mostly dark as they took a series of tunnels through the Apennines and toward the coast. Noah plugged his nose and exhaled to try and relieve the pressure in his ears.
Finally, the train slowed, and an automated voice announced their arrival at Genova Piazza Principe.
Noah had imagined stepping off the platform onto a hill overlooking the Ligurian Sea, feeling the salt breeze on his face, seeing Ramin’s eyes widen in wonder at the expanse of ocean before them. He’d been looking forward to that moment ever since he booked their tickets.
Instead, the underground platform led them through a cramped hallway before they found the exit and emerged in a bright piazza. There were buildings all around them, a traffic circle, and, ahead, a huge statue of Christopher Columbus.
No ocean in sight. No gull cries. No wind off the water.
It didn’t matter, though, because Ramin smiled at him, eyes sparkling. Then he hiked his backpack higher, turned—and flipped Columbus the bird.
Noah giggled—the embarrassing one he sometimes let out—but Ramin turned back and his smile only got brighter. The sky stretched high and blue above them, full of tall, puffy white clouds. It was cooler than Milan, but more humid. At least the breeze cooled Noah’s skin.
“Where to?” Ramin asked.
“The hotel’s not far,” Noah said.
“Hotel?”
Noah nodded. He didn’t have much experience traveling, especially internationally, but he hadn’t only been researching how to be a dom. He’d looked up hotel reviews, too.
“You didn’t have to do that.”
“I wanted to,” Noah said. “Let me take care of you for once.”
“You’re always taking care of other people,” Ramin pointed out.
Noah grumbled. It wasn’t the same as taking care of Jake. This was… this was a partnership. They each took turns caring for the other. “You got the hotel in Como. I want to do this for you.”
“Okay. Thank you.”
Noah pulled out his phone and led the way.
Genoa reminded him of Bellagio: full of colorful buildings—some freshly painted, others faded by sun and salty air—narrow streets and steep hills, tight alleyways and hidden staircases. All the windows were covered by forest-green shutters.
“Do you think it’s in, like, the HOA rules that they have to have those?” Noah asked.
“I don’t know. I like them, though.”
Noah checked his phone again and turned down a salita so steep, it probably should’ve been a staircase. The alleyway was gray and dim, like it had never seen the sun, and given how narrow it was, that might’ve been the actual truth.
“This kind of reminds me of Seattle,” Ramin said. “All hills and curves.”
“Yeah? I’ve never been.” Noah imagined visiting it with Ramin and Jake. Of traveling all around the States with the two of them. Having family adventures together.
The thought nearly made him lose his footing.
Family adventures.
Him and Ramin and Jake.
A family.
It was way, way, way too soon to be thinking thoughts like that. Wasn’t it?
He’d only known Ramin again for, what? Ten days? Or was today eleven? Was he even counting right?
You couldn’t decide to make a family with someone after ten days. Even if that someone was the most beautiful man you’d ever seen in your life. Not to mention the kindest.
And gave the most amazing blowjobs.
Noah gave his leg a step-shake to try to unstick himself from his inner thigh.
The alley opened onto a sunlit street that faced the old port. In the distance stood huge, colorful shipping containers, tall blue cranes, and enormous cruise ships in a row. One of them had, of all things, Bugs Bunny on it.
But there, finally, was the sea.
It was a rich, dark blue, lightening as it stretched toward the horizon, until it was impossible to know for sure where the water ended and the sky began.
Seagulls cried, or did they laugh? One swooped from a light post across the street, its white belly marked with gray spots. The salt breeze caught in Noah’s hair.
Ramin stopped abruptly, and Noah paused beside him.
Ramin’s eyes went wide and beautiful as he gazed out over the port and the water beyond, squinting slightly in the sun.
His smile dawned slowly. First it lifted the corners of his eyes, and then it pierced his cheeks to form the deep wells of his dimples, and then it curved the heavenly bow of his lips, his face transported with wonder.
Noah wanted to kiss him a million times.
“This was a good choice,” Ramin said softly.
“Yeah?” Noah’s heart fluttered with pride. He’d made Ramin happy.
He really liked making Ramin happy.
“I’m glad.”
Noah hadn’t managed to find a hotel that was actually on the waterfront (not for lack of trying), but they still walked along the boardwalk to get there.
They passed a huge maritime museum, a set of bouncy castles (Noah spotted an Avengers-themed one and immediately thought of Jake), an old galleon, and an impressive aquarium before taking another narrow salita back uphill.
Noah hung back to enjoy the sight of Ramin’s butt in those pink shorts of his.
He’d made Ramin wait for his own satisfaction back at the train station, but he had every intention of making it up to him at the hotel. In a nice, comfy bed. Doing anything and everything that Ramin wanted.
Noah guided them to a lavender building with the same forest-green shutters as all the others. Its walls were smooth but frescoed to seem like they were built from huge stones, with highlight and shadow giving a three-dimensional effect. Painted-on reliefs bordered the windows.
He held the door to let Ramin into the lobby.
“Good choice,” Ramin said, looking around.
It was fancy. Noah had balked a bit at the price, but Ramin was worth it. Besides, he hadn’t been on a date in two years. He could afford it.
Marble floors, leather armchairs, and a huge red velvet sofa sat to the right of the check-in desk; farther in lay a sitting room with a grand piano, a crystal chandelier, and more ridiculously ornate furniture.
“Got your passport?” he asked.
Ramin unslung his backpack, exposing more of his chest and another tantalizing hint of ink, and dug his passport out.
Faint music played over hidden speakers; the lobby smelled of vanilla and lavender from some sort of scent diffuser. It was the fanciest hotel Noah had ever been in.
Noah had never been poor, but he certainly hadn’t grown up rich; his mother was a teacher and his father a mechanic, so they’d never gone hungry, but they’d also never taken trips like this.
When they traveled—driving to Branson or Colorado or, one time, Minnesota, to see the Mall of America—they stayed at Holiday Inns.
He’d gotten a taste of splurging while he and Angela were married, especially on their honeymoon, but truth be told, they’d both been more intent on making sure Jake’s college fund was in good shape than on staying in nice hotels.
“Prego, Mr. Bartlett,” the front desk clerk said as Noah handed over their passports. “It looks like your room isn’t ready just yet. But if you want, you can check your bags, and we’ll deliver them for you.”
Ramin made a little sound, and Noah suddenly remembered his whole baggage debacle.
“We don’t have to,” he said, but Ramin shook his head.
“It’s fine.”
Noah handed over his backpack, suddenly painfully, awkwardly aware that there were condoms and lube in it.
Surely they wouldn’t search his bag, but he couldn’t help feeling like he should be avoiding eye contact with the receptionist. He glanced around to make sure his dentist hadn’t suddenly appeared.
“What now?” Noah asked as they stepped back out into the sun.
Ramin pulled on a slick pair of aviators. Noah wore his own Walmart plastic sunglasses.
“You hungry?” Ramin asked.
“Starving.” Breakfast felt like a lifetime ago, and after Jake’s meltdown, he hadn’t had the appetite to finish. “You know, Genoa is famous for focaccia.”
Ramin licked his lips. Those sinful lips. That perfect, talented tongue.
Noah’s penis twitched in his singlet. He swallowed a groan at the memory. He needed to keep it in his pants until they got back to the hotel and could check in properly.
And then…
Then he could finally have his way with Ramin.