Thursday after noon Arlen found Jake sitting at his usual table in front of the bookstore reading. He hesitated a moment before he sat down opposite him. "Hi, Jake. How's it going?"
Jake glanced up from his book. It was obvious that Jake didn't like him. Since Jason was like a little brother to Jake, he was certain that it all hinged on his having kissed Pete that time. Jake nodded. "Arlen."
Arlen sat up straight, facing Jake. "I know you don't like me, Jake. But I need your help, and I don't mind eating crow to get it."
Jake raised his eyebrows in inquiry and waited.
"I'm sure you saw me talking to Jim at the commitment party last week and that I left with him."
Arlen watched Jake chew the inside of his lip and nod.
"We're together now."
"Congratulations."
"I get the feeling that you're not going to make this easy for me to ask."
"Just ask, Arlen."
Arlen nodded and studied the cover of the book Jake had laid face down on the table. "I.... We.... You need to have it out with Jim. You've both avoided each other since he.... since he drugged you. He needs to get beyond what he did to you, and I don't think he can until he confronts you face to face. You know he still loves you."
Jake snorted. "Jim's never loved anybody. Don't kid yourself, Arlen, Jim's incapable of loving."
Arlen studied Jake a moment, then said, "You know that's not true. He has difficulty expressing his emotions, but... this is just between you and me... he's been in therapy since he put you in the hospital." Arlen paused and studied Jake who was looking off skywards, still chewing his lip. "It's pretty obvious that you still care about him."
Jake just turned and stared at him.
Arlen dropped his gaze back to the table top. "Talk to him, please. Forgive him if you can. I know that Jim and I have only known each other for a week, but we both want to make a go of it. But you keep getting in the way. Not you personally. But what Jim did to you. Do you know what I mean?"
Jake studied the top of Arlen's head as he continued looking at the table top. "You surprise me, Arlen. I didn't think you had any real depth. I really thought you were just a spoiled rich college kid out to get his jollies."
Arlen looked up at him with a sad grimace. "My image keeps coming back to bite me in the ass, doesn't it? Jim thought the same thing."
Jake studied him a minute. "Alright, I will talk to him. I really don't hold any animosity toward him. I probably know him a lot better than he knows himself. And I didn't mean what I said about him not being able to love. Being a loving person is what made him such a good nurse. It's just that he got fucked up somewhere along the way when it comes to personal relationships."
"I know... we've been talking a lot about his past relationships. It was too bad they got between you two, although I wouldn't be sitting here talking to you if they hadn't."
Jake finally smiled. "Yeah, and I wouldn't have found Charley." A shadow passed through his expression.
"I read about the kidnap attempt. Is Charley handling it okay?"
Jake just shook his head.
"If Jim and I can do anything to help..."
"No, no, we're getting a handle on it. It's just that it all takes time."
Arlen nodded to indicate he understood. "So, do you need Jim's number?" he asked.
"No, I've still got it up here." Jake pointed at his head.
Arlen stood up. "You don't know what this means to me, Jake. Thanks."
Jake stood. "No sweat, Man," he said, and offered his hand. Arlen shook it and left Jake staring off into space. Arlen glanced back and saw that Jake had pulled out his cell phone. He smiled to himself, then prayed that Jim would open up and talk to Jake.
When Jim answered his phone, he heard Jake say, "We need to talk" His automatic response was to tell him to fuck off, but he caught himself, and instead said, " Jake. Sure, when and where."
"You know I can get away anytime," Jake said. "So when would be a good time for you?"
"How about in twenty minutes." Jim said, glancing over at Papa Joe.
"Sure," he said into the phone, "how about meeting me right here at the bookstore."
"That's good. I'll see you in a few minutes then."
Jim turned to the old man, who for all appearances seemed to be reading the paper. Jim knew better. After being Papa Joe's companion for nearly six months, six days a week, eight to twelve hours a day, he knew that as soon as he heard Jake's name he was concentrating solely on the conversation. "Papa, that was Jake. He finally wants to talk. Do you mind that I go now?"
"What are you standing around here for? Go. Make sure you say what you need to say."
"I will, Papa."
Jim's mind was in a turmoil of conflicting emotions after Jake called. The call wasn't totally unexpected. Arlen had threatened to talk to Jake if Jim didn't. And Jim had promised he would, but had kept procrastinating. Arlen must have followed through on his threat. That gave Jim a warm feeling, knowing that Arlen cared enough to take the matter in hand.
Jim knew Jake to be a kind, gentle man. But he also very well knew that if he was driven to it, he could be vengeful and capable of using physical force. 'God knows I drove him to that point,' Jim thought.
He was thankful that Jake hadn't sought legal action for what he had done. He could very well be sitting in jail right now. And he knew that Jake was not going to be vindictive now, but he was still apprehensive about meeting him in an unstructured situation.
While Jake waited, he stared at the opened book, but didn't see the words on the page. He thought about Jim, and wondered what he might have learned from what he'd done. Did he have any compunction about his actions? Had he felt any qualms? Did he have any regrets, except for losing his nursing license? Was he really contrite?
Jake also wondered if Jim had been able to control his insecurities enough to open himself to Arlen and tell him about the past that he only alluded to in the three years he had been with Jake.
Jake figured someone must've hurt Jim very badly a long time ago, . It must have been very deeply for him to have built such a thick impregnable wall around his heart, around his soul even, imprisoning himself more thoroughly than any physical prison ever could.
Jim pulled his big Harley into an allocated space next to the bookstore patio and sat with his head down in thought. for several seconds before looking around for Jake.
Jake looked up when he heard a motorcycle stop at the curb. Their eyes locked as Jim looked about for him, and then Jim dropped his gaze and walked over to Jake's table.
He stopped several feet from him. He looked up, imploring. "I am so sorry for what I did to you, Jake."
Jake pushed his chair back and stood up. "Come on over here, Jim, and sit down. You know I'm not going to bite you."
As Jim approached, Jake held out a hand. Jim tentatively took it and Jake pulled him into a hug. "It's good to see you again," he said. Jim started shaking. Jake patted him on the back and held him until he calmed. "Sit down, Jim; can I get you a cup of coffee?"
Jim wiped at his eyes and nodded. "Yeah, I need something to steel my nerves." Jake turned toward the coffee shop. He noticed the people at several tables blatantly watching him and Jim. He frowned at them. "Why don't you folks mind your own business?" he said. Jim glanced up in time to see their heads snap away. He actually hadn't paid any attention to the fact that the other tables were occupied, not that he cared what any of them might think. He watched Jake pick up his mug and walk into the shop.
Jim looked around at the occupied tables as Jake returned. No one appeared to be interested. "You still like it black, right?" Jake asked, as he set a mug of coffee in front of Jim.
"Right."
Jake sat down and sipped his coffee. He watched Jim. It soon became obvious that he was going let Jim set the tenor, and that Jake wasn't going to make this easy for him. Jim sipped his coffee and kept his eyes averted.
"I guess I've really been messed up for a long time, Jake. I have come to see that if I don't change my ways and take responsibility for myself and my actions, then I am no better than the men I hate and despise for what they did to me. "I know you tried time and again to get me to open up and talk to you about my past. I wish I could have. I wish I could have told you how I really feel about you, too, Jake. I do love you, you know.
"I realize now that, despite it having been absolute idiocy, what I did that night was an expression of my fucked up love. How stupid does that sound? I drugged and raped you to express my love for you. How insane is that?" He finally looked up at Jake. He wasn't sure what kind of reaction he expected from him, but to see no emotion of any kind, not even in his eyes as he looked back at him, shook Jim to the depths of his soul. "Can you forgive me, Jake?"
Jake's eyebrows rose and his expression changed. Jim felt that what he was seeing in Jake's eyes was love, a caring kind of love.
"Can you forgive yourself, Jim? If I say I forgive you, and you can't forgive yourself, then nothing has been accomplished.
"I left, Jim, not because you didn't love me. I left because you couldn't let that love out. You couldn't let my love in. I believe that if you can't openly express your love for that pretty college boy and accept his love in return; he'll eventually leave you, too. You do see that, don't you?"
Jim nodded.
"What you did, what I did, that's all in the past. We have to move on and not let it affect us adversely. Tear down that wall around your heart, Jim. Arlen loves you, Man. Let his love in, and love him in return."
Jim looked up. "So you forgive me?"
Jake closed his eyes and then looked at Jim again. He shook his head. "Don't you get it? I forgave you when I untied your hand."
Jim's expression was blank for a moment and then he grinned.
"Arlen's standing over there about to wet himself. Go prove to him that you learned something from all this."
When Jake said that Arlen was waiting for him, Jim's heart quickened. He stood and looked where Jake pointed. He grinned at Arlen and jerked his head toward his Harley. Arlen met him at the motorcycle and got on behind him. They both turned and waved at Jake before riding away.
Neither man tried to talk until Jim parked the bike in his driveway.
"Aren't you on duty?" Arlen asked.
"Papa told me to say what I needed to say. Jake and I had our say. To use a cliché, we brought closure to our past. But I still have things I need to say to you."
Pete was already in bed reading when Jason came out of the bathroom. He had the cover pulled up to his waist. Jason studied his exposed torso as he walked across the long room to the foot of the bed. Pete hadn't taken notice of his lover standing there looking at him, so Jason nudged the bed with his knee. Pete laid his book on his chest and looked at him.
"Are you really into what you're reading?" he asked.
Pete grinned. "Get your sexy little butt up here and put some kisses on me."
Jason pulled the bedcovers down below Pete's knees then crawled up his body stopping to rubbed his hardening cock against Pete's which was already throbbing. Pete moaned, grabbed Jason and pulled him up to where their lips met.
That put Jason's penis against his stomach while his cock head rubbed against Jason's perineum. Jason gasped at the contact and hungrily attacked Pete's mouth.
They both enjoyed rubbing against each other until they climaxed. Pete grabbed his boxers and wiped up the mess they'd made, then slid down to pull Jason against his chest. "Have I told you today that I love you?" he asked.
"No, but you just showed me that I do turn you on."
Pete chuckled. "Yeah, you sure do, Jase, and I do love you more each day we're together."
"I know you do, Pete, and I feel the same for you."
They lay in each other's arms enjoying the quiet time together.
"This house seems so big and empty sometimes since all the guys moved out."
"Don't you enjoy our privacy?"
"You know I do, Babe. It's just that I really enjoyed sharing the house with our friends. Besides, we have this big room all to ourselves anytime we need to have privacy."
Pete thought about it for a moment the nodded his head. So, do you want to advertise for a couple of housemates?"
Jason thought for a moment the shook his head. "Nah, they'll be finding us soon enough."
"Yeah, that is the way it seems to go. And until they do you can run around the house naked."
"You wanna try it? I think it'd be kind of cool looking at your naked body while you're slaving away in the kitchen."
"Kinky, Pete, but it's something that not going to happen."
"What? You slaving away in the kitchen?"
Jason playful blew a raspberry on Pete's chest. "I already do that for you. I'm just not going to do it naked."
"Do you really feel like you're my slave?"
Pete, That's a dumb question. As well as you know me do you really think I'd go for being your slave?"
Pete chuckled. "Yeah, it was a dumb question wasn't it. I love you, Little One."
"I love you, Petey."
The End
Post Script: You'll run into these character a bit more as 'Those Golden Eyes' comes to it conclusion. Who knows? Maybe there's more stories about them yet to come.
Adios, for now.
Jack