Date: Thu, 8 May 2008 21:19:04 EDT
From: Draginacht@aol.com
Subject: the-bandini-affair-11

The Bandini Affair 11

Draginacht@aol.com (AKA Jeff)

* * * * * * *

Disclaimer: The following is a work of fiction and any resemblance to real
people or events is purely coincidental.  The story contains graphic
descriptions of sex between men. Anyone who is forbidden by law to read
such material must stop now.  This story is being posted to the Nifty
Archive solely for the enjoyment of its readers.

* * * * * * *

From Chapter 10

* * * * * * *

The time was almost 9:30 as Matt's truck rolled down the dark streets. Leo
looked to his right and peered at the darkness through the window; his lips
formed a smile.

'What a turn of events!' he thought. 'A few months ago I accept that I may
be gay; then I crash and burn at a gay bar. Now I'm going to spend the
night with a gay man - and in his house. Is fate giving me an opportunity
to find out if I really am gay? Will anything happen? What should I do? If
he makes a pass should I say no? Now that's a laugh; the last time a guy
made a pass at me I ran out of the bar. Matt really is a nice man, almost a
kid, actually. But he was a cop for four or five years; that has to make a
guy mature. What do I really know about him? He probably saved Pop's
life... and he may have saved mine. My family knows he's gay and they still
seem to think highly of him. And I'm sure he thinks I'm straight and
married. That's got to be the reason he thinks he hasn't got a chance with
me. Should I tell him I think I'm gay? And he really did kiss me. Granted,
it was only on my forehead but nobody has ever kissed me like that. Oh my!
Would I be able to kiss him? Could I really kiss another man? Oh, this must
be his house.'

"Here we are," Matt announced as he steered the truck into a driveway.

* * * * * * *

Chapter 11

* * * * * * *

Just as Leo turned to look at the darkness, Matt glanced in his direction
and caught Leo's smile reflected in the window. He wondered at the cause of
that smile. Leo followed Matt along the walkway to the steps leading to the
small front porch. He noticed the swing to the left and wondered if it ever
got used.

"Welcome to my humble abode," Matt said happily after unlocking the front
door, turning on the entry light and motioning for Leo to enter. Leo walked
past Matt, aware of the large man's body, and stepped into the entrance.

"Let me give you the twenty-five cent tour, " Matt offered. "I used to
charge fifty cents but the place isn't big enough for that much money," he
chuckled and Leo smiled.

"We are now in the entryway, which I'm sure you've already figured out. To
our right," Matt reached around the wall and flipped the light switch
illuminating the room in a soft light, "is the living room. Some people
call it a front room because it's in the front of the house."

Leo sensed that Matt was proud of his house and was enjoying showing it off
with his own brand of humor. Leo thought the arched doorway from the entry
to the front room was very architecturally attractive and noticed that
Matt's head barely cleared the center of the arch without ducking.

The room was spartanly furnished with a medium sized couch and one club
chair, both of which appeared clean but well used, a floor lamp (the only
light in the room) between the couch and the chair, a 46-inch TV on the
wall, and three well-filled bookcases. A large bay window looked out toward
the street.

"And over here..." Matt continued, turning and sweeping his hand to his
left, "we have our eat-in kitchen. There's no formal dining room, which is
appropriate because formal dining isn't my style." Again, Matt projected an
attitude of pride.

Leo observed that the not-very-large kitchen was laid out in a "U"
shape. On the left, which was the front wall of the house, contained upper
and lower cabinets and countertop with a dishwasher. A window with a sink
below was centered between the cabinets and offered a view of the front
porch, the swing and front yard. Matt crossed the room and opened the
window to get some fresh air. Continuing to the right were more cabinets
and countertops and a stove, with microwave above and oven below. A doorway
occupied the far right corner and looked like it might lead out toward the
driveway. More cabinets were along the wall on the right with a
refrigerator at the end of the cabinets. A table and four chairs occupied
the open space near the kitchen entrance. Everything appeared to be new,
except for the table and chairs, which were of good quality but had seen
some use.

"And down this short hallway we have two bedrooms. This one on the left
I've turned into an office," Matt explained as he turned on a light so Leo
could see.  The room was directly behind the kitchen and was small but not
tiny. There wasn't much in the room except a long table containing a
laptop, 20-inch monitor and a printer. A shredder and a wastebasket sat
under the table and Leo chuckled to himself when he saw the low-tech
folding chair pushed up against the table. And the table was positioned
under a window on the back wall of the house. Matt turned the light off,
stepped across the hall and flipped the wall switch on.

"And this one on the right is a bedroom." Matt was careful not to call it
"my bedroom." His mind hadn't yet worked out the sleeping arrangement; that
would come later.

'Hmmm... one bed,' Leo thought. 'Wonder where I'll be sleeping?' Leo
couldn't very well ignore the very large king size bed that almost filled
the room.

Matt walked past the end of the bed to the window on the back wall of the
house and opened it about six inches. That set up a cross ventilation with
the kitchen window. A nightstand occupied the far right corner and held a
digital clock and a lamp. The bed was placed against wall on the right, and
further right the closet was covered by sliding doors, which was on the
opposite side of the front room wall. A chest of drawers was opposite the
foot of the bed and left barely enough room to pass between it and the
bed. Matt, who was already standing close to the window, reached through a
doorway and turned on a light in another room.

"And if you need to use the facility, this is the only one." Matt chuckled
and stepped back so Leo could have a look. "It's designed so you can enter
from either bedroom," he added.

'Nice!' Leo thought when he walked in and turned around. Two sinks, with
individual mirrors above each sink. The cabinets below were against the
back wall of the house. Directly opposite the sinks was a commode set in a
small alcove-like area next to a large, tiled shower, which at the moment
seemed very inviting. Leo suddenly felt dirty. He could feel the layer of
perspiration and dirt that coated his body and then, remembering his
earlier trauma, desperately wanted to get cleaned up. He wondered how to go
about asking.

"Matt, this is really a nice place! Everything looks so new yet I get the
feeling this is an older home."

"Yes Leo, that's exactly what it is. You see, my uncles bought up most of
the houses in this neighborhood and renovated them. The house was basically
gutted to the frame, then they replaced the windows and doors, added new
insulation, re-plumbed and rewired the whole house, including Internet and
cable connections before new sheet rock was added." Matt dropped to one
knee, opened a cabinet door, reached in and came out with a clean towel and
washcloth. "By the way, if you're interested in getting cleaned up, you'll
need these; there's some Irish Spring body wash in the shower."

"Gee thanks, Matt, I was just thinking about that. But..."

"But?" Matt asked.

"I don't have any clean clothes. If I'd been thinking clearly I'd have
suggested we go past my parents' place for a change."

Matt stepped back and scratched his head. "I can loan you a T-shirt; it'll
be kinda big. At least it'll get you through the night."

 "Yeah, it'll probably be more like a night gown," Leo chuckled as he
scanned Matt from head to foot.

"What's your waist size?" Matt asked as he stared at Leo's midsection.

"Twenty-six..."

"Nope, I'm a 32. Can't help you there... unless you want to use a safety
pin."

"Thanks, but I'll just wear my briefs until I can get home tomorrow. I've
traveled enough to know all about 'clean dirties.'" Both men chuckled at
that comment.

Silence punctuated the moment as both men considered the rather intimate
nature of their conversation. Then Matt continued.

"Okay, if you're ready, I'll leave the T-shirt on the bed. You can join me
in the kitchen when you're finished, then I'll get cleaned up."

"Fine, thanks." Leo couldn't think of anything else to say. He looked up
into Matt's blue eyes and almost swooned. Matt took the opportunity to look
into Leo's beautifully almond shaped eyes then turned, walked out of the
bathroom and heard the door close behind him. Opening the second drawer of
the chest, he pulled out an almost new white T-shirt, thinking it wouldn't
yet be all stretched out, and laid it on the bed. On his way out of the
bedroom Matt heard the shower start and he closed the door behind him. He
wanted Leo to feel safe and comfortable.

Matt opened the refrigerator door, selected a Miller Lite, sat down at the
table, pulled the tab, and filled his mouth with the foaming liquid before
swallowing it.

'This is sooo weird. It's hard to believe that I have Leo in my own
house. Who woulda thought that would happen when he showed up at the
nursery this morning? But he probably doesn't know I'm gay so that
shouldn't pose a problem. Now, how do I handle the sleeping arrangement? I
think I'll offer him the couch. It's obvious that old thing isn't big
enough for me. On the other hand, my bed is more than big enough for the
two of us. And that new memory foam mattress will let us sleep without
disturbing each other every time we move. Besides, I'd rather he sleep in
my room so that if he has any problems during the night, I'll be close
by. No, that's not right. What I need to do is offer him both options and
let him choose. Yes, that's it.

'Now, about Leo, I can't let him know how I feel. Like Uncle David and Tony
said, today most straight guys are more accepting of gays as long as they
don't feel threatened and don't get hit on. And that's true. I have plenty
of straight friends and they know I respect them. I'll just have to move
Leo into that group and forget about it.' Matt paused his thinking for a
moment.

'Easier said than done, but I'll do it. And there's that other reason - I
can't disappoint Pop Carlsen. If I were to ever touch Leo and he claimed
sexual assault, I'd be done. I'd never be able to look Pop in the eyes
again.' Matt's memory flashed back to the nursery about five or six years
ago. Following high school graduation he went to work at the nursery full
time. Matt wanted no secrets between him and Pop so he came out, told Pop
he was gay. Pop took it rather calmly, even gracefully. As long as it
didn't interfere with Matt's work, he had no problem. Pop became like a
second dad to Matt. There was no way Matt would do anything to jeopardize
Pop's trust in him - not even... Matt saw movement out of the corner of his
eye. If he'd been paying attention instead of thinking deeply about his
problem, he'd have heard the shower stop about five minutes ago.

"So, you're all cleaned up." He stood up from the chair he'd been thinking
in. His beer seemed to have evaporated with his thoughts. Leo stood at the
entrance to the kitchen wearing Matt's white T-shirt. It was so long it
hung off his shoulders down to his elbows and reached half way from his
crotch to his knees.

"That looks better on you than it does on me," Matt chuckled. "Can I get
you a beer?" Matt turned and looked at the refrigerator, anything to take
his eyes off Leo.

"Uh... yeah, that sounds good." In spite of being covered by Matt's
T-shirt, Leo was feeling extremely self-conscious, almost naked. But he had
to admit that so far, Matt had been the perfect host. He entered the
kitchen, his small feet making a soft smacking sound on the tile floor with
each step. He selected the chair closest to him, pulled it away from the
table and sat down. His feet barely touched the floor.

"I'm afraid you'll have to put up with Miller Lite; it's all I have," Matt
said sounding apologetic as he placed the can in front of his guest.

"Oh... thank you. I like that, drink it often." Matt pulled the tab
producing the telltale opening sound. "I see you're way ahead of me."

"Yeah..." Matt looked at his empty can then picked it up. He took a couple
of steps toward a cabinet, opened a door and tossed the empty can into a
wastebasket. "I guess it's my turn in the shower; will you be okay? I won't
be long."

"Yeah, sure, I'm fine," Leo replied after swallowing his first mouthful of
the beer.

"No headache?"

"No, not really. I'm afraid I got the bandage wet in the shower but I think
it'll be okay; it dried well."

"If you want another, I can fix you up..."

"Please..." Leo began to chuckle, "go take your shower... really, I'm
fine." He appreciated Matt's expression of concern and began to feel more
relaxed.

"Okay, I won't be long; just make yourself at home." After the two men
exchanged smiles Matt left the kitchen for his bedroom and a shower. In the
bathroom, he noticed that Leo had neatly hung his towel on the rack. Matt
reached out and brought it to his nose. 'YES!' he thought. He could smell
Leo's scent and began to get hard. 'God, I'll never make it through the
night! Yes I will!' He quickly contradicted himself, stepped into the
shower, adjusted the water temperature and within what seemed like a matter
of seconds was painting the shower wall with semen.

Leo stood up and, carrying his beer, wandered into the front room. His
attention was drawn to one wall that had a large grouping of
photographs. He didn't look at them all that closely but the only person he
recognized, besides Matt, was the other police officer he'd seen earlier at
the nursery. One photograph really got his attention - the one of Matt
stretched horizontal in mid-air with a football on his fingertips.

Leo wanted to look at the books in those bookcases but the excitement of
the day's activities were catching up with him and he was starting to feel
very tired. He was a real morning person and being up this late was
unusual. He walked back into the kitchen and noticed the clock on the stove
displayed "11:49." He sat back down in the chair he'd used earlier, took
another drink of beer, sat the can down, folded his arms on the table in
front of him and lowered his head onto his arms.

Matt walked out of the bathroom naked. Normally he'd just stay in that
condition and go to bed. But tonight he needed to wear something for the
sake of modesty - he had no intention of offending Leo by parading his
wares. Reaching into the second drawer of the chest, Matt withdrew a clean
T-shirt and a pair of Tommy Hilfiger boxer briefs. His uncles liked the CK
brand but Matt found the Tommy's gave him a little more legroom and were
more comfortable. Hopefully, his endowments wouldn't be too obvious.

"Damn!" Matt whispered when he rounded the corner and saw Leo asleep with
his head resting on his arms. He glanced at the clock on the stove and saw
it read "11: 56." 'Oh well, what's a few minutes. I know the doc wanted him
awake until 12:00 but what he don't know won't hurt us.' Matt walked
quietly to the table, picked up Leo's beer, and judged it to be about one
third full. He put it to his lips, drained it, and quietly placed the can
in the wastebasket.

'Leo, I'm sorry I didn't get around to asking you where you want to sleep
so now I guess I get to decide. And I decide you're sleeping with me. Now,
how do I do this?' Matt wondered. He remembered picking up his brother's
kids and carrying them to bed but Leo was a little bit bigger. He scratched
his head then approached the chair Leo was asleep in. He squatted close to
the chair and very carefully and very quietly turned the chair as far to
the right as he dared while trying to avoid disturbing the small
man. Although Leo was about five years older, Matt couldn't help thinking
of him as being a little younger; he was so small and had a very young
looking face. Perhaps it was his Asian ancestry. 'This is going to be a
measure of just how asleep you really are,' Matt thought.

As carefully as he could, Matt slid Leo's right arm from under his head and
managed to get it over his own head and around his neck. Next Matt snaked
his left arm between Leo and the back of the chair, and gently slipped it
securely behind Leo's back. Finally he placed his right arm under Leo's
knees and pulled. Leo slid easily against his body with his head resting on
Matt's shoulder. As matt stood up Leo, still asleep, tightened his arms
around Matt's neck and spread his knees, wrapping them around Matt's waist.

'God this is sooo good,' Matt thought. He was already half hard in spite of
having just released his tension in the shower. Leo seemed as light as a
feather as Matt carried him to the bedroom. Walking around the bed, to the
side he normally slept on, Matt first took hold of the corner of the sheet
and blanket and tossed it out of the way. Then he gently lowered Leo to the
mattress and watched him stretch out on his back. Matt chose to place Leo
on the side of the bed closest to the bathroom so that if he needed to take
a piss in the middle of the night he should be able to find the bathroom
more easily. As Matt stared at the bulges in Leo's white briefs, Leo roll
over and curl up in a loose fetal position.

'It would be so easy to check you out and who would know the difference? I
could just lift the waistband of your briefs, or even feel you up, but that
would be wrong. You are so fucking adorable. Lord, why are you testing me
like this? This is true torture.' Matt thought just before he retrieved the
sheet and blanket and covered his guest. He quickly went through the house
locking doors, closing the kitchen window and turning off lights. Just
before crawling into bed, he slipped off his T-shirt and Tommy's, dropping
them on the floor beside the bed. That way, if Leo awoke during the night
and needed anything Matt would be able to quickly cover himself.

* * * * * * *

Shortly after 3:15 AM, Leo began to stir - the beer was ready to be
recycled. He felt a little panic. First he realized that wasn't his pillow
under his head; and it wasn't his mattress he was on. 'WHERE AM I? What's
the last thing I remember?' he asked himself as a slight discomfort caused
him to place his hand to his head. He felt the bandage. 'Oh, yeah, I
remember now!' His memory flashed back to the nursery then quickly
reconstructed the events leading up to him being at Matt's house and
resting his head on the table for just a few minutes. 'Matt!' Leo wondered
as he opened his eyes and looked around. He could see a long figure on the
far side of the bed and he stared at it. 'Wow, this IS a big bed,' Leo
thought when he saw how much room there was between him and Matt. But there
was a more urgent matter to attend to. Looking around, he could see the
bathroom, which was illuminated by a dim nightlight. Matt had remembered to
plug it in before going to bed.

Leo slipped out of bed being careful not to disturb Matt. On his way back
to the bed, Leo pulled Matt's T-shirt off over his head; he normally slept
only in his briefs. Looking around for a place to put it and finding none,
he placed in on the foot of the bed then climbed back in and sat
cross-legged facing the sleeping figure. In less than a minute his eyes
adjusted well enough that Leo could see Matt more clearly.

Matt lay on his right side facing Leo. He was breathing slowly and deeply,
a sure sign that he was asleep. There was a pleasant, gentle smile on his
face like he might be dreaming of a happy time. His arms were folded across
is chest as if he were holding on to something - possibly an invisible
teddy bear. Matt's right leg stretched out straight, his toes barely
reaching the end of the mattress, and his left leg was bent at the knee
like it was supposed to prevent Matt from rolling onto his stomach -
although he was almost there anyway.

Leo had an idea. He began to crawl across the bed and noticed how his hands
and knees sank into the foam mattress. That was even better because he
realized that his movements weren't being transmitted to his sleeping
companion. Leo stopped when he got close to Matt and planned his next
move. Supporting himself with his hands, Leo leaned forward and gently
pressed his lips to Matt's forehead then retreated.

'There... we're even,' he thought. Leo sat still and studied Matt for a few
more minutes. A shiver rushed through his body as he felt a cool breeze
blow in from the open window; Matt had left it open. This was the time of
year when the days could be nice and warm enough not to need air
conditioning, and the nights could be cool but not cool enough to need
heat. Matt, being an out door kind of guy, preferred the temperatures
nature provided, which the bedroom was a little chilly for Leo.

That's about the time Leo could feel the heat radiating from Matt's
body. It was like a magnet drawing him closer. He found the top of the
sheet, slid under it, turned his back toward Matt and slowly inched
backward until Matt's body heat began to warm him without actually making
physical contact. Sleep soon reclaimed him.

* * * * * * *

Traces of dawn were beginning to break into the sky and the birds were
greeting its arrival with their songs. Leo's eyes popped open and he was
wide-awake. 'Ohmygod!' he thought and almost stopped breathing. There was
no mistaking his situation. He was laying on his right side and spooned
back was against Matt's body. He could feel Matt's chest hair tickling his
back. Matt's right arm extended under the pillow where Leo's head rested
while his left arm was draped around Leo's torso, gently but firmly holding
their bodies snuggly together.

'Oh - My - God!' he thought again. He could hear Matt's rhythmic breathing
and felt warm breath on the back of his neck. Then he became aware of
something else; it was hard and hot and was pressing against his lower
back. Beyond that he couldn't tell very much. Leo didn't need much of an
imagination to figure out what it was. He lay very, very still, trying not
to awaken his captor. The longer Leo lay there, the more curious he became
about that hot thing pressing against his back. He also became aware of his
own erection tenting his briefs.

'Dare I reach behind me and touch it?' Leo tried to imagine how he could do
that. He'd never touched another man and the longer he thought about it the
stronger his curiosity became.

'Okay, slowly; please don't wake up; please don't wake up!' While still
covered by the sheet, Leo carefully lifted his left arm up and over Matt's
left arm. 'His arm is so big; not sure if I can do this.' He continued at a
snail's pace. Using his own left hip as a reference point, Leo carefully
slid his hand behind him. His index finger was the first to make contact,
then his forefinger. That seemed to give him 'stereo feel.' He paused to
assess what he was feeling. It was very warm and quite smooth. Leo couldn't
really determine just how firm it was by just touching it. He slid his
fingers along Matt's dick toward where he expected to find his
testicles. He knew he was close when he encountered Matt's soft, silky
pubic hair. He paused for a moment to regain control of his breathing and
try to slow his heartbeat. Leo was excited yet apprehensive. He listened
carefully at Matt's breathing - it hadn't changed.

'Okay, almost there; please don't wake up; please don't wake up!' He slid
his fingers a little farther and encountered where the shaft curved toward
Matt's groin. 'That's it!' he thought. Now there was room for his third and
fourth fingers slip partially around the shaft.

'It's so soft and silky and yet so hard. Wonder how long it is?' He began
sliding his fingers back up Matt's shaft, trying to keep his fingers
between it and his back. Now able to touch Matt's member with four fingers,
Leo loved the way it felt. Ever so carefully and slowly he continued moving
upward, searching for the end.

'Gosh, how long can that thing be?" he questioned. 'Please don't wake up;
please don't wake up..."

At that moment Matt's breathing pattern changed. Leo pulled his hand from
between them so fast it was like it had been snapped back by a bungee
cord. One more second and he would have been too late. Matt removed his arm
from around Leo's chest, extended it straight toward the ceiling while
straightening his legs and stretching with a loud, prolonged grunt. Matt
must have realized he was unacceptably close to Leo.

"Uh, sorry," he mumbled and rolled to his left to give his guest some
space.

THUD - BUMP. "Ohhh," Matt groaned. He was unaware how close to the edge of
the mattress he was and had rolled completely off the bed and onto the
cold, hardwood floor.

Leo quickly scurried to the edge of the bed and looked down. What he saw
took his breath away. Stretched out before him in full naked splendor was
the most beautiful male body he'd ever seen. Nothing on the Internet or in
porn magazines came close. Leo quickly scanned from the top of Matt's blond
curls to his ripped pectorals, to his washboard abs, to the unbelievably
long erection, to his perfectly formed legs, to his very masculine feet and
toes. Matt began to laugh.

"Ho-ho-ho, that's the first time I've fallen out of bed since I was a kid,"
he laughed. As he was saying that, he reached for and found his Tommy's and
T-shirt and used them to cover his nakedness. Opening his eyes, Matt looked
up and saw a very concerned looking Leo staring back at him.

"You okay?" Leo asked.

"Yeah, ha-ha, that is so funny; wait until I tell my brother that I fell
out of bed. He's gonna get a real kick." With that, Matt easily sat up,
sprang to his feet and headed toward the bathroom. Leo couldn't take his
eyes off the beautiful, naked figure as it glided past the end of the bed
and disappeared into the bathroom. There wasn't an ounce of body fat to be
seen and Matt's sculpted muscles seemed so fluid as they carried his body
along. Matt wasn't a muscle head or a body builder, he was slim and trim
with a finely developed musculature that projected speed and power and
balance - except for his buns. Matt's butt was almost flat, the least
developed feature of his body. Leo noticed all of this and thought how
close they'd been just moments ago. 'Oh, I hope he doesn't figure out what
caused him to wake up,' Leo thought prayerfully.

Leo took the opportunity to scamper back across the bed. He knew he had to
have some clothes somewhere; he had them on when he arrived. Yes, he took
them off to shower so where were they? 'There they are,' he thought. His
Bandini polo shirt and shorts were neatly folded and placed on top of the
chest of drawers. 'Matt must have done that,' Leo thought. He was struck by
what a really nice person Matt seemed to be. 'What was it Meg said? "He's
the nicest person you'll ever meet." Meg's right again,' he thought. He
listened to the loud, low sound of Matt's stream splashing into the
toilet. Jumping from the bed, Leo quickly stepped into his shorts and was
pulling his polo shirt over his head when Matt walked out of the bathroom;
he was already dressed in his boxer briefs and T-shirt.

"How'd you sleep?" Matt was smiling and seemed genuinely happy to see Leo.

"Great!" Leo kept hoping Matt wouldn't remember what just happened. "I've
never slept on one of these mattresses before and I think it's great." That
was a diversionary tactic, anything to start the conversation in a new
direction.

"Yeah, I got it on one of those 30-day trials and slept so well I kept
it. Say, you ready for breakfast?"

"Uh... yes, that would be nice." Leo couldn't believe how happy and
friendly Matt seemed.

Matt reached into the closet, pulled out some clean shorts and slid them up
over his narrow hips. Leo thought how sad it was that Matt felt the need to
disguise his great body in such baggy shorts. At least the T-shirt was snug
enough to hint at what was underneath.

Both men padded to the kitchen where Matt started the coffee, poured OJ and
offered Leo a selection of cold cereal with bananas or toast or bagels. To
keep things simple, Leo chose Shredded Wheat with a banana because that's
what Matt was having. As Leo picked up the banana to slice it, he couldn't
help noting how much smaller it was than Matt's warm staff of flesh. The
thought caused a stir in his briefs, which were already soiled with dried
precum from earlier that morning.

"I guess I'm going to have to ask you for a ride home," Leo said, as he was
about finished with his cereal. "I really appreciate all you've done for
me; I don't know what would've happened if you hadn't been there." The
sincerity of Leo's statement was clear and Matt felt rewarded.

"Glad I could help. And before I take you home," Matt continued, "can I
interest you in joining me at church?"

Leo looked down at his dirty polo and shorts and smiled at Matt. "I think I
need clean clothes and we've already established that yours won't fit me."

"Ha-ha, yeah, I don't have that many safety pins." Each one sensed a
connection of friendship that felt comfortable and they expressed their
feelings with smiles.

"Thanks anyway, I need to get home and back to the nursery before noon. I
promised Meg I'd open - she'll be in around 2:00 PM. Oh, can you drop me
off at the nursery? I just remembered that I drove Pop's car yesterday. I
ought to get that or I won't have any transportation."

"Yeah, we can do that. Church is at 10:00, so I can be there to help you
open. Just let me put this stuff in the dishwasher and get my shoes and we
can go."

"Shoes... yes, I need shoes." Leo chuckled because the situation felt funny
to him. He found his shoes and socks in the bedroom next to the chest where
Matt had placed them. In a matter of minutes, Matt backed out of the
driveway and drove Leo to the nursery.

After retrieving his father's car and while driving to his parents' house,
Leo decided he'd skip his shower. 'I'll just slipped on a clean pair of
briefs and a Bandini outfit and go right to work.' He replayed the
morning's events in his mind as he drove almost unaware of where he was
going.  'I'll be there all day with Matt; what's that going to be like
after what happened this morning? And why is Matt all I can think about?
I'm obsessed with him. Get a grip, Mr. Carlsen, you're acting like a
teenager,' he admonished himself.

* * * * * * *

 (To be continued.)