Which Way the Wind Blows
folder
Romance › General
Rating:
Adult ++
Chapters:
35
Views:
1,878
Reviews:
9
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
0
Category:
Romance › General
Rating:
Adult ++
Chapters:
35
Views:
1,878
Reviews:
9
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
0
Disclaimer:
This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance of characters to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental. The Author holds exclusive rights to this work. Unauthorized duplication is prohibited.
Chapter 5
Chapter 5
“Hey, man,” Jake greeted Warren at the elevator bank the next day as he was leaving for lunch. “Going to lunch by yourself again?”
“You know how busy it gets here,” Warren shrugged shyly.
“That’s no excuse to become a hermit.” Jake grabbed his jacket from the counter where he’d lain it and put it on. “How about I join you?”
“Uh … sure.”
----------------------------
“I’m sorry, but we can’t give out that information,” the receptionist said with an icy smile that seemed frozen in place on her well-made up face.
“But you’ve seen me here with him before,” Chris tried again, using his most engaging grin – the one that brought most women and a fair amount of men to their knees in the past, Warren most definitely included. “Don’t you remember?”
“I remember you,” she replied, not dropping the icy smile. “But we have a specific set of rules in place in this company, and I’m not risking my job for you. If Mr. Gaits wanted to be in touch with you … he would be.”
Chris scowled and glared at her but before he could say anything else to her a distinguished looking gentleman approached her desk from one of the offices to hand her a file. She took it, dismissing Chris without another glance. If there was one thing that irked him above all else, it was being ignored. But he knew he couldn’t make a scene if he wanted to find another way to get the information he was looking for, so he gave the man, who was now looking at him warily, a curt nod and left the office.
----------------------------
Jake and Warren wound up at small Italian restaurant nearby that served lunch at a reasonable price. Warren was going to go for fast food again, so he was sure his stomach would be grateful for the respite. Jake drummed his fingers on the table as they waited for their drinks, giving Warren an appraising look that made the other man a bit nervous.
“I know this is going to sound forward of me,” the blonde began uncertainly, and Warren’s stomach almost bottomed out.
Conversations that start out like that rarely turn out well, he reminded himself. But he only shrugged and gestured for Jake to continue.
“You know the expression ‘Takes one to know one’?” Jake sighed. At Warren’s nod he went on. “Are you gay?”
Warren had been about to take a sip of his water when he’d said that, and was eternally grateful to whatever fates had prevented him from doing so before Jake had blurted that out.
“Uh … uh …” he stammered. He hadn’t been expecting to come out to his colleagues quite so soon.
“Remember, I said it takes one to know one,” Jake smiled.
Warren stared at him, mouth agape, as he tried to process what was happening. Jake had figured he was gay … because he, too, was gay? Damn, I wish I’d spent more time around gay people in Seattle. He only had his experience with Chris to fall back on, though, and that guy was a prime example of a classic closet case.
Jake smiled reassuringly at him and leaned in to keep their conversation private. “It’s okay, you know. The other two know I’m gay and they’re cool with it.”
Warren did breathe a small sigh of relief there. He didn’t know Pete and Freddy that well yet, but he did like them so far, and he’d never had more than one or two friends before so he was eager to see if he could have more now.
“I don’t know what kind of situation you left back in Seattle,” Jake went on. “But I’m guessing it must have been an ex.”
Huh? How did he know that? “I … um …”
“No need to explain,” Jake held up a hand. “It was an observant guess.” He gave Warren a sympathetic look. “You don’t seem like the kind of guy that would all of a sudden pick up and move across the country on an accelerated transfer unless there was a reason.”
Warren slumped down in his chair, somewhat defeated. He’d been trying not to dwell on his breakup with Chris but it was always at the back of his mind that he wasn’t good enough to justify a change in Chris’ existence like coming out. He just felt so … unimportant. It was like his only purpose in life was to be there on the side for Chris when he felt like spending time with him … always in the background and never deemed worthy of the official status of “boyfriend”.
“Now I know I’m right,” Jake shook his head. “Whoever he was, he isn’t worth dwelling on.”
“You don’t know that,” Warren snorted.
“Yeah, I do.” Jake sat back and let the waiter serve their pasta dishes and leave before he went on. “I don’t know if I’ve been exactly where you are, but I’ve been through a couple of messy breakups myself.”
Warren twirled some linguine with white clam sauce around his fork as he gave Jake a skeptical look.
“I learned one thing from them,” the blonde went on after he swallowed his mouthful of penne with Bolognese sauce.
“What’s that?” Warren asked just before he popped the forkful into his mouth.
“That you should live a little and enjoy life before you go committing yourself to any one relationship.”
“Huh?” the brunette asked stunned.
“You’re what … 24?”
“25.”
“Mid-twenties,” Jake grinned. “Primetime for guys like us. Why waste time pining for someone if it wasn’t working out when there are so many other people out there to meet?”
Warren thought about that for a while as they ate. Some of what Jake was saying did seem to ring true. Chris wasn’t a great boyfriend, but if it wasn’t working, Warren didn’t have to stay, which was the conclusion he’d reached himself at the end of his time in Seattle. And Jake was also right about him needing to meet more people. How could he know he’d found “the one” if he had no one to compare him to? But he didn’t know how to go about meeting people. And forget it if he had to take the initiative and ask someone out. He just didn’t think he’d be able to overcome his insecurities to do that.
“I noticed you’re a little on the bashful side,” Jake smirked. “Not that it’s a bad thing.”
“Uh …” Jake was kind of cute, but this was a little sudden.
“Don’t worry!” Jake laughed. “I’m not asking you out. I don’t think it’s smart to date coworkers.”
Phew!
“But I’d like to help you get out and meet people. If not to date, then at least to make friends with. Do you have any other gay friends?”
“No,” Warren sighed, feeling again like a failure.
“Not a problem,” the blonde grinned. “It’ll be cool to help you.”
“But why?” Warren asked.
“Someone helped me when I first came here. I feel like paying it forward.”
----------------------------
Chris sat in the coffee shop he and Warren used to frequent and stewed over his failure to find his lover. That receptionist was a real ice queen, but he couldn’t really fault her logic. She could be fired if Warren reported her to the company for helping Chris. And it wasn’t like he didn’t have other avenues to exhaust first. He could find another contact within the office and sweet-talk the information out of them. There was another woman Warren used to work closely with before. What was her name? Cindy? Candace? He knew it began with a ‘C’ anyway. Maybe he should do some research first.
Why was Warren so intent on not speaking to him? It seemed the least he could have done was left his cell phone number the same so that they could have that one last argument over things. One conversation was all Chris usually needed to get his lover where he wanted him anyway.
More importantly, though, Chris suddenly asked himself why he trying so hard to find him. Warren would probably come back to him on his own. He’d done so in the past when they’d had that one fight after they’d first graduated and Chris refused the idea of them moving in together. All he had to do was wait Warren out … and then he could make him feel guilty for leaving in the first place. But would he? Maybe, maybe not. He’d have to think about it.
But Chris was horny for him now. Being denied always made him want whatever it was more than before. And he had a raging hard on for his boyfriend now. He looked around the café glumly before his eyes rested on the cashier, a tall, lanky college kid that looked a lot like Warren did way back when they first met. The kid met his eyes awkwardly and looked away … and Chris smiled as he rose from his chair and stalked over to the counter. He’d worry about Warren tomorrow – after he got his rocks off.
“Hey, man,” Jake greeted Warren at the elevator bank the next day as he was leaving for lunch. “Going to lunch by yourself again?”
“You know how busy it gets here,” Warren shrugged shyly.
“That’s no excuse to become a hermit.” Jake grabbed his jacket from the counter where he’d lain it and put it on. “How about I join you?”
“Uh … sure.”
----------------------------
“I’m sorry, but we can’t give out that information,” the receptionist said with an icy smile that seemed frozen in place on her well-made up face.
“But you’ve seen me here with him before,” Chris tried again, using his most engaging grin – the one that brought most women and a fair amount of men to their knees in the past, Warren most definitely included. “Don’t you remember?”
“I remember you,” she replied, not dropping the icy smile. “But we have a specific set of rules in place in this company, and I’m not risking my job for you. If Mr. Gaits wanted to be in touch with you … he would be.”
Chris scowled and glared at her but before he could say anything else to her a distinguished looking gentleman approached her desk from one of the offices to hand her a file. She took it, dismissing Chris without another glance. If there was one thing that irked him above all else, it was being ignored. But he knew he couldn’t make a scene if he wanted to find another way to get the information he was looking for, so he gave the man, who was now looking at him warily, a curt nod and left the office.
----------------------------
Jake and Warren wound up at small Italian restaurant nearby that served lunch at a reasonable price. Warren was going to go for fast food again, so he was sure his stomach would be grateful for the respite. Jake drummed his fingers on the table as they waited for their drinks, giving Warren an appraising look that made the other man a bit nervous.
“I know this is going to sound forward of me,” the blonde began uncertainly, and Warren’s stomach almost bottomed out.
Conversations that start out like that rarely turn out well, he reminded himself. But he only shrugged and gestured for Jake to continue.
“You know the expression ‘Takes one to know one’?” Jake sighed. At Warren’s nod he went on. “Are you gay?”
Warren had been about to take a sip of his water when he’d said that, and was eternally grateful to whatever fates had prevented him from doing so before Jake had blurted that out.
“Uh … uh …” he stammered. He hadn’t been expecting to come out to his colleagues quite so soon.
“Remember, I said it takes one to know one,” Jake smiled.
Warren stared at him, mouth agape, as he tried to process what was happening. Jake had figured he was gay … because he, too, was gay? Damn, I wish I’d spent more time around gay people in Seattle. He only had his experience with Chris to fall back on, though, and that guy was a prime example of a classic closet case.
Jake smiled reassuringly at him and leaned in to keep their conversation private. “It’s okay, you know. The other two know I’m gay and they’re cool with it.”
Warren did breathe a small sigh of relief there. He didn’t know Pete and Freddy that well yet, but he did like them so far, and he’d never had more than one or two friends before so he was eager to see if he could have more now.
“I don’t know what kind of situation you left back in Seattle,” Jake went on. “But I’m guessing it must have been an ex.”
Huh? How did he know that? “I … um …”
“No need to explain,” Jake held up a hand. “It was an observant guess.” He gave Warren a sympathetic look. “You don’t seem like the kind of guy that would all of a sudden pick up and move across the country on an accelerated transfer unless there was a reason.”
Warren slumped down in his chair, somewhat defeated. He’d been trying not to dwell on his breakup with Chris but it was always at the back of his mind that he wasn’t good enough to justify a change in Chris’ existence like coming out. He just felt so … unimportant. It was like his only purpose in life was to be there on the side for Chris when he felt like spending time with him … always in the background and never deemed worthy of the official status of “boyfriend”.
“Now I know I’m right,” Jake shook his head. “Whoever he was, he isn’t worth dwelling on.”
“You don’t know that,” Warren snorted.
“Yeah, I do.” Jake sat back and let the waiter serve their pasta dishes and leave before he went on. “I don’t know if I’ve been exactly where you are, but I’ve been through a couple of messy breakups myself.”
Warren twirled some linguine with white clam sauce around his fork as he gave Jake a skeptical look.
“I learned one thing from them,” the blonde went on after he swallowed his mouthful of penne with Bolognese sauce.
“What’s that?” Warren asked just before he popped the forkful into his mouth.
“That you should live a little and enjoy life before you go committing yourself to any one relationship.”
“Huh?” the brunette asked stunned.
“You’re what … 24?”
“25.”
“Mid-twenties,” Jake grinned. “Primetime for guys like us. Why waste time pining for someone if it wasn’t working out when there are so many other people out there to meet?”
Warren thought about that for a while as they ate. Some of what Jake was saying did seem to ring true. Chris wasn’t a great boyfriend, but if it wasn’t working, Warren didn’t have to stay, which was the conclusion he’d reached himself at the end of his time in Seattle. And Jake was also right about him needing to meet more people. How could he know he’d found “the one” if he had no one to compare him to? But he didn’t know how to go about meeting people. And forget it if he had to take the initiative and ask someone out. He just didn’t think he’d be able to overcome his insecurities to do that.
“I noticed you’re a little on the bashful side,” Jake smirked. “Not that it’s a bad thing.”
“Uh …” Jake was kind of cute, but this was a little sudden.
“Don’t worry!” Jake laughed. “I’m not asking you out. I don’t think it’s smart to date coworkers.”
Phew!
“But I’d like to help you get out and meet people. If not to date, then at least to make friends with. Do you have any other gay friends?”
“No,” Warren sighed, feeling again like a failure.
“Not a problem,” the blonde grinned. “It’ll be cool to help you.”
“But why?” Warren asked.
“Someone helped me when I first came here. I feel like paying it forward.”
----------------------------
Chris sat in the coffee shop he and Warren used to frequent and stewed over his failure to find his lover. That receptionist was a real ice queen, but he couldn’t really fault her logic. She could be fired if Warren reported her to the company for helping Chris. And it wasn’t like he didn’t have other avenues to exhaust first. He could find another contact within the office and sweet-talk the information out of them. There was another woman Warren used to work closely with before. What was her name? Cindy? Candace? He knew it began with a ‘C’ anyway. Maybe he should do some research first.
Why was Warren so intent on not speaking to him? It seemed the least he could have done was left his cell phone number the same so that they could have that one last argument over things. One conversation was all Chris usually needed to get his lover where he wanted him anyway.
More importantly, though, Chris suddenly asked himself why he trying so hard to find him. Warren would probably come back to him on his own. He’d done so in the past when they’d had that one fight after they’d first graduated and Chris refused the idea of them moving in together. All he had to do was wait Warren out … and then he could make him feel guilty for leaving in the first place. But would he? Maybe, maybe not. He’d have to think about it.
But Chris was horny for him now. Being denied always made him want whatever it was more than before. And he had a raging hard on for his boyfriend now. He looked around the café glumly before his eyes rested on the cashier, a tall, lanky college kid that looked a lot like Warren did way back when they first met. The kid met his eyes awkwardly and looked away … and Chris smiled as he rose from his chair and stalked over to the counter. He’d worry about Warren tomorrow – after he got his rocks off.