Colorado Game (part
6)
By: Andr0gene
(andr0gene@hotmail.com)
**********DISCLAIMER**********
The characters and incidents portrayed and the names used herein are fictitious, any similarity to the name, character or history of any person is entirely coincidental and unintentional. This story portrays, at times, strong erotic content. If you are a minor, or in any other way not allowed to read it, you are advised strongly to discontinue.
*******© andr0gene 2004-2005*******
I stepped past Walt into the office with more than a little trepidation, not really knowing what to expect. I wasn't nervous, really. I guess I was curious was a better word. I'd heard so much about him, and all of it bad; I was curious to see if it was all true. Behind me, the door closed softly.
The office itself was nicely decorated; not too modern or opulent and the desk was placed so that the occupant behind it was sitting with his back to the tall windows behind him. The person sitting there now was working on a laptop.
"I'll be with you in a moment, Walt, just a sec."
His voice was soft and youthful and he didn't look up immediately, instead intently looking at the screen in front of him. It gave me the opportunity to study him.
Kyle was indeed very handsome or sexy as Ross had called him. He had a small black mustache and his complexion was golden, not plain brown as I'd expected. More like one of us white people who tan on regular bases. He wore a white shirt, which seemed even whiter because of his skin color, of which the top buttons were opened, no tie; the sleeves he had rolled up. That's about as far is I got; then he looked up and our eyes met.
His were two burning pools of brown and he held the stare for a little while. Then the corner of his sharp mouth lifted up into a sardonic smile. He rose from his chair, revealing a pair of black pants and a waistline that would have many, man or woman, jealous.
"I'm sorry, I thought you were Walter. I have to say, Mark... you don't mind if I call you Mark, right?" I shook my head. "Good. I have to say," he continued, coming around the desk, "that I was nervous this morning. Finally I'd get to meet the guy who took my place. Tell me, were you nervous?" He stopped about two paces in front of me, cocking an eyebrow questioningly.
"No," I answered, a little cool. "But I was curious. Curious to see if you really are the bastard I was told so much about."
He deflected my words with a smile and I got the feeling that I had just lost the first confrontation.
"You're not wasting any time with smooth talk. I like that. I'll repay that in kind; most of what you heard is true but if you'd allow me, I'll tell you my side of the story. I think it's... prudent before we start working together and only fair. I am allowed to defend myself, don't you agree? Sit, please." He gestured to a sitting area in the corner. "Coffee, tea?" I took a seat in a comfortable chair.
"Coffee's fine," I replied. "Black." He set a cup in front of me, on a low table, and sat down opposite me on a sofa. He sat back, seemingly relaxed.
"So... what's
"I don't think..."
"You'll leave the thinking to me, especially where Sofia Forester's concerned. I know very well how... persuasive she can be. Let me guess; I'm a gold digger, an opportunist and I broke the heart of her pride and joy. How am I doing so far?"
"Not bad. Is it true?"
"Am I a gold digger? No, I just like money, I'm not afraid to admit that. Am I an opportunist? Hell yes. Did I break Ross's heart? Not before he broke mine." I narrowed my eyes at him and his coolly reciprocated. "There are two sides to every story. Of course Ross would tell it to his advance, as would I. The truth lies somewhere in the middle."
"You cheated on him," I said.
"Not before he cheated on me."
"Excuse me? He didn't cheat on you."
"I don't recall you being there so keep your prejudice out of this please. He didn't cheat on me with another man, no, but with his work; which, if you think about it, is worse. With another man you can compete. But work? No. Did he tell you about that?" I thought for a moment. Yes, in fact, Ross had told me about that, so I nodded. "That's mighty big of him, to finally admit that. So what else has he told you?"
"That you met in college, then again in
"True. I wanted him to love me, be with me. Instead, he was always gone on business trips. At first it worked, but intimacy over the phone only works for so long; one way or another you want the real thing. So yes, I went out and got it. I was lonely."
"You're breaking my heart," I said, sarcastically.
"I'm not looking for approval from you. The future will prove my point." He said that with such conviction; as if he was sure it would happen to me as well. He laughed bitterly. "Once the honeymoon is over, you'll see. He'll be gone for weeks, on trips to god knows where. He'll buy you gifts. He'll call. He'll be cute and convincing. You'll begin to have doubts. Then the phone relationship begins. First it'll start innocent but it won't take long before you're in your bed, alone, feeling yourself up with his voice whispering in your ear, telling you what to do. And then the special... ehr... ‘gifts'. Toys... I remember..." He seemed to recall something funny but he shook his head. "Never mind; suffice to say that it drove me in the arms of other men, to try and find an actual person to love, not some twisted erotic idea is Ross Forester's head."
"You're disgusting," I said, rising up. "I've heard enough." Kyle shrugged and stood as well.
"Maybe. But it's the truth. Ask him."
I came home around six that evening with one knocker of a headache. After my conversation with Kyle, I had tried to put the things he had told me out of my mind but somehow I couldn't.
The rest of my first day I had spent with Mason and Jodie, and I hadn't seen or spoken to Kyle again, for which I was very glad. The board had been set for the way we would be treating each other on this job and so far I had lost. I definitely needed more information about him, preferably before the next confrontation. He'd been in his office for most of the day, and left at 4pm, but I hadn't been able to fully relax and start work, not in that state of mind. Mason and Jodie had shown me a lot of stuff, ideas they had and completed sound effects they had made. That had partly taken my mind off of it but concentrating on one particular thing proved to be difficult.
So I was glad to be finally home. A message on my answering machine from Ross told me that he'd be late, and part of me was relieved about it. I didn't want to face him yet. I knew he'd be curious and have questions, and I didn't want to answer them right now. I needed a shower first; a long, hot shower. I needed to think.
**********
The shower did help a lot. After, I put on some training pants and a wide t-shirt, and installed myself on the couch, to catch up on email and maybe do a little work. I replied to five emails from friends and started humming an idea in my head, quickly writing down the notes. From there, the first theme took form and I was so wrapped up with it that I didn't hear the elevator, or the front door. I almost jumped out of my skin when Ross pressed his lips into my neck, causing him to snicker.
"Sorry, I didn't want to disturb you. You seemed to be occupied." I grinned up at him, receiving a proper kiss this time. "Hi."
"Hey there. What time is it?"
"10pm." I gave him a shocked look.
"Christ, I didn't know it was that late. You eat yet?" He nodded, loosening his tie and sat down next to me. He leaned closer, stealing a glance at the screen and I used to opportunity to wrap an arm around his neck, resting my head against his as he softly murmured what I had written on the screen.
"That's all gibberish to me. How can you read that?" he grinned. I shrugged.
"It makes perfect sense to me but throw me one of your pie charts and I'm lost." He got up with a light grunt, stretching out.
"To each his own, I guess. I'm going up for a shower. Prep me a drink, will you?" I nodded and watched him go, shrugging off his jacket as he went. A few minutes later I heard him begin to whistle falsely under the streaming water. I softly laughed, listening. God, he definitely was tone deaf.
I got up, setting the laptop on the coffee table, and went to the kitchen to get a beer for myself and to pour him a drink. I also took some nibbles from a cabinet, dumping them into a bowl. By the time I was done, and re-installed myself on the couch, Ross came down the stairs again, cleaned up and smelling fresh. He thanked me for the drink, downing it in one go and sighing contently.
"Want another one?"
"Later, perhaps. So how was your day?" I smiled. I guess he held out as long as he could before actually asking about my day, or Kyle specifically. I told him about Walter, the office and my co-workers, Mason and Jodie.
"Walter seems like a nice guy," I said, carefully. To my surprise, Ross nodded.
"Yes, he is." He looked sideways when I stayed silent for a while and smiled when I raised an eyebrow at him. "I don't hate him. Well, not anymore. Yes, he stole my boyfriend back then, but that doesn't mean he lost all his good character traits. In his heart he's a good guy."
"You still surprise me when I least expect it," I said, giving him a little nudge. "I knew there was something else that I liked about you." He grinned and bit his lower lip, turning serious.
"How did it go with Kyle?" He swallowed audibly.
"Let me just put it this way; there's no love lost between us," I said, sitting up. "If you were worried that I'd fall for that horrible excuse of a human being, you can rest assured. But... we had a small conversation about the past..." His eyes met mine but he didn't say anything. "He was very... specific..."
"Like...?" I gave him an account of what Kyle had told me. Sometimes Ross nodded, sometimes he shook his head and by the time I finished, he closed his eyes and leaned backwards, sighing deeply. "Okay. So...?"
"So? That's all you have to say?" I asked. He shrugged.
"First of all, what he told you was completely private, something between me and him at a time we were together. Kyle had no business telling you that. But since he did; it was a solution to the long distances. And at the time, Kyle certainly didn't object; he went along with it, enthusiastically I might add."
"Too much info," I said, holding up my hands. Ross smiled sourly.
"Well, it's the truth and I bet he didn't tell you that little detail, did he?" I shook my head again.
"Mark... when two people love each other, and they're far away from each other, they try stuff. If that sounds kinky or weird, I'm sorry, but that's the way it was. I'm not going to apologize for something that, at the time, felt perfectly normal. Is normal. Many people do it, I'm just not afraid to admit it."
"So it's true, every word of it?"
"Yes, but not in the context he wants you to see it. The way he told it to you, it makes me look like I'm some kind of pervert. Yes, we had some... ehm... erotic conversations over the phone. And sure, we did experiment. Who doesn't?" I could think of one person; me.
"Would you... you know... ask me to..." I asked, feeling my cheeks warm up. He turned his head towards me, giving me a smile.
"It depends on the situation. You think it would turn you on? You want to try it, someday?" He used his fingers to begin caressing my arm. I looked away.
"I ehm..."
"Oh my god, are you blushing?" He asked, softly beginning to laugh. When I yanked my hand away, chagrinned at my own shyness, he laughed louder and pulled me towards him. "It's okay. No, look at me. Mark... it's experimenting. I said look at me. It's sex. It's normal and there's nothing we can't talk about, okay? I don't want there to be anything coming between us, certainly not Kyle twisting everything to his own purposes. He's trying to get to you. We won't let him, you got that? Promise me you won't let him."
"I won't," I answered, softly.
"He has his own dark agenda. He had no reason to tell you all that, other than to try and create a rift. Is there anything else he said that got to you? Now is the time to ask me." I shook my head. "You're sure?"
"Yeah."
"Good." He gave me a long kiss and I wrapped my arms around him, rubbing his back. He grinned and winked. "Now, can we get back to the part where I asked if it would turn you on? You could go p to the bedroom and I'll call you from down here." He winked.
"Ross!"
"Sorry, couldn't resist," he laughed, kissing the tip of my nose. "You're such a prude."
"I'm not a prude!" I said. "You take that back, right now, or I'll..."
"You'll what," he challenged, unable to wipe that smug grin off of his face. He followed my mouth with his, trying to capture it. I leaned back, just out of reach.
"Or... you're not getting any for a month." He started to tickle me relentlessly.
"Oh yeah? We'll see about that, mister. Who'd you bring to stop me? Mmm? Mmm?"
"I give, I give," I hiccupped, groaning under his weight.
"I thought so. Pffft... denying me my right at your body... as if!"
"Your righ... that's it! Two months!" He tickled me some more. "Three! Four!"
I got to nine or ten before he was able to shut me up.
In all fairness, I wasn't grossed out or disappointed with Ross. It was the way I had found out that bothered me more. Like; had he told me in the privacy of our own bedroom, I'd have been okay with it. Hearing it from a complete stranger, who also had a bone to pick with him, wasn't the way to find out about such things. But it didn't really matter; unfortunately for Kyle, I now had one more reason to have a bone to pick with him. His revelations only had cemented the foundation of the relationship between Ross and me; and in my eyes he'd become an even lower life form than he'd already been.
The next few days of that first week I spent cold-shouldering Kyle as much as I could, not that I had to spend much time with him; he generally came by to check on our progress but other than that he pretty much ignored me too. Once there would be actual scoring sessions and decisions about the themes, he'd become more active with the sound department. For now, I worked on a structure together with Mason and Jodie.
I did find out a lot more about him, in the first two weeks, though. For instance that he wasn't just a sound supervisor; he was the supervisor of pretty much everything that was going on. Mason knew nothing about him, but Jodie, who admitted on having had a crush on Kyle before realizing he was hailing from the People's Republic of Gayland, was a real treasure trove of information. Apparently, Walter and Kyle had broken up quite a long time ago. According to Jodie, Walter had come to his senses pretty quick. Before Kyle, he had been in a relationship for two decades. During a rough period in that relationship he'd sought, and found, solace with Kyle, who he had met at some social function. Their relationship hadn't endured all that long. After just two months Walter reconciled with his previous partner. But during their short fling, Kyle had managed to land a job at Warner Gaming.
"You might think he's nothing more than a good-looking bum who got lucky but he's pretty good at what he does," Jodie told me. "He's very funny, knows his stuff and he's pretty relaxed." Yeah, right. If only she knew.
But that's where I underestimated Jodie. She was very bright, beyond her 23 years. She already knew, or had guessed, a lot, including who I was and who my boyfriend was (which wasn't that hard, I guess, since she probably read a newspaper). She also correctly guessed why I was prodding her for info.
"Wanna get some dirt on him, eh?" she winked. "Don't worry, you can trust me. Hell, I can't blame you, at least from what I've heard about that split between him and your cutie. But I don't have much to divulge. From what I understand, he cleaned up his act. He doesn't have a boyfriend, actually lives alone with a cat, I think. He usually works until pretty late; last one to leave, first one to show up, that sort of thing. He rarely goes out and if he does, he only stays for like... a quarter of an hour."
That didn't sound like the jetsetter I had thought Kyle Garcia to be. According to Sofia he was a good-for-nothing bottomless money pit, loving his designer clothes, jewelry and flashy cars; a party-animal extraordinaire with an obsession for his looks. Okay, so my source wasn't entirely objective, but Ross had pretty much given me the same info. What I was hearing now was a one-eighty degree turn; hard working, alone.
"Not what you expected, huh?" Jodie asked when I didn't immediately say something.
‘Honestly? No. I heard it somewhat differently."
"Yeah, I've heard the stories too." She grinned. "It's a shame, really. He's one hot-looking specimen, don't you agree?" I shrugged.
"Oh come on; you mean to tell me he doesn't make things... ‘stir' for you?" I laughed.
"Sure, he's nice to look at. But I'm pretty happy with what I've got already."
"Mmmm uh! Ross Forester. Tell me, is he as perfect as he looks?" she asked. I nodded. "Good in the sack?"
"Jodie!" I gasped, semi-shocked. But I wasn't that shocked. I'd gotten to know her pretty well in the last two weeks.
Since day one, I had taken a liking to her. Mason was very quiet, preferring to work in complete silence. A bit of a boring guy, really. Jodie was his complete opposite, a bubble of life. A bit rough in the mouth at times, which was a cause for many laughs (and annoyed looks from Mason); she made me think of my mom.
"Pretty fantastic, actually," I then admitted, winking.
"Oh man, I'm jealous. The last guy that had a poke at me was like... I dunno... four, five months ago? I think I'm healed over down there." I loudly laughed, and, as if on queue, Mason looked up annoyed.
"How about Mason?" I whispered. "He's cute. Boring, but cute." He wasn't, not really. He was a bit of a geek. Then again, even geeks are wanted by some. Attraction works in mysterious ways.
"Oh puhlease," Jodie hissed back, "there's only so many shopping lists you can make while he's having his way." I raised an eyebrow at her. "Wait... you two already...?" She clawed at her chest, feigning shock.
"Hell no, give me a break; at least someone with a pulse." I grinned, stealing a glance at Mason. If he had heard any of it, he didn't let on that he did.
"Hey, Mason!" Jodie yelled, ignoring the annoyed look he sent her. "It's almost 4pm. Turn that crap off, man. Let's go!" She went over to his station by pushing her wheeled chair in his general direction, stopping right before crashing into her colleague and then hung an arm over his shoulder, peering at the screen. "Oh damn, you did that just now? Lemme hear."
It was Friday, which meant that the employees just wrapped things up for the week and waited for 4pm, to go to the cantina and have a beer or some other refreshment, snacks and just wind down from a week of hard work. I liked that ritual, instituted by Walter from day one of the company's founding. His philosophy was that good ideas generally were discussed at gatherings where one could speak freely (and have a drink, as long as the employee was careful with alcohol. If anyone drank that, he or she had to surrender their keys and hitch a ride home with someone else). There was no hierarchy in the cantina on Friday afternoon. A lowly typist could speak up and submit an idea to anyone he or she thought could benefit from it, be that Walter Warner himself, a graphic designer or a doorman; it didn't matter. If the idea was good, and would be used, the employee would be rewarded by a little extra in his or her paycheck at the end of the month.
The first week I had experienced the Friday gathering, I had been amazed at the level of camaraderie I saw. Groups quickly formed, of course, as is the case with any gathering. But you could just walk around, stand by any group and listen. If the topic was something you knew something about or had a suggestion, you could feel free to speak up. The first time I did it, I made a (granted; stupid) suggestion that had half of the group on their hands and knees, but I didn't feel stupid of looked down upon; they poked fun at me but not in a degrading way. I actually learned something and it quickly ‘broke the ice', so to speak.
I looked at my watch while simultaneously listening to what Jodie and Mason were doing. 3:58pm.
We were late on arriving in the cantina. The reason for it was because of what Mason had been working on and Jodie insisting on immediate insertion in a temp sequence she'd been working on, to show on a game convention later this month. They were both still arguing about it as we walked in, aiming straight for the ‘bar'; a cooling-unit normally used for lunch salads. We got our drinks, and then sought a corner to stand.
"No, it's perfect, I want to use it," Jodie insisted. The whole way to the cantina she had been on Mason's case about it, because he insisted that it wasn't good enough yet and wanted to work more on it.
A few designers joined us in our corner and soon there was a discussion going on about sound vs. graphics. It sure was a lively argument, attracting the attention of Kyle Garcia, among others. He came over, listening for a while. Then he leaned sideways and spoke softly.
"Can I steal you away for a few minutes?" he asked, nodding towards the door. I preferred not to be alone with him, to avoid a repeat of the first-day disaster. "It won't take long..." he insisted, when I didn't immediately respond. "Please?" I nodded reluctantly, following him into the hallway. We went to his office, where he asked me to sit.
"It wouldn't take long, you said," I replied. He simply waited until I sat down.
"I need to apologize to you," he began, speaking softly. "What I told you on the first day was out of line. I was... I just wanted to lash out at the guy who now lives with the man who I considered to be the love of my life. It was unprofessional, rude and a betrayal to Ross. What he and I did in our private life was between me and him." To tell you the truth, I was dumbfounded. The last I had expected was an apology. "I was jealous. I shouldn't have taken it out on you."
"No, you shouldn't have," I agreed. "But I accept your apology. It's not easy to admit to being wrong." I caught a hint of a sour expression on his face, before it went back to a guarded, unrevealing state.
"Thank you. That's all I wanted to say," he said. I doubted that because it looked like he wanted to say more, but thought the better of it. I stood, biting my lower lip as I thought.
"Aren't you coming down to join the rest of us?" I asked, frowning. He looked up and smiled softly, shaking his head.
"No, I just came down to ask you up here. I actually prefer to stay here. Someone's gotta work, right?" He picked up a document and started to read it.
"Oh come on... you're allowed to have some fun and relaxation after a week of hard work," I replied. He gave me a bitter smirk.
"I've had my share of ‘fun' over the years and it didn't get me anywhere. I... kind of gave up that lifestyle."
"So I've heard," I said, before thinking. He raised an eyebrow and I wish I'd kept my mouth shut. Oh well, when you get burned, you gotta sit on the blisters.
"I asked around a bit," I admitted. "After our first... meeting I wanted to find out more so..."
"So you could use it against me, huh?" He asked, smirking. "It's okay; I would've done the same, had I been in your shoes. But since you're here, why not ask me directly?" It was tempting; here was my chance to find out more from the source. The temptation proved too much to pass up.
"Okay... there are a few things I'm curious about," I said.
"Fire away, then," he said, spreading his arms invitingly.
"Are you still in love with Ross?" He thought for a moment.
"Not like I used to. There will always be a part of me that loves him but that all-consuming fase is gone. It's good now, as far as I'm concerned."
"Okay, next question; why does Sofia hate you so much, other than the obvious fact?"
"Sofia and I never saw eye-to-eye on anything. If I wanted to go left, you could bet on it she'd want to go right. It's just one of those things. Some people get along, some don't. But the main reason, I think, is because she saw me for what I was, at that time. Money can do strange things to a person. And I did some strange things in my day." He grinned and for the first time I felt that it was an actual, meant expression.
"But you don't do that anymore?" He shook his head.
"No, that book is pretty much closed. I must be getting old. Ironic, isn't it; now I'm the one with money, security, stability, there's nothing or no one I want to spend it on. Nice twist of fate there." He said it with a hint of humor.
"It sure is different," I admitted. "I admit that, when I came here, I expected some sort of gigolo."
"I'm sure that you did. I'm sorry to disappoint you."
"No, not at all. It's just... I was all prepared to hate you but..."
"Careful now; are you trying to tell me that you're beginning to like me as a person? Blasphemy!" He winked and I rolled my eyes.
"I wouldn't go that far, no."
"Really? That's a pity because I like you," Kyle said. "You seem like a nice guy, down to earth. I would have liked it if we became friends. Alas, we can't have everything, can we?" He picked up the document he'd been reading earlier and waved at the door. "Anyway, I have to get back to work. But have fun with the others and I hope you have a great weekend. See you on Monday."
I remained standing there for a little while longer and then, when it was pretty clear that he was going back to work, I left his office, closing the door behind me. And for some reason, I felt horrible. I wondered why, all the way back to the cantina.
I didn't tell Ross about the conversation I'd had with Kyle and we spent that evening at the loft, watching the new Return of the King Extended Edition DVD. I ended up watching the second half of that alone; Ross was softly snoring beside me on the couch. When the movie was over, I snuggled up to him and quickly fell asleep.
Saturday and Sunday we went over to Castle Pines Village, to spend the rest of the weekend with Sofia, Andrew, his wife and kids and Ross's older sister, Marcia, who was celebrating a belated birthday.
So I came back at Warner Gaming after a pretty filled weekend, enough to entertain Jodie well into the week with stories about Marcia's antics, Ross's sleeping session during a movie (which resulted in a "do's and don'ts" rant for the better part of Monday) or Sofia's battle of wills with her daughter. At the end of the workday I also told Jodie about the conversation Kyle and I'd had, asking her opinion on me feeling horrible.
"Sounds to me that you already know that; you just don't wanna say it out loud," she answered after giving it some thought. "Obviously he's not at all as you thought he was. In your mind you treated him like shit and you feel guilty, because you found out that he's actually a good guy. You can't hold the past against him. Your boyfriend, his ex, can, but you? You can't. You have no right to do that."
"And who made you Oprah?" I replied, chagrinned. But she was right. Well, to a point anyway.
I hadn't given Kyle the benefit of the doubt. I had enjoyed our conversation and when he dismissed the idea of us being friends, after he had admitted at wanting that, based on my treatment of him, I genuinely felt ashamed because I just am not that kind of a person. I used to make up my mind about people by myself. Somehow, Ross, but to a greater extend Sofia, had made me biased towards Kyle. That made me angry. Not at Sofia, not at Ross but at myself. I pushed my chair back and stood.
"I'll be right back," I said.
"Where are you going?" Jodie asked, yelling it after me.
"Get myself a new friend," I yelled back.
**********
I softly knocked on the door, which stood wide open, and waited until Kyle looked up from his work.
"Mr. Norcross, what can I do for you?" he asked, making a ‘come in' gesture.
"Accept an apology?" I replied, closing the door behind me. He frowned, raising an eyebrow.
"Unless you did something bad and I don't know about it yet, I have no idea..." he spoke, shaking his head.
"Last Friday... you said that you'd like it if we would become friends. But I didn't give you the benefit of the doubt, relying on someone else's opinion instead of my own. That's wrong and not who I am. So I'd like to apologize and... you know... maybe... we could try to become friends. Have dinner or go for a couple of drinks, or coffee, something like that?" Kyle leaned back in his chair, a surprised look on his face. Then he smiled, nodding.
"Okay... apology accepted. I'd like that." I smiled back and looked at my watch. 5:05pm.
"How about now? Wanna grab a coffee?" He checked his own watch.
"Ehr... sure. You're not getting into any trouble about this, I hope?" He rose from his chair, turning off his monitor.
"Trouble?" I asked, frowning. I waited until Kyle had put on his jacket and then we walked towards my office, where I picked up my bag and coat. Jodie and mason had already left.
"Yeah... I mean, Ross probably won't like it if we hang out together."
"I can handle Ross," I assured him, grinning.
"I seriously doubt that."
**********
I came home a little after seven, finding Ross already there. Normally, he'd come home around eight or nine, and that was on a relatively quiet day, so finding him at the loft was a welcome surprise.
"Hey. You're pretty late," he said, smiling as I kissed him.
"And you're early! Why didn't you call me?" I said, wrapping my arms around his waist. We went on to smooch a little more.
"Well, I wanted to surprise you; take you out to dinner at the club, rent a movie, have some wine..."
"Sounds good to me! Well, if you promise not to fall asleep this time," I winked, earning a soft slap on my behind for that one.
"Silence, peasant; as the Alfa male, I am entitled to..." I rolled my eyes, laughing. When he was in this state, a normal conversation was basically not in the cards. He had a goofy streak that I quite liked.
"Oh puhlease... you keep deluding yourself while I'll go up and change, okay?"
"Deluding myself? Why sir, it's nothing but the truth. Do I not slave all day to bring you riches? Am I not then entitled to study the inside of my eyelids on occasion? Well, that's just..." That went on and on and I listen with just half an ear as I refreshed myself and changed into a more formal outfit, knowing that the venue of choice was the exclusive dining room at the club Ross frequented.
The first time he'd taken me there, I'd worn just about the oldest pair of jeans I owned and an old rag of a t-shirt; even sneakers. I'd felt so embarrassed when the Maitre D' discretely took me aside, offering me a jacket to cover up the worst. The very next day I'd gone out and bought a suit, spending half a month's wages on an Armani, when Ross told me that he enjoyed dining there on a regular bases.
"Why were you so late, anyway? Busy day?" he asked on our way out, waiting for the elevator to arrive. He hooked his pink on mine. We only walked like that when we were alone because I don't like displaying affection out on the street, so as soon as we'd arrive outside, we'd let go of each other.
"No, not really... I ehr, went out to get a coffee with a friend."
"Ah. Already making friends, eh? That's great!" The elevator arrived and he pulled up the door. I followed him inside, watching him press the button and pull down the door.
"Ross... I might as well tell you... it was Kyle. I went out to get a coffee with Kyle."
The smile on his face faded.
"Come again? I didn't hear that correctly, did I?" Ross asked, setting a hand on the wall behind me, close to my head.
"Please don't be mad, it was just coffee, okay? We talked and I invited him..." I said, taking his tie in my fingers, playing with it.
"Why would I be mad, huh? My current boyfriend is drinking coffee with my ex. An ex who, I might add, can't be trusted with anything that walks on two legs, especially the ones that are spoken for. Nah, that's just perfectly alright. Thank you Mark, I was hoping for something to ruin the day. Damn it!"
That last was accompanied by a loud bang as he hit the wall beside my head with his hand. At the same time, the elevator arrived at the ground level but instead of pulling up the door, Ross pushed the button for the loft again, taking us back up.
"What... oh, come on, Ross. I'm hungry! What are you doing," I said, trying to get to the panel to stop the elevator, but it was already rising.
"I'm suddenly not in the mood. How about that, huh? I wonder how that happened," he said sarcastically, turning away from me. I put my hand on his arm, pulling it so he'd face me and his eyes flashed angrily when he did.
"Can't we at least talk about it? It's really no big deal, you know. We went out for coffee, so what? Where's the harm in that?" The elevator arrived at the top floor and he yanked his arm away.
He pulled up the door and stalked out into the hallway, fumbling for the keys in his jacket. He was already inside when I caught up with him and at first I didn't realize what he was doing. But then it quickly became clear that he was gathering some of his things.
"Ross? What are you doing?"
"I'm going home," he said with clenched teeth. "And I want you to think about what you're doing."
"What I'm doing? Drinking coffee with a friend..."
Ouch, that wasn't the smartest thing to say. He dropped everything he'd already gathered straight onto the floor, coming over to me in three big strides, grabbing my arms.
"A friend? He's a friend now? After everything I told you, mother told you... you go out and make a friend out of him? What did I do that was so awful to deserve that, huh? Answer me!" He'd brought his face so close to mine that he heat of his anger almost burned the skin of my face. I'd never seen him angry, not like this.
"N...nothing," I stammered, looking away. "Nothing, you didn't do anything. It's just... he's not the guy you and Sofia told me he was. He's changed, Ross." When I risked a glance at his face again, I saw a range of emotions quickly passing over it, bafflement being the main one.
"Changed? And how would you know that? You only met him like what, a few weeks ago? And already you're an expert on Kyle Garcia? I don't believe this," he hissed. He let go of my arms and walked back to pick up his stuff. "You choose to ignore what I told you and do what you want anyway. Normally I wouldn't mind but I have to draw the line somewhere. Guess what; we arrived at somewhere."
He'd pretty much gathered the stuff he'd brought home that day and came over again, slower this time, gathering his thoughts. He stopped right in front of me and I looked up. We didn't say anything for a whole, long minute. Then he bowed his head down, letting his forehead rest against mine.
"I love you, I really do, but you've gone too far," he said, softly. "There's only so much that I can accept, even from you and I just can't be with you right now. So you think about that, and you think about it long and hard. Break off this ‘friendship' with him. I don't think I'm asking too much. Please." He brushed his lips over my forehead and straightened up. Then he left.
**********
I was stunned, absolutely stunned. In my head, I could hear myself say "I can handle Ross" and Kyle's answer "I seriously doubt that", followed by Ross's voice continuously saying "please". Yeah, I handled him really well. NOT!
I decided to wait for an hour. Then I'd call him. He'd be home by then, maybe calmed down a bit. Tell him I screwed up and that I'd break off the friendship with Kyle, such as it was. It definitely wasn't worth losing Ross over. That, for me, was clear enough. I'd ask him to come back, ask him to forgive me and make it up to him in any way he wanted. Yes, that's what I was going to do.
It was about thirty minutes into the wait when my cell-phone rang. I didn't even look at the called-ID and picked up.
"Ross? Ross, I'm sorry. Come back, please?" I said.
"Sorry, you just missed him," Kyle's voice spoke, sarcastically.
"Kyle? What..."
"I suggest an anger management course for your boyfriend, Mr. Norcross."
"Oh no..." I groaned, "He didn't."
"Yes, he did; stormed in here about ten minutes ago. He wasn't a happy camper."
"I'm so sorry," I said, closing my eyes, sighing. "We had a fight."
"Gee, I wonder about what." He laughed softly. "It's okay, don't worry about it. I just called to ask if you were okay; did he hit you too?"
"He hit you!?" I gasped.
"Oh yeah. He's got a mean left hook, I tell ya."
"Oh my god, Kyle... I know he was pissed but I didn't know he'd go to take it out on you."
"I'll be fine. He brought a little extra baggage to the conversation. We never actually fought, after... you know what. This wasn't just about you and me being friends, which I guess we aren't anymore."
"Before I knew he did this to you, I was planning to tell you tomorrow, that we couldn't be friends. But now... he shouldn't have done that," I said, sitting down on the couch.
"So what are you saying; you still wanna be friends with me? I don't think that's such a good idea. You see, I kinda value my life." I could tell he said that with a grin, which made me feel a bit better about what'd happened to him.
"I'm so sorry," I repeated.
"Nah, besides; I hear blue eyes are real babe magnets. Pity it'll fade, actually. Anyway, I'll see you tomorrow. I just wanted to make sure that you were okay."
"Yeah, I'm okay," I replied. "I was about to call him but I guess I'll wait."
"I think it's wise, yes. Let him calm down. And just so you know; no, he never hit me before. He's not that kind of guy. He just feels threatened, because he loves you. I don't blame him for what happened tonight, or you, okay? I hope you two can work it out."
"That's... big of you," I said.
I actually meant it. And it proved to me that he really wasn't the guy Ross thought he was.
***To be continued***