Chapter 18 Christopher #2
“The night I came out to my parents, it didn’t go too well.
My dad told me, in no uncertain terms, I’ll not have a faggot for a son living under my roof, and then stormed out.
That was the last time I saw him alive. He went to the pub and ended up falling down a flight of stairs.
He was dead by the time we got to the hospital.
” My shoulders slump and I let the air out of my lungs.
Alexander holds his fork up to his mouth, pauses, and returns it to his plate.
“He said that to you? I’m so sorry.” He shakes his head in disbelief.
I nod in affirmation.
“Yeah, and what’s worse, my mum blames me for his death.
It’s not bad enough that I feel guilty as it is.
She had to stick the boot in. If you’d only kept your mouth shut, your dad would still be here,” I say, mimicking her tone.
A pang in my chest forces me to draw a breath before continuing.
“The rational part of my head knows it was my dad’s drinking that caused it.
But the brain isn’t rational. No matter how much therapy I’ve done, I can’t seem to stop blaming myself and my sexuality for it. ”
There’s a stinging sensation in my eyes as they cloud over.
“That’s why I broke up with my ex, Ryan.
Why I took the company transfer to LA. I’ve realized I can’t outrun my problems. They invariably catch up with me.
But I do know this.” I wipe my eyes as I turn to face Alex.
“The solution to the problem isn’t at the bottom of a bottle.
As fun as it is to escape your mind or lose your inhibitions, it doesn’t help in the end. ”
A look of remorse comes over Alexander’s face as he begins to fidget with his watch.
“I know,” he says. His gaze meets mine before drifting back to his watch. “I am swearing off alcohol. I just need a break from everything.” His shoulders slump like the weight of the world is on them.
And I don’t want to add to it.
To make this conversation any heavier than it needs to be.
“I get why you have trust issues. I would too if I had everyone wanting to know my business. I don’t truly blame you for getting that dossier done, which was pretty extensive by the way.
” I lift my left eyebrow. “I just hope that moving forward, if you need to know something, you’ll come to me first. That’s all I ask. ”
I reach for his chin, lifting it and turning his face to meet mine.
“I will. I promise,” he says, lifting his hand to cover mine.
And for some reason, I let myself fully relax. The touch of his hand, the tenderness in his voice, shifts something inside of me.
Like the turning of the tide.
Like I’m being pulled toward him, rather than pushed away.
And if I let myself, I know I’ll get swept up in him.
That this could be the turning point in our relationship.
“So, who’s this Ryan guy then? Do I need to be concerned?” Alexander breaks the moment to grab one of the last remaining french fries.
“Of Ryan?” I shake my head at the mere notion of Alexander being jealous of him. “Sure, I really enjoyed the thrill of the weekly emotional breakdowns he put me through.”
I’ve had years to perform an extensive postmortem on our relationship, and the results come back conclusive every time: poisonous.
Wednesday
My vision slowly comes into focus as I feel the weight of Alexander’s arm across my chest. It’s a feeling that’s oddly comforting, given my penchant for wanting my own space in bed.
He looks so peaceful, his eyes flickering underneath his eyelids, the stray blond highlights in his hair shooting in all different directions, that I don’t want to disturb him. But I need to get going.
I remove the noise cancellation earbuds he lent me, and stretch out my arm to reach for my phone. The slight movement wakes Alexander.
“Morning.” His voice is sleepy in my ear as he kisses the back of my head.
“Morning,” I say, rolling over. I fire up my phone as he shifts himself upward to meet me against the headboard. He kisses my cheek before resting his head on my shoulder.
“Is that your sister?” he asks.
My home screen features an image of Kelly and I underneath the Hollywood sign, taken during her trip out to LA last summer.
“Yeah,” I say.
“She’s the one getting married, right?” He lifts his head from my shoulder to look at me.
“Unless I have any other siblings I don’t know about, then yes.”
My laugh doesn’t get a response from Alexander.
“I’d like to meet her,” he says, pushing himself upright. “You should both come to my show tonight.” A wide grin appears across his face.
Wait? What?
I know I wanted him to open up more. To be more intimate. But this feels a bit too fast even for me. And, given the MNDA, I thought this needed to be kept a secret from everyone. Even if Kelly is somewhat aware of our relationship.
Alexander must notice the reaction on my face, because he slumps slightly against the headboard.
“Or not.”
“Sorry… I’m just … the MNDA.” I’m still trying to wrap my mind around what he’s asking.
“Do you trust her to keep this a secret?” He waves his finger between us.
“Yes,” I say emphatically.
“Then I trust you,” he says. He puts his hand on my chest, resting it right on my heart.
Damn.
Those four words hit me like a sledgehammer.
I’m trying hard to go slowly. Not to rush in like I did with Ryan. Not to let myself get carried away with what this could be.
But when he says stuff like that, it’s hard not to allow my thoughts to run away with themselves. To picture a future with us together.
“Plus, my parents are flying in today. So, if you are going to meet them while they’re here, then it’s only fair that I get to meet your family too.” He hits my chest twice before pulling his hand back, a smirk on his face.
“Your parents?” There’s mild discomfort rising in my chest, although not from the sting of Alexander’s handprint, which has left a mark on my left breast.
Jesus.
This is all becoming a bit too surreal.
Like someone accidentally sat on the remote and fast-forwarded through all the other initial milestones you’d normally go through before meeting the family.
“Yeah, they’re coming in for the final couple of shows. They’ll be at the show tonight. You can meet them then.” His puppy dog eyes tug at my heartstrings, making it hard to say no.
Of course I want to come and see the show. To see him do his thing.
But am I ready to go all in? To lay all my cards out on the table?
“I’ll have to check with my sister, but I guess this muse should see you perform at some point while you’re in town,” I say, adding a cheeky wink that prompts him to bite his lip.
He leans in to kiss me, the taste of steak still lining his tongue as it slides into my mouth, and I try desperately to not lose myself in him. I’ve got so much work to do today that I really can’t afford to be distracted right now.
“I really need to get back to my room, to get on with my pitch,” I say, pulling back slightly and placing my hand on his chest.
“Come on, we can be quick.” The force of his chest pushes my hand back as he moves forward to bite my bottom lip. His hand slides down toward my belly, causing me to flinch.
“Why do you always shift when I touch you there?” he asks. He pulls back, removing his hand and placing it next to my hip.
“I don’t like my stomach.” My gaze darts away from his.
“I don’t get why.” He moves his hand back over it gently.
“Says the guy with the most perfect physique.” Envy laces every word.
I’ve never been able to get anywhere near Alexander’s physique. A two-pack was the best I could muster six months into LA, when I tried to fit into the WeHo standard.
“This?” he says, looking down and pulling at his abs. “I’d trade my body for yours any day of the week. The pressure to keep this up is relentless.”
I’d never have thought someone with a physique like that could be envious of a body like mine. Normal as it is. I’ve been brainwashed into thinking that all gays want and desire the Greek Adonis physique.
The muffled sound of my phone comes from under the duvet, and I reach for it. Alexander mouths Get it at me when he notices Kelly’s name appear on the screen.
“Hi,” I say, putting the phone to my ear as Alexander disappears under the covers.
“What are you up to?” Kelly asks.
“I’m just in bed, and you?” My voice rises as Alexander slides down my body, taking my cock into his mouth. One hand cups my balls and the other pushes the duvet back so he can meet my eyes with his.
“Mum’s insisting we go over all the wedding plans this afternoon. Wanna join?”
“And be subjected to another psychological takedown? I think I’ll pass.”
“Ask her about tonight,” Alexander whispers, momentarily coming up for air. My cock begins to swell as he swallows it whole again.
“Remember that artist I mentioned that’s staying at the hotel…”
God, he’s good at this. My cock is already throbbing as Alexander’s head bobs up and down. He starts working away at the bottom of my cock with his hand, cranking up the electricity coursing through my veins.
“Alexander Morgan.” Kelly’s voice is hesitant.
“Yeah, that one.” My hips begin to buck. “Well, I ran into him, and he invited me to the show tonight. I’m wondering if you’d be down to join.”
I’ve never been one for premature ejaculation, but there’s something about the way his tongue slides over the tip of my cock.
The way it dances around my foreskin, while his warm hand cups my balls and the other rubs up and down, that sets me on fire.
It’s barely been a minute and I’m already close.
Alexander pauses momentarily, waiting for Kelly’s response. There’s a hunger in his blue eyes.
“I’m not sure, I have so much to do before the wedding. What time is it?”
“Err, I’m not sure what time…” I say, looking down at him.
Alexander mouths Seven p.m., and returns his attention to my cock.
“Seven p.m. at the O2 Arena.”
After a long pause, Kelly agrees. “Okay, but you owe me.”
I smile down at Alexander to acknowledge that Kelly will come.
His eyes widen with delight as he speeds up his wrist and mouth movements. He’s devouring my cock, gagging on it with an intensity and ferocity that’s almost primal.
“Right, I better go, I need to finish off something…” I hang up before Kelly gets to say goodbye. My voice crescendos, and I feel the cum shoot out of my cock straight down his throat.
Alexander’s eyes are locked on mine as he drains my dick dry.
I throw down the phone as my eyes roll backward in my head, losing myself in the aftermath of the orgasm.
“I could get used to that,” I say, as Alexander crawls up toward me. I feel his throbbing dick rubbing its way up my body as he comes up to reach my lips, but pauses just shy of them.
“Could you now,” he says, wagging his eyebrows up and down.
I’ve been working nonstop on the deck for Brewed for the last several hours, and I keep losing track of where I am in Pietro’s extensive notes.
He wants me to adjust the plan to put more emphasis on the global activations around their Christmas campaign.
Add more competitor analysis in different regions there.
Expand the various KPIs, and so forth. Irritation creeps in like a cruel mistress in the dark.
I’d expected the revisions to take half the amount of time it has.
Having the opportunity to lead the creative marketing strategy on an iconic brand like Brewed is an amazing career opportunity that I don’t want to mess up—even if the timing is far from ideal.
Pietro has been breathing down my neck to get this across the line, but after this is done I can switch off for a few days, get through the wedding, and pick it up again next week.
My phone pings, and I look across, seeing a message from Kelly pop up.
Kelly
What should I wear?
My irritation at work transfers to her and the situation.
Like I need to be thinking about any more decisions right now.
I don’t even know what I should be wearing, let alone what Kelly should wear. I mean, it’s one thing to dress for Alexander. It’s a whole other thing dressing to meet his parents for the first time.
Another ping emanates from my phone, causing the irritation to engulf my body.
For God’s sake Kelly, can you just give me a minute?
But when I look at my phone, it’s not Kelly who has messaged me.
Ryan
Hey. Heard you’re back in town. We should catch up. Ryan. x