Chapter 12 - Breaking Bed #2
They dressed and set about trying to fix the bed. Callum searched, but couldn’t find the right-sized screwdriver, so he knocked on Mrs Lazarus’s door at Apt.11, and she leant him one.
Whilst Julian went searching around the room for the missing screws, Callum went to make coffee.
“Oh my god, look what I’ve found!” Julian exclaimed loudly from the bedroom.
Callum froze. What had Julian found? Shit, not something horrible he prayed. Callum sped back to the bedroom to find Julian standing there holding his own white sleeveless compression vest. It was the one Callum had taken and had been using when he was horny.
Fuuuuuuuck, Callum thought. I’ve been caught red-handed.
“I wondered what happened to this. Did you actually take it?”
“Oh, Julian I’m sorry, but you threw it on the chair that day as you walked away, and I saw it fall on the floor and…
” He didn’t know what to say. “I was upset with you, and we’d done the armpit thing, and I’d been touching you.
I was really aroused… and I just, just couldn’t stop myself”.
He looked like a little puppy, wide-eyed, with an apologetic grin.
“I’m touched that you wanted a piece of me,” Julian said in a slow voice.
He really didn’t seem upset at all, which was a huge relief to Callum.
“So, can I have it back or are you keeping it?” he asked, playfully?
He sniffed it and made a ‘that smells bad’ face.
“Jeez, it needs washing; it smells of a mix of my cologne and my sweat?”
“Err, it definitely does not need washing. I like it just the way it is, thanks,” Callum said with a frown. “I find it very useful when I’m horny, and you’re not around”.
With that, he turned with way too much of a flourish and dramatically headed back to the kitchen.
Standing at the unit he heard, before he felt, Julian sneak up behind him: right behind him, literally pressing his body against him into the unit.
He felt the hot breath before the whisper in his ear, “I hope you won’t need it too much then, because when you’re horny, I intend on always being around,” and he thrust playfully into Callum’s ass through his jeans and bit his earlobe.
Callum found this quite erotic. He loved Julian crossing more boundaries.
Callum turned and they kissed again. Moments like this were to be cherished.
Julian turned to the room, eyes darting everywhere, checking out Callum’s space.
“I’m sorry it’s a mess, but in my defence, I didn’t know you were coming.”
“Don’t be silly,” Julian replied, “I love it; it’s so eclectic and very you.”
They drank coffee, Callum relaxing on the sofa, nervously watching as Julian explored his apartment.
He commented on the style of the sofa after testing it out.
A small kiss for Callum along the way, declaring it very comfy.
He was fascinated by all the mismatched furniture, including the industrial-looking lockers sprayed with graffiti, which, on further investigation, contained Callum’s huge sports trainer collection.
He insisted on opening every door and was somewhat gobsmacked to find each compartment contained four pairs of trainers.
He turned to Callum, “Just how many pairs of bloody sneakers do you have?”
Callum looked ashamed. “It’s my obsession, I guess, sorry!”
He looked and asked questions about every picture and photograph on display. He seemed interested in the art, Callum noted. Good. Common ground. We like common ground.
Julian was fascinated by Callum’s Egyptian figurines, including the large replica of Tutankhamen’s funeral mask, which he picked up and checked over.
“This is great. You really do love your Egyptian antiquities, don’t you,” Julian noted.
“It’s always interested me, and I’ve always wanted to go to Egypt but haven’t had the chance,” Callum explained.
“Oh, me too,” Julian replied. “I studied ancient Egypt at Stonyhurst College in my teens. We should go there together,” he added, thoughtfully.
The apartment was small, but the way Callum had arranged it, it wasn’t too cramped; however, he did have too much in it. Whilst things were in tidy piles, they gradually snaked their way up the walls wherever there was a gap without furniture or fittings.
Julian went over to the easel in the far corner by the window to look at the partially painted canvas resting there.
It was a black and white Manhattan street scene stretching away into the distance, with grey buildings on each side at differing height levels and the Brooklyn Bridge dominant in the distance.
It needed completing, but Julian saw the potential of the finished piece.
“Wow, did you do this?” he asked, admiring the painting in progress.
“Yes,” Callum replied, “I do like to paint, but I don’t get that much time to do it, so I’ve not really developed my skills.”
Julian turned. “Well, I think it’s really good. You are talented.”
There was an enlarged black and white photograph that it was based on, pinned to the top right corner. “Who took the photo, Cal?” Julian asked.
“I did,” Callum replied with a hint of pride. “I’m obsessed with the Brooklyn Bridge and always have been. It’s kind of my muse.”
“The photo on its own is a work of art. I love it, I really do,” said Julian..
He was genuinely impressed by Callum’s artistic side and secretly excited for Callum to see his apartment and its view.
Callum smiled, happy to receive the compliment. An idea suddenly came to him, and he made a mental note for later.
Inspection over, Julian put his mug in the sink and returned to join Callum on the sofa.
He sat next to him, taking both of his hands in his, an earnest and hopeful look on his face.
“I’m not sure about your plans, and I’ve got some stuff to attend to in preparation for this week, you probably do too, but can I see you again later? ”
Callum thought, why does he sound nervous, aren’t we getting along fine here?
Julian continued, “I’d really like it if you’d come over to my place tonight for dinner, but only if you fancy it?” He seemed flustered.
“Of course. I’d love to. That would be a really nice end to an amazing weekend. I’d love to see how the other half lives.” He made a face. Julian responded with a grimace.
“I’ve only got your name and number in my phone though. I don’t even know where you live?” He called up Julian’s entry in his contacts list to show him.
“Easily rectified,” Julian replied, sharing his contact card.
‘Existing contact found, do you wish to merge or replace’ his phone prompted.
‘Replace’ Callum chose. Julian’s contact details were suddenly all there, with an address in Peck Slip, which Callum knew was right next to the Brooklyn Bridge.
Hadn’t he taken a load of pictures there when they built that building?
But the thing that grabbed Callum’s attention the most was the stunning black and white picture of a shirtless Julian, muscles visible and looking the best he’d ever seen him.
“Wow, Julian. That picture is stunning. I’m speechless. I’m surprised you’re shirtless though.” he asked, shocked he would have something so revealing on his contact card.
He clicked on the photo, zooming in, admiring the quality of the picture almost as much as the subject.
“That’s my private contact card, not something I share with just anyone. Rankin took it as a joke at the end of our formal session as I was getting changed. It’s a nice picture of me. I’m happy for you to have it.”
Callum was still poring over the photograph. “I love this picture. The lighting is amazing. Have you got the original you could send me, please?” He looked up, seeing Julian’s smile.
“It’s all yours, Cal. You don’t need the photo; you got the real thing, man.”
They kissed again.
“Oh, now, what shall I wear?” Callum fluttered his eyelashes for dramatic effect. “I’m not sure I have a suit befitting of such an exclusive occasion…” He let his voice trail off.
“Good, don't wear one," Julian replied. “I’m inviting you. You wear what you bloody want. I don’t know; come naked if you want. In fact, I’d quite like that. I find I’m getting rather used to this well-defined hot body of yours!” He smiled that winning smile which Callum could not resist.
“I’ll have a car pick you up here at say,” he checked his watch, “7 p.m. Is that okay?”
“Yep.” Callum looked at his little wall clock. It was 2 p.m. now, which gave him time to get some groceries in, do some washing, tidy the place up a bit before getting ready. “That’s perfect, can’t wait.”
Julian leaned in, giving Callum a deep and rather possessive kiss. “Don’t be late.”
With a hug and another kiss at the door, Julian was gone, and Callum’s flat seemed bigger without the large figure in it.