Date: Fri, 13 Feb 2009 12:14:18 EST
From: Draginacht@aol.com
Subject: the-bandini-affair- 22

The Bandini Affair 22

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 21

* * * * * * *

"Thank you..." Leo punctuated his thanks with an affectionate kiss. "I'm
exhausted." Leo sighed.

"You had a good time?" Matt asked as he straightened up after bending over
for the kiss. They were standing pressed against each other just inside the
door to their home and Leo couldn't wait any longer. He'd kept silent
during the ride home remembering the events of the wonderful evening.

"It was so... so... unbelievable. Your uncle and his friends have to be the
nicest people I've ever met. And you know what was best?"

"No, what?"

"I wasn't the subject of the evening's conversation. Not once did anybody
ask what I did or... or anything. I did find out that Mike lives just down
the street; he invited me to drop in some time." The two men were now in
the bedroom removing their clothing.

"Yeah, he does; I'll point out where he lives in the morning. I hope you'll
take him up on his invitation. Mike's a great guy. Now, I'll lock up and
turn out the lights while you go get ready for bed." Leo didn't object; he
just turned and walked toward the bathroom. Perhaps the alcohol in his
system made everything Matt said sound perfect.

Matt slipped his naked body between the sheets and leaned over to set the
alarm. They both had to go to work in the morning. Then he turned over just
in time to welcome Leo's body press against him. Matt was getting hard but
Leo wasn't. Matt interpreted that as a signal that Leo was either tired,
drunk, mentally preoccupied or all three so he just held him close and soon
they were sound asleep.

* * * * * * *

Chapter 22

* * * * * * *

Friday was a quiet day at the Bandini Nursery, which allowed Leo and Matt
to talk about last night. Trying not to be obvious, Matt kept an eye on
Leo, watching for any signs of regret. He saw none. Leo seemed happier than
ever and was interacting with customers and employees like never before.

Just after 1:30 PM, Leo looked up to see Tony walking through the door.

"Hi Tony, what brings you in today?"

"Hey Leo," Tony said as he shook Leo's hand. He wanted to give Leo a hug
but knew that such PDAs were best avoided in a business environment. "I
came by to proposition Matt; is he around?"

"You mean you have a proposition for him?" Leo grinned. He intuitively
suspected Tony was intentionally playing word games with him and he felt
flattered.

"Yeah, that's what I mean." Tony chuckled and smiled. "I just thought I'd
see how quickly you picked up on that." At that moment the door opened and
Matt walked in the office.

"Hi Tony, I saw you drive in; what's up?" The two men shook hands.

"Well, I've got a couple of houses that need some landscape staging and
wanted to ask if you'd have time to look them over and give me a
recommendation."

"Sure, just give me the addresses and I'll have a look. When do you want
this done?"

"Next week will be soon enough. This weekend seems to be overflowing with
too many activities to even consider getting any work done."

"That's good; I'll drive by Monday and give you a call. You and Uncle Dave
all set for your weekend guests?"

"Oh yeah, Dave is at the airport right now waiting for them. By the way,
you guys are planning to join us at the game Sunday, aren't you?"

Matt looked at Leo, got a pair of raised eyebrows indicating 'yes,' then
back at Tony. "We haven't really discussed it but I think it would be fun."

"Don't worry about getting tickets because one of Dave's friends offered
him the use of his private skybox. There'll be more than enough room for
everyone. This is going to be a big Baker-family shindig and we can enjoy
it in comfort." Tony glanced at his wristwatch. "Hey, gotta get going; you
two coming over for dinner tonight? If you do, you can pick up the tickets
then." Tony asked as he turned and began walking toward the door.

Matt glanced at Leo and got no indication. "Let us talk it over and give
you a call."

"Bye, Leo, keep an eye on the big guy there, he can be a handful." Tony
grinned as he closed the door behind him.

Leo smiled and wondered if Tony was going for a double meaning by referring
to Matt as 'big guy' and saying he was a 'handful.' Leo turned and grinned
at Matt, the sexual references being too obvious to ignore.

* * * * * * *

Later, after discussing Tony's invitation to join the family that evening,
Mat and Leo decided not to go. Matt said it would likely be a madhouse. He
also explained that Saturday and Sunday would be about the same but with
more food. Matt called his uncle and begged off for that evening and
tentatively agreed to come Saturday; they could get the game tickets
then. After work they chose a soup-and-salad dinner at Panera's in an
attempt to balance yesterday's festive meals against the ones to come.

One special topic had been bouncing around Matt's brain all day. Thinking
ahead to Saturday and Sunday, he desperately wanted to let his family know
just how important Leo was in his life. His next step was to find out if
Leo agreed but wasn't sure how to go about it. As soon as they got home
they grabbed a beer and plopped down on the loveseat to snuggle and relax
for a while. Sitting with his arm around his little man and feeling his
warmth, Matt's courage began to grow, along with his nervousness. He sat
up, slid off the loveseat onto his knees and positioned his body between
Leo's knees. With his hands on top of Leo's thighs, they looked directly
into each other's eyes. Matt thought he could see love looking back at him
and hoped it wasn't just wishful thinking. Leo misinterpreted Matt's
actions, thinking this would be the beginning of some lovemaking. He
smiled.

"Leo..." Matt paused. "I'm not good with words and I'm not good at playing
games... I'm just plane me... but there's something I need to say."

"Okay..." Leo replied with growing interest. After seeing how serious Matt
looked he reevaluated the situation, wondering if he'd done something
wrong.

"I... I love you very much." Matt couldn't have looked more serious. "I
sure hope this doesn't sound stupid but..." Matt paused and looked deep
into Leo's eyes before continuing. "You see, unlike a lot of gays I've been
extremely fortunate. I have a very understanding and supportive family and
my uncle and his friends are terrific role models. And like all of them, I
want stability in a relationship. Ever since I was old enough to understand
what's really important in life I've been searching for the right man to
share it with... and I believe I've found him... that man is you. I'm not
interested in looking for anyone else. I know this is fast but... when I
say I love you I mean something more than just physical love, although
that's terrific. There's mental love; you challenge me
intellectually. There's also emotional love; I've never felt so emotionally
satisfied being near anyone as I am with you. And then there's spiritual
love; every day we're together I feel I'm growing spiritually." Matt paused
and looked deep into Leo's eyes. The approximate six-year age difference
didn't exist.

"I'm asking you to be my partner." That was as simple as Matt could state
his desire. The silence was deafening. "Help me out here, I've run out of
words."

Leo didn't need words. He leaned forward, placed his hands on either side
of Matt's face and pulled them together in a tender kiss. As the kiss
continued, they wrapped their arms around each other and Matt drew Leo's
body tightly against his. Leo was fighting back tears. Matt's words had
expressed feelings Leo had been having but couldn't quite find the courage
to say. Now he could.

"Oh, Matt. I love you. Now that I know what love is, I know I've never
loved until I met you." They held each other tightly and resumed
kissing. This felt so good they were in no hurry to stop. Eventually the
physical nature of their relationship pushed the emotional one aside and
Leo initiated the next phase.

"Can we get rid of these clothes; they're interfering with getting closer
to you."

"Sure." That's all Matt needed to say as he slipped one hand under Leo's
butt and scooped him up, lifting Leo as he rose to his feet. Just as Matt
turned toward the bedroom Leo's phone rang.

"Let it go to voice mail. If it's important, they'll call back," Leo
remarked. He noticed the time was almost seven o'clock. Moments later the
two naked lovers were stretched out side by side on the bed enjoying full
body contact. Legs intertwined, hands caressed, lips touched, tongues
toyed, groins ground firmly against each other and bodies gently moved in
unison soaking up the pleasure of physical touching. Leo particularly
enjoyed the sensations caused by the hair on Matt's legs. After several
minutes Matt rolled over on top, slipped his arms under Leo's shoulders and
cradled his head in his hands.

A realization came over Leo as to just how total was Matt's control over
him. Matt felt Leo's neck relax first, then his entire body. He understood
Leo's relaxation response wasn't a 'submission' thing; it was a 'giving'
thing. Leo was relinquishing control to the man he loved.

"Trust me?" Matt practically whispered as he looked into Leo's eyes.

"Completely," Leo whispered his reply without hesitation. If this was to be
the moment he was to lose his virginity, so be it. He was ready to give it
to the man who loved him. Matt had shown great patience and had never
pressed the issue and for that, Leo respected him.

After a lengthy open-mouthed kiss, Leo opened his eyes and watched Matt
move his lips to his neck, his nipples, his navel, and then to his
straining prick. The lights in the room had been left on, which made it
easy for Leo to observe the action. Matt spent a few moments giving as much
pleasure as he knew how then lifted Leo's legs and began pleasuring Leo's
orbs, eventually taking Leo's entire scrotum into his mouth and stroking it
with his tongue.

Leo, anticipating Matt's next move, placed his hands behind his knees and
drew them close to his chest. He watched Matt release his nuts and move to
his dick again, deep-throating him in one gulp. Just as quickly, Leo
watched his member reemerge from Matt's oral cavity and felt the sensation
of cold air on his now wet dick.

Leo gasped and pressed his head back against the pillow; there was no use
trying to watch because Matt's face was no longer visible. Matt's hot,
moist tongue stroking Leo's perineum was startlingly pleasing; Leo knew it
was an erogenous zone but had forgotten. Then he gasped again even louder
as Matt's tongue raked across his rosebud. Surprise, shock and excitement
gripped Leo simultaneously. His body's natural reaction was to clench his
sphincter as tight as he could. But it quickly relaxed under the wonderful,
soothing assault of Matt's tongue.

Leo's brain was short-circuiting. He gasped for air. His eyes were
closed. His head threshed from side to side. He moaned. But he didn't let
go of his knees. Then his prick was in Matt's mouth again. Something was
pressing against his anus but his brain was too confused to judge what was
happening. Something entered his body and it felt good. Leo felt a hand on
his chest gently brush across one of his hard and extra sensitive
nipples. Too much was happening to keep track of. Then Leo's brain seemed
to explode in fireworks. He couldn't fathom what was happening to him. His
body convulsed as his seed erupted from the end of his cock and flooded
Matt's warm, moist, loving mouth.  Again and again his hips thrust
involuntarily as his body emptied itself of its life-giving fluid.

Leo's body went completely limp, matching the condition of his dick. He
felt on the verge of unconsciousness when he felt Matt's body beside him
and Matt's lips on his. He responded with the most appreciative kiss of his
life. Several minutes passed before he felt stable enough to speak.

"I... I don't know what you did but... we have to do that again." As Leo
became more aware of his body he could feel something inside his ass. But
it couldn't be Matt's dick; it could only be a finger. He gripped it with
his sphincter and smiled, aware that Matt had gone after his button, his
prostate. Now he understood why the porn literature contained so many
references to that important gland.

Leo pulled Matt into another kiss, not giving him time to respond. Words
weren't necessary at a time like this. But Leo wasn't finished. He pulled
away from Matt's lips and stared deep into his eyes.

"Is it my turn; can I do that to you?"

"If you want to." Matt smiled back.

"I do." Leo wanted so desperately to take Matt on the same journey he had
just traveled. And he also welcomed the challenge to see if he could
actually do it. Without another word, Leo began working his way down Matt's
body following the same path. Taking Matt's member between his lips, Leo
considered making an attempt to work it into his throat but decided not
to. He was able to get only one of Matt's testicles in his mouth at a time
so he gave each as much tender, loving attention as he could. Matt pulled
his knees up to his chest in anticipation of Leo's next move. Using his
right hand, Leo lifted Matt's balls up and out of the way so he could get
his first look at Matt's perineum. It was nothing particularly noteworthy,
just an area of soft, smooth flesh between Matt's scrotum and his anus. Leo
leaned close, stuck out his moist tongue and licked. He licked again. It
was the smoothest flesh he'd ever touched. And he heard Matt moan so he
must be doing it right. He licked a couple more times eliciting pleasant
sounds from Matt's throat.

Now the moment of truth arrived. Leo focused his eyesight on the area just
below Matt's perineum, his anus, his pucker, his hole; there were any
number of terms he could use to define it. He stared at it. It was puckered
and it did resemble a rosebud so those euphemisms were appropriate. It
looked clean and when he put his nose near it he detected Matt's natural
muskiness, not an unpleasant smell.

"It's okay, you don't have to do that." Matt's voice startled Leo for a
split second. Matt knew that rimming didn't appeal to everyone and he
wanted to let Leo know it wasn't expected.

"Maybe some other time," Leo offered. They exchanged smiles and then Leo
stuck the middle finger of his left hand in his mouth and removed it
dripping with saliva. Breaking eye contact with Matt, he placed the tip of
his finger at the center of his target and began to press. His middle digit
slipped smoothly through Matt's rosebud and into a surprisingly hot tunnel
of flesh. He smiled at Matt, who was smiling back, almost like sharing the
excitement of Leo's discovery. The rest of Leo's finger sank deeper into
Matt's body just a little to fast.

"Ahh!" Matt exclaimed crisply as his body jumped. "Careful..."

"Sorry..." Leo pulled his finger back but not out. Then he began to feel
around. He was searching for Matt's prostate and realized that's what his
finger must have struck causing Matt's reaction. But Matt hadn't
complained; he'd just smiled and Leo continued.

"Oh yeah, that's nice..." Matt's head tilted back, his eyes closed, and his
mouth gaped open as if to put a face on the pleasure he was
experiencing. Leo continued his gentle massage as he moved forward, wrapped
his lips around the base of Matt's pole and slowly made the long journey to
the tip where he sliped his mouth over Matt's glans.

Leo was really into the action like never before. It was like he had
crossed some threshold into a new world of adventure. He moved down until
the tip of Matt's cock pressed against the opening to his esophagus. With
the recently developed control of his gag reflex, Leo eased forward. Matt's
spongy glans easily conformed to the shape of the opening and smoothly slid
inside. Leo heard Matt gasp and tilted his head so he could see Matt's
expression. The smile spoke volumes. Leo extended his right hand and began
stroking and pinching Matt's left nipple. Matt immediately vocalized his
pleasure.

Leo was extremely proud of his accomplishment. He was finally holding Matt
in his throat and was still able to breathe. He pulled back, swirled his
tongue around Matt's head and then took him back into his throat. And he
hadn't forgotten about what his finger was doing either. With his finger
massaging Matt's magic button, his right hand stimulating Matt's nipple,
and his mouth and throat working on Matt's cock, Leo felt exhilarated by
the sense of control he had and that he was able to return the pleasure
Matt had given him. Matt writhed in pleasure and made sounds that warned of
his impending climax. All of that excited Leo more than he ever imagined it
would.

Suddenly Matt called out Leo's name, he grasped the sheet with his fists
and his hips thrust upward. When Leo felt Matt's anal sphincter squeeze
tightly around his finger he pulled his head back so that Matt wasn't his
throat and he could capture all of Matt's semen.

"Oh... God... Leo... I didn't know you could do that!" Matt gasped
breathlessly a few minutes later when he'd recovered his senses. Almost
immediately he felt Leo's lips on his. Opening his mouth for their usual
kiss, Matt felt the warm, sticky liquid flow in and knew exactly what Leo
had done. They kissed for several minutes while sharing Matt's intimate
offering. Leo had wondered just how Matt might react to the exchange of
fluid but ever since reading about it, he'd wanted to try it. Matt was
obviously receptive and Leo had satisfied another curiosity.

"I think I need a shower," Leo offered. Both men were covered with sweat
that gave them a light sheen.

"Yeah, I'm sure we'll sleep better." Just as Matt finished his statement,
Leo's phone rang again.

"Whoever it is, at least he's persistent." Leo reached for his phone,
flipped it open and checked the ID; it was his agent. "Hi Randy..." He
didn't say much for several moments. "Are you sure?" He listened for a few
more moments. "Can I call you back in about a half hour?" Randy must have
agreed because Leo said 'good bye' and ended the call.

"Let's take that shower and I'll tell you what that was about," Leo offered
as he rolled out of bed pulling Matt along with him. Leo explained that
Randy had called to ask if, since he was already in town, Leo could cover
Sunday's NFL game? Leo accepted that he was now in a meaningful
relationship and he owed it to his other half to discuss it with him.

By the time they stepped out of the shower, Matt had a concise
understanding of Leo's offer. He immediately saw it as an interesting
opportunity, provided Leo wanted to do it. He urged Leo not to worry about
the nursery; he should take the day off and they could easily work around
his schedule. Then Matt had another idea.

"If you take this assignment, will you be interviewing my brother, Mark?"

"Absolutely! He's a key element to the game; I couldn't skip an interview
like that."

"Okay..." Matt flashed a sly grin. "He doesn't know about us so that might
be fun. And think about later..."

"What do you mean, later?"

"Oh, I can see it now." Matt sounded excited; he saw an opportunity to play
a trick on his brother. "You interview Mark before the game and then later
at Uncle David's house he finds out you and I are partners..." Matt's
facial expression changed to one of concern. "We are partners, aren't we?"

"I like that," Leo replied with a wide smile. "That sounds good," Leo moved
in for a kiss. "So you want me to help you play some kind of twin-game with
your brother, huh?"

"Yeah, it'll be fun and Mark'll like it, too... once he finds out, ha-ha.

"Okay, I'll do it! I'll call Randy right now and tell him."

Leo made his call then the two men put on some sweats and went to the other
bedroom where Leo immediately started his laptop and began researching both
teams and where each stood in league play. He began reading and quickly
pressed the "page down" key for more of the information.

"Can you go back for a minute, I wasn't finished," Matt asked as he looked
over Leo's shoulder. Leo returned to the previous page and waited until
Matt said "Okay." From then on, Leo waited for Matt to say okay before
moving on to another page. Matt soon figured out that Leo had extensive
research ahead of him. Rather than slow him down, Matt tapped Leo's
shoulder and offered to leave him to his work and go to bed. They shared a
long goodnight kiss and Matt turned in for the night.

Matt's suggestion that he take the day off lifted a lot of weight from
Leo's shoulders and he continued to work well past midnight. He anticipated
the visiting team would schedule a light workout and a game walkthrough on
Saturday and hopefully he'd be able to get some face time with the home
team also. If that went as planned, he could easily cover the game from the
skybox and be with Matt and his family. Leo was both excited and tired when
he snuggled up against a sleeping giant. Matt's natural body heat was just
what Leo needed to help him relax and find sleep.

Matt awoke first and quietly went about getting ready for work. He was
eating a bagel when Leo sauntered sleepily into the kitchen and filled a
mug with coffee.

"My throat hurts... just a little." Leo sat down opposite Matt. When two
people live together they settle in to certain habits that reflect their
relationship. Matt and Leo always sat across the table from each other to
make it easy to look into each other's eyes and share smiles.

"Sorry." That was all Matt could think of saying. He knew from experience
what caused Leo's soar throat and knew it was something that went with the
territory. He also knew the soreness would pass so he wasn't worried.

"I assume it gets easier?" Leo smiled.

"Yeah... it does." Matt smiled back. Nothing was said about what caused
Leo's soar throat but both men knew precisely what they were talking
about. They both thought back to last night and the excitement of Leo's
breakthrough. Leo felt his dick begin to plump up and wondered if Matt
shared his experience. Matt did.

"What time did you come to bed?"

"A little after midnight; and I was able to map out a good plan for
today. I hope I didn't wake you."

"I think I was aware of you snuggling against me but I didn't know what
time it was. And feeling you next to me helped me get back to sleep
immediately." Matt stood, picked up his plate and placed it in the
dishwasher. "I'd better get moving... wish you success today." Matt was now
standing next to his partner and leaned down for a kiss.

"Thanks, I'm really excited about interviewing Mark."

"Me too. If you have time during the day, I'd appreciate an occasional
update."

"Yeah, I'll call or text when there's a break in the action. What time do
you think we ought to leave for your uncle's house?"

"We'll close the nursery at 5:00, and I'll hurry home to get cleaned up. We
can leave here when the last one of us is ready. How's that sound?"

"That's good. At this moment I have no idea how my timing is going to work
out."

"Okay, I'm gonna brush my teeth and then I'll need a hug and kiss before I
leave." Matt grinned.

While Matt left the kitchen to brush his teeth, Leo poured a bowl of cereal
and added some milk and a banana. Holding the banana in his hand brought a
smile to his face; he couldn't avoid thinking about last night.

"You sure are all smiles this morning," Matt said as he approached the
front door. He had some idea what Leo might be thinking and couldn't help
smiling, too.

"Ah, there's my big, hunky man ready to go off to work. Now for that hug
and kiss..." Leo said as he walked toward his partner. They embraced and
kissed passionately, sufficient to cause swelling in their groin
regions. Leo had come to love how Matt leaned down and lifted him to his
toes while exploring his mouth. Leo was up on his toes as he eagerly clung
to his partner. He felt constantly fortunate to have finally discovered who
he was and found Matt at just the right time. He didn't know if it was
karma, fate, or just blind luck but he knew he wanted to go to church
Sunday morning and give a very special thanks for it.

* * * * * * *

Leo almost couldn't believe how well his plan worked. He was able to get
some interviews before the walkthrough, which he was allowed to watch, and
went to the locker room later for more. He was looking for Mark when he
walked into the locker room and discovered he was in the shower. Leo
managed to catch one of the wide receivers for some comments while he
waited for Mark.

As Leo concluded that interview he turned and saw Matt's brother walking
from the shower and talking with another player. Mark was toweling off his
head, which gave Leo an opportunity to check out his potential future
brother-in-law. That struck him as being strange because in his earlier
interviews with Mark Leo had been careful not to look. This was
different. He now had a twin brother to compare against. The first thing he
noticed was Mark's black hair - he had lots of it, all over his body. Mark
appeared to be about the same height but much more muscular, probably the
result of all the weight training required for his profession. Just before
Mark began drying his mid-section, which would cause the towel to cover his
crotch, Leo got a good look at Mark's equipment. Matt was right about the
men in his family being "large in the dick department." Mark's member
wasn't as long as Matt's but it was definitely longer than the average
bear, perhaps five and a half inches flaccid. It seemed to swing and wobble
around just like Matt's but otherwise was quite similar, perhaps even a
little thicker.

Leo was standing in front of Mark's locker when he walked up with the towel
wrapped securely around his waist, the outline of a prominent bulge down
the middle.

"Carlson, right?" Mark said as he extended his hand. He exuded charm and
confidence.

"You remember?!" Leo sounded surprised.

"How could I not remember the only Asian looking reporter I know with a
Scandinavian sir name?" Mark was smiling from ear to ear and the interview
was off to a good start. Listening to Mark's voice and speech pattern, Leo
thought he could almost be interviewing Matt. That was a little weird. He
thought how much fun he'd have later telling Matt about it.

As Mark began dressing, Leo started with the usual questions, the ones all
athletes get accustomed to answering. The players quickly develop standard
answers to the standard questions, which seldom produce new or startling
information. Then Leo threw Mark a little curve.

"This is somewhat of a homecoming for you, isn't it?" He watched the smile
of acknowledgement spread across Mark's face.

"Ha-ha, yes it is."

"So tell me how that feels; does it affect the game in any way?"

"Well no, not the game, but it's always great to be with the whole family."

"Do you have a large family?"

"Not large by some standards; there are four of us kids, three brothers and
a sister. My parents will be at the game, as will both sets of
grandparents, and there's my uncle and his partner. Of course my wife and
kids are in town and we'll all get together after the game tomorrow."

"How old are your siblings?" Leo asked as innocently as possible. He was
curious to hear what Mark would say about Matt so he chose the
all-inclusive term 'siblings' to avoid being obvious.

"My sister Susan is nineteen, my brother JD is twenty-four, and my brother
Matt is my age, twenty-five..."

"Does that mean you have a twin?" Leo interrupted.

"Ah, yes, it does. We're fraternal twins." Mark's expression clearly
lightened as Matt's name entered the conversation. "And he still lives here
in the local area."

"Did he play football in high school like you did?" Leo was proud that he
was able to continue the interview and maintain a professional demeanor.

"Oh yes, we set some state records together." Mark's smile grew even
wider. Leo's question had opened a door not often opened to the
press. "Matt played wide receiver. He was fast and had the greatest hands
I've ever seen. If I had him on this team we'd be struggling a lot less."

"What about college?"

"Well, Matt decided not to attend college... much to my disappointment..."
Mark seemed to reflect on that situation. "... and the disappointment of a
few coaches, too. But he had his reasons and I respected them. Matt
attended a local junior college and joined the police force for a few
years. But his first love was plants - flowers, shrubs, trees, and things
like that - and earlier this year he got a job at a nursery. Now he's
happy."

"That's interesting," Leo commented. " It sounds like you two are still
close."

"Yes we are. Ya know, it's that 'twin' thing. We talk frequently by phone
and I've got to say that lately he's sounded even happier. Last time I
talked to Mother, she noticed the same thing. She seems to think he's found
someone special who's the cause of that happiness. I'm going to see him
after the game tomorrow and hope to find out more." Mark was still smiling
and seemed excited for his brother.

"Hey, Close, you 'bout ready?" Another player shouted toward Mark.

"Be right there," Mark shouted back. "Sorry, Leo, gotta go to work. Maybe
we can continue this some other time?" Both men arose from the bench they'd
been sitting on and faced each other.

"Thank you very much, Mark, I'd like to do that." They shook hands. 'Sooner
than you think,' Leo thought. He watched Mark walk away and noticed how he
carried himself just like Matt.

On the drive home, Leo thought about Mark's interview. He was impressed
that in all that Mark said, at no time did he mention that his brother was
gay. In fact, he seemed to go out of his way to avoid doing so. How did he
phrase it: "he's found someone who's the cause of the happiness..." Then it
struck him - Mark truly loved his brother. It was a touching moment. He
also remembered Mark's mention of his uncle and his partner as if it was a
totally normal thing.

Leo could barely contain his excitement and concentrate on driving. He was
going to have so much fun sharing his experience with Matt.


* * * * * * *

Throughout the day Matt had plenty of time to think about later that
evening and consider the best way to introduce Leo to his family. He would
love to gather the whole family in Dave's great room and make a proud,
public announcement. But that would be exactly the wrong thing to
do. Instead, he settled on quietly introducing Leo to one or two people at
a time and casually, and proudly mentioning they were partners.

From time to time Leo kept Matt informed through quick phone calls and
text messages. He got home just after Matt and they shared a few hugs and
kisses like they hadn't seen each other for days. Following a quick shower
and changing clothes they were ready to leave for Dave and Tony's house.


 (To be continued.)