Date: Mon, 26 Aug 2013 23:29:13 +0700
From: Robert Glass <robxglass@gmail.com>
Subject: The Virgin Joseph part 4

All right reserved. Any unauthorized use is prohibited. This is a
fiction. Any resemblance to people and/or events is coincidental. If
reading this deemed illegal to you, I implore you to stop. If it offends
you, please do not read on.

I'm running out of ways to say this so maybe this time I'll shout it
out. PLEASE DONATE! Thank you.


PART 4


With a round of Happy Birthday song lead by Amy and everyone's in the pub
cheer afterwards, Joe's nightmare was realized. He was turning twenty five
that Friday and Amy, cheeky as she was, blew it out of proportion. Oh, and
Alice set him up. They were working late to finish a project that day and
had to rush to the pub just before Amy's show started. She kept him there
long enough so that the rest of the office, including Paul and Lucy, could
surprise him.

Joe covered his face with his jacket trying to hide himself as everybody
there clapped their hands. He wanted slump down into his seat, but Tom and
Alice pulled him up so he could witness Jake walking towards their table
with a candle adorned birthday cake. He had no choice but to conform with
the crowd's wish and blew the candles. He couldn't even remember what he
wished for himself; it was probably something archaic. It didn't matter. He
had his friends around him celebrating his birthday, not to mention a
pub-full of people. As much as he cringed he was thankful.

"I have to tell you that he's gay and he's single right now so all you boys
who like a high quality man, just come over his table and give him your
number," she said before she cued the band to start her next song, not
before she blew a kiss towards Joe. Joe gave her 'you're going to regret
this' and laughed.

"Tom, do you guys always do this to everyone?" Joe asked.

"We didn't do this, Amy did. It was all her idea."

"I knew it."

"We usually just have a dinner or something. We went bowling once on Paul's
birthday," Tom said.  "Of course we don't do anything if you already have
plans."

After Amy was finished, and after she made some friendly chit chats to
whoever congratulated her, she joined the group. "Did you leave some for
me?" She asked about the cake.

"Here." Joe handed her a plateful of sugar and carb. "Thanks for all of
this." He added genuinely.

"Thank them. They approved it." She pointed at Paul and Lucy.

It wasn't the gift giving kind of party but Paul and Lucy pulled Joe out of
probation and gave him a raise. It was more than he could ask for. It
wasn't the money; it was the recognition for his hard work that
mattered. He hadn't been working for three months yet but his career was
already looking bright.

"How about getting the party started!" Amy offered. "Tom, get drunk!"

"Oh, no," Tom said groaning. He never really liked the drunken version of
himself.

"Come on. It will be your birthday present for Joe."

"You're basically whoring me out." Tom laughed.

"I don't care. As long as it's fun." Amy ordered shots of tequila for
everyone, except for Joe.

"Alright, let's do this," Tom said. He took a shot. And another. And
another. Jake stopped after his first shot of tequila because he was
driving while the others stopped at the second or third. But Tom, he really
could drink. After his fifth shot, he ordered Long Island iced tea, which
he said was his favorite cocktail. It wasn't. He drank that like water
too. And he was only slightly drunk by then. He was quick to be tipsy but
slow with getting hammered.

At one point Tom started to sing "Smells Like A Teen Spirit." Surprisingly
everyone on the table started to sing with him. They must have done this
several times before, Joe thought. He sang too.  He knew the song, he liked
the song, and it was a good time to sing it. Tom's voice was not as bad as
he said it to be. It wasn't a vocalist material, but it wouldn't "kill a
baby," as Tom liked to put it. His singing voice was hoarse and growly,
which fits his huge hairy self. Suddenly he switched the song to Lady
Marmalade. Moulin Rouge? That was unpredictable.

Over the next hour Tom performed a myriad of hilarious thing. He thanked
the two bosses, profusely, for hiring him and keeping him for more than
five years. He pulled Alice and played with her curly hair like she was his
little sister. He threatened to torture Nick to death if he ever hurt
Alice's heart. He promised Amy that he would fund her demo and call every
recording company out there to get her signed. And lastly snuggled up to
Jake and rubbing his face on Jake's chest, and called himself baby brother.

"Okay, that's enough, baby brother." Jake said softly

"But I love you." Tom said with puppy eyes before he slumped onto Jake for
a hug, like a little boy to his father. Jake couldn't help but giggle. Way
to go, drunk Tom!

"I love you too, Tom. Now sit straight, be a good boy now." Yes, Jake was
the ultimate big brother, even above Tom. "Guys, he needs to go home." He
said to Nick and Alice.

"No, not yet. I still haven't given my present to birthday boy." Tom said
with devil's breath. He stood up and pulled Joe with him. Joe panicked, not
entirely sure what Tom was planning. But nobody stopped him. Tom embraced
Joe's back with one hand and took one of Joe's hands in his. He started to
slow dance to whatever song that was playing there, which unfortunately was
appropriate.

"Um, Tom." Joe called up. He was slightly worry that Tom would lose his
balance and fall, on him.

"Hush, Mr. Becker. Just relax and dance with me." It was all Tom could
say. Joe looked over to their table and everyone was laughing at them. Joe
rolled his eyes. He was hopeless. So he just went with it. "If you don't
have anyone to go with to the prom, I'll go with you." Tom said.

"Mr. Donnelly, you're drunk." He chuckled. But he liked the sentiment.

At one point Tom moved Joe's hands from his back to his butt. He too did
the same to Joe's. "If you were a girl I'd already sleep with you."

Joe can only laughed at that statement. "If you were gay, I would too."
That exchange was what made him realize that he had to stop crushing over
Tom. However great he is, Joe knew that he was straight. There was no point
in pursuing it at all. He was just glad he had a friend like Tom. Joe moved
his hand to Tom's back and held him tighter. He rested his head on Tom's
chest. Tom moved his hands as well, one to Joe's back, one to the back of
his head, softly clenching them with affection. They danced like this for
another song. No words were said.

Soon as the music stopped both Nick and Alice approached them, indicating
that the night was over and they had to go home. It had been fun. Joe had
friends, a party and several numbers he didn't plan to call. He eventually
offered to drive, seeing how the other three was unfit for it that night
and Nick just gave him the key. It was over 1 AM when they arrived at Tom's
apartment. Joe had to lead Tom upstairs, afraid he might stumble on his
own. Nick offered him to stay over since it was very late, but Joe insisted
on going home instead.

His apartment was quiet, but something felt different; Sam was there. A
couple of weeks prior Sam discovered where Joe hid his spare key, and he
had 'violated' Joe's space since. Joe didn't mind. Sam was rich, he
wouldn't steal anything. He wasn't a sex predator; Joe's collection of
underwear was intact. Sam just liked to hang out with Joe. He broke in only
after Joe was home before, this was the first day he did it before Joe
arrived.

The body sprawled across the couch, leaving a slight space at an end. He
was sleeping fetus style. Joe went in quietly; he didn't want to bother
Sam. He actually felt bad that he made Sam wait this long.  He probably
just wanted to wish him a happy birthday. Joe sat on the coffee table and
looked at Sam who was purring softly as he slept. It looked cute on
him. Joe tousled his hair softly and stroked his stubble. He was indeed
handsome, and he was a good man; and they definitely had a great chemistry
together. Joe wondered why he never gave this man a chance. Maybe he wasn't
sure if he should cross that bridge from friendship to whatever there was
on the other side. He liked Sam as a friend too much. There was too much to
risk.

***

Five hours or so of sleep was certainly not enough, but Joe couldn't help
but wake up anyway. He had slept on the couch sitting up with Sam's legs on
his lap. The owner of the legs seemed to be still in his deep slumber. He
felt sticky and dirty from the night before, he needed a good shower. Even
if he didn't feel that way he would still take it, a habit he caught from
living in a tropical archipelago.  After he finished cleaning up Sam was
still asleep. Joe took the initiative to brew some coffee using the coffee
maker that Sam brought from his place. Since he started to sleep in Joe's
couch, he domesticated himself there.

"Sam." Joe nudged him. Sam was definitely not a light sleeper but he was
able to wake up easily that morning. He must have gotten enough sleep.

"Hey," he said amidst the fog in his brain. "Happy birthday."

"Thank you. Sorry I left you hanging." Joe apologized. "My friends threw me
a party last night."

"No, that's alright. I shouldn't have broken in anyway." Sam chuckled.

"If I mind I will let you know." Joe smiled. He pulled Sam up to sitting
position. "Coffee's almost ready."

"I bought you dinner. You said you were going to work late for a deadline,
so I thought you won't be able to catch dinner." He lied. He made the
dinner. He waited until 11 last night before deciding to give up. He knew
Joe didn't like to waste food so he wouldn't dare to scrap it. "Maybe we
can have it for breakfast."

"You did?" Joe was surprised. Sam was so thoughtful. But Joe was too blind
to read between the lines.

"Yeah, it's in the fridge."

"Tell you what. Let's get our usual breakfast, then we hang out all day,
then we can get back here and reheat the dinner. What do you say?" Joe
approached Sam with a cup of coffee.

"Sounds like a plan." Date. He almost said date. 'Sounds like a date.' But
thankfully he didn't. "So, where do you want to go?"

"I don't know. What do you suggest?"

"Parks and museums?"

"Sounds fun." Joe smiled excitedly.

"Alright. I'll clean up and meet you in half an hour." Sam stood up and
stretched.

***

"Did you order for me?" Joe sat down on his seat. Sam was already
there. Joe doubted if Sam had showered.

"Yeah, the Saturday Morning's Breakfast."

"You remember." Joe remarked plainly.

'Of course I do. I know everything about you.' In his head, Sam was
shouting. "We have breakfast together every day, and you always eat this."

"Yeah, my life is exciting." Joe said sarcastically. "Is that your car?
That black Q5?" He'd seen it on their street, now it was right over
there. He just drew a quick conclusion.

"Yeah, that's mine."

"Wow, you're loaded."

"No I'm not." Sam suddenly felt uncomfortable, the way Joe said it made him
feel so. Or maybe it was just Joe.

"You kinda are." Joe insisted. "I thought you're more of a muscle car kind
of guy."

"Just finish your breakfast." Sam obviously didn't want to discuss it.

Soon after the breakfast they went on their way. Although the plan was just
parks and museums, they ended up visiting many tourist attractions which
locals didn't normally go to. They visited the Millennium Park, The
Skydeck, Wrigley Field, all the museums and theatres, everywhere. They had
a great time. Both of them. Joe was glad that his birthday could be special
even when he wasn't celebrating it with Justin. Sam was happy because Joe
was happy.

Joe was also a bit more physical that day. Joe would pull Sam on his wrist
if he was being too slow.  He punched Sam's arm several times as
punishments for his unfunny and/or inappropriate jokes. He slapped the back
of Sam's head every time Sam zoned out, which happened a lot. He clutched
tightly onto Sam on the Skydeck because he was afraid of heights. The only
gentle touch Joe made was putting his hand on Sam's shoulder when he was
gazing at any breathtaking view.

They went back just after 6 PM. Sam still had to prepare dinner and Joe
needed his shower. It was the same habit as his morning shower. Sam liked
how Joe smelled afterward. Clean, soapy and hygienic. He could already tell
that Joe preferred not those fancy soaps or body scrubs that borrowed the
smell of some certain types of wood, but the generic day-to-day hygiene
soap. Joe wasn't fancy at all, except for his fondness for luxurious
European automobiles.

"Is dinner ready?" Joe entered the common room wearing a pair of loose
shorts and a black t-shirt. It accentuated Joe's slender chest and plump
ass. It distracted Sam for a second.

"Almost." Sam went back to work, slicing a few fresh slices of lemon to
garnish the chicken piccata.  "Done." He then placed all of it on the
coffee table.

 "Wine?" Joe asked, stepping aside so Sam could see the selection of wine
on the kitchen counter.

"White please. The second one from the right." Yes, it was already
organized.

"You should try having a meal with water. You always have either coke,
beer, or wine." Joe took a glass of water for himself.

"Alright, I'll have water." Sam said. He wanted to show that he respected
Joe's suggestion. 'When did I become a pushover?' Sam thought. He surely
needed alcohol to get through the night.

"Good." He took another glass of water with him to the living room. Joe sat
cross legged; he could sit in that position for a long time, another habit
he brought from Bali. Sam sat with his legs laid straight instead. The
talked and laughed the whole time, reviewing the stupid things they did
during the day.  Joe laughter was another thing that Sam loved. He couldn't
concentrate; his heart skipped a beat every time.

"Wow, this is good. Where did you get this?" Joe totally delighted by the
meal.

'I made it myself for your special occasion, you beautiful dimwit!' "A
restaurant downtown, near my office."

"You should take me there sometime."

"Sure." Sam began to lose confidence again. He stood and took both plates
to the sink. "And the water is so decadent." Sam said sarcastically to
lighten the mood, his mood.

"Next thing you know you'll be hooked." Joe moved to the couch, trying to
get into a cozy position.

"Don't get your hopes too high." Champagne, Sam needed champagne so
badly. That and a pack of ice in the biggest bowl he could find to cool it
down. "You should have some of this." He said sitting next to Joe.

"No thanks." Joe declined.

"Come on, just once. It's your birthday, we should celebrate." Sam
insisted.

"I assure you if I took a sip of it I will vomit, and you don't want to see
that."

"Okay." Sam backed down. He didn't want to be the prick who took advantage
of a perfectly nice guy. Especially not Joseph. Joe was the last guy he
wanted to hurt.

"I should thank you. Today was awesome, and the dinner was delicious." Joe
said.

"No problem." Sam said humbly. "I figured you've been busy since you moved
here so..." he shrugged.

"Well, thanks anyway."

"Hey, did you get any presents from your friends?"

"Nah, they just threw me a small party, that's all." Joe said. "Although,
my friend Amy sang me happy birthday on stage. That was kind of
embarrassing." He chuckled.

"Oh really?" Without he even noticed it, Sam was pouring himself another
glass of champagne.

"Yeah," Joe grinned. "And Tom was doing the craziest things when he gets
drunk. He gave me a slow dance for birthday. You can't beat that." Joe said
laughing. Sam gulped the entire glass of alcohol down.

"Is he the one that wanted to kill me?" Sam said smiling, concealing what
he really felt: jealousy, nervousness and anticipation.

"Yes."

"Do you... still have a crush on him?" Sam took another sip of the
champagne.

"No. As you said, he's straight. There was no point in that."

Sam's face glowed a little, part from happiness, part form alcohol. That
man was out of the picture for once. "Good for you."

"I figured it's better to put my energy on something worthwhile. I need to
find myself a good man. A good gay man." Yet he was not going to contact
anyone who came to him last night. Joe laid onto the back rest, he turned
his face towards Sam.

"Yeah, you should." Sam dropped his head as he said it. He needed to gain
composure and courage.

Joe didn't respond. He let the silence linger. He noticed that Sam's face
was getting red. Maybe alcohol got the best of him. There, the reason Joe
didn't drink. "I think you drank too much too fast.  I'm telling you, drink
more..."

Just out of nowhere Sam leaned in and kissed Joe. Again. To say that Joe
was shocked would be an understatement. It was two months ago when Sam
kissed Joe for the first time and it didn't go well.  The second one
happened at the same day and it wasn't ideal either. But this time it was
different; this time, for some reason, Joe kissed back.

Although Joe had been kissed twice before, this was his first actual
kiss. He wanted it. The kiss was soft, as though their lips were trying
each other's, looking if it fits one another. Joe's lips accepted Sam's and
Sam was gentle with him. His right hand moved to Joe's neck, his thumb
caressed Joe's jawline. Joe could feel the stubble on Sam's face rubbing
his cheek in a good way.

When they pulled out they looked at each other's eyes to see if it was
okay; to see if they were in the same page. Suddenly Joe attacked; he
wanted the rest, he wanted everything that Sam could give him. He didn't
want to waste any time for the soft and tender. Sam clutched Joe's collar
and pulled him in, he wanted Joe's everything too. Both of them took it as
a sign to get to business. They removed each other's tops before they
walked to the bedroom still making out.

This summer was especially hot. And in the heat of the night Joe lost his
mind. Ten minutes ago his thoughts was everywhere, now all he could think
about was the kiss he was having. He was lying on his back and Sam was top
of him, still making out. Then there was the heat of Sam's body enveloping
Joe. Their crotches grind against each other. Joe struggled with Sam's
shirt while Sam swiftly lowered Joe's loose shorts.

Suddenly Joe found his mind and it was telling him that he felt
exposed. His eyes shot open. His was left with his underwear while Sam's
was still covered. Now he could not stop thinking about how naked he felt
in his drawn up t-shirt, shorts around his knees and his underwear. He
wasn't naked and Sam hadn't seen him naked yet and they were still making
out. But Joe just felt bare. The fact that their genitals were bumping into
each other terrified him. He looked at Sam who had his eyes closed. Joe
couldn't tell what happened inside Sam's head.

Doubt! There were doubts. And questions. Could this be just lust? Is he
going to leave the morning after? Will he get weird with me? Will he leave
me all alone again? Am I ready to risk this perfectly good thing we have?
Questions after questions rushed in like a tsunami. It became mentally
suffocating.

"Stop!" It was more of a whisper than a rebel yell; a plea not a command.

Sam heard that before.

"Please. I'm sorry."

Sam pushed himself up, out of breath, as Joe struggled to pull his shorts
up. Still in push-up position he looked into Joe, pausing, looking for an
explanation. Their eyes never met, Joe looked away. The longer he paused
the less he was certain about everything. He gave Joe a questioning look
that Joe did not see. He shifted himself, sitting on his knees on Joe's
feet. His head dropped low.

Joe looked straight up to the ceiling, he couldn't look at Sam. Joe knew he
was being a complete asshole. He led Sam on, now he wouldn't dare to look
into Sam's eyes, let alone speak and apologize. How cowardly, he
thought. He could feel a weight lifted itself from the bed. A moment later
he could hear the sound front door being closed gently and locked.

___

Yeah, it ended in a sad note. But don't we all thrive in melancholy? Yes we
do! But I promise you it wouldn't be sad all the time; these fictional
bitches are going to be happy someday (while we, real bitches, are going to
be sad, always, till we die!)

If you want to talk to me just shoot me an email at robxglass@gmail.com. If
you don't, you can visit my tumblr at manlyneeds.tumblr.com. Either way you
MUST interact with me. Mwahahaha.

Cheers!