Date: Sun, 25 Mar 2007 11:19:34 -0600
From: Roy <roynm@mac.com>
Subject: Phalen - Finding Happiness - Chapter 7

This story is entirely fictional, and any resemblances to actual persons
are completely coincidental.  Actual locations are mentioned, and are used
for 'background' only.


'Phalen - Finding Happiness'
Chapter seven


by Roy Reinikainen


"You really *do* look great," Curt said, turning to Greg as he started the
car's engine.  Greg folded himself into the seat of the flashy sports car
feeling almost as flashy as the car.  Phalen had assured him the clothes
were perfect.  Jeff had nodded his agreement, and now Curt had complimented
him.

'So,' he thought to himself, 'they must be right.'  He remembered grimacing
when Phalen pulled the clothes from Jeff's closet.  "Green pants?"  Phalen
had given him a strange look and then looked back at the pants.

"They're more grey than green.  Just wait.  You'll like 'em in a minute."
Without another word he thrust the slacks toward Greg and turned to look
for a shirt.  Jeff snickered from his position, leaning against the bedroom
doorframe, ignoring Greg's brief appeal for help.

"He dresses me too."

A voice came from the closet.  "I also *undress* him!"

"Doesn't take much," Greg groused good-naturedly.  "With as little as *he*
wears, he can be stripped naked in a flash."

"Ah," Phalen shouted, turning around with a shirt in hand.  "Go ahead, put
the pants on.  No telling if Curt might be early or something and you wanna
be ready for your date."  Phalen wiggled his eyebrows and smiled brightly.
Greg sighed knowing when to surrender, and stripped out of his clothes.

"Wait!"  Phalen shouted holding out a commanding hand, turning to the
dresser and rummaging around in the top drawer.  He tossed something in
Greg's direction.  "Underwear too.  We've gotta get you a new wardrobe.  No
one here wears underwear like that except maybe my great-grandfather."
Another shrug from Jeff.

"Uh . . ."  Greg tried not to blush as he turned his back to his brother
and Phalen and stepped out of the baggy flannel boxers, all the while
feeling daring.  Phalen caught Jeff watching his brother and smiled
brightly.  Greg's skin, like his brother's was naturally pale which made
the dark hair of his legs appear even darker.  His perfectly smooth white
buttocks flexed as he shifted weight from one foot to the other.

He held the . . . *brief* . . . garment in front of him, wondering which
end was up.  He looked over his shoulder and gave Phalen a disbelieving
expression.  "Are you sure?"  Phalen nodded, trying to suppress a smile.
"At least . . . it's . . . white," Greg muttered as he slipped into the
skin tight garment and arranged himself in the pouch.  "I feel naked," he
complained, looking over his shoulder and examining his bare backside in
the mirror.  "I practically *am!*"

"They're made like that so your butt can breathe," Phalen chuckled.  "You
look just like Jeff in them.

Greg stood from having put on his socks.  "Phalen, I hate to break it to
you, but one of the first things I learned in medical school, is that
people do not breathe through their butt."  Phalen handed him the slacks
accompanied by an impatient shake and made a motion to hurry up and get
dressed.

He swatted Greg's butt, causing him to jump.  "Smart ass."

In only a few moments he would not have recognized himself.  Phalen had
been correct.  Once he slipped the white sweater over the admittedly dark
green shirt, the pants didn't look so green.  He admired himself in the
mirror a moment and then turned to his brother.  "You have good taste."
Jeff smiled and shook his head, gesturing toward Phalen.  "Underwear too?"
Jeff nodded.

"Whenever I wear any."  Phalen laughed and Jeff smiled.  Greg hoped he had
no occasion to have an erection.  The pouch would certainly not be
sufficient to keep him . . . contained, any more than it would Jeff.  He
flexed the muscles of his butt and smiled.

"The pants feel good against the bare skin," he murmured to Phalen as they
headed out to the patio to wait for Curt's arrival.

The car's engine started and he realized Curt was waiting for an answer to
his compliment.  "Yeah, well.  Everything I'm wearing belongs to Jeff.  My
clothes were not intended for Arizona weather, or to hear Phalen's opinion,
anyone under eighty years of age.  How does everyone stand the heat?  I
mean, Jeff tells me it gets hotter than this."  He glanced over at Curt,
thinking how much he liked the man's rosy cheeks and bright eyes.  Every
time he spoke it was like experiencing a caress.  Curt's infrequent laughs
made Greg smile with delight, wondering what he might do to hear the sound
again.  The more he thought about how wonderful Curt seemed, the more he
felt the usual sense of hopelessness begin to creep over him.  He was
interrupted by a laugh.

"You'll become accustomed to the heat.  You'll also start wearing as few
clothes as possible."

Greg relaxed back into the leather seats.  "That should suit Jeff.  Mother
always had a tough time keeping him dressed.  Even when he was a kid, she'd
leave the room and he'd strip-off, giving her a big unabashed grin whenever
she'd return.  When he was a child it didn't bother her as much as when he
started . . . developing."  Curt threw his head back and laughed.

'Oh . . . do that again!'  "He got it from our father.  That man will strip
at the slightest provocation.  It annoys the hell out of our mother."

Curt was captivated by the accent which tended soften the English language,
as well as Greg's deadpan description of his family's struggles with
nudity.  "Where do *you* stand in this family of aspiring nudists?"

"Somewhere between Jeff and Mother, I'd guess.  Probably closer to Mother,
though I don't have any philosophical objections to being naked around lots
of people, I just have never felt comfortable."

"I've never had an opportunity," Curt said.  "So, I don't know how I'd
handle things.  I think I'd always be worrying that I'd get hard and
embarrass myself."

"That small, huh?"  Curt quickly turned to him, only to begin laughing when
he realized he was being teased.

'I did it,' was his immediate thought.  'He's laughing.'

"Has anyone ever told you what a wonderful laugh you've got?"  Curt grinned
and turned to him with a slight shrug.

"No.  You're the first."

He eased the car to an unsteady pause at a traffic light.  It rumbled
beneath them, ready to be on its way.  Curt turned to him.  "I thought you
were supposed to be . . . 'intense.'  Isn't that what you called it?  I
hate to break it to you Greg, but you're not what I expected."  Greg gave
him a questioning look.  "You're more laid back than I thought you might
be.  Certainly more relaxed than Jeff."

"Do you know Jeff very well?  Somehow, I thought you were more of a friend
to Phalen."

"You're right.  I don't know him well.  He's closer to Brad.  I only know
him through Brad.  I actually met both Phalen and Jeff at the same time.
Phalen's easier for me to talk to.  I always feel as if Jeff is judging me
because of what I did to Brad.  You know?"  Greg nodded in understanding.

Greg stepped into the silence.  "You're right about one thing.  Phalen is
easy to talk to, but I do know that Jeff is not your enemy, even if he is
close to Brad."  Curt swallowed and nodded his head in mute acceptance.
The mood had suddenly become uncomfortable, on the verge of becoming
melancholy.

"So," Greg said, clapping his hands once in an attempt to divert Curt's
attention.  "You *did* mention food didn't you?  Where are we going to eat?
As Phalen would say, I'm starved."  Curt turned to him and smiled.  It was
difficult not to notice the moisture in his eyes.  He cleared his throat as
the traffic light changed, and the car once again was king of the road.

"We're going to a great Italian restaurant on the lake.  It's a beautiful
night, and I've been promised the very best table.  I went to school with
the person who runs the place."  The conversation lapsed into an easy
silence.  They passed through downtown Tempe and then turned into a compact
parking lot, dotted with heavily laden lemon trees.  The restaurant was an
attempt to replicate a Tuscan villa . . . a low-slung, structure with a
clay tile roof, many columns, and newly acquired, artistically-pealing,
patina.  As expected, Curt was welcomed by the manager with a genuinely
exuberant Italian hug, and accent.  Curt introduced Greg, and they were
shown to a table close to the water and an outdoor fireplace complete with
aromatic fire.

"What a wonderful spot."  Greg looked around, tracing the source of the
heavenly scent to the blossoms dotting the nearby potted lime trees.  The
strings of lights draping over the diners' heads and soft music created the
impression of dining in an intimate square in an Italian lake town.  The
gentle breeze caused the strings of lights to sway slightly, casting moving
shadows over the diners.  He looked across the table and saw Curt studying
him, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips.

"I'm glad you like it."  He seemed about to say something more, and then
stopped.

"I live over there," He pointed to one of the taller buildings on the
opposite shore of the lake.  "I can see this place from my balcony.  It
always looks so pleasant.  On an especially quiet night, I can sit on my
balcony and hear the sound of the mandolin.  I thought you might enjoy it."

"If the food's half as good as the setting . . . and the *company,* I'm
sure to."  Curt smiled, and then suddenly blinked his eyes and began
studying the menu.


----------


"I'm making dinner tonight," Phalen announced as he and Jeff walked back to
the kitchen, leaving any problems caused by Curt's and Greg's date to be
solved . . . in the future.

"Oh," Jeff said, after a momentary pause.

"Yeah, it's your birthday dinner.  Phalen stripped off his shirt and
running shorts, folding them and setting them on the kitchen island
countertop.

"Do you normally cook in the nude?"  Phalen looked at him strangely.

"I don't know.  I've never cooked anything before."  Realization suddenly
dawned on him.  "Oh, *I* see what you mean.  I'll make sure not to scorch
myself."  He turned toward the kitchen, rubbing his hands together in
anticipation.

"What are we having?"  Phalen's answer was interrupted by the sound of
Jeff's telephone ringing.  He trotted to his office and picked up the
handset.

"Mother!"  He was pleased to hear his mother's voice, giving him birthday
wishes.  "How wonderful!"  He sat on his office chair and leaned back
putting his feet up on his desk and idly swinging from side to side as he
visited with first his mother and then his father.

"Yes, he's doing fine.  In fact, he's out on a date right now.  They just
left a few moments ago."  He amended himself quickly, not knowing if Greg
had ever spoken to his parents about being gay.  "Actually, I shouldn't
have called it a date."  He chuckled, in an attempt to hide his mistake.
"He and a friend of Phalen's and mine are going to dinner.  Greg's been
holed up in the house a lot, so Curt decided to get him out and have some
dinner and see a bit of the city or something."

There was a slight hesitation on the line and he became sure he had given
away his brother's secret.  He was prepared for either his mother or father
to ask about Greg's date.  Instead, they told him they were planning on
making a trip to the States over the Thanksgiving holiday, and hoped it
would be a good time for him and his brother.

"I miss my boys," his mother had said with a catch in her voice.  "More
than I could ever have imagined."

"Mother, is everything okay," he asked, suddenly worried by the tone the
entire conversation had assumed.  "Are you sure," he pressed when she
became artificially cheerful.

He sniffed, catching an acrid odor.  "Mother, Dad, I think I'd better go.
Phalen said he was going to make dinner, and I think he's burning
something!"  He quickly ended the phone conversation and turned the corner
from his office and headed into the living room just as Phalen screamed.

"Oh shit."  He heard the sound of something crashing, followed immediately
by Phalen's exasperated voice.  "I give up!"

A faint cloud of smoke was creeping into the dining room over the barrier
of the kitchen island.  Phalen stood in the middle of the kitchen wearing a
white towel wrapped around his waist as an apron, waving a hand in front of
his face in an attempt to dispel some of the smoke.  He looked up when Jeff
skidded to a halt on the other side of the island, and put his fists firmly
on his hips, looking stubborn.

"Don't ask!"

Jeff nodded, relieved at the absence of flames.  Phalen threw a dish towel
onto the kitchen floor in disgust, looking from side to side and then once
again attempted to chase some of the thinning smoke away.  He turned his
back to Jeff as he surveyed the kitchen disaster, exposing his bare butt, a
tanned accent framed by a large white bath towel.  Jeff raised his eyebrows
and tried to maintain a straight face.

"This is gonna take forever to clean up."  Phalen turned back, catching
Jeff as he tried to cover his smile.  "What are you snickering at?"

"Why the towel?"  Phalen looked down at himself, and at the relatively
clean towel.

"I didn't want to get messy."  He looked at the shambles of a kitchen.  "I
guess this should teach me.  I should stay outta the kitchen . . ."  He
studied Jeff from under lowered eyelids, a slight smile tugging at the
corners of his mouth.  "Huh?"

"Oh, I don't know.  There's no major damage . . . and your eyebrows will
grow back, eventually."  Phalen looked up in surprise and then checked to
see if he had indeed scorched his eyebrows.

"Got'cha," Jeff chortled.  "You believed me!"

Phalen playfully swatted at him as he left the kitchen. "That's 'cause you
never joke.  Better get dressed," he said as he walked past.  "We're going
*out* to dinner.  Oh, yeah, *you're* buying.  All my money just went up in
smoke."  Jeff checked to make sure the range and oven were turned off
before following Phalen into the bedroom.

"Lover."  Phalen looked over his shoulder from where he was standing in
front of the closet with his hands on his hips.  "Could we stay home
tonight?"

"But it's your birthday, and I wanted to do something special for you."
Jeff wrapped him in a warm embrace, noticing the slightly acrid odor of
smoke.  He grinned into Phalen's hair and kissed his neck.

"You already did something special for me.  You tried to do something
you've never done before."  When Phalen started to say something, Jeff
tightened his embrace.  "Shhhh.  I know it didn't go the way you'd hoped,
but it was a wonderful idea, and I thank you."

"But . . ."

Jeff moved back enough so he could look into Phalen's eyes.  "Lover,
listen.  You don't have to give me something to show your love.  I know
that's what you feel each time you look at me.  I see it in your eyes.  I
hear it in your voice when you say something to me."  He took Phalen's
hand.  "I feel it whenever you touch me.  You give me something of yourself
each moment we're together.  That's the most wonderful thing you could
possibly give."  He leaned close and tenderly kissed Phalen, ignoring the
watery eyes.  Phalen took a gasping breath when they separated and swiped
at his eyes.

"You really won't feel cheated if we don't go out to eat?"  Jeff ran his
open palms over Phalen's back, pulling him close once again.

"No.  If you're with me, I will never feel cheated."

"For real?"  Jeff nodded and kissed him once again.

"For sure," he teased, using of Phalen's favorite terms.  Phalen grinned,
realizing what Jeff was doing.

"Awesome.  I didn't have a chance to burn the wine."  The corners of
Phalen's lips twitched in an attempt to hide a smile, recalling the
disaster in the kitchen.  "We could have a glass and throw the big down
comforter on the floor in front of the fireplace."

"I'd like that."


----------


Jeff tossed the thick feather blanket and a couple pillows onto the rug in
front of the fireplace, the only source of light other than the small
lights in the tree in the courtyard visible through the wall of
floor-to-ceiling windows.

Phalen stood in the doorway to the nearby bedroom and watched Jeff crawl
across the white blanket to smooth it out.  He never tired of watching Jeff
as he moved naked about the house.  People always considered *him,* the
baseball player, to be the athlete.  *He* saw Jeff's naturally lithe body
as the ideal.  Jeff's was an unconscious athleticism which he wore as
casually as a comfortable set of clothes.

He turned toward Phalen, still on his knees, and sat back against his heels
with a smile.  The dark spread of closely-clipped chest hair was prominent
against his pale skin.  The hair narrowed to a thin line as it approached
his navel and then fanned out once more above his thickening cock.  He
smiled, something Jeff was becoming more comfortable with now that he had
dealt with most of the pain of his childhood abuse.  Little by little, Jeff
was becoming a new man, no longer jumping at the ghosts of his past, but
taking control of his life.

"C'mere, lover."  He held his arms out and welcomed Phalen into a warm
embrace as they knelt facing one another.  Jeff's kiss was deep and sloppy,
the kind they both enjoyed.  Phalen ran his hands over Jeff's back while
Jeff kneaded his buttocks, pulling him close and trapping their erections
between their bodies.

"Happy birthday, big man."  Phalen squirmed slightly, grinding his erection
against Jeff's.  He attacked Jeff's mouth once more, welcoming his tongue
and the small sounds of pleasure Jeff made as they kissed.  "Damn, being
here with you is much better than going out to eat," he breathed, as they
moved apart and he laid back onto the blanket and pulled Jeff to lay on top
of him.


----------


After a leisurely dinner, and a long walk along Mill Avenue, the bustling
main street of downtown Tempe, a stop at an ice cream shop, and finally
after some more strolling, a cup of coffee at a small coffee shop, they
headed for home.

'It's wonderful,' Greg thought to himself, 'to be with someone who
appreciates quiet and doesn't try to fill every moment with sound.'  He
glanced at Curt as they drove beneath the streetlights with only the
late-night sounds of the city surrounding them, and then turned away,
smiling to himself.

They pulled into Jeff's driveway and Curt turned off the headlights and
stopped the engine.  Greg spoke just loud enough to be heard by the man
walking next to him.  "Thanks for the dinner, and the ice cream, *and* the
company.  I've had a wonderful time.  Remember, the next time, I'm buying."

"You mean you would like to do this again?  You didn't do this just to
please Phalen?"  Curt seemed surprised.

"Of course I would like to get together again.  The meal was wonderful, as
was the ice cream and coffee, but mostly I enjoyed the company. "  Curt
stayed close as they walked to the courtyard door, and into the shadows
cast by the nearby streetlight.

"I, uh.  Greg, uh . . . may I give you a hug?  You've been so wonderful to
me, ever since we met."  He looked at Greg with a slightly mischievous
expression.  "Besides, I've been wondering what it would be like to hold
you."  Greg's grin faltered slightly.

"I've."  Greg cleared his throat and tried to bring his voice under
control.  "I've never held a . . . man . . . before," he said with bowed
head.  "But, I'd . . . like . . . to . . ."  His voice trailed off.  He
looked up to see Curt studying him.  "What are you thinking?"  Curt gave
him the barest hint of a grin, hardly visible in the dim light.

"I'm thinking how incredibly lucky I am to have met you."  He stepped
closer and took Greg into a gentle embrace.  At the first touch he felt
Greg inhale sharply and then relax, and finally . . . slowly . . . wrap his
arms around Curt's waist, resting his head on his shoulder.

Greg took a ragged breath and sighed with pleasure.

Neither seemed to want to be the first to back away from the embrace.
Finally, Curt leaned back slightly and gently kissed Greg on the cheek.
"Thank you . . . for everything."

Greg took a step back and nodded slightly, compressing his lips as he
attempted to control his emotions.  "No," he managed to say after a moment.
"I should be thanking you."  He took another deep breath and let it out
slowly.  "Touching you . . . like we just did . . ."  He swallowed.  "I
wasn't sure I'd ever be able to do . . . that."  His voice lowered even
further.  "Thank you."

Curt reached out and tenderly ran his fingertips over Greg's jaw, from his
ear to his chin, and then backed away.  "G'night," he murmured and turned
away, heading to his car.  Greg held up his hand in a silent good bye,
watching as Curt backed out onto the street and drove away.  He touched his
jaw recalling the tenderness of the touch as well as the understanding in
Curt's eyes.

'We're more alike than either of us realized, aren't we,' he asked himself
as he let himself into the courtyard and pushed the heavy door closed
behind him.  'We're both frightened.  You, by what you *might* do, me by
what I've never been *able* to do.'

"What is it I'm feeling," he asked himself, as he crossed the small
courtyard, and then opened the door to the house, cringing at the three
beeps made by the alarm system.

There was a slight groan from the floor.  Jeff and Phalen were lying on a
blanket in front of a burning fire.  Jeff was on his back, with Phalen
half-lying on top of him, his head on Jeff's chest.  The scene before him
was one of the most intimate he'd ever seen.

He'd never realized how athletic Phalen was.  His shoulder and arm muscles
were prominent, even when he was asleep.  His broad back tapered to a
slender waist and finally to firm tanned buttocks.  His hairless legs were
splayed wide, the left one draped over one of Jeff's.

Phalen's deeply tanned, hairless body contrasted sharply with Jeff's
lighter skin, and the closely cropped spread of dark hair over his chest
that was so much like his own.  Jeff's pubes also appeared to be trimmed,
but even so, were thick and dark, framing his penis which hung limply,
resting on his scrotum.

Greg stood transfixed, thinking how much he envied them their intimacy.  He
wanted to be lying on the floor with them, feeling their naked bodies
close.  It wasn't sex he wanted, it was close physical contact with another
man.  He touched the spot on his cheek Curt had kissed only moments
earlier.  He could still feel the tightness of the embrace, and wished
. . . deeply, that it had not ended.

Jeff stirred slightly and raised his head, giving his brother a bleary-eyed
look.  "Hi," he said with a voice rough from sleep.  "You okay?"  Greg
nodded.

"Wonderful.  Will I bother you if I sit out on the patio for a while
. . . to assimilate things?"  Jeff gave a languid motion of his hand and
murmured something and then dropped his head back onto the pillow.

As Greg walked across the living room he recalled the feel of Curt's warm
smooth fingers as he slowly caressed the back of his neck while they
hugged.  The memory was so strong it was as if he had taken a snapshot of
those few brief moments which he was now able to examine at his leisure.

'What am I feeling,' he asked himself once again, as he opened one of the
French doors separating the house from the patio.  He cringed at the three
beeps and glanced guilty back to the sunroom where the firelight still
flickered on the walls.

Outside, the swimming pool lights cast wavering patterns on the trunks of
the nearby palms as he sat down and stared into the depths of the pool
trying to organize his jumbled thoughts.  'How is it possible for such a
brief thing as a hug and kiss to mean so much?"  His feelings came from
more than the brief show of affection.  They came from the feeling of
friendship he got from Curt.  It was a non-judgmental friendship . . . and
undemanding.  Neither of them expected something of the other.  The
companionship was totally unlike any he had ever experienced.  He knuckled
his eyes and then turned to look over his shoulder when he heard a slight
noise.

Jeff was walking out onto the patio, his hair spiky, but his eyes clear.
He ran his fingers through his hair and smiled when he saw Greg look over
his shoulder.  "Hi."  He spoke in a low voice scooting a chair over so he
could sit close.  "How'd things go?"  Greg smiled.

"Really, really well.  I like him."

"I'm glad."  Jeff lowered his head.  "I wasn't sure what to expect."  He
shrugged slightly.  "I'm like Mother.  I worry too much, I think."

Greg grinned.  "Thank you for your concern, Jeff.  I think it's
unwarranted, but . . . it means a lot to me.  By the way, what happened in
the kitchen?"  Jeff grinned.

"Phalen attempted to demonstrate his skills as a chef . . . to celebrate my
birthday.  Things didn't go well.  We ate something light and spent the
evening with a couple glasses of wine in front of the fire.  I hope we
didn't bother you seeing us on the floor like that."  Greg bowed his head
slightly.

'Should I,' he asked himself.  He licked his lips and looked back to his
brother.  "Jeff, I'm in a position I never expected to be in."  His brother
gave him an inquisitive look.  "He . . . Curt . . . hugged me and gave me a
kiss on the cheek when he walked me to the door, and now I'm feeling
. . . like I need to be held."  Jeff leaned forward resting his forearms on
the table, interlacing his fingers.  "I can't imagine going to bed and
lying alone, not after having been held like that . . . at least not
tonight."

He voice was barely above a whisper, his head bowed.  "I'm not asking for
sex.  May I join you guys on the floor?  You can put some clothes on if you
like.  I just need to be . . . touched."  Jeff stood and rounded the table
taking his brother's hand and urging him to stand.  The moment Greg stood,
Jeff held him tight, feeling his brother's hands against his back, his
touch hesitant at first, and then firm.

"Thank you," he murmured next to Jeff's ear.  "It's your birthday, and I'm
the one getting the gifts."  He chuckled against Jeff's shoulder.  "I feel
so wonderful I could shout."

Without seeming to think, Jeff backed up a step and looked at him with a
slightly startled expression.  He glanced over his shoulder toward the
house.  "Let me warn Phalen first.  He'll think I'm back to my old ways."
He instantly knew he had said more than he wanted.  He gave his brother an
embarrassed grin.

"Ah."  He rubbed his forehead not meeting his brother's eyes.  "Let me go
tell Phalen you're joining us."

Greg studied Jeff closely.  "Jeff, tell me the truth.  Are you okay?"  He
stepped close and held Jeff by the upper arms.  Jeff nodded, still
unwilling to meet Greg's eyes.

"Yes, I'm okay."

"Your word on it?"  Again, Jeff nodded.  Slowly.

"My word."  He looked back toward the house.  "Let's go inside.  If Phalen
wakes up he'll wonder where I am."

With some reluctance, Greg let himself be led back into the house.
Something was going on, or *had* gone on.  Jeff was acting strangely.  He
closed the patio doors and turned to see Jeff kneeling beside Phalen, and
then help him up.  As they headed toward the bedroom Jeff motioned for him
to join them.

He bit his lip, wondering if he had asked too much, if he would somehow
change the relationship he had been building with his brother.  He looked
up to see Jeff watching him.  Phalen must have already gone into the
bedroom.

He took a deep breath, and walked to where Jeff stood.  "Are you sure it's
okay," he murmured, and was answered by a hint of a smile and a brief nod.

Phalen had thrown the covers off the bed and was on one side of the bed
lying on his stomach, deeply asleep.  Greg watched his brother climb onto
the bed and lie next to Phalen.  Jeff moved to a position where he was
supporting himself on an elbow.

"Everything okay?"  He looked up at Jeff's murmured question, realizing he
had been hesitating, the old fears gnawing at the back of his mind.  He
nodded once. The thought of being held made him ignore his fears.

He quickly stripped off his borrowed clothes, lying them over the back of a
chair.  He hesitated a moment, wondering if he should continue wearing the
brief underwear Phalen had given him earlier in the evening and decided
against it.  He bent over, peeling them off and tossed them on top of the
clothes.  He held his arms slightly from his sides and faced his brother.
Both men knew that even being able for him to stand naked in front of his
brother was an accomplishment.  Greg dropped his arms to his sides and
returned Jeff's smile and then crawled onto the wonderfully soft bed.

Jeff turned onto his side and moved close to Phalen, who groaned slightly
and moved into a spooning position, his chest against Jeff's back.  Jeff
pulled Greg closer, *his* chest against his brother's back, and draped an
arm over Greg's side.

"You okay now?"  Jeff's voice was barely more than a whisper against Greg's
neck.

"Thank you, Jeff," Greg murmured, feeling welcomed and secure.  "Happy
Birthday."

----------


'I'm actually happy.' Curt laughed out loud, enjoying the first time in
months that he'd felt really good.  Even winning the big contract at work
hadn't left him feeling this good.  He looked at the lights reflected from
his building in the lake as he crossed the bridge.  Tonight they looked
especially cheerful.

'It felt good to hold someone again without feeling guilty.'  He glanced to
the photograph of Brad stuck to his dashboard.  The photo was barely
visible in the darkness, and then down the long row of lighted palms
leading to his building.

Hank was still on duty.  'Does he ever sleep?'  Curt paused a moment to say
hello and take the mail Hank already had waiting.

"You're looking much better tonight, Mr. Sullivan.  A little rest will do
wonders, I always say."  Curt smiled brightly.

"You can say that again.  Sleep, and a good meal with a very nice person."

Hank's eyes widened and he returned Curt's smile.  "What's her name?"

"His name is Greg.  He just moved here from Finland, and we had a wonderful
time."  Curt caught the momentary hesitation in Hank's smile and leaned
closer.

"Don't worry Hank.  I promise not to jump you."  The security man thought a
moment and then managed an unsteady laugh.

"I don't know whether I should be pleased, or insulted."  He winked,
relieving any tension that might have been in the air.  Curt laughed and
turned toward the elevator door.

"G'night, Hank," he called over his shoulder.

"Good night, Mr. Sullivan.  Pleasant dreams."  Hank's wish followed Curt
into the elevator.

"I'm sure they will be," he spoke aloud, bouncing a couple times on the
balls of his feet.  "I'm sure they will be."



~ to be continued ~



Thank you for taking the time to read my work.  I *always* welcome your
email and enjoy hearing your thoughts.  If you would like me to send a pic
of the character(s), please ask.

In addition to the first 'Phalen' story, I have three other stories you may
want to read.  'Leith,' and 'Chris' are located in the Nifty College
Section.  The third story is called 'Wesley', and is located in the Adult
Relationships section.  I hope you enjoy them all.

Best wishes,

Roy Reinikainen
roynm@mac.com
suomalainen_abq@mac.com