Porcupines - 15. Chapter 15 - Duplicity

Chapter 15 – Duplicity

“Hi honey, I’m home,” Dylan called out to Chuck. His boyfriend had stopped by Nora’s late that afternoon and told Dylan they needed to talk. Dylan had been a little alarmed until Chuck assured him it wasn’t about them. It was about The Big Pickup. Dylan was curious but it was evident from the way Chuck was acting he wasn’t going to talk about it in front of Isaac and Kenny much less anyone else at the restaurant. He’d given Chuck the keys to his apartment.

“How was your day dear,” Chuck called back to him. It looked like Chuck was performing his usual magic in the kitchen. It smelled awesome. There was the smell of pork, garlic, apples, and cinnamon. Dylan’s stomach growled. He usually just ate at Nora’s when he worked but with Chuck’s cooking he’d weigh 300 lbs if he’d eat at home and work. He slipped into the bedroom and put on shorts and a t-shirt and went back to watch Chuck.

Chuck was mashing cauliflower in a saucepan. “So I guess you heard,” he said putting some half and half into the puree.

“I sure did. Poor Isaac was a basket case today,” Dylan said eating an errant slice of carrot that had escaped the cooking pot. “What are we having?”

“Cumin crusted pork chops with apples and garlic, cauliflower puree and braised carrots with cinnamon. Isaac was upset?” he asked with a raised eyebrow.

“He was a mess. Raleigh made quite the impression and he was feeling pretty low. What was Raleigh thinking? I never would have guessed he was bi or is he just a horn dog?” Dylan asked.

“You’ll never believe it,” Chuck said seriously. “Raleigh is gay. He was crying his eyes out because last night he kissed his first boy, well and a whole lot more.”

“No. He’s gay?” Dylan said sitting up. “He told Isaac he was straight and that was just a walk on the wild side for him.”

Chuck told Dylan about Raleigh’s breakdown on the perimeter walk earlier in the day. “He’s just so upset he couldn’t finish his shift. He ended up going home he was so wrecked. I feel so bad for him. He’s lived in the closet his whole life and just now had his first gay experience with Isaac. He said he was just so scared.”

“Oh no, that changes everything,” Dylan said eating another carrot. “I was ready to kick his ass because Isaac felt like he’d been used.”

“According to Raleigh, Isaac was his first. He felt just horrible that he’d lied. He was worried we’d hate him.”

“Coming out is hard. It’s hard on the person and those around him,” Dylan said remembering his own struggle. “You just feel so alone.”

“I asked him why he didn’t tell us but he’d been living a lie for so long he didn’t know how to say it,” Chuck said over his shoulder as he glazed the carrots. “If you’d have seen how bad he felt you’d have cried Dylan. I did.”

“Isaac was pretty upset,” Dylan mused. “What can we do?”

“I don’t know. Worst part is, Raleigh really likes Isaac and wants to see him again. He’s too scared to call him though. He thinks Isaac will hate him and think he’s just a liar.”

“Hmm,” Dylan said thinking about the situation. “We have to help.”

“But how?” Chuck asked starting to dish up dinner. Dylan wasn’t sure what to do. Isaac would be pissed his straight boy was just another gay guy. But Raleigh was virgin material and Isaac couldn’t resist having fresh meat for dinner. If Raleigh wanted to date Isaac, he would probably get his little heart broken but that was par for the course. They needed to get the two of them together. Raleigh was petrified and Isaac was so touchy. It needed to be something neither would know about.

“Hun, don’t you need to have a drink tonight? Maybe you should call your friend Raleigh. I know I could use a drink. I think I’ll call Isaac and see if he’d like to join me,” Dylan said.

“At the Rail Station I’m guessing,” Chuck said catching on quickly.

“Of course. Where else?”

************************

“Swear you didn’t tell Isaac about me,” Raleigh said taking a swig of his beer.

Chuck mixed his scotch and soda. “I promised you I wouldn’t tell Isaac anything. I made Dylan promise not to tell Isaac either. Nobody knows you are gay except you, me, Dylan, and the bartender who was making eyes at you.”

“He doesn’t know I’m gay,” Raleigh said nervously. He had noticed the bartender openly looking at him and it made him feel weird. It was kind of flattering though. He’d always worried about when guys did that because he was afraid to act on it. He feared he’d look back at a guy’s arms or package or ass and someone else would see him looking. But now he’d not only checked a guy out. He’d kissed, touched, hell fucked a guy and it was amazing but the residual fear remained.

“You’re in a gay bar with another gay guy. He’s making the calculation you, me and he are all grade A, All-American queers,” Chuck said smirking. “It’s okay Raleigh. You’re not going to get beat up for being gay in a fricking gay bar.”

Raleigh knew that was right but he was still skittish. He worried someone he knew would come in the door. He was concerned someone his mother knew would see him enter this place. He knew it was silly but he fretted anyway. At least he was here with his new friend. It felt good to think that at least.

“It’s pretty quiet here tonight,” Raleigh commented. “Are Sunday nights always this slow?”

“Not later,” Chuck said looking at his blond friend. “About eleven at night the orgies start. Guys are screwing each other all over the place. There is non-stop sex until dawn. It just doesn’t start until later.”

Raleigh jumped a little. “Really? They have orgies on these tables and shit.” He lifted his hand.

“No. I’m just teasing you. This is a bar not a sex club for heaven’s sake. It’s Sunday night. Most people work on Monday mornings,” Chuck grinned.

Raleigh frowned at his new friend. “Just because I’m new to this doesn’t mean you have to make me feel dumb about it.”

“I’m doing what friends do with one another,” Chuck said. “I’m making light of it. You are new to this but you also have to have a sense of humor about it. Shit, you’re gonna start experiencing things you couldn’t dream of. Some guy is gonna sweep you off your feet and make you feel like a million dollars.”

“I know. That happened last night,” Raleigh said taking a swig. “And I fucked it up.”

“Maybe. Maybe not,” Chuck said taking a drink of his scotch.

“What does that mean?”

“It means you can’t know what the future will bring,” Chuck said quietly.

“Dylan, why are Chuck and Raleigh here?” Both men heard a shrill, annoyed voice coming from the bar.

“Wow, what a surprise? I had no idea my boyfriend would be here with his friend,” Dylan said loudly.

“Chuck, you fucking set me up. I’m gonna kill you,” but Raleigh already had a smile on when he saw Isaac. The two blonds looked at one another and it wasn’t anger on their faces. It was longing.

“Come on Isaac. Let’s join them,” Dylan said taking his arm and pulling him along.

The two settled into the other two chairs at the table. Raleigh was staring at his beer and ripping off the label. Isaac was sitting on his hands and trying to look at anything but the other guy.

“What a nice surprise seeing you here hun,” Dylan said kissing his boyfriend.

“I know. Raleigh and I wanted to have a quiet drink and talk about what happened last night.”

“I heard someone got lucky last night,” Dylan said. “Actually, I heard a couple of guys we know got lucky.”

“You know Dyl, I heard the same thing. I heard they had a great time together,” Chuck said. “But they’re either too proud or too scared to admit it to the other one.”

“That’s just what I had heard. Isn’t that weird,” Dylan said. “You know, we have something to celebrate.”

“Cut the crap you two,” Isaac hissed. “We know what you are doing. Neither one of us is stupid.”

“I beg to differ,” Dylan said drinking his Madras. “I think the two of you need to talk.”

Isaac sneered at both Chuck and Dylan but turned to Raleigh. “I really did have a good time with you last night. It’s good to see you.”

You could see the wheels spinning in Raleigh’s head. Finally, he screwed up the courage and turned to Isaac. Quick and painless, like a Band-Aid, he thought.

“Isaac. I’m gay. I had an amazing time with you last night but I lied to you and said I was straight. I’m not. I was scared because I’ve never said it out loud before, but I’m gay. I wanted to be with you last night from the moment I met you.”

Isaac’s jaw dropped open. First his lips curved upwards into a smile but then fire erupted from his bright green eyes. “So you told me you were straight just to get me into bed?”

Raleigh nodded. “Well not just to get you in bed. I really hadn’t told anyone so it was easy to pretend.”

“You little lying, conniving whore. You pretended to be straight so I’d have sex with you?” Isaac was fuming.

“Oh please Isaac. Get off your Huffy bike. Like you haven’t lied to a guy to get him in the sack,” Dylan said softly chuckling.

“Not like this I haven’t,” Isaac snorted.

“Really? What about the time you told that guy at the Saloon you were an architect?”

“That was just a little white lie,” Isaac said. “This is way worse.”

“Or the time you told that redhead at the Nineties you were an investment banker?” Dylan continued.

“He said he was an investment banker. I was just playing the game,” Isaac said looking down.

“Wait a second,” Dylan said loudly. “Wait the hell up. Two years ago at Pride you told that guy from Omaha you were straight.”

Both Chuck and Raleigh sat up and Isaac sank down in his chair. Dylan said, “That’s right. Isaac told this guy he was straight but curious and he wanted to know what it was like to get rear-ended. He said he had a wife and kids at home but it was his secret fantasy. Of course the guy was hammered because otherwise who would buy that story.”

“That was different,” Isaac scowled.

“Different how?” Chuck asked.

“Different because I’d never see him again. Raleigh works in the same mall I do.”

“I’m sorry but I really wasn’t trying to trick you. I just thought you were the cutest guy I’d ever seen and I wanted my first time to be with you. I was thinking with my dick,” Raleigh admitted.

“First time?” Isaac squeaked. “You mean ever?”

“I’ve never been with another person, I mean sexually,” Raleigh shrugged.

“Not even a girl?” Chuck exclaimed.

“No. I was a virgin last night until we got to your house,” Raleigh blushed.

“How old are you?” Dylan asked.

“I’m 21.”

“I thought you were our age, in your mid 20’s,” Isaac said.

Shaking his head, Raleigh put his hand on Isaac’s. “You were my first. I feel bad because you’re all I could think about today. I want to see you again but I was afraid you’d say no.”

“Forget that,” Isaac said, beaming with pride. “I’d love to go on a date with you. You have been on dates before right?”

“Not with a guy,” Raleigh was positively glowing with embarrassment. “I guess my first date was last night.”

“That’s not right,” Isaac said. Underneath, the little blond guy was a romantic, though one with an overactive libido. “We have to go out on a real date.”

“Will you go out with me then?” Raleigh asked shyly.

“Yes. I will.”

The two began talking about what they should do together. Chuck and Dylan leaned back. They didn’t need to listen to this. It was too sweet. Isaac was actually being quite genuine. Raleigh was flushed and excited. It was fun to watch. After a few minutes of their babbling, Chuck gestured with his head towards the door. “Should we go?” he mouthed.

“Let’s play some pool and have another drink,” Dylan whispered back. Raleigh and Isaac didn’t even notice they were gone at first. They only had eyes for each other.

Dylan broke the rack. The eleven ball went into the corner pocket. He was stripes. “When did you lose your virginity to a guy,” Dylan asked his dark haired boyfriend.

“I was just going to ask you that question,” Chuck said. “I think you should tell your story first. I am curious about your first kiss.”

“Did you want the story about my first kiss or the story about losing my virginity?” Dylan asked. “The two stories are kind of related though. They happened at about the same time.”

“I’m all ears. I wanna hear about when my Dylan was a never been kissed virgin and then became the sexy stud muffin he is today,” Chuck leered at him. Dylan blushed. “If you insist. But I get to hear about your first time too, right?”

“Of course,” Chuck said and was all ears.

“I was a freshman in college…” Dylan began.