Our Humble Little Dwelling

Chapter 4

“Well, looks like we’re alone again.” Leo said as he stretched his body.

“Yep.” Kyle glanced down at his bottle as he twirled it in his hands. He could feel himself claming up again. *Talk, Kyle! Talk!* “So what do you do?” *Good question.*

“I cook.”

“Really?”

Leo nodded. “I’m a sous chef at Manny’s restaurant.”

“What’s a sous chef?”

“That’s the chef that’s directly under the master chef.”

“So you—“ The sound of laughter came from upstairs. “So you know how to cook all those odd dishes that nobody but the chefs know how to pronounce?”

Leo chuckled. “Yeah. Maybe I could cook something for you sometime?” Kyle blushed.

*Laugh* “Stop, Vince! You are so bad!”

Kyle and Leo looked at each other. “You wanna go in the kitchen? Maybe in there we won’t be directly under them when they actually start the sex part.”

“Sure.” Together, they walked into the kitchen and Kyle went to the refrigerator, while Leo sat at the table.

“You want another beer?”

“Rootbeer thanks. I’m a little buzzed right now from all the other ones.”

“Okay.” Kyle grabbed two rootbeers and sat down next to Leo. “Here you go.”

“Thanks. So what do you do, Kyle?” Leo took a drink.

Kyle finished taking a pull of his soda. “I do hair.”

“Oh. So you’re a hairdresser.”

“We prefer to use the term cosmetologist.” They laughed.

“I figured you were into hair. Your hair looks really good.”

“Thanks.”

“You do Keith’s hair too?”

“No. Not yet, but I will. He just doesn’t know it yet.”

*Low moan.*

“Uh oh.” Leo said, looking up towards the ceiling. “Sounds like they’ve started.”

“Yeah. I mind as well make up the bed in the guestroom, cause Keith’s not gonna feel like driving me anywhere after this. You too, I guess. You rode with Vince, right?”

“Yep. He’ll be too tired too, more than likely.” Leo leaned in close to Kyle. “Are you seeing anybody?”

“No.”

“No boyfriend?”

“No boyfriend.”

“Are you ‘talking’ to anyone?” Kyle shook his head. “Would you like to?”

Kyle shrugged. “I guess.”

*Groan*

“Fuck Vince!”

Ignoring the sounds, the two continued. “You’re not sure if you want to ‘talk’ to me?”

“No! I mean yes! I mean I do! I want to talk to you. I’m just new to all this dating stuff. I don’t know what I’m doing.”

“Are you ‘out’?”

“Yeah. Have been for two years now.”

“And there’s been no one you’ve wanted to talk to?”

“I haven’t had enough courage to approach a guy. I also don’t take well to rejections. I ball up and cry”

“Well, you won’t have to worry about that with me. I’d never reject you.” Leo ran the back of his finger down the boy’s smooth cheek. He felt Kyle shiver.

“Thanks.” Kyle nearly whispered.

“You’re welcome.” Leo whispered back, leaning in to kiss him on the cheek. It was a soft, sweet, gentle kiss, so Leo was a bit shocked when Kyle had jerked. “Jumpy, are you?”

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry.” The boy couldn’t bear to look at him.

“It’s okay. It’s all right.” He touched Kyle’s shoulder.

“I’m so nervous. This is ridiculous. I can’t even handle a kiss on the cheek, how could I ever handle—“

*Loud moan.*

Kyle looked up to the ceiling. “—that.”

“Don’t beat yourself up over it, Kyle. You only need time. I’m cool with that. After all, we only just met tonight. I’m a patient guy.”

Kyle finally looked in the short haired brunette’s keen, hazel eyes and smiled timidly. “Thank you.”

Leo nodded. “Just one thing though.”

“What?”

“Did you like the kiss?”

“Uuuuummmm….It was okay.”

Leo looked shocked. “Just ‘okay’? Damn, I must be losing my touch.”

“No, you’re not. I lied.” They both laughed.

***

Leo caught Kyle trying to stifle a yawn. “Tired?”

“A little bit.”

“Maybe you should head up to the guestroom and go to sleep.” He checked his watch. “It IS 2:45 in the morning, after all.”

The boy with the black hair yawned again. “Maybe you’re right. I’m going to bed.” He got up from the kitchen chair and started to walk down the short hallway, but stopped. “What about you?”

“What about me?”

Kyle started to rub his eyes. “Aren’t you coming to bed?”

Kyle had no clue how many things swirled through Leo’s mind when he asked that. Sentences like that we’re saved only for the lover’s and married folk alike. He knew the boy wasn’t referring to them being either. He just really wanted to know where Leo was going to sleep.

“You won’t mind?”

“No. You’re Vince’s best friend. He’s a pretty cool guy, so I’m sure you are too. I guess I could trust you for one night.”

Leo smiled. “Okay.” He followed Kyle up the stairs, past the bathroom, to the guestroom. Next to that door, was Keith’s bedroom door. “I wonder if they’re finally done. We haven’t heard any sudden moans, groans, and yells in a while.”

“I wonder.” Curious, Kyle tip-toed to Keith’s ajar door. Leo came up behind him. The sex was indeed over, but the post-coitus cuddling had just started. Still both totally nude, Keith laid on his back –no change in his earlier position—while Vincent was next to him, laying on his side; a strong beige skinned arm was tossed over his lover’s waist. With the navy blue sheets observably hiding only the most private of parts, Kyle’s cousin looked lovingly into Vince’s half open eyes as he played with the large fingers that were on his stomach and ran his hand up and down the sturdy arm.

Leo could practically smell the four letter “L” word forming between the two. He pulled Kyle to the next room. “Lets leave them alone.”

***

Kyle was being hugged from the back when he woke up that Sunday morning. He glanced over his shoulder and saw Leo right up against him. He knew when they crawled into bed together, Leo was far on the other side with his back facing him, and so was he. Strictly a platonic arrangement. How in the world did they end up wrapped together in the morning? Kyle looked down at himself. His white tank and boxers were still on. Laying still for a moment, he focused his attention on his body, honing in to feel if anything or any particular “place” felt…sore. He didn’t feel any. *Thank goodness, we didn’t have sex last night. Not that I wouldn’t want to, but I’m not ready for that yet. How’d he get all the way over here anyway?* Kyle heard a small chuckle and looked towards the bedroom door. There, leaning against the frame, was Keith smiling like a Cheshire cat.

“Good morning, young cousin of mine. ‘Sleep’ well?”

Kyle ran his hand through his disheveled raven hair. “Shut up.”

“So, how did ‘this’ happen?” Keith asked, waving his hand over the scene before him.

“Nothing happened.”

“Then what is a half naked Leo doing wrapped around you like a second skin? Better yet, why is he even in the same bed as you?”

“It’s not what you think, Keith. We were just sleeping.”

Kyle’s cousin tossed his hands up in defeat. “Okay. Okay, I believe you, nothing happened. But I can’t help but believe that you don’t mind his arms around you.” Kyle blushed. “Uh huh. Listen, I came in here because I have something to tell you.” He walked into the bedroom and squatted down next to Kyle. “I was thinking last night—“

“Really?” Kyle said sarcastically. “After all those noises I heard last night, I’m surprised you had time to think. Nice love bruise by the way.” He referred to the large mark on Keith’s neck.

Keith rolled his eyes. “Shut up, will ya. I’m trying to be serious here. Anyway, I was thinking last night about what you said that morning. About staying here. Just because my parents were killed years ago and they left me this house, that doesn’t mean I have to live in it alone. It’s too much space for one person. So, if you still want to, I’d love for you to move in with me.”

Kyle sprung up in bed, startling Keith a bit, but not enough to wake Leo. “Seriously? You want me to move in with you? You’re not joking, because if you are, that’s a mighty mean—“

“I’m serious. Now of course, you’re going to have to talk to Aunt Geraldine about this. But if she says okay, I’ll help you move in, roomy.”

Kyle pounced on Keith, hugging him tight. “Thank you. You have no idea how happy you’ve made me.”

Keith patted his back. “Yeah, yeah, yeah. Enough of this sentimental bull. Vince is downstairs making breakfast again, so wake up Leo and come on.” Keith got up and walked out the door.

“Okay.” Kyle turned around to look behind him. “Le…..oh, you’re awake.”

Leo smiled sweetly at him, though you could still see the sleep fog was clouding his brain. “Yeah. Good morning.”

“Good morning. Sleep well?”

“I slept fine.” The young man responded, while he just so happened to had still had his arm around Kyle’s waist. “How about you?”

Kyle wasn’t going to admit the wet dream he had last night that had to do with both he and Leo spending a romantic night in a hot tub in Aspen, Colorado, surrounded by snowy mountains, and drinking champagne. In his dream, Kyle was a master stud; knowing everything right to do, when to do it, and how to do it. Hey, I said it was a dream. “I slept good, thanks.”

“I kinda figured you did. You kept murmuring something in your sleep and bumping your ass into my groin.”

Kyle’s gray eyes widened. “I did?”

“Don’t worry about it though. I’m not mad. You were giving me hard-ons when you kept bumping your ass against me and I had to sneak to the bathroom a few times to remedy it, but I’m not mad.” He wiggled his eyebrows and smiled suggestively.

Kyle suddenly felt embarrassed. He couldn’t believe he did all that in his sleep. He could look in Leo’s hazel eyes though and tell the young man really didn’t mind the late night interruptions Kyle gave him. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have kept climbing back in bed against the younger boy, would he?

Kyle got out of bed hurriedly and made his way to the door. “Breakfast is ready.”

***

Keith walked into the kitchen and hopped up on the counter next to the stove, where Vincent was cooking bacon on the frying pan in his black boxer/briefs and black tank. “Do you normally wake up early in the morning to cook breakfast, or are you just trying to impress me?”

Vince smiled still focused on the cooking bacon strips. “Both.” He pulled Keith in for a kiss.

“Mmmm. Give me another one.” Laughing, Vincent kissed him again. When they pulled back, he handed his lover a piece of bacon he’d just finished cooking. Keith had just finished taking a bite, when Kyle and Leo walked into the kitchen, both still undressed like the other two. “Hello there, Leo. Did you sleep okay? You still look a bit tired.”

“I am a little, but I didn’t mind the late night disruptions.” He side glanced towards Kyle. Kyle blushed three shades red as he sat down at the table. Leo saw the arrangement of food that was placed on the table. “I see Vince is cooking one of my special breakfasts; sour cream in the egg batter to make the eggs nice and fluffy, blueberry pancakes, and is that brown sugar bacon I smell—”

“Yours?” Keith said confused. “Vincent said HE came up with all these little extra accommodations for the bacon and eggs.”

“Nope. I’m a professional chef. I taught him those simple tricks.”

Keith looked at a now whistling Vince and pushed his shoulder playfully. “You liar. You learned all that stuff from Leo?”

“So Kyle,” Vincent purposely overlooked Keith’s question. “Did I persuade Keith enough last night to let you move in with him?”

“Yeah. He told me this morning that I could. I just had to talk to my…Wait a minute. YOU persuaded him? Keith told me HE came up with it.”

Vincent chuckled. “Bull. I talked him into it.” He placed the large platter full of eggs on the table next to the bacon and pancakes. “Did he give you the whole bit about how the house was too big for one person and how though his parents left him the house, it didn’t mean he had to live in it by himself?”

“Yeah.”

“Yep. That was me.”

Kyle gave his cousin ‘the pouting lip’. “I thought you were being sentimental to me.”

Keith rolled his eyes. “Okay. I’ll admit it.” He hopped off the counter and made his way to a chair. “I’ll be a man and admit I had lied.” He hinted at Vince. “I confess. I suck at sappy conversations. Vince is a lot better at it than I am.” He started to fix his plate.

“Thank you.” Vince said as he poured maple syrup on his pancakes. “Though I resent that remark. I didn’t ‘lie’ about what I told you….I just didn’t tell the whole truth.”

“Why didn’t you tell me the truth?”

“Because you can’t handle the truth.” The group laughed. “Wow. I’ve watched ‘A Few Good Men’ too many times.”