Chapter Six
chapter six
KEITH
O ver the next week, Derek comes over after his classes to help me unpack. If I were alone, I would have been done already, but I like him moving things around into the spaces he wants them. I give him a general idea of where I want things and he sets them up how he wants them. Not in a ‘staking my claim’ sort of way—he seems to do it unconsciously. I will admit that I like looking at where he puts things and I have no desire to move them.
Tonight, though, we only have a few boxes left to unpack. Not enough for him to even be here for an hour if we’re diligent. I find myself getting nervous, wondering if I would have to find an excuse to get him to come back or if I could just ask him. I used his offer to help me unpack like a lifeline, hoping we could get to know each other while he helps me.
It worked like a charm. Derek is an interesting young man. I find myself drawn to him more and more. While he’s still the man that gave me an award-winning blow job, he also has a lot of depth to him. He’s smart, ranking second in his class. He’s driven, since he already has several job offers locally and statewide. And he’s funny as hell. Derek has been cracking me up, telling joke after joke while we work. He’s made the time we’ve spent unpacking fun rather than boring and tedious.
The knock at my door has me smiling from ear to ear. I hustle over and throw the door open, expecting to see Derek. Evan’s smiling face greets me. I try not to let my disappointment show, but it’s short-lived. I love seeing Evan any chance I get. Being this close to him makes my heart happy.
Reaching out, I pull him into a hug, clapping him on the back. “Hey. I thought you had study hall.”
He brushes past me, dropping his backpack to the floor as he sits on the couch. I surreptitiously grab my phone and send off a quick text.
Me: Evan is here. You can still come over, though. We can wait until he leaves to unpack.
I get a text back immediately.
Derek: No, hang out with him. If he doesn’t stay the night, let me know when he leaves and I’ll help with the last few boxes.
A smile leaps to my face, even though I try to wipe it off. Evan catches it, though. “New woman in your life?” he asks, a genuine smile aimed at me. I want to tell him so badly that it’s a new man, and that he knows him, but that would be unwise for two reasons. One, I can’t tell my son I want to fuck—and possibly more—his friend. Two, Evan doesn’t know I’m bi.
Besides, Derek and I are just getting to know each other. It’s almost like the bathroom blowjob didn’t happen. I know what I want from him, but I’m sure he doesn’t want that now, since we have such a good connection.
I can, however, remedy one reason I can’t tell Evan about Derek.
Pulling in a deep, fortifying breath, I say, “New guy. Kind of? I’m not sure where it’s going, but I like him.”
Evan’s eyebrows shoot up, then they furrow. “Guy? Are you… Dad, are you gay? Were you married to mom to cover it up? Is that why you guys are divorced?”
“No,” I rush to say, sitting beside him. “No. I’m bi. Your mom has always known that. I loved your mother; still do, in fact, but we fell out of romantic love. She’s my best friend. I was deeply in love with her and her with me when we got married, I promise. We got divorced to give each other freedom to find someone that was in love with us.”
He lets out a long breath. “Okay, that’s great. I was afraid… after twenty years, ya know?”
I nod. “I understand. But it was never a secret from your mom. I was always loyal to her. We had no secrets.”
Evan bumps my shoulder. “A new guy, huh? Tell me about him.”
What feels like a boulder drops into my stomach. I’m not sure what I can say that will suffice without saying a name. I don’t want to lie, but I don’t want to keep it all a secret.
Leaning back, I tell him about Derek in a roundabout way. “He’s nice. Sweet. Younger than me, but still an adult.” Evan laughs and waves for me to continue. “We haven’t really said we’re taking things further than friendship, but I like him. It’s been a week, but he gives me butterflies.”
I didn’t mean to say that last part aloud, but it’s true. Every time I see Derek, I get a fluttering in my belly that I didn’t get, even when I was with Sheila. It’s a foreign feeling, but I like it.
My son slaps my leg, another big smile on his face. “That’s great, Dad. I’m glad to hear that you’re moving on and you’ve found someone.”
I hold my hand up. “I didn’t say all that. I said I like him . I’m pretty sure he just wants to be friends.”
Evan scoffs. “He’s an idiot if he doesn’t see what a catch you are. When will I meet him?”
I squirm in the seat. “There’s nothing going on yet. If things get serious, I’ll let you know.”
We sit and visit for another hour or so, talking and building on our relationship. Evan and I never had a bad relationship, but I wasn’t there as much as I should have been, and I know I need to remedy that. If I want to take things further with Derek, will that stop?
I have to have hope that it won’t. I don’t want to lose my son, but I want to explore what could be with Derek.
That’s a dilemma I’ll get to when it comes. No need to borrow trouble.
Evan doesn’t stay the night. He says he has an early morning of tutoring and goes about his day, promising to come back in a few days when he’s free.
Almost as soon as he steps out of the front door, I have my phone in my hand, asking Derek if he’d like to come over to help with the last few boxes.
Five minutes later, there’s a soft knock at my door. I hurry to it and throw it open, smiling when I see the pretty face of Derek staring back at me. He has on a pair of sweatpants that do nothing to hide the outline of his cock, a tank top that hugs his lean muscles, and his hair is pushed back from his face. He’s a vision.
He grins at me. “Gonna let me in, or do I need a password?”
Rolling my eyes with a chuckle, I step aside and let him in. “Sorry about that.”
“You’re forgiven. Just don’t let it happen again.” He sends me a wink and the fluttering in my belly gets stronger. He takes his shoes off and looks at me with bright, innocent eyes.
He surprises me by walking over and wrapping his arms around me, giving me a tight hug. I return it, bending to smell the skin of his neck. Normally, Derek will give me a quick, one shoulder hug—this is new and not at all unwelcome.
“I’m glad you asked me to come over,” he mutters in my chest. “I’ve gotten used to our unpacking dates.”
Barking a laugh, I let him go and gesture to the bedroom. “We’re almost finished. A few more boxes. I might have to just start ordering shit so you can come over and help me unpack.” I’m half-joking, but I do want him to keep coming over. I like his company.
“You can just invite me over, Keith. We’re friends now, right?”
That deflates me a little. Yes, I figured Derek was no longer interested after what was supposed to be a one-off thing, but it hurts actually hearing it. I look down at my belly, wondering if my weight is the reason he just wants to be friends.
I’ve always been a bigger guy. Since my doctors have always told me I was healthy and all my levels were good, I didn’t see a reason to shed the weight.
The boxes we have to unpack are at the foot of the bed, but Derek makes no moves to look through them. He plops on the bed and scoots back, sitting at the head of the bed. “Come on,” he says, patting the space beside him. “Let’s talk for a bit before we get to unpacking. Those boxes won’t take long at all.”
Liking that he wants to spend some time with me, I do as he says, lying on the bed beside him. He turns to his side, tucking a hand under his pillow and pulling his legs up. I mirror his pose.
Derek smiles, eyeing my position. “Comfortable?”
“Very. I should be asking you that, though.”
“Your bed is nice. A lot of space.”
He’s right about that. A king-size bed is wasted on me when I sleep alone, but I’ve always liked a lot of space. “Yeah, well, I got a good deal on it.”
He snorts. “I bet. So, how you liking it here? Was it worth the move? Other than being near Evan, of course.”
“I like it. It’s a quaint little town.”
Derek laughs again. “Who says quaint? I don’t think I’ve heard that in casual conversation.”
“Are you …” I sit up and look down at him. “Are you teasing me?”
His face grows serious, but his eyes are dancing with humor. “I would never.”
Grabbing his arm, I pull him closer to me and start tickling him. “You are!”
His high-pitched laughter is light and sweet, music to my ears .
“Say sorry,” I tease, my fingers dancing over his sides as I continue to tickle him.
“No!” he laugh-shouts. “I didn’t do anything. Okay, okay,” he says with a giggle as I drag my fingers under his throat and closer to his armpits. “I’m sorry, I give up, I’m sorry.”
I stop tickling him and lean over him, watching the mirth dance on his face as he catches his breath. “No more teasing?” I ask, staring down at him with a mock stern face.
Again, he giggles and shakes his head. “I didn’t say that. I’m just sorry about this time.”
Laughing, I slide closer to him and settle in, my fingers poised to tickle him more. “Oh, yeah?”
Derek shrugs, humor in his eyes. “Maybe. Unless you persuade me to stop.”
“How will I do that?”
“I have some ideas.” Before I can stop him or object, Derek wraps his legs around me, puts his arms around my neck, and pulls me down for a deep kiss.