Open House — Chapter 04
A steamy phone call with his partner Dan should bring Tim solace, but lingering memories of Neil’s presence complicates their intimate connection.
Open House — Chapter 04
The phone buzzed on the glass coffee table, the vibration rattling the TV remote and a half-empty, abandoned glass of water. Tim’s heart stuttered when he sat up and saw the screen. It was Dan.
He stared at the name, the letters blurring. Just minutes ago, the condo had been a sanctuary of sweat and sex; now it was a crime scene. Neil’s scent clung to the air, to his skin. He felt caught, exposed. The phone buzzed again, a raw nerve against the glass. He snatched it up, his thumb swiping to answer before he could think.
“Hey, you,” he said, his voice rough. He hoped Dan wouldn’t notice.
“Hey, you,” Dan’s voice came through the speaker, warm and familiar. “Did I catch you at a bad time? Are you still working?”
“No, it’s been a slow day,” Tim said, squeezing his eyes shut and pinching the bridge of his nose. “How are things there?”
“Just got Dad settled for a nap. He had a rough night. We could both use a nap, actually.”
“I’m sorry,” Tim said, guilt rose like a hot, sour bile in his gut. He was naked, sticky, sitting on the couch where he’d just been fucked senseless a few hours ago, talking to his partner, who had been playing nursemaid to his ailing father. “Is he okay?”
“Yeah, he’ll be fine. Just tired. You know.” Dan sighed, a sound Tim knew all too well. “So, what’d you do today? Anything exciting?”
Dan’s question hung in the air, innocent, yet sharp as a needle. Tim’s mind raced, a blur of images: Neil’s tongue in his armpit, the look on Neil’s face as Tim pissed on his chest in the shower, the feeling of Neil’s cock splitting him open, over and over again. He swallowed hard.
“Not much,” Tim lied, the words thick and artificial in his mouth. “Just chilled out.” He closed his eyes, but the memory of the shower flared behind his lids: the hot water, Neil kneeling with his mouth open, looking up at him with an expression of pure, unadulterated worship. Dan would never do this with me. The thought was a sudden, sharp betrayal.
“That’s good,” Dan said, his voice softening. “I wish I were there just chilling with you. I miss being lazy.”
The guilt was now a physical weight, pressing down on the top of his head, and Tim had to fight the urge to lie down. “I miss you too,” he whispered, the realization of just how much he meant it made his eyes water.
“You sound tired,” Dan said. “Have you been having trouble sleeping, too?”
“Something like that,” Tim managed. He could feel his cock stirring against his thigh, a traitorous response to the memory of Neil and the sound of Dan’s voice, a collision of his two worlds that made him dizzy. It wasn’t one or the other - Dan’s familiar warmth and Neil’s dangerous edge both lived in him now, twin currents pulling him apart.
“I was thinking about you last night,” Dan’s voice dropped, taking on that low, familiar rumble that meant one thing. “Was lying here in bed and all I could think about was your mouth.”
Tim’s breath hitched. His hand moved to his lap, massaging his growing erection. “Yeah?”
“Mmmhmm. Thinking about how long it’s been since we’ve had any fun.” Dan’s breathing was getting heavier on the other end of the line. “Are you in bed?”
Are you ready for more, Mister?