The boss' youngest brother

.:3:.

Tim stayed with me for the night. He slept next to me, peacefully snoring, not waking up until the alarm clock rang. I’d been awake numerous times. I’d looked at him while he slept, caressed his soft blond hair, admired him as he was lying curled up under my warm spreads.

I made coffee when we had to get up, and we washed ourselves the way I always did it; with a bucket of warm water. He found it quite amusing, it seemed.

All refreshed and awake, I brought him to the office in my car. We kissed before we stepped out, but I stopped him before he could leave me. “My key,” I said, giving it to him.

He smiled broadly, and skipped on his way inside, like a happy child. I sighed when I finally followed. Dreamily, I stood in the elevator, and I was distracted with my thoughts when I stepped into our office. Thoughts which were disturbed abruptly when I saw my boss, blazing in front of me, pointing to his room with a trembling finger.

“Inside!” he barked. “Right now!”

Ruined. I was ruined, I thought, feeling my heart sink. The door closed behind me with a bang, and I was pushed against my shoulder to force me into a seat.
But that was a mistake of my boss. Sure, I made a lot of mistakes, the past few days. I’d done things I shouldn’t have done, but he didn’t have to push me. Stubbornly, I stayed put, and I looked at him with a defiant expression. “You wanted to talk to me?”

Yes, he wanted to talk to me. Or, to scream at me. He yelled, called me a rapist and a fag, and accused me of dishonoring his little brother.
If he had been more mature about it, I would even have listened. If only he’d been calm, I would even have tried to explain things to him. But screaming at me, calling me a rapist, while his brother had been the one seducing me?
“Fuck you,” I said coolly. And I turned away.

The moment I turned my back to my boss, the door of his office opened. Tim was pushed inside, and the door banged shut behind him. One look at his face told me enough. I walked towards him, kissed him, and opened the door. “Go,” I said. “I’ll handle this.”

Tim staggered outside. He glanced at his brother, looking bewildered and pale, and then turned to run away. I left the door wide open as I turned back to my boss. The closet had opened, right? It was time for the world to know a few facts about me.

“I’m gay,” I said calmly, loud enough for my co-workers to hear. “Like you are straight. You’re committed to one woman, and I’m committed to a guy. The fact I like men more than women doesn’t mean I’m a rapist. The fact I love your brother doesn’t make me a pedophile. He came after me, when I gave him the impression I liked him. He needs love. If only you’d been able to give him what he needed, he wouldn’t be so desperate to be with me.”

“You fuck a kid!” screamed my boss.

“He’s twenty-one,” I shrugged. I wanted to say more, but one of my colleagues stepped inside, giving something to my boss. It was Tim’s cellphone. He must have dropped it when he ran away.
I smiled. “There’s a few pictures on that you might want to see,” I said. “Don’t worry, they’re not filthy. If you want to talk, you know where to reach me. Goodbye.”

I left the office, left the building, leaving all my stuff behind. I took my car and drove home, to my ship, knowing I was out of work. It was time to move on again.

I looked at the view for a while, before I went inside. I liked that place. It was the best I ever had, and I’ve moved a few times in my life. I would miss it.

I took a deep breath when I finally stepped in, and went down to my bedroom. I wasn’t even too surprised to find Tim on my bed. He wasn’t crying. He reached out for me when I sat down, and I took him in my arms. “I knew you would ruin me,” I smiled at him. It made his lower lip tremble. “But I don’t mind. You can stay here, for as long as you want. But I’ll have to move on in a few days, or the police will come after me.”

It had happened before. For different reasons. I would have to change my name again, and start another life. I’d done it before; it wasn’t too bad.

“I’ll come with you,” said Tim. And that would make things a bit more complicated.

“You can’t,” I said. “You’ll have to talk to your brother and to forget me. There’ll be other men in your life, I’m not the only one finding you the sweetest guy in the world…”

Tim could respond in different ways. He could scream at me, hate me, or starting to cry. I would be able to handle it all. But he did nothing like that. He reached up, brushed his fingers over my lips, and kissed me. “I’m staying with you,” he stated. “Even after I’ve talked to my brother. Indeed, you’re not the only one, or the first finding me cute. But you are the first one answering my feelings of love… And I’ll stay with you.”

He was so young… Tim was barely an adult, and yet he declared his life to me. I smiled again, indulgently, but I didn’t protest or agree. “Silly…” I said instead.

At that moment, my phone rang. “That’ll be your brother,” I said when I pulled it out of my pocket. Indeed, it was. “Yes,” I answered it.

“Let me speak to Tim,” was the brief reply. I gave the phone to Tim, and left the bed to let them speak in peace.
There was no screaming. All I could pick up was the calm rumbling of Tim’s husky voice. I could smell a cigarette and lit one myself, as I stared over the river from the steering house.

I would miss this spot. I didn’t want to move again, actually. I wanted to stay here, to build up my life even further, and not to start all over again. I was thirty-five, and it was time to settle down and focus on my future, instead of trying to bury my past and start anew.
I didn’t want to go. When I felt two slender arms around my waist, and a face against my shoulder, I knew I wouldn’t go. I would face the consequences, for the first time in my life. I wouldn’t flee.

“Still love me?” I asked, staring out of the window.

“With whole my heart,” said Tim softly. “My brother saw the pictures I took with my cellphone. He said he was sorry he called you a rapist. He said it was the first time I looked so relaxed and happy.”

“Good,” I nodded. “If only he had the guts to say that to me, instead of to you.”

“He’s a coward,” said Tim. “Like you, if you run away, and leave me behind… Will you stay?”

I turned around, and took him between my arms. “Yes,” I said. “I will stay. I’ll stay with you, for you, and only because of you. You better be proud of yourself.”

He grinned when I poked him on the tip of his nose. “I am proud,” he nodded.

And that’s what happened to me, a few weeks ago. I still work for that same company. I’m thinking of quitting though, because it’s so boring, even now people know more about me. I thought things would become more interesting, but you know what? It makes no difference.

Tim went back to his house after another day. I then learned he lived with his brother ever since their parents died. I now understand why my boss was so worried about him, and I don’t mind so much anymore.
The photo of our kiss is sitting on my desk. I still have that warm fuzzy feeling when I look at it. I love my Timmy…
He took his stuff from his room and brought it on board, determined to stay with me forever. Yes, he’s young. Yes, it’s only been for a few weeks. But this feels so real, so permanent; I can’t even begin to explain.

We love sitting on deck and watching the sun setting. At rainy nights, we stay in bed the whole evening, nice and warm, watching tv or reading. Our sex is still steaming hot.
What can I say? I love him. He loves me.

I’m happy.