Date: Mon, 06 Dec 2004 11:49:26 +0800
From: Mike Daryl Ormond <mikedarylormond@yahoo.com>
Subject: Smoke - Chapter 3 (Gay - Adult Friends)

SMOKE
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by  Mike Daryl Ormond


Chapter 3:   The Day After

Somebody's singing.  I opened my eyes to see my living room ceiling
partially lit by the lamp post outside the window.  It was still dark
outside.  I reached for my wrist watch on the center table and saw it was
just 4:12 am.  "Where is that noise coming from?" I thought.  I listened
intently.  It was coming from my room.  It was... Duncan.  Singing?  I raised
my head to hear the words better. "..cause you and I both loved... you and I
both..." He must have found the Jason Mraz cd I had on my work desk. I dropped
back on my make shift bed on the floor in disgust.

Duncan and I got in the apartment a little past 1 am.  He immediately went
into my room, threw the comforter out and closed the door before me. It took
me about an hour just to get comfortable on the living room floor where my
sofa should have been. I should have been sleeping on that sofa.  I should
have been sleeping on my bed.  "...you and I both loved..." And he's back on
refrain.  He could have at least thrown out a pillow as well.  I threw an
ashtray to my bedroom door.

I heard heavy footsteps quickly making for the door.  I closed my eyes and
feigned sleep.  "Mike? Was that you?" He said as he searched for me on the
floor. "What the hell was that?"

I opened my eyes slightly and saw Duncan standing right in front of me.  He
was shirtless wearing only his boxer shorts.   He was well defined with his
muscular pecs and 6 pack abs.  His legs and arms were strong with the slight
dusting of hair.  He looked a lot like the lead guy from the movie Swim Fan.
   "Mike?  Stop fooling around.  I know it was you." He said with his best
puppy voice.  He was holding up the ashtray.  He kneeled with my crotch
between his legs and leaned with his face in front of me.  "Mikeeeey..." he
continued with his boyish taunts.   His morning woodie bulged from within
his boxers making contact to mine.  My body shivered all over.

"Gotcha." He said loudly as he tickled my sides with his hands.  I became
teary eyed as I convulsed uncontrollably with his touch, laughing as I made
him stop.  I push him off me and he rolled on the carpet beside me.  We fell
silent for a minute as we tried to catch our breaths.

"Do you tell your cleaning lady to vacuum?  Duncan said facing me as he
scratched his left arm.  "This carpet itches."

"I do the vacuuming here because unlike you, your highness, I don't have a
cleaning lady."  I said in a fake irritated tone.  "Serves you right -
itching for throwing me out of my own room."

I got another jolt as he poked my sides again with his hands.

"Stop it already."  I said quickly as I pushed his arms aside.

"You always like this in the morning?" He chided as he sat up.

"Only before daylight."

"Come on" He said motioning me to stand up.  "You can sleep on your bed.
I'm through with it anyway."
"No."

"Michael.  I'm serious."

"No.  I.."

I was halfway what I was going to say when Ducan decided to pull the
comforter I was lying on all the way to my bedroom with me on it.

"Get up. On to the bed."  He said - now more forceful.

"I don't..."

"Ok mister.  You asked for..."

Afraid of what he was going to do next.  I decided to get on the bed on my
own.  As I got up, I saw that my laptop was turned on with my phone line
hooked up to it's modem.  "Whatcha doin?" I asked as I fluffed the pillow I
salvaged from the floor.

"I was checking on my mail.  I figured maybe some of the guys have already
answered I survey I sent and..."

"Are you serious?"

"Well... yeah.  I have a couple of responses see.  Oh... and look here.  I have
one from Andrea already.  Hey... Wanna check it out?"

"She probably just felt sorry for thrashing you apartment and maybe she
thought..."  I shielded my face mid-sentence as Duncan hurled a magazine
towards my direction.

"You ass.  Just for that, I'm not telling you who Andrea wrote."

"Hey. You aren't supposed to do that.  Don't you guys have a confidentiality
agreement shit?"  I closed my eyes trying to find my way back to the dream
world.

"Well, as we are in prototype and Andrea is our friend, I'm guessing nobody
will fucking care."

"Wait till I tell Angela what.."

"Holy shit Mikey!"

"What?"

"She wrote you."

"Me?" I said silently to myself.  "Why would she write me?"  Andrea knew I
was gay.  Crap.  She's messing with me again.  She knew Duncan would read
this.  God, I hate her.

"Man!  What are you going to do now?"  Duncan said excitedly

Good question.

"Are you gonna ask her out?"

"No!  I'm not gonna ask her out!"

Duncan looked at me dumb-founded.  "Why?"

Whoa... Second good question and it is not even 5 am.  "Uh... because..."

"Because what?"

"Well... firstly..."  I'm gay. "I don't really see Andrea that way and..."

"And?"

"And..." I kinda like you.  "I'm really into someone else... right now."

"Really?  Who?"

"You wouldn't know...what's with the twenty questions anyway?  We'll just not
say anything to Andrea.  Ok?"

"This wouldn't just go away you know."

"I know."  Andrea, you're ass is mine as soon as I see you.  "Let's just
drop it, ok?"

"You know.  I always thought you Andrea would end up together."

Huh? Where the hell did that come from? "Why do you say that?"

Duncan turned off the computer and sat on the bed, bending over to look for
his t-shirt.  I opened the drawer on my bedside and gave him one of mine.

"Well?"  I said as he put on the shirt.

"You know... with how you always spend time with her now."  He laid on the bed
beside me pulling one of the pillows from underneath my head.  "How you two
share secret jokes."

"Secret jokes?"

"Yeah.  I see you two giggling.  I see how she always makes you smile.  I
never thought... when I got back..."  Duncan sighed.

"Never thought what?"

"Just a week before I left for that trip to Milwaukee, you were telling me
about this obnoxious girl at work.  And when I came back a month later, you
had a new best friend."

"Hey man.  That's just it.  We're just friends."

"No.  I knew this was different.  Before I left, we were always hanging out.
You were always talking to me.  I felt I knew everything that is happening
in that twisted mind of yours.  Now.  Now, I figured you have Andrea."

"Nothing has changed man.  You want to hang out?  We can still hang out."

"I've never seen you so happy with another girl.  I think. I really think
you should ask her out."

"Fine!  I'll ask her out."  I'm getting tired of this. "I'll call her first
thing later." I turned my head away from Duncan and turned out the lamp on
the side table.  In the darkness, I heard him whisper something before
finally going to sleep.

"You're a good person Mikey.  I just want to see you happy."

Clearly, we we're both in the dark.



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Next...

Chapter 4:  Out of Sorts

Please send your comments at: mikedarylormond@yahoo.com