Date: Sun, 26 Aug 2012 15:55:55 -0700
From: James Saint <st_jimmy88@live.com>
Subject: In the Absence of Light Chapter 1

Note from the author:

This series has a lot of development and buildup involved.  There will
eventually be very graphic sexual scenes, but if it's wall-to-wall sex
you're looking for, this isn't it...yet.  Please feel free to contact me
with questions, comments or criticisms at st_jimmy88@live.com.  I hope you
enjoy the story!

--James

=========================================================

"In the Absence of Light"

CHAPTER 1

      Andrew had known the truth the moment he opened his front door.  The
vacant spot on the driveway where a dented, mud-encrusted Nissan X-Terra
normally dwelt had been an ominous preview of things to come, but the very
instant he turned the key and pushed open the front door, he knew.  Joe was
gone.

	The house looked oddly spacious now.  Nearly half of its décor,
a few pieces of furniture and a couple of lamps were gone, the impressions
of their various legs and bases still matted into the carpeting.  Andrew
took a moment to gaze upon the living room, somewhere between devastated
and numb, as he saw both the empty spaces and the phantom furnishings that
once occupied them; things that were undoubtedly now in some U-Haul truck
or storage facility or maybe even their new home.  They were only things;
it wasn't the loss of their practical uses that cut him like a frosty
blade, but the memories attached to each one.

      That stained and lumpy futon couch, though hideous, had been just
another piece of garbage sitting in a dumpster until the day he and Joe
found it and after a single glance at each other, drug it out and into
their home.  Andrew remembered how he had diligently tried to remove the
worst of the stains from the cushions as he watched Joe straighten the bent
frame, sweating and grunting with effort as each aluminum bar was coaxed
back into its proper place by his muscular arms.  Andrew smiled and
chuckled to himself as he watched his best friend and roommate do battle
with the mass of distorted metal.  Joe was happiest when he had something
to work on and Andrew was happiest when he was with Joe.  Now, all that
remained of their joint venture were four circular indentations and a
rectangular patch of floor that seemed slightly brighter than the rest.

      The two, from the outside perspective, had seemed like a classic case
of bromance; just two buddies that got along and chose to live together
rather than with random roommates.  Even Joe viewed it that way for most of
his time there.  But for Andrew, it was different.  For Andrew, there was a
constant bitter-sweetness to their friendship and living situation.  Joe
was his best friend and most trusted confidant, but he was also the man
Andrew had been in love with for over two years.  Andrew had always been
open about his sexuality with Joe, but out of fear that he would ruin their
friendship, never revealed his true feelings for him.  Instead, he opted to
simply play the role of the loyal best friend and hid his agonizing
yearning deep within himself.  It was better that way, or so he constantly
told himself.  Better to be involved in Joe's life in some way than none at
all, which is what he was certain would happen if Joe ever knew the truth.

	For two years they lived together, cooked their meals together,
took turns cleaning and doing the laundry and took care of one another when
they were sick.  To Joe, it was just what you did with your roommate,
especially when they were like a brother to you.  For Andrew, it was much
more.  After a couple months, he began to secretly think of their
arrangement as a type of pseudo-relationship.  He would sit almost every
evening on the futon couch, reading a book, as he awaited Joe's return from
work.  The familiar sound of Joe's X-Terra jostling over the curb of their
driveway and the slight screech of its brakes would send a wave of excited
energy through him in a way that he likened to the joy a loyal dog feels
when his master returns home.  He would simultaneously fight and entertain
the fantastical urge to rise and come bounding out the door to meet Joe
halfway; to leap into him and feel the strong, protective arms of his
friend tighten around him in an embrace that meant more than mere
friendship.  The sound of Joe's keys as he approached the front door would
rip Andrew from his revelry.  He would quickly assume a more natural
position and pretend to be so utterly engrossed in his book that Joe's
return went unnoticed until the door was already open.  He would look up
from some randomly selected page, greet Joe with a friendly smile that
could not betray his feelings and they would commence their nightly routine
of talking about their day as they made dinner, ate and watched television
until one or both of them decided to go to their respective bedroom for the
night.

	That was how it went nearly every night for so long and while it
left so many of Andrew's needs unfulfilled, he reminded himself that
something was always better than nothing.  He would smile and laugh and
play the care-free, fun-loving roommate when Joe would bring a girl home
for dinner or a movie, share some good-natured banter with her to fulfill
his duties as a wingman, give Joe a discrete and encouraging smirk or
thumbs up before tactfully excusing himself for the night and would either
retire to his bedroom or go for a long drive as he sadly thought about what
would undoubtedly be happening in Joe's bedroom that night.  Joe hadn't
been in a serious relationship for years, but that did nothing to soften
the blow that the sporadic train of women he brought to the house landed
upon Andrew's heart.  Still, Andrew loved Joe enough to want to see him
happy, even if that happiness wasn't with him.

	And so their little world remained unshaken for over a year and a
half.  Day after day, night after night, it would repeat and both, in their
own ways, were as content as the situation could allow.  Then, one night in
November, Joe brought her to the house.  Miranda.  Blonde, beautiful,
exceedingly intelligent and with an aura of true kindness about her that
Andrew all at once respected and feared.  This woman would be trouble and
Andrew knew that.  Not because she wanted to cause problems or hurt anyone
or for any other reason than the look in Joe's eyes when she would smile or
say something genuinely witty.  It was a light Andrew had never seen in
them before; a glimmer that could only be described as happiness; and
Miranda, not Andrew, had been the one to ignite it.

	Andrew had never seen Joe so excited to introduce someone to him.
He beamed with pride as Andrew shook her hand and smiled as he looked into
the eyes of the woman who had clearly won Joe's heart.  Miranda smiled
gratefully in return but as she looked back into Andrew's eyes, the corner
of her smile flickered for the tiniest fraction of a second.  Andrew saw it
happen and somewhere deep inside, though he wouldn't realize it quite yet,
he knew that something had just gone terribly wrong.  She recovered
seamlessly and proceeded to talk to Andrew as if they had already been
friends.  Andrew hated to admit it, but he liked this girl, despite
everything.  She seemed to genuinely care, really involve herself in you
when talking and was impeccably well-mannered.  Yes, this girl would be
trouble.

	The three of them talked for a considerable amount of time,
compared to the dozens of previous women.  Andrew watched Joe become more
enchanted with each passing moment by the angelic features of Miranda.
Noticing the time, Andrew managed to catch Joe's eye and gave him the
customary good luck smirk before standing, telling Miranda what a pleasure
it was to meet her and excusing himself to bed for the night.  Miranda rose
as well and when met with the offer of another handshake, she brushed
Andrew's arm aside and gave him a friendly but oddly tight hug.  Taken
slightly off-guard, Andrew froze for a moment and looked up to see Joe's
quietly chuckling to himself before returning the hug.  She pulled back and
looked into Andrews face, her eyes silently searching.

	"Goodnight, Andrew.  I'm really glad I met you.  I know we're going
to be great friends," she said hopefully.

	"Me too, Miranda.  Thank you," Andrew replied before heading off to
bed.

	Andrew tossed and turned in bed that night as his dreams tormented
him.  Visions of a future with Joe that would never come to pass.  The fire
in Joe's eyes as he looked upon her: the captivating Miranda.  The brazenly
friendly hug that had surprised him.  And most haunting off all, the smile
that had faltered for only the briefest of moments.