Chapter 12
Bliss

 

Standing utterly still, Eli’s breathing was silent but irregular. He felt caution fill his body, a pre-emptive apprehension as it were, as he gazed into the sheer depth of the crevasse. A crack in the coast, the rock walls over six metres apart but the downward depth of the abyss, perhaps a one-hundred-metre fall to oblivion.

 

Looking up and away from a gap he knew he could not breach, he locked his eyes onto the handsome face, framed by the shining black hair, before he was drawn into the deep, blue eyes of Ben. Eli felt an ache in his heart. He wondered if he walked a distance back and then ran fast and hard before jumping, if maybe he could cross the divide and feel Ben’s touch once more.

 

The crooked smile formed and Eli felt his heart melt. He was desperate to kiss those lips again. He watched as Ben’s mouth opened, he saw Ben speaking but he heard no sound at all. Eli’s arm lifted and stretched out, his fingers reaching, before he saw Ben turn and begin to walk away.

 

“Don’t go. Please, don’t leave me again,” Eli called out, his voice vexed by the impossible situation he was in.

 

He looked down and into the gaping emptiness of the crevasse. He looked at the craggy, rock walls that would bite into his body if he fell, ripping and tearing at his flesh. He looked at the opposing, top edge where Ben had been standing. He became aware that Ben’s distance from him was increasing.

 

“No, wait! Ben, wait,” he cried out.

 

Ben stopped and looked over his shoulder and Eli turned and ran back over nine metres. He turned and looked at Ben again. Ben’s expression changed and he spoke a single word but though once again it was soundless, Eli could read his lips and he knew Ben was telling him to stop.

 

“I need you,” he yelled, “I can’t stop,” he added, before he began to run.

 

Ben turned around completely. His arms lifted and his hands waved frantically, telling Eli not to continue. Ben was screaming soundlessly but Eli continued to run. Every ounce of strength was being directed into his legs, his pace increasing as he came closer. Eli lifted his eyes and looked into Ben’s and he smiled, as if he were certain that in moments they would be together again.

 

Dropping his eyes to the edge, Eli calculated what he needed to do. His breathing increased, his strength and power consciously spread into every muscle, his body leaned forward and then his foot came down exactly on the edge. His leg pushed upwards, his arms mirroring before swinging in an upward motion, as his torso also lunged. Every cell worked in synchronicity, to lift him and carry him across the divide.

 

The first three metres felt like he was flying but as he reached the zenith of his ascent, he heard a vague sound coming from somewhere deep within his mind. It was a repetitive, relentless repeat of the same sound, beep, beep, beep...

 

Ignoring the odd distraction, Eli looked at Ben. A moment later, his mind became aware of a slowing of his momentum, which led him to the thought that his body was too big and too heavy. He knew in that single moment, the final three metres was an impossible distance to traverse.

 

As if the thought had directed his body, his momentum decreased even more. Fearfully, his legs began to run in mid-air, his arms began to flail and his hands began to search for an invisible hold. Eli’s face reflected the horror of his mind, his brown eyes child-like, as they begged for Ben to somehow save him.

 

Ben’s face became serene, his eyes softened and then he smiled. His expression appeared to convey that the fall was for the best. Staring at Ben in disbelief, Eli wondered why Ben did not care or why he seemed happy to let him go. Crushed and in shock, Eli’s entire body stopped its every movement.

 

The rock of the wall suddenly appeared from his lower vision and a second later Ben was disappearing, as the wall rose to hide him from Eli’s sight. The sight of rock, the sound of turbulent air in his ears, the falling at an increasing and unstoppable speed and also the knowledge of the approaching ground below his body’s free-fall, filled him with a sense of inevitability. Eli closed his eyes and waited for death.

 

In the darkness behind his eyelids, again he heard the incessant beeping noise, which dismissed the sound of the wind thundering in his ears. The feeling of falling transitioned to a type of floating and eventually a restful comfort, embraced his mind and then his body. For what seemed like only a few seconds, the peacefulness pervaded before the distraction of the beeping sounds filled his mind again.

 

Slowly and easily, Eli’s eyes opened.

 

A diploma in geography was not required to know where he was immediately. He was in a hospital and he was in a public ward with about twenty beds lining the walls. An old man lay in the bed next to him and he was hooked up to a machine that beeped thoughtlessly in disregard of others. Nurses, doctors and orderlies were walking back and forth, tending to their business and to many of the patients surrounding him. He wondered what the fuck he was doing there and he wondered what the fuck had happened. He tried to recall an illness or an accident but his mind in that regard was blank.

 

“Why can’t I remember?”

 

Allowing his gaze to fall onto an exceptionally handsome man, Eli presumed he was a doctor despite the lack of scrubs or medical garb. The man was standing at the bottom of Eli’s bed while talking to a nurse. Eli wanted to call out or even to scream his sudden feeling of apprehension but he felt so helpless, as unexpectedly he noticed a tingling numbness within his arms and legs. Afraid to try to move, he feared the discovery he was paralysed and would not be able to move at all, ever again.

 

“Ah, you’re awake,” the man said, as he looked up glancingly and saw Eli looking back. He and the pretty, young woman, both walked toward Eli and stopped on either side of his bed.

 

Eli gave a forced smile to try to avert his discomfort but still the fear was written all over his face. He was so afraid he would be stuck in a bed forever, snap frozen like some cave man during an ice age. The young woman reached and took Eli’s wrist into her hand and began to check his pulse. He could feel her touch easily and that settled him somewhat.

 

“At least part of my body is okay,” he thought.

 

He looked at the woman, as she went about the simple task. She was probably in her early twenties and she had strawberry blonde hair, which was tied back in a tight ponytail that made her features look harder than they were. She was still very attractive though and she had pale green eyes that seemed soft and thoughtful.

 

Eli turned his head slightly, pleased when it moved easily, so he could look at the doctor as well. With his golden, brown hair, his light brown eyes and his model-like face, Eli thought the man was stunning.

 

The doctor saw the anxiousness within his patient’s eyes and assumed its basis was founded in unanswered questions. Softening his own eyes as he stared into Eli’s reassuringly, the doctor said, “It’s okay, don’t worry. Everything’s fine and you’re going to be fine.”

 

Eli was feeling a little dazed. There seemed to be a blank spot in his mind. He could not remember something but he was not sure what it was. It was innately frightening, not because he could not remember but because he new it was why he was in a hospital. Regardless, he wriggled his toes and fingers before slightly bending his knees and elbows. All movement seemed regular and he was pleased, as his worries reduced. The tingling fluttered through his limbs and seemed to be easing.

 

“I’m Doctor Nathan Taylor. How are you feeling?”

 

“Okay, I suppose,” Eli replied honestly, even though he was very unsettled.

 

Nathan asked, “What’s the last thing you remember?”

 

“I was with a friend… No, wait, I left his home and I went to meet another friend and we went to do something and…”

 

“And what?”

 

Eli asked worriedly, “Why can’t I remember. What happened to me?”

 

“According to the report we received from the paramedics that were called to the scene, you were walking down a street in Vaucluse where some work was being done. Apparently a hole had been dug in the road but because the work was unfinished, a board had been place over it. You walked across that board and it broke. When you fell into the hole, you hit your head and you’ve been unconscious ever since. You were alone but a woman sitting on her front porch saw it happen and called the ambulance.”

 

“Shit! Am I okay?”

 

“All your stats are back to normal. You had a scan when they brought you in and there was a slight swelling of the brain but after another scan this morning, everything seems to be back to normal. You’re lucky you didn’t break your neck or back because the hole was quite deep. What’s your name? We couldn’t find any identification on you,” the doctor said.

 

“That’s because I don’t carry any ID. My name is Eli,” he replied.

 

Nathan asked, “Why don’t you carry ID?”

 

“I live on the streets and I don’t have a permanent or accurate address,” Eli said but was a little surprised when the man just nodded, as if it were the most normal thing in the world.

 

Nathan smiled broadly as a consequence of Eli’s expression and said, “You’re not the only vagrant on Sydney’s streets, if that’s what you are, Eli.”

 

“Right,” Eli replied.

 

“We get all sorts and all types in here,” Nathan added.

 

“Where’s here? I mean what hospital am I in?”

 

“Saint Vincent’s hospital, Darlinghurst,” the doctor said and Eli nodded with recognition.

 

The doctor asked, “Is there anyone we can contact for you?”

 

Eli instantly thought that there was only one person that he wanted to see but then he wondered how he could contact him. Immediately he remembered that Dane had forced him to program his number into his phone and an extreme relief followed.

 

Eli asked, “Where are my shorts?”

 

“Right here,” the nurse said and walked to a grey, metal chest of drawers beside the bed and opened the top one. She removed the shorts and handed them to Eli.

 

“Hidden pocket,” Eli said and then reached inside the shorts before pulling out a slimline and lightweight Nokia phone. He turned it on and typed in his pin code and waited.

 

Seconds later a barrage of beeps registered an influx of text messages coming in one after the other. There had to be at least ten and Eli’s phone had never received such a workout in the entire time he had owned it. He believed mobile phones were not supposed to be turned on in hospitals but he had no other way of giving the information. The beeping seemed relentless and began to embarrass him and he smiled uncomfortably at the doctor.

 

“Well, it sounds like someone has been worried about you or at least looking for you,” Nathan said.

 

Eli went into his contacts menu. There were only two names in it. One was Dane and the other was Steve. He brought up Dane’s number and then asked if someone could call Dane and let him know where he was. He added that he was on his way to Dane’s place when the accident must have happened the previous day.

 

“Um, Eli, it wasn’t yesterday, it was the day before. You were brought in to us on Sunday afternoon and it’s now Tuesday morning. You were unconscious but because of the swelling of your brain and the medication we administered, you’ve been sleeping and didn’t regain consciousness until now,” the doctor explained.

 

“Jesus? Can you please call Dane straight away for me? I need him to know where I am and that I’m okay. God, he probably hates me,” Eli said, not wanting to believe the thought while certain Dane had already decided he had run away again.

 

The doctor noticed the perplexed tone of voice and said, “Jenny, could you see to that call for Eli immediately.”

 

“Yes Doctor,” she replied and jotted down the number and walked away.

 

Doctor Taylor asked with a knowing grin, “Someone important, is he?”

 

Eli looked at him and assumed from the tone of voice, the man was assuming he was gay. He also suspected that the doctor might be gay as well.

 

“Yes, he is, very important,” Eli replied.

 

“Well, not to worry because Jenny will sort it out for you and I’m sure that once Dane understands what’s happened, all will be forgiven.”

 

“I hope so,” Eli remarked.

 

“Well, now back to you. Based on the scans and tests we did while you were unconscious, I suspect you’re fine. Are you sure you’re feeling okay? If there’s anything you’re experiencing that’s out of the ordinary, I need you to tell me because head trauma can be very dangerous and unpredictable. I need to know there are no hidden symptoms that you’re not telling me about?”

 

“Only that I feel a little bit numb,” Eli said.

 

“Well that’s most likely the medication wearing off. We kept you sedated to keep you still while your brain healed but allow me to check a couple of things.”

 

Doctor Taylor walked to the end of the bed and as he stood by Eli’s feet he withdrew an expensive looking, gold pen from his pocket. He pulled the sheet back and then is fingers gripped Eli’s left foot and then he looked up at Eli before he said “Just a few simple tests. Tell me if everything feels right”?

 

Eli nodded and then Nathan ran the end of the pen along the sole of Eli’s foot. Eli’s entire leg jerked suddenly, as the unexpected coldness of the pen and the softness the doctor stroked it, brought a reaction from his nervous system. It also tickled a little as well.

 

“I assume from that reaction that all sensation was normal?”

 

“Yeah,” Eli replied.

 

“Are you feeling any tingling in your body or legs?”

 

“In my legs, yeah, much like in my feet, hands and arms but I mean, it was worse when I first woke up. A few minutes ago it started to feel like it was going away. It feels like it’s moving to the extremities, like it’s moving toward my fingers and toes. Now things feel like their returning to normal. It’s more a vague numbness.”

 

Nathan then repeated the test on the other foot and on receiving the same reaction; he stroked the pen along various places along Eli’s legs and then pushed his fingers into certain places along his body. Eli gave positive responses to everywhere Nathan poked and prodded until finally, with a distinctive “Hmm”, the doctor turned his gaze back to Eli’s eyes.

 

“As I said before, I think you’re going to be fine but if at any point you feel anything unusual or out of the ordinary, I want you to come back and see me or at least see another doctor.”

 

Eli nodded and said, “Absolutely!”

 

“How’s your neck feel?”

 

“Okay I guess, I mean I haven’t really moved it much.”

 

Nathan slid his fingers around Eli’s neck and they probed while pushing firmly. Feeling nothing unusual and seeing no reaction from Eli at all, he then cautiously turned Eli’s head back and forth and was pleased with the smooth movements. As he massaged deeply he asked, “No pain or discomfort?”

 

“No, none at all. My neck feels the way it always does, although the massage feels really good and I think I could let you do that to me forever.”

 

“I think there are some other pressing issues in my life that would interfere with your requirement,” Nathan said and then chuckled before he added, “I’m glad your okay.”

 

“I have no doubt you have better things to do than massage my neck but it still felt really good,” Eli said.

 

“I think you’re ready to go but I’m known for my cautious approach and so I’d like to monitor you for an hour or so longer to be sure you’re okay. I’m guessing that getting out of here should please you and so I suspect one more hour shouldn’t be too much for you to tolerate,” Nathan said.

 

“I’m not a fan of hospitals or of being sick and so yeah, getting out of here will definitely lift my spirits,” Eli replied.

 

“All right. Well it was nice to meet you, Eli. If you need to ask me something or tell me anything, Jenny will be keeping an eye on you and so you can talk to her and she can contact me or relay any information if necessary.”

 

“Thank you very much for looking after me, Doctor. I appreciate it.”

 

“All part of the service, Eli,” he said and with a wink, he turned and walked away.

 

Shortly afterwards, Jenny returned to Eli’s bedside and told him she had contacted Dane. She said that she had explained everything and that Dane was relieved to know where Eli was and that he was okay. She also said that Dane was on his way and he should be there in under an hour. Upon seeing Eli’s obvious relief and the distinct background pleasure from the knowledge that Dane was coming to him, the nurse smiled softly with a knowing expression and then turned and walked away.

 

It was approximately thirty-five minutes later that Eli saw Dane walking into the ward. Eli’s heart skipped a beat and after all that had passed between them, as well as the fact that he had not seen Dane for nearly two days, Eli became truly aware of the increasing effect Dane was having on him.

 

As he walked down the passage that was formed by the beds on either side of the long, rectangular room, Dane’s head was turning tennis match spectator style, as he eyed each resident of the individual beds. Dane was approximately three beds distance from Eli, when his searching gaze skipped ahead and he spotted Eli’s location. His pace quickened automatically and he turned into the space that separated Eli’s bed from the one next to his.

 

“I’m so glad you’re alright. I was so worried about you when the nurse called,” Dane began.

 

“I thought you would’ve assumed I’d run away again,” Eli said.

 

“Honestly? I did but after the nurse rang I thought I should’ve believed in you and trusted you. You gave me every indication that you were coming back and I did believe you but as the night passed and after I called and also left a million text messages without response, well, let’s just say I completely lost faith. I’m so glad I was wrong.”

 

“So am I,” Eli replied with a warm smile.

 

Dane asked, “How do you feel?”

 

“Better than I did about an hour ago. They should be discharging me soon,” Eli replied.

 

“What then?”

 

“I need to ask a favour of you. I need you to take me to Vaucluse if you would? I need to get my van. I also have to stop and say thank you to a lady,” Eli requested.

 

“A lady? What lady? Why?”

 

“The woman who saw what happened and called the ambulance,” Eli clarified.

 

“Right,” Dane said and then added, “No worries.”

 

“Stop looking at me like that. There’s no need for concern because I’m fine. Dane, I’m okay and the doctor confirmed that was the case about a half hour ago.”

 

“I’m glad to hear that,” Dane said with a look of relief.

 

“You look good enough to eat,” Eli said, a lustful grin forming.

 

“Yeah? Well I like the look of you in that hospital gown. I like the way it hangs loose around your big body but still defines what’s underneath. I know if I rolled you over it won’t be tied up and I could squeeze those hot arse cheeks of yours. Maybe we should ask a nurse if we could possibly have one to take with us? I don’t really have to imagine what your arse would look like sticking out of the opened back.”

 

“Slut! My arse is the consummate virgin arse and is going to remain that way, so don’t get any nasty ideas,” Eli said.

 

“Tops,” Eli said with a roll of the eyes, “You’re all like family. You can’t live with them but you can’t live without them either.”

 

Eli laughed loudly before he became conscious of where he was and forcibly stifled his volume. Dane smiled and shook his head and then he walked closer to Eli. He extended his hand and wrapped it around Eli’s hand, which was lying on the bed beside him. Their eyes locked in a warm and expressive gaze and a thousand silent words passed between them.

 

Unexpectedly, Jenny was standing on the other side of the bed and neither man had even been aware of her approach. She asked, surprising them back into standard reality, “Do you mind if I hold the other hand?”

 

“As long as it has no deeper purpose then what I expect it will,” Dane joked but still there was a possessive tone of voice that suggested, “He’s mine.”

 

Believing the remark was inappropriate and uncalled for, Eli admonished with a loud whisper, “Dane!”

 

“It’s okay, Eli,” Jenny said before continuing, “Consider yourself fortunate to have a brave knight to protect your honour.

 

“I like that,” Dane said and laughed.

 

“So do I,” Eli replied.

 

“So do I,” Jenny said “but only because I wish I could have one too.”

 

Dane joked, “Does that model even come in the straight, Australian male variety?”

 

“I’m beginning to think not,” Jenny replied.

 

“I’m sure there’s at least one out there for you,” Dane said.

 

“I’m Jenny by the way, I’m the one that called you,” she said, as she released Eli’s wrist and raised her eyes away from her watch.

 

“Yeah, I figured as much from the name tag,” Dane said and let go of Eli’s other hand too.

 

“Hey,” Eli said when he was no longer the centre of attention, “My hands are getting very cold and lonely.”

 

“Oh I’m sure once your man here gets you home, he’ll find a way to warm them up for you,” Jenny said and then she told Eli he was ready to hit the road.

 

Eli said to Jenny before he looked at Dane and asked mischievously, “Well that’s good news, at least it is if what you said is going to be true. Is it going to be true, Dane?”

 

Dane looked at Eli with a blank stare and then said, “I don’t know. It may not be wise to overstimulate you. We don’t want to raise your blood pressure; it may exacerbate your condition. Wouldn’t you agree, Jenny?”

 

Dane’s eyes were pleading for her to play along and Jenny turned and looked at Eli and said, “Come to think of it, you may be right, Dane.”

 

“Oh, spare me, you guys. I may not be the brightest spark in the power box but I’m still high voltage and I’d think some measured stimulation would be good for me,” Eli said.

 

“Indeed! I’d agree with that estimation, Eli,” Doctor Taylor said, after he was passing by and stopped to listen to the amusing conversation.

 

“Thank God. Now the odds are even. I was beginning to feel like a European country being attacked from both sides. Now I have an ally, too,” Eli said jovially.

 

“An ally with weapons of mass destruction,” Nathan joked.

 

“It’s world war three and you two are going to lose,” Eli said, as his eyes flicked between Jenny and Dane.

 

The doctor turned and looked at Dane and then looked back at Eli. He raised his brow approvingly before turning back to Dane and saying, “I’m Doctor Taylor.”

 

“I’m Dane.”

 

Nathan nodded at Dane and then turned his gaze to the nurse who was watching everyone while grinning.

 

The doctor asked while effectively nudging the nurse back into work mode, “How are things looking, Jenny?”

 

“Everything is just as you suspected, Doctor. All of Eli’s stats are nominal and I just told Eli that he could be discharged,” she replied.

 

“Excellent. Perhaps from now on, Eli, it may be to your benefit if you avoid falling into holes in the ground,” Nathan said.

 

“Absolutely but if it ever happens again, I’ll know where to come and who to ask for,” Eli replied.

 

“Well, Jenny will get the paperwork sorted for you and then Dane can take you home.”

 

“Great. Oh, by the way, you wouldn’t happen to know the number of the house where the lady resides who called the ambulance, would you? I’d like to thank her and maybe get her some flowers.”

 

“That’s very considerate of you. I personally don’t know but Jenny, if you could check the notes from the paramedics, perhaps there might be some contact details.”

 

“Yes, Doctor.”

 

“Good. Well it seems my work here is done. Good luck gentlemen and good day to you,” Nathan said and then with another gleaming smile, he turned and walked away.

 

“Nice,” Eli said.

 

“Hey,” Dane said, obviously miffed by Eli showing interest in the handsome doctor.

 

“Oh don’t worry, Dane. Nathan gets that reaction from everyone but he’s an unreachable star,” Jenny said.

 

Dane said before looking down at Eli with a smug but satisfied expression, “Good!”

 

“He doesn’t hold a candle to you, Dane,” Eli said.

 

“Yeah right, suck up to me now that you know you can’t have him,” Dane replied.

 

“I’ll get the discharge forms and see if I can locate the contact details of the woman,” the nurse said and walked away.

 

“Thanks, Jenny,” Eli said and she nodded and smiled as she departed.

 

“He was hot for you,” Dane said with an unimpressed tone.

 

“I don’t know about that but it doesn’t matter, unless you’ve changed your mind and you don’t want me around anymore,” Eli said.

 

“Oh, so if I don’t want you around or to move in with me, then you’re going to flirt with that ugly, old doctor?”

 

“Dane, he’s probably in his late twenties and he looks like he should be on the cover of DNA magazine. Even so, I really hope you’re just joking because I’m not interested in Nathan in the slightest. I’m not interested in anyone else. You’re the only man I’m interested in and my attentions are all yours.”

 

“Really? Well, lift up that sheet and then lift up your gown and show me if I’m getting the sort of attention I’m hoping for.”

 

“Sex on the brain. You’re incorrigible but I promise it will be everything you want it to be as soon as we get home,” Eli replied.

 

“When we get home? I like the way that sounds coming from you,” Dane said.

 

“I like the way it feels to say it,” Eli replied and satisfaction filled both men’s eyes as they stared at each other.

 

Another forty minutes or so later, Eli was seated in the passenger seat of Dane’s car and they were parked in front of Eli’s van. They were looking at the hole that was once again covered but also surrounded by warning signs and yellow witches hats with red horizontal stripes around them. Jenny had been unable to find any details of the woman or her address in the files at the hospital but Eli still hoped that he might see her and recognise her, even though he did not know if he had even seen her on the day of the accident.

 

“It must be a deep hole to be able to damage that hard head of yours,” Dane joked.

 

“Hey, I’m supposed to be receiving your sympathy, not being used as the brunt of your smart arse jibes.”

 

Dane said suddenly, pointing to an old woman that had just walked out of her front door and was tending to some potted plants, “Maybe that’s her?”

 

“Yeah, maybe you’re right,” Eli said and then he reached into the back seat and retrieved a small bunch of flowers.

 

“I’m jealous that she gets flowers from you,” Dane said.

 

“You paid for them for me, you could have bought yourself some too,” Eli replied.

 

“You didn’t offer to let me buy myself a bunch from you.”

 

“I’ll pay you back and I’ll buy some for you personally. It’ll have more meaning that way,” Eli said sincerely.

 

“You don’t have to pay me back and you don’t have to buy me flowers, I was just kidding with you.”

 

Eli asked hopefully, “Do you want to come with me?”

 

“Absolutely. I want to thank the woman that brought you back to me.”

 

“Man, I love it when you talk like that to me,” Eli said.

 

“Stick around. There’s plenty more where that came from,” Dane replied.

 

“I’m all yours. Come on, let’s go see if that’s her.”

 

They got out of the car and walked one house down toward the lady that was still on her front porch. She was short and a little feeble looking but she had silver hair and looked really sweet. She looked up as they turned into the driveway and began to walk across her lawn toward the veranda.

 

“I’m glad to see you’re still alive and well,” she said, confirming to both men that she was indeed the woman they were looking for.”

 

“A ball of muscle and a tower of strength, thanks to you,” Eli replied.

 

“So did everything check out okay? The ambulance driver told me that you’d hit your head very hard and that he was worried about your back and spine,” the woman said.

 

“I was given a clean bill of health not too long ago. These are for you, to say thank you and to show my gratitude. My name is Eli and this is my friend, Dane.”

 

“I’m Nell and thank you but a gift was unnecessary. Someone had to call and as I saw it happen, it just happened to be me.”

 

“Well, we’re very glad that you were here and that you acted quickly,” Dane said.

 

“No offence but I’m glad it was you and not me, Eli. I walk across that road everyday and if I’d fallen into that hole, I suspect I wouldn’t be here now,” Nell suggested.

 

“Well life puts the right people in the right place at the right time and so it obviously called on someone with a big, hard head,” Dane offered jokingly.

 

“Hey, I’m not a comic’s punching bag,” Eli said and Nell giggled. “Anyway Nell, we need to get going so thank you again,” he added and then he bent down and gave her a kiss on the cheek and Nell blushed.

 

As the two young men said goodbye and then turned and walked away, Nell watched them while thinking it was nice to know that in spite of the radical changes taking place in the world, there were still some nice, young and well-mannered men to carry on the old traditions of consideration and courtesy.

 

Under an hour later, Dane pulled into his driveway and shortly after, Eli drove in behind him. They both exited their vehicles and walked together up onto the veranda. When they reached the door, Dane put his hand into his pocket and then handed a single key to Eli.

 

Eli asked, as he took the key, “What’s this?”

 

“Well, you can’t expect me to quit work so that I can be here every time you come home. You need a key of your own if you’re going to move in with me and be my boyfriend.”

 

Eli’s eyes brightened measurably and with a very happy smile he turned and slid the key smoothly into the lock. He turned the key and opened the door but before either man attempted to go inside, Eli grabbed Dane, lifted him up into his arms and turned toward the door.

 

Dane asked with surprise, “What are you doing?”

 

“I’m carrying you over the threshold,” Eli replied.

 

“Eli, we’re not married.”

 

“I know but this signifies a new beginning for us both.”

 

“I like that,” Dane remarked.

 

Once inside and after kicking the door closed, Eli did not put Dane down but instead, he turned into the hallway and carried Dane to his bedroom. He stopped at the edge of the bed, lowered Dane onto his feet and looked at him, smiling expectantly.

 

“Eli, tell me you’re not falsely existing under the delusional impression that your show of masculine strength, your exceptional body, those striking good looks and that irresistible, fat cock, all wrapped up in a display of male dominance; is actually meant to lure me into an submissive state of mind, just so you can feed your hedonistic desires?”

 

“Well, I was hoping so,” Eli responded.

 

Dane sighed and said as if he were being forced to undertake an unpalatable situation, “Well, I suppose that as you’ve been unwell and you told me you expected my sympathy, just this once I could allow you to get all manly, flex those huge, naked, tanned muscles and I could pretend to be impressed by that incredibly fat erection of yours. Subsequently, maybe I could allow you to fall into the deluded belief that you were the alpha male in this house?”

 

Eli grinned and said, “Aww, you’d do that just for me?”

 

Dane gave an extended sigh of resignation and then said, “If I must. Go on, take me but you better make it worth my extreme sacrifice.”

 

Eli rolled his eyes in amused disbelief and then he lowered Dane onto the bed. Eli waited for nothing and was then kicking off his runners and stripping naked in seconds. He then reached for a small plastic bag he had been carrying with him since they left the hospital. He reached into it and pulled out a folded piece of white material. He shook it open and then slid his arms through two short sleeves and suddenly he was wearing a hospital gown over his naked body.

 

As Dane’s eyes widened in disbelief and then filled with desire, he said, “You actually got one?”

 

“Yeah, while I was filling out the discharge forms and you were standing away from me, I told Jenny what you said and she was most accommodating when I told her what you had in mind.”

 

Dane asked in shock, “You didn’t?”

 

“Yeah, I did and she whispered to me that fetish could be really hot.”

 

Dane began to laugh but when Eli turned his back on him and then looked over his shoulder at Dane, Eli was more than pleased to find him staring, mouth agape, at his firm, beautifully curved arse and huge back. Eli grinned at his lover’s more than satisfied expression.

 

Desperately, Dane began pulling at his clothes, trying to get naked faster than he could. He fumbled with buttons, jammed his zipper on his shorts but then after several colourful, verbal expressions beginning with the letter F, which proclaimed his frustration; soon Dane’s shoes and clothes disappeared to the floor on the opposite side of the bed. Once Dane was naked, Eli turned around to face him and Dane was less than pleased.

 

“It looks great when you have your back to me but it’s not so great when you’re facing me and I can’t see your body at all,” Dane said.

 

A moment later, Dane looked down and saw the outline of Eli’s hard cock standing tall and solid, as the flimsy gown fell lightly against it.

 

“Maybe it’s not that bad though,” Dane added.

 

“Sometimes I really do wonder if it’s not just my cock that you want,” Eli said.

 

Stepping closer to the bed, as Dane lay on his back looking up at him with eyes on fire, Eli grabbed Dane’s ankles and moved them apart. He knelt on the bed between Dane’s legs and then leaned forward and rested his hands on the bed on the outside of Dane’s knees. The hospital gown hung down between them like a great white curtain and with a subtle smile, Eli began to walk his hands, moving him up over Dane’s body.

 

Dane was watching Eli’s movements. Seconds were passing but it seemed like time had slowed so much that Eli would never arrive above him. Their needs were rising and becoming even more desperate with each and every passing moment. Dane’s cock was already as stiff as it could possibly be, painfully so in fact. Unfortunately, the handsome, rugged and oh so enticing face of Eli was just driving him to distraction. He could barely focus on any one thing and the damned hospital gown was irritatingly evocative, despite or perhaps because of the fact that Eli’s naked body was hidden behind it.

 

When Eli’s hands drew level with Dane’s waist, the gown scraped so softly and so gently over Dane’s contracting scrotum and also along the length of his snap-worthy cock.

 

“Oh God,” Dane whispered and Eli smiled.

 

With each step of Eli’s hands across the bed, his body was slowly moving over him, like one of the spaceships from Independence Day sliding over a city. The time it was taking, though, until Eli would be directly over and above him was driving Dane’s anticipation to breaking point.

 

“Enough with the blackboard-scratching eroticism, Eli, just get rid of that gown and fuck me.”

 

Eli had to force himself not to laugh at the words, which so impeccably described Dane’s impatient eyes and lustful desperateness. Eli walked his hands another two steps until his body was almost directly over the top of Dane.

 

“Jesus,” Dane said, as his resolve began to crack and he lifted his arm to touch Eli.

 

To Dane’s great dismay, Eli said, “Uh-uh, no you don’t” and then he grabbed the wrist and pushed it back down to the bed.

 

“Fuck, Eli, come on. Am I supposed to wait until the turn of the next century?”

 

Eli chuckled but as he released his hold on Dane’s wrist, he lowered himself so that he was now leaning on his forearms. His body was still not touching Dane’s but the gown was now draped over Dane’s body like a sheet. Every movement of the material against Dane’s skin seemed to sensitise it, almost as much as his anticipation of Eli naked on top of him was already making it. Purposely, Eli exhaled deeply, expelling his warm breath and forcing it to wash invisibly over Dane’s face.

 

As Eli continued to push more seemingly implausible buttons that Dane did not even know existed, Dane exclaimed, “Oh man!”

 

Eli was finally directly over him and as he looked deeply into Dane’s blue eyes, he lowered his face just enough to brush his lips over Dane’s. He pulled away almost instantly and as he saw Dane approaching insanity, he whispered to Dane to slide his hands behind the gown and then he said, “Touch me, Dane.”

 

Dane did not require a written invitation and his hands and fingers were caressing the rolling muscles and heated flesh. His cock throbbed with even greater desperateness and then Eli brought their lips together for one of the hottest kisses Dane had ever experienced. He moaned into Eli’s mouth and as he felt like it was all too much and yet not enough, Eli lowered his body on top of Dane’s.

 

A groan that almost sounded as if Dane was suffering from excruciating pain, followed as his cock was crushed between Eli’s cock and the weight of his heavy and powerful body. Dane’s arms slid around Eli’s back and despite the already explosive nature of his cock, he pulled harder against Eli’s body, squeezing them even tighter together.

 

The kiss had become an inferno of passion and not only was it filling deep needs but it was also creating additional needs, which silently screamed to be satisfied. Their bodies had begun to writhe and caress, their arms were strong in their press and their moving hands and fingers pushed and scraped while their desires continued to escalate.

 

“Get rid of that fucking gown, I need to feel every centimetre of your skin,” Dane said, after he broke the kiss unexpectedly.

 

Eli lifted his body with his arms so that he was again just above Dane. He grinned as his gaze licked Dane’s eyes hungrily.

 

“If you want me completely naked, then perhaps you should slide the gown from my body,” he said seductively.

 

Dane could not have moved his arms faster or with more determination and desire, if he had wanted to. Both hands move between them and he gathered and scrunched the long material into a wad and then he pulled it upwards.

 

“Lift your left hand,” Dane said and Eli reacted accordingly. Dane pulled the material from the left arm and as Eli put it back down, Dane told him to do the same with the right hand. As soon as the gown was free, he tossed it away like it was trash and then he slid his arms around Eli again. Eli lowered his body back down and now there was nothing between them, physically or figuratively.

 

“I can hardly believe the way I feel about you, Dane. I don’t know if I should say this but I think I’m falling head over heels in love with you.”

 

“Eli, I’ve never been in love so I have no comparison to work with but these feelings I’m feeling for you, they’re so alien and yet so extraordinary to me. Hell, they’re like nothing I’ve ever felt before. I feel like I’m empty and only you can fill me. If that’s what love feels like then I guess I’m falling in love with you, too.”

 

“I want to make love to you, Dane.”

 

“I’m yours, Eli, take me and do as you will.”

 

For the time being, silence replaced words and only thoughts and sighs followed, as Eli’s true nature was expressed in love, tenderness and sensuality. A kiss of such passionate proportions began the lead-in to what was to follow. From the moment it began and with every movement and action that followed, it was nothing at all like the cyclonic, first, sexual encounters of the night they met. Neither was it like the simple fuck session of the following morning.

 

As much as Dane discovered himself wanting Eli to fuck him into a coma at a rapid rate, Eli moved with such intrinsic softness; his every kiss, his every touch and his every full-bodied caress, courting Dane sexually, emotionally and in some soul-invading way. Dane had been incapable of imagining Eli in that way, at least until he experienced it, for the very, first, time.

 

Eli’s hands moved with such freedom over Dane’s body and yet with such provocative control. His fingertips unleashed such need from Dane, as they slow danced over every surface of his body. The temperature of Eli’s naked body was deliciously warm, expressively giving of itself while seemingly searing to a scorching heat at other moments. His tongue brushed inside Dane’s mouth, exploring while imploring for an absolute submission, which Dane could not have feasibly denied if he had wanted to. Eli was the ultimate man, astonishingly capable in his sexual prowess, irrespective of wild lust or devouring love, as his chosen self-expression.

 

The man was pure male and an absolute top but he was not just powerful and dominant. He was also a man with an enormous heart and it was that which drove him, as the binds around his heart began to truly break. His every action was delivered to Dane, for Dane and was about Dane and as a consequence, Dane’s every responsive action became about Eli.

 

Unexpectedly, Eli stopped all movement and as he lifted his head and looked into Dane’s eyes, he said, “I used to be a thief but you’re the one who has stolen my heart and soul.”

 

Dane said nothing in response; he was too stunned by the proclamation. It made his heart pound and ache and for a fleeting, unprocessed moment, suddenly he thought that all his dreams had come true.

 

Keenly aware that his whole body was incomprehensibly relaxed and yet incongruously tense, Dane was overwhelmed from his thoughts and feelings. He believed he could never want the way he wanted at that moment while fully cognisant of the head to toe, physical experiences and sensations, which Eli was subjecting him to. He wanted Eli in a way that seemed somehow irrational. He felt as if he would vanish if Eli ever let him go. He felt desperate in his need for Eli to be closer to him, even though they were so close there was no space in which to impede. He wondered if the final connection, of having Eli inside of him, could even dampen the desire of these devouring needs.

 

Eli suddenly noticed the way Dane’s arms tightened around his body. He was holding him so tightly that he could barely move. It was as if they were suddenly frozen in time but even so, Eli’s arms tightened in response and he held onto Dane’s body with equal measure. For long, extended moments, their bodies crushed, moulded like two individual pieces of clay - unmoving, consuming and satisfied.

 

Finally, as if some fairytale spell had been broken, Dane’s grip loosened and as if it were a verbal permission, Eli’s body and all of his parts, once again began to move and slide and writhe. Seconds later, he pushed the full hardness of his erection against Dane’s abdomen like it would release a valve and then he lifted his head and pressed his lips to Dane’s once more.

 

Dane moaned into Eli’s mouth and the sound reflected not only his sexual hunger but the intensity of his emotions as well. Immediately pushing back against Eli’s body, Dane’s hardness gouged into rippling, abdominal muscles and instantly a warm and thick moistness, lubricated between their flesh along the passages of skin. The prompt delivery of added sensation initiated a small whimper into Eli’s mouth. Breathless yet wanting more, Dane pushed Eli back to break their soft, though hungry kiss.

 

“Eli, I need you. I need you inside of me. I need more, so much more.”

 

“I’ll give you all that I am and everything I can,” Eli replied and then minutes later his cock was deep inside of Dane, stretching and yet unmoving.

 

Eli’s whole body was a dominating and blanketing weight. His lips and tongue once again took Dane’s and amidst the new crush and the extreme filling sensation, Eli kissed the man beneath him like he wanted to swallow him whole.

 

Dane began to grind and Eli responded with an undulating writhing. It was all it took for the circumference of Eli’s broadness to slide and twist within its confined surroundings. Dane moaned and Eli flinched and then immediately he withdrew his erection almost completely. Re-entering, he inserted with a very long and slow movement. Maintaining the extended movement and pace, Eli withdrew again and as he entered again, Dane arched his back while pushing his erection against Eli’s gut. Dane gave an extended sigh from the feeling of the thick and hard flesh that moved deep within and through him.

 

The strokes were long, deep and giving and an instant rhythm was maintained. Eli’s focus was on taking Dane to a place that he had only taken Ben. He did not really care about himself. All he wanted was to express the overflowing emotion through every option available to him. His hands again moved warmly, his body rolled and caressed and his lips gently brushed and then pressed with passion. All of this was while his impressive cock emerged and submerged to lift Dane’s satisfaction to dizzying heights.

 

Dane was in heaven so quickly and his hands moved over the back and sides of Eli’s body, caressing the muscles, feeling the curves while figuratively speaking in a tactile language of giving. Without a single thought, he heard the words of proclamation cry out from his mouth, as if someone else had spoken them. The words surprised him and he questioned them but only momentarily. It was simply too easy to submit to their truth and then he watched to see Eli’s reaction.

 

“I do love you, Eli and I know it now.”

 

Eli’s rhythmic movements froze temporarily and his eyes flashed to Dane’s eyes and stared at him. Eli’s eyes were fleetingly stunned but the speed with which they transformed was in perfect alignment with the explosion in his heart. His eyes glistened in an emotional display while the pleasure in the smallest curl of his lips gave the impression he was overwhelmed.

 

Ever so slowly and softly, he lowered his head and his lips pressed and his tongue slid. As both men held the other with a burning need, Eli again rolled his hips and increased the intensity and depth of their union.

 

Time it seemed had stopped and the world it seemed had ceased to exist. Nothing but the two men was real. Their sounds were the only sounds, their touch was the only touch and the intensity of their feelings and thoughts imprisoned them within a wonderfully imposing state of being.

 

Dane was being filled with Eli physically and emotionally. The sensations of his hardness, his thickness and his length were exceptional, as they made every cell of his physical being tingle and buzz, seemingly like never before. However, Dane knew on some innate level that it was all about the way Eli was making him feel. It was physically fantastic but it was the overflow of emotion and the depth of love that gilded every movement, framed every touch and made every kiss something more.

 

Eli could scarcely believe that after everything that had happened in his life, here he was again. The naked, male body in his arms was beautiful and so like Ben’s had been. The sense of maleness, the actions of a man, the feeling of a hard cock and the theft of his tongue by a man’s mouth; somehow it sent him to a place he otherwise could not go.

 

As his hands moved and his fingers touched and caressed Dane’s skin, Eli’s heart pounded in his chest and his own cock throbbed and felt as if it was continuing to grow even harder. His strokes were beginning to strengthen but his needs, which were building within his crotch and driving up into his gut, continued even farther up into his chest. The depth of intimacy was consuming Eli, as their bodies seemed to be melting together.

 

Sounds of pleasure and sexual ecstasy were unabated, as both men allowed the closeness to grow and dominate them. Their respective desires and expanding love for each other were inconsolable, as their passions reached dizzying heights. The physical movements of thrusting bodies, of throbbing cocks and of desperately clenching muscles were driving them even further into their starving hearts. Only the other could possibly feed the hunger.

 

“Take me,” Dane yelled and Eli did not disappoint.

 

Pulling Dane closer and even tighter so that their bodies were flesh and sweat churning, Eli used the power of his body and with rolling hip movements, his cock withdrew and drove in hard, in a barrage of repetitive and rapid strokes.

 

Dane gasped, as the nerve endings barely beneath the surface of his soft, pink flesh, sent pulses of sexual ecstasy shooting throughout his body. Synchronously, Eli growled from his gut, as the tendered meat of his cock’s crown, screamed against the power of the crushing sphincter muscles.

 

Their chests rubbed and slid and their nipples became deliciously sensitised and still their fingers tore at the muscles and skin of manly bodies. Their kisses deepened and their tongues curled while together amidst moans and groans and sighs of exquisite pleasure, Eli began to thrust powerfully and more emotionally inside of Dane.

 

Mere seconds were all that were to pass before Eli dragged his lips from Dane’s. He did not want to but he had to, only because he could not say what was imperative to him at that moment. His tanned face was blood flushed, his eyes were glazed in his frenzied state and he felt his heart was sure to explode, as he ached for the man beneath him.

 

“I love you, Dane,” he said with all the passion that filled him.

 

“I love you, too,” Dane replied and as their lips came together again, now in a warring battle to devour completely; their arms locked around each other knowingly and their bodies erupted, exploding in a synchronous fashion, as they pumped and writhed and undulated, unleashing together within hungry yet emotional love.

 

Hot semen shot like liquid bullets from Dane, spreading and painting their stomachs and chests but still Eli continued to rhythmically penetrate with depth and power, as his cock filled the embracing cavern, which crushed it with ecstasy. Spasms of shuddering relief and jerking thrusts to empty and complete became automatic, as the minds of both men slipped into instinct while they sighed and moaned in satisfaction. Heavy breathing raised and lowered their bodies, as their chests expanded and contracted and moments later, they were squeezing each other and kissing weakly within love and contentment.

 

Minutes passed by amidst the sounds of silence and within an aura of a passion filled afterglow, which emerged like an invisible mist around their gripping bodies, Eli was thinking he was the luckiest man in the world. He also was certain, beyond any doubt he may have entertained, he was in love with Dane and falling even deeper. The tendons in his neck tightened as his head lifted and with the softest caresses of his lips, he kissed the hot and sweating skin of Dane’s neck.

 

Dane continued to sigh in his reverie of sexual fulfilment but every now and then, as Eli’s lips pressed against another part of him, Dane would release a higher pitched moan of tantalised delight.

 

Utterly satiated, Eli finally rolled away and onto his back. He unleashed an appropriate exhalation of breath, which contained a sigh of satisfaction and almost immediately a peaceful smile emerged.

 

Dane turned his head enough so that he could look at Eli and he felt proud that he had been the cause of a smile that was beyond any smile to this point that he had seen on Eli’s face.

 

“It’s so nice to see a look like that on your face,” he said.

 

“Somehow you manage to work muscles around my mouth that no one else can. You make my mouth hurt in the best way,” Eli replied.

 

“I guess that’s a hell of a compliment,” Dane suggested.

 

“Most definitely,” Eli confirmed.

 

“Well let me return the compliment and tell you that no one has ever done to me what you can do to me. The things you do with your body to mine, not to mention what you do to me with that incredible cock and then there’s your tongue; Jesus, Eli, you drive me nuts and take me to a place inside of me I’ve never been before.”

 

Eli said, enforcing a serious tone despite his pretence, “I guess my job is done then and so now I can leave.”

 

Dane snorted and replied, “Not by any stretch of the imagination, Eli. You’ve set the bar too high and so I expect you to work hard to raise the standard every time you make love to me. I won’t settle for less and let me tell you, Eli, my expectations are now extreme because of you. You’re not going anywhere.”

 

Eli said with a wicked grin, “Expectations like that require a great deal of practice, day and night. They also require spending a lot of time naked together if you don’t want me practicing on other men. I’m wondering if you realise you’re going to have to submit your hot arse to me on a more than regular basis and also, because I’m a top, you’ll have to accept the submissive role sexually. Are you sure about asking me to commit to you like that and are you sure about committing to me like that?”

 

“So you’re setting the parameters already. Well, it’s a lot to ask of a man but I guess as I’m funnier, more intelligent and better looking with a hotter body, I’m therefore required to make allowances to the lesser party and so even though I’ll always naturally be the dominant alpha male; um, well, alright then. You can fuck me incessantly as much as you want and force me to suck on your slab as much as you want me to. Are those conditions acceptable to you?”

 

“You, Dane, are an evil man but yes, a verbal contract has been struck,” Eli replied and then laughed loudly.

 

“Eli?”

 

“Yeah?”

 

“I love you.”

 

“I love you, too.”

 

“I don’t know if there’s such a thing as meant to be but to me, we seem like we were meant to be. It’s really amazing to me because when I first met you three days ago, even though I thought you were the hottest man I’d ever met, I thought you were like a different species to me. I could never have imagined us being in this position or feeling the way we feel about each other. To be honest with you, Eli, I couldn’t have even imagined us in each other’s lives in any form. I know it was the personification of judging a book by its cover but your cover and your content are unique and just as important as any other I deem acceptable. I’m sorry I branded you conceptually.

 

“Eli, I know that both of us are still getting a handle on what’s happened and ironically, I think you’re in the better position to embrace it than I am but in the short time that has elapsed, I’ve discovered a person I think is wonderful. I love you, I really do and I want this to work and I want it to last, for as long as we can make it last. I really do need you and I want my world to be your world and for yours to be mine.

 

“I’m so emotionally overwhelmed at the moment that I don’t know if I’m even making any sense but Eli, in a nutshell, right here and right now, I’m giving myself to you,” Dane said.

 

Eli stared into the deep, blue eyes. Once again he had heard Dane speak with complete honesty and from the heart. Eli felt his own heart overflow with love for the man beside him. He thought Dane was physically beautiful, emotionally beautiful and Eli now thought that he had a beautiful spirit as well. Eli rolled back toward Dane and he took him into his large arms and held him against his impressive chest.

 

“Dane, I want to be your man and I want you to be mine. I don’t mean that in a co-dependent way. I mean that I want us to fill the space that can’t be filled by the self. I want us both to be important to each other and to love each other and to need each other.

 

“Some people might say that isn’t healthy but I think it’s perfectly healthy. I see in you something I know is within me as well and I think that together we can add to each other’s happiness. These few days have shown me that life isn’t as bad as I thought it was. You’ve shown me that rainbows are real and not just pretty refractions of light. Dane, you’re my rainbow and I want it to extend to the end of our lives, if possible. I love you too, so much and therefore in reply, I want you to know I’m yours as well.”

 

Dane swallowed hard as he tried to relieve the phenomenal knot that formed in his throat. His eyes moistened and glistened with emotion, a reaction describing his feelings, which were akin to the words joy or bliss. He had never believed he would know their meaning but in that moment, he was certain he did. His arms tightened around Eli’s magnificent body and he initiated a deeply pleasurable and loving kiss. Eli responded to it with equal measure and that was the moment for both men when unexpected vows had been promised, when wishes had been made and when truth had filled their hearts. Their spirits were clean and certainty of each other was abundant and clear.

 

Their dialogue may have begun in a humorous way but it had ended in unadulterated honesty and a physical display of love. In the same way, during their meeting only days previous, it may have begun with misinterpretation and also volatile emotions and words, however, the line they had now crossed was as far removed from strangers and blindness, as it could have possibly been. A breed apart or not, Eli and Dane were now together and with a sense of simpatico that had in no time at all, grown to a level of connection that neither had believed they were ready for or was available to them; they allowed themselves to figuratively become one.

 

Both men’s eyes were closed, their kiss was soft and sensuous and their bodies pressed with warmth and honesty. Love was the foundation that had finally steadied them.

 

Dane felt as if his world was finally whole and a figurative smile of every cell of his body, spread throughout his consciousness. He knew he had changed in the last few days but he also knew he found what he had always been searching for.

 

Just for a moment, Eli felt sad as his thoughts turned to Ben. After all of this time, he still loved him and missed him but in that moment, he knew that Dane sat squarely and equally upon the mantle of his heart. He knew it was okay, he knew it was right and he knew he would give his all to the man in his arms.

 

His mind moved inexplicably to his father and he knew he still hated him but strangely he no longer felt quite so bitter. He understood his father was a product of his time and environment. Though Eli did not believe he could ever forgive him, he still felt a sense of satisfaction fill him. It was a supercilious thought, which finally brought him back to his true self. He was certain now that his father was wrong. Of course he had known that before but now he believed it. There was no such thing as a real man, just men and their individual self-expressions. He had forced himself to be the extreme half of himself, negating his natural, human, dual nature but right at that moment, there in Dane’s arms, Eli knew that softness and tenderness was good and right. It did not mean that aggressive, male, power and strength was wrong. It meant that in balance, they were both valid and necessary in life.

 

“With everything you did to me and everything you put me through, I still came out on top. You were wrong, Dad. Nothing will ever change that,” he thought.

 

Even more unexpectedly, he thought of the boy from school. He knew that if he were still alive, he would now be in his thirties. He wondered what sort of man he had turned into. Was he gay like he had often thought? Was he still an arsehole or had he finally awoken to the need for consideration and decency toward others? He wondered if the boy or the man had ever thought about the things he had done to him and whether he experienced any guilt about it at all? Eli thought it was odd but he knew he did not hate the guy. He felt sorry for him and he honestly hoped that whatever had led him to the point he had been in his life back then, he had now worked it out and pulled his life together.

 

Thinking that if he could forgive a stranger for raping him, Eli wondered why he could not forgive his father? The answer, right or wrong, came all too easily. His father was an adult and he should have known better. He was a grown man while he had been just a kid. Allowing his bigotry and negative attitudes to wield a man’s fist onto a little boy could not be forgiven in Eli’s eyes.

 

Eli suddenly wondered why he was even thinking about all of this but as the question struck him, he knew it was because of Dane and the psychological affect the young man had on him. Not only had he affected his personal view but also, in causing him to dredge up all of his past and with the culmination of all of the events in combination, his sudden and unexpected happiness was realigning his perspectives.

 

It all made immediate sense to Eli because he was no longer feeling the intense anger or experiencing the negative focus, which had become almost consuming. He now felt light and like he was able to live again and with the knowledge that Dane was going to be there with him, Eli could not imagine existing within the darkness anymore. Right then he felt free and there was no other way that he wanted to feel.

 

Dane said unexpectedly, causing Eli to flinch, as his mind came back to the physical room, “Eli?”

 

“Yeah Babe?”

 

“Babe? I like that,” Dane said.

 

“Then Babe it is,” Eli replied.

 

Dane asked, “Where were you just now?”

 

“Oh, sorry about that. I was just thinking about some of the old stuff that I told you about the other night.”

 

Dane asked, uncertain why in this wonderful moment, Eli would be thinking about such horrible times, “Why?”

 

“I was just thinking about how you’ve changed me.”

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“Whenever I’ve thought about any of it in the past, it always filled me with dread and sadness and generally made me feel angry and negative but now, I feel so good about you and what lies in store for us and our future together, I just can’t feel that way anymore. Life was what it was but that’s all gone now. Life is what it is now and knowing that you’re going to be a part of it, makes me feel so happy and like a burden has been lifted from my shoulders.”

 

“Oh my God, Eli, that is such an uplifting thing to say to me. I find it hard to believe that I could have that sort of effect on you but thank you.”

 

“No need to thank me, Dane. It’s true.”

 

“Well I’m glad I can help ease the weight.”

 

“Trust me, Dane, you do.”

 

“I do trust you, Eli,” Dane said and Eli kissed him passionately.

 

When Eli pulled back his eyes were filled with wonder. He was really beginning to understand the degree to which he had chosen and changed his life. Everything was now completely different and he realised that he suddenly had no idea what tomorrow would bring. Of course he couldn’t know the future but now it seemed even more faceless and obscure.

 

Dane asked, “What’s wrong?”

 

“I just realised that I don’t know what will happen tomorrow.”

 

Dane said more than asked, “Do we ever?”

 

“No, of course not but tomorrow is really a new day for me. I have no plans and I have no expectations and I feel a little lost while at the same time I feel found.”

 

“I guess I didn’t consider how different this would all be for you but tomorrow, I’m not going to let you begin it alone,” Dane said.

 

Eli asked, “Don’t you have to work?”

 

“Yeah, I mean I’m supposed to but like yesterday and today, I think I’ll take the day off tomorrow again.”

 

“So you didn’t work for two days?”

 

“No. Don’t feel badly but I was really upset about you and I just couldn’t face work. Anyway, I’m glad I didn’t go because I was here to receive the phone call about you and therefore I was able to come and get you and bring you home.”

 

“I’m sorry, Dane.”

 

“Don’t be, really.”

 

“You won’t get into shit by taking another day off, will you?”

 

“I rarely ever take time off and so they couldn’t stop me if they wanted to. I don’t give a shit anyway because I want to spend the whole day with you, naked, if you want?”

 

“I was right at the hospital, you’re a slut.”

 

“You bet your sweet arse, Eli, at least I’m a slut for you and I want that fat cock all day tomorrow.”

 

“Well, I suppose I did say I’ll need lots of practice, so I guess I can agree.”

 

Dane said, “God, you love taking on that martyr persona, don’t you?”

 

“You sound like you’re suggesting it isn’t real? It’s my true nature and I’m the most selfless and considerate person you’ll ever meet,” Eli replied with a stolid expression.

 

“We really are two peas in a pod, aren’t we?”

 

“It’s a little freaky, actually,” Eli replied.

 

“It is. Anyway, tomorrow we spend the day together, sex to begin, sex in the middle and sex at the end but we have to stop in between for sex breaks.”

 

Eli questioned, “Sex breaks?”

 

“Yeah, breaks between sex to have sex.”

 

Eli asked, bemused, “How did I know that was exactly what you meant?”

 

“Like minds,” Dane replied.

 

Eli asked, grinning broadly, “Do we get to eat?”

 

Dane asked with a wry smile, “Do you like meat?”

 

“You’re obsessed,” Eli said.

 

“Where you’re concerned, no doubt. Seriously, though, I want to be here for you tomorrow while you familiarise yourself with the house. I’ll also take you around and show you the local area so you know where everything is. I want you to feel comfortable in these knew surroundings as quickly as possible.”

 

Eli asked, “How will we get all of that done in between all the sex you expect from me?”

 

“Funny Eli but I’m being serious now. Anyway, like I said to you the other day, there’s plenty of time for that and I promise you, there’ll be plenty of it to sate our needs. I want your cock as much as you seem to want my arse.”

 

“We’re perfect for each other,” Eli said.

 

“Seems so,” Dane replied.

 

“I know this is a mutual choice but Dane, thank you for everything you’ve done and are doing for me.”

 

“Eli, at the moment, I’d do anything for you.”

 

“Anything?”

 

“Get a grip, Eli, we have a life time ahead of us.”

 

“What a life it will be!”

 

“I’m looking forward to it,” Dane said.

 

“So am I and I’m going to do my damnedest to make it everything and more,” Eli promised.

 

“Just keep being the man you really are and everything else should fall into place, Eli.”

 

“Steve was right! Someone’s looking after me.”

 

“Who’s Steve?”

 

“A friend but that’s a story for later,” Eli said.

 

“Later? I like that you say that word so easily.”

 

“So do I and I like that you like it,” Eli replied.

 

“Here’s to tomorrow,” Dane said.

 

“We have no glasses or drinks to raise to our future?”

 

Dane offered, “Coffee?”

 

“Yeah, Dane, coffee and a kiss and then I want to make love to you again,” Eli replied.

 

“Sold! I’ll be right back,” Dane said and as he rose off the bed, he looked back over his shoulder and said, “Don’t go anywhere,” then he winked, smiled and left the room with Eli’s laughter filling their home. 

 

 

The End.