Jason and You Makes Two

Kudos go to Lisa for proofing. Thanx Lisa!

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Chapter 12

Mark sat on the couch, trying his best not to fidget while he took in what he could see of Simon’s home. It was very nice, very masculine, and very big. The lower level had a fairly open layout with intricately carved, cherry wainscoting and crown molding. The living room’s ceiling graduated upwards with layer upon layer of crisscrossing, one-by-three inch wooden slats, each layer mimicking the last, until it peaked with a flat, triangle-shaped center. If it weren’t for the disturbing images of a naked Simon upstairs and a rock hard erection in his pants, figuring out the weight distribution issues alone for the ceiling would have sent Mark’s inner architect into a frenzy.

The living room took up most of the lower floor and a wide, arched hallway on the left led off to the rest of the house. From where he sat, Mark could see the dining room at the far end and what was most likely the kitchen through a set of swinging doors on the other side of that. There were a couple of other rooms down the hall, but he couldn’t tell what they were from his position.

Either way, he was sure that they were full of heavy, beautifully polished pieces of cherry furniture like the living room and dining room were. The floors were in the same dark wood and the walls above the wainscoting a pleasant, pale shade of textured green that contrasted nicely and saved the area from being too heavy and dark.

Overall, it was a theme that Mark was quickly falling in love with since he’d always longed to live in place full of gorgeous angles and bold designs. The place he’d grown up in had seemed plastic in comparison, the walls covered in pastel, flowery wallboard and matching light blue carpeting throughout. The rooms had been cramped and the layout awkward.

Although Mark had never been the type to feel like he was above his upbringing or to care about money or what other people had, he’d always hated the poorly cut, fake wood trim that had been slapped on the walls in his parents’ home. It had all felt so…artificial and generic. For that matter, one of the guys who’d lived a few houses down in the same mobile home park had had the exact same floor plan and wall paper. The only difference between their doublewides had been the color of the flooring and the counters in the bathrooms and kitchen.

Suddenly, Mark realized that his cock was beginning to settle down and let out a sigh of relief as he sank back into the couch. Then he crossed his legs with his ankle over his knee and began picking nervously at the hem of his pants.

After a few minutes, he began to relax a little more, soaking in the serene atmosphere of Simon’s home and letting the scents of wood and cinnamon wash over him. He was thankful that he couldn’t hear the shower running upstairs like he would have been able to back at his apartment. That made it easier to keep his mind off of teasing, blue eyes, hard muscles, steaming water, and…

As if the direction of his thoughts had summoned the man, Mark heard Simon’s footsteps behind him as his handsome friend made his way back down the stairway. Mark immediately turned around to speak to him but his mouth fell open at the sight that met his eyes. Simon was bare foot and naked from the waist up, a shirt slung over one wide shoulder as he roughly scrubbed his wet hair with a towel. Mark quickly shut his mouth again before any drool could escape and swallowed against the tightness in his throat as his cock quickly filled again.

Simon chose that moment to pause at the bottom of the steps and look down at Mark with a big grin. “Hey there. Hope I didn’t keep you waiting too long,” the man said, his eyes twinkling as he gave his hair one last swipe and hung the damp towel over the wooden banister.

Mark ran his tongue around his lips to ease the sudden dryness there as he shrugged and blushed. “No, not at all. I was just looking around. You’re house is gorgeous. I love the way the diamond shapes carved into the wainscoting reflects the angles of the ceilings. I’m amazed that you were able to overlap the different layers in such a way that it tricks the eye into thinking there’s more depth than there actually is. The floor plan is nice too. The flow is amazing. Although you have several distinct rooms down here, it all seems to blend and gives the feeling of open space.”

Suddenly realizing that he was babbling, Mark shut his mouth. Then he forced his eyes away from the trails of water dripping from Simon’s wet hair to his shoulder and down his muscular chest. After a quick glance around the room, his rebellious eyes went straight back to the delicious spectacle before him in time to see one, small drop race across Simon’s collarbone before losing its purchase and sliding a path down to a hard, pink nipple. This time he gulped before glancing up to catch those piercing blue eyes boring into him, studying him intently. Mark quickly looked away again.

“I’m surprised you’d notice something like that,” Simon said, his voice soft and serious for once. “I’ve had several of my friends over and the only one who’s ever picked up on that type of thing was my dad or some of his friends. “You have a good eye.”

“Thanks,” Mark shot back, unable to keep a bright smile from spreading across his face at the compliment as he met Simon’s curious gaze with more confidence. That Simon clearly meant it made Mark feel all warm and fuzzy inside. “I’ve always been into architecture. When I was in middle school and high school I used to spend most of my time scouring through pictures of the old buildings of Europe and studying the different styles and periods. That was also my major in college, but I never really got to take a real class on the subject because of gen-eds. I’ve already told you how that worked out.”

When Mark shrugged nonchalantly and tucked his hands back into his front pockets, Simon looked at him more closely as a frown marred the skin of his forehead. “That’s too bad,” he said before visibly shaking himself and motioning toward the dining room. Mark took the unspoken invitation. As he walked by, Simon asked, “Have you ever thought about applying for a scholarship or maybe taking out student loans?”

“I couldn’t do either. My parents made too much for me to qualify for government loans and they wouldn’t co-sign for any other kind after they disowned me. The few scholarships I’d managed to scrape together weren’t nearly enough to cover my expenses.” Mark explained as he glanced back over his shoulder just in time to see Simon open a small door in the wall and toss the towel into it. “That’s neat. Do you have a basement too?”

“Yeah,” Simon replied as he shut the small door before grabbing the shirt hanging over his shoulder and slipping it on. Mark’s cock jerked at the sight of all those shifting muscles and he quickly turned back around as Simon’s head reappeared and he started moving forward again. “The basement level is completely finished, but it’s more laidback than the upstairs areas. There’s a laundry room, an entertainment room, and a work out area down there. Oh, and a pool table,” Simon added with a grin as they stepped into the dining room.

At that moment, Mark realized that he’d missed the chance to check out the other rooms along the hallway since he’d been so distracted by Simon’s presence behind him, but immediately perked up, reminding himself that he’d have the chance to check it out later.

As Simon led him through the dining room to the other side, Mark looked up with delight to see that the ceiling in the living room was mimicked here as well. The only difference was that a brass chandelier hung from the center above the heavy dining room table instead of the strategically placed track lighting that had been in the other room.

Rather than comment again and risk running it into the ground, Mark asked, “Do you play pool often? I used to love playing before I moved here. It’s all about angles and strategy.”

That drew a deep, rumbling laugh from Simon as he pushed through the swinging doors into the next room and flipped the lights on. “Yeah, I love to play too, but it seems like the guys I hang out with have already gotten tired of it. If it doesn’t include a club full of half-naked, horny men, I’m afraid nothing holds their interest for very long. Sometimes the guys from work come over and we’ll shoot a few games and have a beer. You want to play later?”

If Mark didn’t know better, he’d have sworn that Simon sounded lonely. “Sure,” Mark replied as he made his way over to a counter along the wall and watched as Simon opened the big, yellow refrigerator and pulled out a glass baking dish still half full of lasagna. Just the sight of it made his mouth water and his stomach perk up with anticipation. “I’m a little surprised by the kitchen,” Mark admitted while Simon shoveled a large serving of pasta onto two plates.

“Why so?”

“Well, it wasn’t quite what I expected, based on what I’ve seen of the house so far. The cabinets and counters are all so dainty and light and the stove and refrigerator look like they’re retro or something.” With another good glance around the room, Mark stepped over to two doors built into the wall beside the stove. “Are these both ovens? I’ve never seen any made like this. I mean, I’ve read about them and seen pictures, but…”

Simon shrugged, grinning sheepishly as he stuck one of the plates into the microwave mounted above the stove. “My mom picked out everything in this room except for the refrigerator and stove. I figured that she’d know more than I would about what a functional kitchen would need. Besides, I’ve always agreed with Mom that a kitchen should be bright and cheerful.”

That explained the explosion of sunflowers around the room in Mark’s mind and he couldn’t help the wistful grin that spread across his face. “That’s great,” he replied simply as he looked down at his feet and fell silent.

Hearing about Simon’s mother made Mark long for his own. He’d been sending her emails religiously since his short stay at college years ago, even after his parents disowned him. She’d never answered one, not even once, but Mark had always felt better believing that she might be reading them to find out what was going on in Mark’s life. It was something at least.

A large hand landed on Mark’s shoulder, pulling him out of his thoughts and drawing his attention to Simon’s worried expression. “Are you okay, Mark?” he asked, the concern in his voice nearly enough to choke Mark up. When Mark nodded his head ‘yes’, Simon dropped his hand and stepped back with a sigh.

“Why don’t you go have a seat in the dining room while I finish up in here? We’ll have a nice talk then and you can tell me what’s been going on with you since the last time we met.”

“Sure,” was Mark’s only response, glad to have the excuse to get away from Simon’s prying eyes for just a minute while he pulled himself together.

Pushing away from the counter, Mark wandered back into the dining room as ordered. Before he’d had time to even gather his thoughts, Simon was stepping backwards through the swinging doors with a plate in each hand. He set them on the table and disappeared again before returning with silverware, two sodas, and a few rolls on a saucer.

“Dig in,” he said with a happy smile and Mark did immediately.

For a while they ate in comfortable silence. When Mark was almost finished, Simon finally started in with the questioning and Mark quickly gave in and spilled everything that had happened in the past few weeks with Jason, Chandra, the move, and the new job. Simon listened quietly, only interrupting Mark once or twice to ask questions. By the time he was finished his story, Mark was feeling much better – lighter – than he had in months.

“So, when I found out that I’d gotten the job, I thought I’d come over and let you know that it wouldn’t be much longer,” Mark explained with a shrug and a self-deprecating smile. “I know it’s pathetic that it’s taken so long to pay you back, but when I left Jason it really put me in a tough spot. If Chandra hadn’t taken me in, I don’t know what I would have done. It would’ve come down to either going back home and playing it straight for my parents or living in my car. Neither sounded all that appealing, to be honest.”

“You know that you could have come here,” Simon scolded gently, an earnest expression on his rugged face. “I gave you my address for a reason.”

Mark shrugged and looked back down at his roll. “No, it wouldn’t have been right to take advantage of you that way. I barely know you and I don’t like taking handouts. It’s bad enough that I still owe Chandra for my first week at her apartment.”

“We’re friends, though, right?” Simon countered with a breathtaking smile. “Even if we haven’t known each other all that long, I can already tell that we’re good together. I would have gladly helped you out when you needed it.”

Mark studied Simon for a few seconds before shaking his head and letting out a sigh. “That’s just it. We really are good together, and sometimes I get this vibe from you that you want more than I’m willing to offer right now. Being friends is fine, but lover’s is out of the question until I know for sure that there’s no chance for Jason and I to work things out. It wouldn’t be fair to either of us to live under the same roof and be forced to fight off the attraction between us 24/7.”

A blush spread across Mark’s cheeks at his own blunt observation, but he knew that what he was saying was true. He’d seen an erection in Simon’s tight jeans more than once since they’d met in the driveway and there was no doubt in his mind that their feelings were mutual.

“If friendship is all you can offer, I’ll gladly take it,” Simon said quietly, a dejected sound seeping into his deep voice, “but I still think that you should consider…”

“Even if I could, it’s too soon,” Mark admitted with a gentle smile. He didn’t want to hurt the handsome man but he couldn’t let him hold out false hope either. “I really like you Simon, and I know we’d be good together, but I’m still in love with Jason. I probably always will be, regardless of how things work out.”

“About Jason…” Simon murmured, the hesitation he felt over bringing up Mark’s ex clearly written in his blue eyes. “I don’t understand why you agreed to give him a second chance. I know it’s not my place to interfere, but what if you take him back and nothing changes or he…”

“You don’t know Jason, so you really shouldn’t make judgments like that about him,” Mark cut in impatiently.

He knew Simon was just trying to help but he was getting tired of everyone around him dogging Jason. Sure, Jason had issues, but no more than anyone else Mark had ever known. Underneath that Jason had always been a good person and a dedicated, faithful lover.

“Just because things didn’t work out for us before doesn’t mean that they won’t work out the next time. He’s acknowledged his problems and he’s working on them now. That was really the only issue that kept our relationship from being ideal. After five years, I owe him at least that much. I can’t just toss him aside at the first sign of trouble. All relationships run into problems. Jason and I are no different.”

“But he hit you,” Simon replied, his handsome face screwed up in confusion and his eyes full of something that looked like disappointment or maybe even pain. “You said yourself that you’d never put up with that from anyone. You deserve better.”

“That’s where you, Jason, Chandra, and Jason’s mom seem to be confused,” Mark grumbled with a disgusted sigh as he dropped his fork onto his empty plate and pinned Simon with a no-nonsense look. “It’s actually the other way around. I hit Jason. Hard. What Jason did was nothing more than a kneejerk reaction that nearly any guy would’ve had. The rest was just Jason trying to keep me from hitting him again. It wasn’t his fault I panicked and went all Rambo on him.”

A loud, boisterous laugh escaped Simon at that comment and his mood immediately lightened up as he reached over to pat Mark on the hand. “Okay, Rambo. I’ll take your word on that one, but I still think Jason should have held back.” Mark frowned at that and Simon quickly pulled his hand away before standing from his seat. “What do you say we go check out the rest of the house, since you seem so interested, and after that we can play a few rounds of pool?”

Mark immediately perked back up at that idea and nodded his head. “That’d be great.”

“Yeah, it would,” Simon shot back with an excited grin. “I like having you around. You should come visit me more often.” With that, Simon grabbed the few dishes from the table and disappeared into the kitchen again. Mark watched him go with a contemplative smile on his face.

Simon was a great listener and Mark had a feeling that he’d be taking the handsome man up on his generous offer. Mark had always been surprised at the natural, easy way they were with one another and tonight had been no different. Sure, there was an undeniable attraction between them but there was also something else. They just clicked and Mark knew that he’d never get tired of hanging out with Simon. The man just seemed to fill an empty place inside of Mark that he’d never known was there. It was comforting and he wanted more. If or when Mark and Jason reunited, Mark already knew that his friendship with Simon was one of many new things in his life that he wouldn’t be willing to set aside in the name of love.

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Kinda rushed today but thanx for reading and please be sure to review. You know you want to!! bwahahahaha Okay, gotta go. See ya next time and be safe.