The Man from Swift Current
By: Russ Nielsen
(© 2011-2013 by the author)

The author retains all rights. No reproductions are allowed without the author's consent. Comments are appreciated at...

Chapter 54
Friends, Again!

I spent the morning showering attention on my guy, trying to ease the tension in his face.   (Okay, I admit that I always pay attention to him; but I mean I went the extra mile to show him my affection!)   After a while, Rick relaxed and we spent the rest of the morning hanging out.   We played video games and surfed the internet.   Around noon, Felipe said, “I think I need to get back to our apartment and take care of some things.   Greg should be home soon and I want to be there when he arrives.  Would you mind dropping me off?”

Rick said, “Sure.   We need to go out and get some groceries before we start school so we can drop you off on the way.”

Felipe’s request didn’t surprise me.   Since I had overheard them arguing, Rick and Felipe hadn’t really spoken much to each other.   They had talked to me and responded to each other when asked a direct question.   It made things a little uncomfortable for me.   I had overheard enough of their heated discussion to know that it was about me.

After we dropped off Felipe at his apartment, I said, “Okay, Rick, spill it.   You’ve been acting really weird all day.”

Rick looked kind of sheepish, kind of like a school boy who had been caught doing something naughty.   I tried not to laugh at his expression but I couldn’t help myself.

“I’m not calling you out, okay.   I just want to know why you and Felipe were arguing about me this morning,” I said.

Rick didn’t respond right away but seemed to really be concentrating on driving.   We pulled into the Publix parking lot and Rick parked the car and turned off the engine.   He turned to look me in the eyes.   I was surprised to see tears were streaming down his cheeks.

“Rick, what’s wrong? “ I asked just a little alarmed at Rick’s display of emotion.   I was still trying to figure out what was going on with my lover boy.   I took his hand in mine to try to comfort him.   I wiped the tears from his face with my other hand.   “I love you, Rick.   Please tell me what’s going on.”

Rick squeezed my hand, “Felipe told me he has fallen in love with you and that he loves you more than I do.”

I sat in shocked silence.   I couldn’t believe what I was hearing, “Are you sure that’s what he said?”

“Yes, he told me he was going to do everything in his power to win you over to him because he thinks I’m just using you for sex,” Rick responded, looking away from me.

Hearing what Felipe had said made me very angry!   “How dare he say such things to you?   He must be blind!   Everyone we know can tell that we’re madly in love with each other.   He’s just jealous because he wants what we have,” I said.

Rick looked at me and managed to smile.   “That’s exactly what I told him.   He got angry and started shouting at me.”

“I know.   You two woke me up!   That’s when I came into the kitchen,” I said remembering how they had both fallen silent when they saw me.

Rick said, “What he said hurt me deeply, Glenn.   At the time, I didn’t think much about it; but now it really hurts.   I trusted him and I thought he was our friend.”

“I thought so, too.   I think maybe we need to spend some time away from him.   What do you think?” I asked.

Rick nodded, “Yes, I think that would be a good idea.   Maybe after Greg comes back, Felipe will have a change of heart and will apologize for his poor behavior in our home.”

“I agree.   I like Felipe and Greg as friends but let me remind you, Rick,” I said looking him straight in the eye.   “You are my life partner and I love you and only you.   Do you understand me?”

“Yes, I do; but I need you to constantly remind me.   Okay?” Rick asked pleading with me to understand his reasons for asking me to do this for him.

“I understand why you need me to remind you but I need you to also acknowledge that I’ve been faithful to you and always will be.   I know sometimes I flirt with other guys but it’s not intended to hurt you or is it an indication that I want someone else besides you.   I want to do everything I can to help you feel safe and secure in my love for you,” I said.   “So I’m asking you to be patient with me as well.”

Rick smiled and said, “You’ve got a deal.”   He leaned over and gave me a passionate kiss.   When we surfaced for air, I said, “We’re going to have to wait before we go in the store.   I don’t want to embarrass myself.”

Rick grinned as he rubbed my throbbing dick through the cloth of my shorts, “Why would you be embarrassed?   Everyone already knows you’re mine so why not advertise it?”

“Rick, you will have to go in the alone if you keep that up!   You are such a wicked tease!” I exclaimed as Rick’s hand on my dick edged me closer to making a mess.

Rick stopped just short of getting me off!   “You are so mean to me, Mr. Lernier!” I shouted at him as he opened the door and got out of the car.   “You can’t just go off and leave me in this condition!”

Rick laughed and stuck his head back inside the car, “I sure can and I will!”

I looked down at my shorts which now had a huge wet spot on them, “You’re on your own then.   I can’t be seen in public this way!”

Rick replied, “Okay, Babe.   I’ll be right back.”

His tight-fitting jeans showed him off well and I sat drooling as I watched him walking away from the car.   The sight of his bubble butt nearly got me off!   I was in a state of heightened arousal and Rick knew it.   He intentionally left me this way!   Damn him!   All I could think about in my sex-crazed state of mind was Rick making love to me.   It was a good thing that it wasn’t long before Rick returned because I wouldn’t have been able to contain myself much longer!

Rick opened the door and got in.   He looked over at me and laughed.   ‘I can see that you’re still in hyper-drive!”

I glared at him and said, “No thanks to you.”

“No, you mean thanks to me,” Rick corrected as he rubbed the inside of my thigh.

I tried to stay mad long enough to let him know I didn’t like being left high and dry; but his touch was working its magic on me.  I leaned my head back against the headrest and moaned in pure pleasure; all coherent thought coming to a halt as Rick began to massage my package.  

Rick drove us home and I made a mad dash for our condo; not wanting anyone to see how aroused I was.    Rick followed at a more sedate pace, making me wait impatiently at our door.  

Rick grinned and asked, with raised eyebrows, “Are we in a hurry?”

“Yes,” I said, rocking back and forth on the balls of my feet in my excitement.   Rick recognized that I was well primed for him and gave me a knowing look; followed by his infamous wicked grin.

He opened the door and let us in.   As we put the groceries away, Rick continued his strategic assault on my senses.   I light touch on my back or a quick kiss as we met at the pantry to put away the canned goods.   When we had the groceries put away, Rick carried me into our bedroom to execute his very well laid out plan to seduce me into submission!

*** ***

Felipe unlocked the door to his apartment and pushed the door open.   He walked inside and closed it behind him.   He leaned against it and shook his head.   He had really messed things up.   He walked over and sat down on the couch and put his head in his hands.   He thought over the last few hours with Rick and Glenn.   He knew he had overstepped his bounds but he had been unable to stop the words from coming out of his mouth.   He loved Glenn and wanted to be his lover in the worst way.   This morning, jealousy and a sense of righteous indignation had overruled his better judgment.   He knew that if Glenn were his boyfriend, that he would treat him like a king.

He had watched how Rick treated Glenn during the entire time they were at his parents’ home in Mexico and it made him angry.   Felipe’s love for Glenn was the motivating force that led him to do his best to make things better even if that meant upsetting Rick.   That morning, he had started the entire conversation with the intent of reminding Rick to treat Glenn better than one of his one night stands.   From Felipe’s viewpoint, Rick exhibited the same arrogant and condescending attitude toward Glenn as many men did toward the women they picked up in bars and bedded every weekend.   Rick’s whole demeanor irritated Felipe.   The conversation quickly became heated and Felipe had said some things he now regretted.

He looked up in surprise when the door opened and Greg appeared in the doorway.  

Greg smiled and exclaimed, “Felipe!”

Felipe stood up and threw himself into Greg’s arms.   They kissed passionately as their hands wandered.   Felipe thought to himself, “I hope I don’t mess this up, too.   I just hope Greg doesn’t figure out that I’m in love with someone else.”   Out loud, Felipe said, “I’ve missed you.”

Greg laughed, “I can tell.”   He closed the door and took Felipe by the hand.   He led him to their bedroom and they both stripped out of their clothes.   It wasn’t long before they had satisfied their need for each other.

They lay on the bed with their limbs intertwined, enjoying the afterglow of their coupling.   Felipe ran the tips of fingers through the hair on Greg’s chest.   He looked into Greg’s eyes and said, “I messed things up with Rick and Glenn today.”

Greg frowned.   “How did you do that?”

“I called Rick out about how he treats Glenn,” Felipe said.

“Why did you do that?” Greg asked.

“I watched Rick treat Glenn like his sex slave during our entire trip and I had seen enough.   Glenn deserves better,” Felipe said, heatedly.

“But Rick wasn’t doing that before you guys left,” Greg said.

“I think he was.   It’s just that we weren’t around them enough to witness it.   I was with them practically 24 hours a day for the last few weeks; and I saw a lot of things I hadn’t seen before,” Felipe said.

Greg said, “But don’t you think they should work things out between themselves?”

“I thought that at first; however, the more I saw Rick treat Glenn that way, the more I wanted Glenn to dump Rick,” Felipe said.

“Maybe you should stay away from them for a while and let things cool down a bit,” Greg said.  

Felipe nodded his head in agreement.   “You’re right, Greg.   I’m very glad you’re back.   I missed you.”

They kissed and their passion for each other re-ignited and grew to an all-consuming flame.     

*** ***

We started our classes on Monday.   This time I had physics, Spanish, another calculus class, and English.   The English teacher was Mrs. Rao.   She was a petite woman about 40 years of age.   Both she and her husband taught English at the university.   She wore a traditional sari that was bright red and white.   She had a red ruby shaped mark in the middle of her forehead.   Her dark brown eyes peered back at me from under heavy black eyebrows.   She had jet black hair that was braided and fell down her back.   As I watched her at the front of the classroom, I realized that her hair was super long.   I mean it fell all the way to the ground and she had a considerable length of it that she carried over her arm.  

She introduced herself to the class in heavily accented English.   “I’m Mrs. Rao.   I am from New Delhi, India.   Before anyone asks,” she said unrolling her hair from off of her arm.   “This is my real hair.   It has never been cut.   Now that I have satisfied your curiosity, let’s get down to the business at hand.”

She outlined her expectations of us and went over the syllabus.   By the time class was over, I was sure I was going to hate English!

Rick found me just outside my classroom.   “I came to walk you to class.”

I grinned and said, “Why, Mr. Lernier, how kind of you to help me find my way to my next class.”

Rick smiled and asked, “How was your English class?”

“It was terrible!   Mrs. Rao is a demon in a human body!   Just look at this syllabus!”  I handed him the paper and he scanned it.

“She does appear to be out to prove a point,” Rick said.

“And what point might that be?” I asked with raised eyebrows.

“That you freshman need to be humbled,” Rick said, laughing.

“It’s not fair, Rick.   I don’t need to write an essay every day for the entire semester!   I’m going to see if I can get into a different English class,” I said.

“Good luck with that,” Rick said.   “The only other English class that is available is being taught by her husband.   If you thought Mrs. Rao is bad, wait until you have her husband as a professor.”

“He can’t be as bad as she is,” I said, in horrified disbelief.

“Oh, believe me, Glenn.   You can’t even understand a word he says because his accent is so strong.   He claims to be speaking English but I’d swear it was a foreign language,” Rick said.

I started to whine.   “Rick, I have Dr. Liang for calculus.   I barely understood him this morning.   I hope I never have to speak with him about anything.   His English is non-existent!”

“Get used to it, Glenn,” Rick said.   “Many of the professors here are from other countries.”

I shook my head in despair.   “What am I going to do?”

“You will work hard and I will help you as much as I can,” Rick said.   He pulled me into an alcove, making sure we weren’t seen and gave me a quick kiss.   “Don’t get discouraged, Babe.   I know it seems overwhelming right now; but I promise you it will get better.”

I smiled up at him and said, “Thank you for trying to cheer me up.”

Rick said, “Our Spanish class is right here.”   He pointed to the building in front of us.   “I don’t know how you managed to convince me to take another Spanish class.”   He smiled and ruffled my hair.

“Maybe it’s because you love me,” I said, grinning at him.

We walked into the classroom and Rick took a quick look around.   “It looks like Felipe didn’t sign up for this class.”

“I know he registered for it.   I saw his schedule,” I said.   “Maybe he changed his schedule after the argument you had.”

“Maybe,” Rick said.   “It wouldn’t hurt my feelings if we never see him again.”

I looked over at Rick said, “I know how you feel.   I’m still pretty steamed about what he said to you.”

Rick said, with his voice full of anger, “So am I.”

Our conversation was interrupted when the professor began his lecture.   By the end of the class, I felt like my head was going to pop.   Listening to Professor Jones’ accent was driving me crazy.   He butchered the language so badly it was hardly recognizable as being Spanish.  

When the professor had left the classroom, Rick leaned over and asked, “Do I sound like that when I speak Spanish?”

I shook my head vigorously in the negative.   “Absolutely not!”

“I don’t know how he managed to land a teaching job in the Spanish department with an accent like that,” Rick said.

“Let’s just say we had better not learn how to speak Spanish like him,” I said.

“You’ve got that right,” Rick said.

We stood up and walked out of the classroom.   We had just exited the building when Greg came up to us.  “Hey, guys!   How was your vacation?”

Rick answered, “We had a great time.”

I confirmed what Rick said.   “We saw a lot of interesting things.”

Greg said, “I’m glad you had a good time.   I’m sorry I wasn’t able to go.”

“How did things go at home?” Rick asked.

“Okay, I guess, given the circumstances,” Greg said, a look of sadness crossing his face.

“We’re sorry to hear about your grandmother,” I said.

Greg said, “Thank you for your sympathy.   It’s been pretty rough at home.”

I asked, “Hey, what happened to Felipe?   I thought he was taking Spanish with us.”

Greg glanced at Rick and then answered, “I told Felipe to withdraw from the class.   He told me what happened between him and Rick.   I suggested that he stay away from you guys for a while to let things cool down a bit.”

The expression on Rick’s face showed he was still very angry about the whole situation.   “That was a good idea, Greg.   Thank you for looking out for us.”

Greg said, “I did it for all of you.   You are my friends and I don’t like the fact that you’re arguing with each other.”

Rick looked at Greg through narrowed eyes and asked, “What exactly did Felipe tell you?”  Greg narrated for us what Felipe had related to him about the argument.   When he had finished, Rick asked, “Did he tell you why he was so interested in how I treat Glenn?”

Greg hesitated before answering, as if sensing there was a huge chasm at his feet.   “Only that he was concerned for Glenn’s welfare.”

I looked at Rick and said, “Rick, please don’t say anything else.   Don’t make things worse by repeating everything Felipe said.”

Rick returned my gaze, his eyes blazing with fury.   “I think Greg deserves to know exactly what Felipe said to me and not only that; I think he needs to know what went on in Mexico.”

I put a finger to his lips and said, “Rick, you are speaking out of anger.   Think about what you are doing.   Are you seeking vengeance for your hurt pride?   Or do you really have Greg’s best interests in mind?”  Rick continued to hold my gaze.   I said, “Please don’t do this.   Greg doesn’t deserve to be treated so shabbily by us.”

Rick finally relented and nodded his head.   “You’re right, Glenn.   I’m sorry, Greg.”

Greg had watched us very carefully and tried to follow the conversation.   It was readily apparent he was a little confused and more than a little curious.   I said, “Greg, it isn’t our place to be talking to you about your boyfriend behind his back.   You need to talk to Felipe and work things out with him.   As for our part, I think that giving ourselves some breathing room is the best course of action for now.   After the emotions have died down permitting logic and reason to return to the stage, we can get together to work out our differences.”

Greg looked from me to Rick and back to me.   “Okay.   I hope we can still be friends.”

Rick smiled and said, “Yes, we can still be friends.”

Greg returned Rick’s smile.   “I’ll see you guys around.”   Greg left us and we turned and walked towards the parking deck to retrieve Rick’s car.

*** ***

The remainder of the school year went by fast; despite my misgivings at the beginning of the semester.   We didn’t see much of Felipe or Greg.   I think Felipe knew he had crossed a line he shouldn’t have and didn’t know how to apologize without looking the fool.   Just before spring break, I was totally surprised when Felipe walked up to me on campus and asked if we could talk.

“Sure, but I want Rick to be with us when we talk,” I said.

Felipe looked surprised, “Can’t we talk alone?”

“No, Felipe, not after what you had to say to Rick the last time you were at our home.   What you did was wrong!   Rick is a very sensitive individual and what you said to him hurt him very deeply.   I love him too much to see him hurt like that.   You have to understand that you can’t come into our home and behave that way.   Our home is a refuge from all the bad things in the world and I am still deeply offended that you brought anger and hurt into our home, especially since we considered you our friend and we trusted you,” I said.

Felipe hung his head and looked at the ground, “You’re right, Glenn.   I was out of line but I don’t know what to say to Rick that won’t make things worse.”

“I think a simple apology would do the trick, Felipe, and a promise to never, ever say or do anything that would hurt Rick or I, again,” I said with a slight edge to my voice.   I jumped as Rick slid his arms around my waist.

Rick laughed and nibbled on my ear, “You shouldn’t be so jumpy, Glenn.   It’s just me!”

I leaned back against Rick, “I know but you should at least give me some warning next time.   Felipe would like to talk with us.   Is that okay?”

Rick looked over at Felipe, “I guess but let’s go find a place to eat lunch.   I’m starving.”   As if to prove his point, his stomach rumbled loudly!

Felipe and I burst out laughing.   “Okay, I believe you.”

We walked to a local deli and sat down with a sandwich and soda.   When we were settled, I asked, “Okay, Felipe, what did you want to say to us?”

Felipe looked kind of nervous, “I’m sorry Rick for being such a jerk to you.   I shouldn’t have said those things to you and I behaved very badly last time we were together.   Can you give me a second chance?”

Rick didn’t answer right away.   In fact, he waited so long to respond that I reached over and took his hand in mine trying to encourage him to speak.   I looked over at my lover boy to see he was trying not to get choked up.

I asked, “Felipe, what assurance do we have that you really mean what you say?”

Felipe shrugged, “I don’t have any other way to prove that I’m sorry other than to say it.   That’s partly why I wanted to talk to you.   Greg dumped me for another guy last night.   He said that I was a good fuck but that he’d found his soul mate and was moving in with him.   It made me realize what an idiot I’d been for saying those things to Rick.   I know that you really love each other and I want what you have.   I guess I was pretty jealous of you both and still am.   With Greg’s departure, I don’t have any friends here except you two.   I was hoping I could make amends and that we could be friends, again.”

Rick finally spoke, “We can be friends, again, but you will have to earn our trust since you completely destroyed that with what you said to me.   You’ve freely admitted that you’re still envious of the love Glenn and I share for each other.   How do we know you won’t continue to try to sabotage what we have?”

Felipe looked at his plate for a good while.   Rick and I continued to eat our lunch as we waited for Felipe’s reply.   He looked up at us and said, “I won’t do anything to harm either of you.   I value your friendship and as much as I would like to be more than just a friend, I realize that I would lose even your friendship if I did anything to hurt either of you.”

Rick said, “I’m okay with starting out doing things together but outside our home until we can see that we can truly trust you.”

Felipe nodded, “Okay.   That’s fine with me.   I’ve returned to my old dorm room so I won’t have to stay with you guys.   I never gave up my room even though I was staying with Greg.   Are you guys up for playing some racquetball or going for a workout tomorrow?”

“Sure, let’s hit the weights tomorrow,” I said.  

We shook on it as we left the restaurant and went our separate ways.

I kept looking for the perfect guy for Felipe without much luck.   For spring break, we went to Hilton Head Island, South Carolina.   Rick and I went alone this time as Felipe flew home, again, to help his Dad.   Time seemed to stand still for us.   I’ve never felt so close to anyone in my life.   Rick is so perfect for me.

To be continued...

Posted: 01/04/13