John Gets What He Needs
By:
Hogan
(Copyright
2007 by the Author)
Editor: Gerry Young
The author retains all rights. No reproductions are
allowed without the author's consent. Comments are appreciated at...
There stood Evan, holding Riley, the new German shepherd puppy that John had just given him, closely to his chest, as he watched John’s truck disappear down the street. He was finally on his way to Georgia, to get his son and bring him home. It suddenly dawned on Evan that it would be a long weekend without John there at the house with him. In a short time, Evan had become complacent to relying on his buddy to always being there. Evan realized from that very first moment, that there was an emptiness within himself, and just why John really gave him Riley when he did. He knew that Riley would fill his heart and his time while John was gone, and that Andy would bring a very precious cargo home … THEIR home.
Tom was supposed to come over later to spend the weekend with Evan and to help out. Truthfully, John wanted Tom there to keep Evan company, and also, for the two to become better friends. He knew if they spent more time together, that they would learn to trust and like each other. It would be later in the evening when Tom would finally arrive. He had called earlier and said that he had a date and would be there afterwards. Tom dated a lot of women and Evan didn’t know whom he was with on this particular Friday night, but he assumed it was one of Tom’s stripper sluts.
Evan went inside and watched as Riley sniffed around the house and all its contents. He kept a close eye on him, because he knew the first few days would be tough in order to potty train the canine. He would have to take Riley outside every hour or so, to train him properly, and then to praise and reward him when success was achieved. He knew that the quicker it was done, the better.
John arrived at Andy’s house with Andy waiting for him in the garage with the door up. John could see that Andy was packed and ready to go. They greeted each other with a warm handshake, and John helped him with his backpack and cooler. Andy said that they would make better time if they took stuff to eat and drink with them, instead of having to stop and shop long the way, and not to mention that they could save a hundred bucks or more by staying out of those roadside convenience stops along the freeways. The only time they would have to stop would be to piss and get gas, and hopefully it would be at the same time, to SAVE time. If they were to get back Sunday before it got too late, they would have to make good use of their time.
“Hey, sorry I’m late,” John apologized.
“No problem … what was the hold up? You have to work over?” Andy questioned.
“Naa … nothing like that … I just made a last minute detour, and it took longer than I thought it would. I bought a dog for Evan ... to keep him busy while we're gone, you know,” John said, smiling.
“Wow, man, that’s awesome, John,” Andy said, smiling back.
“Yeah … it will keep him and Tom from killing each other ... at least that's what I’m hoping. Hey let's get on the road; we have some time to make up already,” John excitedly said.
“I guess it's going to be a little help to have a cop along with you, if we get pulled over for speeding,” Andy joked.
“It wouldn’t hurt, that’s for sure,” John said as he looked at Andy and grinned.
Andy noticed a difference in John’s behavior. Being a cop, he could read people well, and he could see that John was excited, but at the same time, deep in thought. As they drove toward the highway, he wondered what was on John’s mind.
Andy didn’t ask why John was so quiet. He decided they had plenty of time for the two of them to talk in the next few days, on the road and at the motel where they would stay.
Finally, Andy broke the silence after about a half hour passed without a word being spoken. “How d'ya think Evan will do, staying at the house without you, and with being around Tom all the time? Aren’t you worried those two will end up hurting each other?” Andy laughed, but at the same time was half serious.
A part of Andy was a bit jealous, and he wondered what Tom would be doing on his date while he and John were on their way to Georgia. Andy knew he and Tom didn’t have any real commitment to each other … far from it, actually. ‘Just an arrangement,’ but he still couldn’t help but feel a bit jealous of Tom being with someone else. Andy knew, that to get right down to it, he had deeper feelings for Tom, than Tom did for Andy.
“Well, if the plan goes as I expected, the two will be buds, or one of them will be dead when we return,” John laughed with a devilish grin on his face.
Andy looked at John to see if he was serious, then laughed, saying, “Shit! I hope your plan works out in a good way, then.”
“Yeah … me, too; we need for those two to get along if we're all going to hang out together. I suppose the dog will help out by keeping them busy.” John quickly and purposely added, “It looks like you and Tom are getting along ok, these days!” he said without looking at Andy and keeping his eyes on the road.
“He’s over the entire jail incident now, so there's no hard feelings between us," Andy said, then quickly changed the subject and asked, “So what’s the story with them, anyway; why don’t they like each other?”
“It’s not really that they don’t like each other, I think it has more to do with me.” John paused, thinking how best to say what he wanted, and then sighed, and continued. “They both are my best buds, and I think they're a bit jealous of each other.” John laughed and then continued. “Tom acted like it was because ... Evan always acted different than most ... and it made Tom uneasy. Tom always suspected that Evan was gay and was scared to have anyone see Evan around him. You know ... 'guilt by association' type of thing?” John remarked.
“So why didn’t you notice that Evan was gay?" Andy questioned.
“I can’t really answer that. He had always been my friend since we were young. I guess I just didn’t pay much attention to it,” John said and sighed.
“I understand; it's hard to see something when it's right under your nose, than it is, when you're looking from a distance.” Andy said.
“Well, things are different now … Tom has had to grow up a lot lately and change his thinking about a lot of things. He’s a better person for it, too,” John admitted.
“Yeah, I’d say!” Andy said quickly without thinking.
For a moment, John took his eyes off the highway and looked at Andy and asked, “What you mean?”
“Oh, nothing; I was just agreeing with you that's all,” Andy nervously responded.
John continued to quizzically look at him for a few more seconds, before looking back to the highway, but didn’t say anything. John’s suspicions were the same as Evan’s were; only neither one of them had discussed the topic with one another. Both just thought it was best to leave well enough alone and let it take its course. Neither was going to 'out' Tom or force him do something he wasn’t ready to do. John couldn’t help but wonder why someone like Andy, with great looks, a good job and a great personality, would put up with such an arrangement that obviously would go nowhere.
John knew that Tom loved women, so he assumed that Andy was just a 'side dish' to have when Tom wasn’t getting any action with the ladies. If Andy was ok with it, then who was he to interfere? Evan thought the same as John did, even though it wasn’t mentioned between the two.
John and Andy continued to talk and banter with one another while making good time, heading south on Interstate 65. John kept the truck running with the light traffic at seventy-five mile per hour. They had already driven south of Indianapolis, and were making good time towards Kentucky. In about another two hours, they would cross the Ohio River into the city of Louisville. They would continue their road trip on Interstate 65 till they got to Nashville, Tennessee, and then would change to Interstate 24.
I-24 would take them the rest of the way, across the Smokey Mountains, and right into Atlanta, their destination. But they were going to have to make a pit stop real soon, for the gas and for themselves. They had already driven over two hundred miles, and John’s truck wasn't any better on gas mileage than any other truck on the road
Andy, riding shotgun, suggested that they take the next off ramp to a town called Scottsburg. Signs had indicated that there would be gas stations as well as every other amenity you could want. John agreed. He noticed that the digital clocked showed that it was almost 10:00 pm. They were making great time, so far, and John was pleased. Every mile he drove, meant he was just that much closer to having his boy in his arms, soon.
At about the same time, Evan was in the back yard waiting for Riley to take a piss, so that they could go back inside. Riley turned out to be a very smart puppy and had already recognized his name and would come to Evan when he called him. The potty training, though, was going slowly. The rambunctious pup had managed to have two accidents on the floor without Evan catching him in time. Evan cleaned up the mess and continued to train the pup till he got it right. He knew from experience that German shepherd’s were extremely smart dogs, and Riley was no exception. Evan was determined to have him trained before John got back from Georgia on Sunday.
Just as Evan was bringing in Riley from the back door, Tom came home and had just come through the front door when Riley spotted him. The dog’s demeanor quickly changed, and Evan could hear a small growl. Tom stopped in his tracks, not knowing where the dog had come from, since he was just now getting home from his date.
“Where the hell did that mutt come from? John know you have a dog in his house?” Tom said with some disgust in his voice.
“Oh, great! IT'S here … and I was just beginning to hope you had gotten drunk and passed out at some skank's house,” Evan sneered back and then continued. “He’s not a mutt! John bought him for me. His name is Riley and he’s a full-blooded German shepherd. You'd better watch your step; he’s already growling at you. I think his intuition is good, already.” Evan was half-heartedly mad at Tom and joking at the same time.
“Very funny, squirt. Let me check out this flea bag of a dog,” Tom teased Evan as he got down on his knees and checked out Riley for the first time.
Evan had an evil grin on his face and, in a monotone voice, said, “Tom, you should come out to my folks' house with me sometime and I'll let you meet Tyler. I’m sure you two would really get along great.”
“Yeah, like I’d trust you not to have him attack me, you dweeb. John already told me about Tyler, and you’re not as sneaky as you think you are, shithead," Tom said, jokingly.
Evan laughed and said, "Na … I wouldn’t do that for real, Tom; Tyler would really hurt you bad if I’d let him atcha. That wouldn’t be a very funny joke, and they aren’t toys to be played around with. I bet Riley will be just as protective, so you better make nice to him and make sure he knows you’re a friend … even if you are a shitty one … stoner,” Evan laughed.
“Very funny, schizo!” Tom grinned.
“You know, you’re the only one who has ever called me that to my face since I got sick,” Evan remarked without emotion, as if the dig went right over his head and not bothered him.
“Dude, it was just a joke, but if you’re offended, I won’t say it again. I know it’s not your fault that you got sick, and I probably shouldn’t have said that,” Tom said, looking into Evan’s eyes for any sign of emotion.
Evan sat there for a second without replying, and then said, ”No, it's cool, Tom; if you can't laugh at shit like that, then life would just suck ass, even more.”
“Guess you're right, but I want you to know I don’t mean it to hurt you … OR to make fun of ya; I can do that easily enough without going THERE,” Tom grinned at Evan and saw him grin back.
“Careful, Tom, you’re starting to sound human.” Evan grinned
“Fuck you, fag!” Tom blurted out and started laughing loudly.
Tom got down on the floor and played with Riley like a little kid. Evan thought how funny it was that people quickly reverted back to their childhoods when it came to animals. You could always tell a true animal lover by how they acted around them.
Riley warmed up to Tom quickly and was giving him a tongue bath all over his face. Tom was enjoying the attention and Evan just sat back and watched Tom and Riley play around on the floor
Evan spoke up and told Riley … "NO! Riley … don’t lick him; he's been out with them nasty strippers tonight.” Evan laughed
“Blow me, bitch; Tanya is a hot chick and she don’t mess around with everyone,” Tom said, defending his date for the night.
Evan looked at Tom and asked with a grin, “Is that her stage name or her real name?”
Tom looked odd for a second as if he was in deep thought and said; “Shit … I really don’t fucking know, for sure!” They both laughed out loud at the thought and continued to play with Riley.
John’s plan was working, and as always, he knew just what to do to make something work out. He may be a big lug head sometimes, but when it came down to it, John knew how to handle people -- something Evan never could master. They complimented each other nicely in so many ways like that.
“Hey, I’m going to go take a shower, and don’t even think about trying to come in …the door will be locked, fag,” Tom announced with an attitude that had come back as soon as he stopped playing with the puppy.
“Don’t flatter yourself, stripper breath. I’d rather kiss Riley on the ass than watch you take a shower to get that nasty twat juice off of you,” Evan quickly quipped back.
“You're just jealous I got some tonight, and you will have to stroke it.” Tom laughed as he walked down the hallway toward the bathroom.
“You better hope I do it in the shower tonight. We'll be sleeping in the same bed. John said not to use Jacob's room; it's all ready for him, for when he comes home. There’s no other place to sleep unless you plan on sleeping on the couch all weekend,” Evan shouted from the living room.
Tom came back into the living room in his boxers and said, “Why don’t you sleep on the couch, shit head?”
“'Cause it's MY bed AND John’s bed… that’s why, butthead.”
“Oh, yeah, I forgot, Beavis,” laughed Tom. “Be back in a few; I’m off to take my shower.”
“Ok, you hungry? I was going to order a pizza before they close for the night.”
“Yeah, get a large one with sausage and pepperoni and ham!” Tom ordered
“Just the way I like it, too,” Evan mumbled to himself.
“Good; we agree on something.” Tom grinned.
“Na … we agree on other things too,” Evan grinned back.
“Yeah … like what?” Tom asked.
“We agree you smell like stripper twat juice … and you’re an ASSHOLE!” Evan shouted and laughed.
“Blow me, schizo…when I get out of the shower, I'll thump you hard,” Tom said, trying to act like he was mad.
“Whatever! I'll sic John on you when he gets back, too. The big ol' tall one will stick your dick in the dirt for me,” laughed Evan.
“You’re an ass, dweeb…. go get the pizza ordered and I'll get my shower.”
And with that … Tom picked up his duffle bag and went to the bathroom to start his shower, and Evan went into the kitchen to get the phone book to get the pizza delivery number.
Evan was just about to pick up the phone when it rang … scaring him bad enough to make him jump back away from the receiver.
“SHIT!” Evan shouted. He went back to the phone after collecting himself and picked it up on the fourth ring. “Hello!”
“Evan?”
“Yeah, John is that you?”
“Yeah bud, it's me.”
“Is everything ok? You aren’t broke down or anything are you?” Evan asked, being worried.
“No, nothing bad Evan … just stopped for gas and wanted to see how you and Riley were getting along. Is Tom there yet?”
“Riley and I are doing great, and Tom just got here a while ago. He’s in the shower getting nasty stripper smell off himself,” Evan laughed.
John laughed at Evan’s remark, and Evan thanked him again for Riley; “I love you, big guy!”
“I love you, too, Ev; I miss you already. Is Tom treating you ok?”
“Yeah, we're fine; I was just about to order us a pizza when you called.”
“Good … sounds like you two will still be alive when we get back, at least,” John laughed.
“Yeah … well, I will, but you can never tell about duffus. He might make it if he isn’t here all the time while you're gone.” Evan laughed.
“I doubt he will, Ev, mostly just at night. My mom should be over tomorrow to check on things, and I think your mom is coming into town to see your new dog, also.”
“Yeah, I spoke with them earlier on the phone; they told me you asked if it was a good idea to get Riley. When did you tell them about him?
“I called them at the breeder's house to see what they thought. They said it was a good idea and that it would be good for you to have your own dog, here." John explained.
“You are so sneaky,” Evan accused. “So, how’s it going with you and Andy? He hasn’t come onto you yet, has he? He’s probably waiting till you two get a motel.”
“Don’t even think it, asswipe … you know I don’t like guys … All I need and want is my Ev,” John loudly stated.
“You better be the one that behaves himself, I don’t want Tom getting you again,” John scorned.
No worries about that … I’m not that sick and I’m taking my meds.” Evan laughed. “Besides, I have what I need, too, big guy, and his name is Riley.”
“Well, Ev ... I best be back on the road if we're going to make any time. Andy's going to drive the next leg of the trip, and I’m going to try to get a nap in. We should be in Atlanta sometime in the morning. I'll call you then. You get a good night's sleep and tell Tom 'hey' for me.”
“I will, John; miss you, big guy”
“Miss you, too, Ev!”
Evan hung up the receiver and felt empty without John there with him. He collected himself and ordered the pizza. A few minutes later Tom came out in some sweat bottoms and with wet hair and nothing else. Evan still thought Tom was hot looking with his brown wet hair and his nice hairy chest. 'If only he wasn’t such a jerk,' Evan thought.
“You order the pizza? How long till it gets here?”
“About ten more minutes, Tom.”
“Ok, I’m paying for this one … it's on me; I'll go get my wallet,” Tom said, demandingly.
“Thanks, Tom, but you don’t have to pay for all of it,” Evan said, feeling like a bum.
“It's cool; you're buying tomorrow, and you're making breakfast, too…got it?”
“Sure; how you like your toast, burnt, or really on fire?” Evan asked with a straight face.
“Very funny, bitch … I expect a full course breakfast for having to baby sit you.”
“You’re an ass, Tom,” Evan said, shaking his head.
“I know; that’s why you like me so much.”
“Whatever … hey, John called; they were getting gas and switching drivers somewhere in southern Indiana,” Evan clued Tom in, on the conversation they had.
“Did Andy say anything?” Tom asked without making eye contact
“No. Why would he?”
“No reason; I was just wondering how they were doing.”
John satisfied Andy by letting him drive, and John would try to take a nap. John said they should be in Atlanta in the morning if they drove all the way through. They planned on getting a motel for the day till Sunday morning. They would pack all day Saturday and then take a rest and have Jacob that night and then leave early Sunday morning. They figured they should be home no later than 3 pm Sunday afternoon.
Tom and Evan's pizza arrived, and they ate their late dinner. They seemed to get along ok, and Tom even volunteered to take Evan to “Wally World,” since it was open twenty-four hours so that he could get what he needed for Riley. Evan was feeding him what John gave him, but it would be gone in the morning. It was only a sample bag and Evan knew Riley should be eating a lot at his young age.
They arrived at the super mart and Evan got a cart. He had the two hundred dollars that John had given him to buy what he needed. Evan quickly picked up what Riley had to have as a growing puppy, and wanted to get home as soon as possible. Large stores made Evan very anxious, and the sooner he got out of there, the better for all who were around him. Tom laughed at Evan’s speed in getting what he needed, and they were in the checkout in no time. After everything was bought and paid for, Evan still had almost ninety bucks left from what John had given him. He would be sure to return the rest to John when he got home.
Soon, they were back at John’s house, and Tom helped Evan carry in all the items. He remarked how much crap a dog needed.
They put all the stuff in the garage, and Riley was let back into the house from the garage where they had left him. Evan knew the dog would mess the floor in the short time they were to be gone. And to no one's surprise, a package was left waiting for him on the garage floor.
It was starting to get late so Evan let Tom watch the puppy while he went to take his shower. Evan had had a long day and it was starting to catch up to him. Being away from John and living in a new place was a lot to take for the day; Riley was a pleasant stress, but WAS one, never the less. Evan relaxed some after getting a warm shower and jumping into some pajama bottoms he had. He took Riley and told Tom good night, and they went to bed. Tom stayed up a while longer and was smoking a cigarette in the garage, 'cause John didn’t allow it in the house. By the time Tom was finished and headed to bed, Evan was already sound asleep, with Riley lying at his feet, also asleep.
Tom quietly slid into bed in his boxers and covered up with the sheet without disturbing Evan much. He was almost asleep when he felt Evan shift in the bed and slide over to him and wrap his arm over Tom’s bare hairy chest. Tom froze for a minute not knowing if Evan was asleep or coping a feel. He realized from Evan’s lightly snoring that he was indeed asleep. After the initial shock, Tom found the contact to be oddly pleasing and didn’t move away. His thoughts went to Andy and wondered if they would ever snuggle up together in bed. So far, it had only been Andy orally pleasing him, and a few times Andy would masturbate while watching Tom naked beside him. He sometimes would watch Andy as he pleasured himself, and thought it was cool to watch the tuff ex-marine and cop climax from just from watching him being naked lying beside him. Tom thought maybe the snuggling part might be fun to do with Andy sometime and would have to think about it the next time they got together.
Tom was caught up in his own thoughts when he noticed Evan’s breathing had began to be erratic and his movements clearly indicated he was having a dream of some sort. Tom watched as Evan's facial expressions grew more grimacing and it was obvious the dream wasn’t a pleasant one. Evan's grip on Tom’s chest became stronger, and he could feel wetness on his chest where Evan’s face was. Tom wondered what dream could cause Evan to cry and make him unsettled. He could hear Evan mumbling unintelligible things and he just lay there for a minute or so, and then decided to bring his arm around Evan to comfort him. As he did, Evan moaned loudly as if he was in pain, and his voice was getting louder and then in shockingly audible volume Evan spoke in a pained voice,
"No…No it can't be … He can't be gone!”
With the last outburst, Evan woke up and hugged John harder with his face buried into his soft hairy chest, but something felt different and Evan raised his head, only to find himself on top of Tom and not John. It took him a split second to remember it was Tom in his bed and not John and why. The situation finally flooded Evan's head, and he quickly pulled away from him, apologizing as Tom just stared at him without emotion except for the look of shock on his face. “Oh, shit! … Tom, I’m sorry, man. I forgot it was you and not John. Really sorry for touching you,” Evan said as if he were in fear of Tom.
“Don’t worry about it, Evan; I knew you were having a dream; you want to talk about it?”
“You were awake?” Evan questioned.
“Yeah, I hadn’t gotten to bed for more than a few minutes when you got weirded out and all. You sure you're all right? We can call John if you need to talk to him,” Tom said with shocking compassion.
“Na .. I’m ok, I forgot what the dream was about already, any how,” Evan lied
Hey, you can come back over here if you want to and sleep next to me, Evan, if you need to. I’m ok with it, really. John made me promise to watch out for you, and not to let anything happen to you while he was gone."
After a few seconds of Evan saying nothing, Tom more or less made up Evan’s mind for him by grabbing him and pulling him back where he was before, while Tom kept his arm around Evan's back. Evan didn’t protest and was more weirded out by the whole experience than anything. Tom was being a good guy, and it caught Evan off guard. The real buried deep down Tom had actually showed himself.
There was a long silence in the room for a while. Occasionally, they could hear Riley sigh loudly in his sleep and move a bit. Nothing else but their breathing filled the darkened bedroom. Neither one was asleep, but neither one spoke, either.
Andy was still at the wheel, and John was quietly sleeping with his head lying against the passenger window. Some drool was noticeably smeared on the glass.
They were making good time and were deep in Tennessee, almost to Nashville. They had planned on switching driving a couple hours earlier, but Andy wasn't sleepy, and it was obvious the day had taken a toll on John. Andy knew it was an emotional day for him. Leaving Evan and seeing his son was a lot for him to handle at once. Sleep would be good for him, and Andy was content on the silence so he could think.
Andy’s thoughts were of Tom, and how strongly he was allowing his feelings to get towards him. He wondered what he was doing at that time of the night, and jealousy had gotten the best of his thoughts, wondering if he and Evan were messing around. He knew it was unlikely because they were hardly civil toward each other, but still, '... men are men, and things could easily happen if both were horny enough,' he thought.
Andy tried to think positively and figure out what he was going to do in this dead-end relationship he was involved with. He knew Tom would never accept being out and with a guy full time. Andy knew Tom liked him a lot, and had said so on a couple of occasions, but that was about all Tom was capable of saying, and the relationship they had would probably never go any further. Andy had agreed to the terms of the relationship but now was wanting much more, and didn’t know how much longer he could continue to go on this path
John’s truck motored farther south toward their destination, with Andy at the wheel and John fast asleep. Hours had passed with Andy thinking about his future with Tom, and if there was ever going to be one. They had crossed into Georgia, and in about three more hours of driving, they would be in their hotel room, to rest until Saturday afternoon.
To be continued….
End Chapter 11
Special Thanks goes to Gerry Young, for all his help, encouragement and guidance in making my story come to life. He's a great friend and editor.
My Editor 'Gerry Young' also has stories published on Tickie. Please check him out. If you have liked this story, it’s because Gerry made it better. I am truly grateful for all his hard work and it shows in the story. Drop him an email, which you can find on his home page under authors. Thanks to Tickie Stories also for posting the story.
