Porcupines - 27. Chapter 27 - Jealousy

Chapter 27 - Jealousy

“What’re you doing after work?”

“Going home. Chuck’s making dinner and we’re going to watch some ‘Game of Thrones.’ Wanna join us?”

“No. I wanna go out tonight. Five dollar pitchers at Boys’ Town tonight. We could scope out the hotties.”

“Chad, I’m not ditching my boyfriend to go cruising with you,” Dylan sighed. He’d hardly seen his best friend these past few weeks since, well since he met Chuck. He missed him but he wasn’t going to the bars when they had plans.

Dylan tried to compromise. “How about we go out Friday night? Chuck’s working and we could go to the Saloon. It’s techno night.”

“Why not tonight?” Chad asked. He was sick of that ugly-faced motherfucker taking up all his boy’s time. He figured an intervention was needed. Dylan was getting too entwined with that dumpster dive dude.

“I told you, we have plans tonight. Why not Friday?”

“You’re going too fast with this one Dylan. You need some perspective,” Chad warned. “You can do much better.”

“I’m not interested in someone better. I love Chuck,” Dylan was getting angry with his oldest and dearest friend. How dare he talk about his boyfriend this way?

“Dude, you’ve never moved a guy in like this. He’s taking over your life and you don’t even see it. What the hell has he got that makes you act like this?” Chad raged over the phone.

“I wasn’t surprised when Isaac talked like this at first but Chad, you? You need to get to know him and you’ll see why I’m so happy. I’m happy. Why are you shitting all over it like this?” Dylan said indignantly.

“What’s his hold over you? It’s like I don’t even know you anymore,” Chad bitched. He was pissed Dylan was letting this loser take over his life and isolating him from his friends.

“Chad. Let’s get together and you can hang out with us and see how wonderful Chuck really is.”

“I don’t want to look at that ugly ass and I don’t want to get to know him. He’s bad for you. He’s separating us. We’ve been friends since we were in kindergarten Dylan. Chuck is using you. He knows you’ve got money and he’s taking advantage of you.”

“No. Chad. He’s. Not,” Dylan said finally. “Until you decide to be a decent human being, I don’t wanna hear from you.”

“See. He’s trying to isolate you,” Chad said. He begged Dylan to go with him but he was firm.

“If you want to go out on Friday night, we can talk about this. Otherwise, forget it,” Dylan conceded. He didn’t want to lose Chad. The guy had been his rock for twenty years. This side of Chad was something he’d never seen before.

“Fine. We’ll go to the Saloon on Friday night. I miss you,” Chad said.

“Fine. Just check your hatred at the door.”

“Alright. But, you have to be open to what I have to say,” Chad said.

“I’ll listen but I doubt you have anything legit to say.”

“Till then, bye,” Chad said abruptly and the phone went dead. Dylan was puzzled. What had Chuck done to make Chad so hostile?

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

“I gotta go out with Chad Friday night. You work overnight right?”

Chuck heard Dylan’s annoyance and wondered if it was something he’d done. “It’s my last overnight shift. You’re not mad are you?”

“No. I’m just a little pissed I have to go out without you,” Dylan said setting out the silverware.

“I’m sorry about that but like I said, it’s the last one,” Chuck tried to make Dylan feel better.

“It’s not you, Hun. It’s Chad. He can be such a baby sometimes.”

“Oh. Well, have a good time and tell him hi from me,” Chuck said pleasantly.

“I’ll try. Let’s eat. I’m starving,” Dylan said sidestepping any more talk of Chad.

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

Chad gave his buddy a big hug at the door. “I’ve missed you so much Dylan.”

“I’ve missed hanging out with you too, ya big goof,” Dylan said and meant it. He hoped their time out together would mend the fences. He hoped Chad would lay off the bash Chuck talk.

“Let’s get going,” Chad said and they headed out to Dylan’s car.

It was early for going to the Saloon. At 10:30 pm, most of the scattered bars were empty except a few scattered patrons and staff. The two went back to the sports bar which was mostly empty except for two guys in their thirties watching the Twins game. The heavy lidded young bartender took their order and gave them a couple of vodka sodas. They took their drinks and headed for a table far from the bar.

“So what have you been doing?” Dylan asked.

“I’ve been pretty busy at the shop. We’ve been getting a lot more weddings than normal which means more work on Saturdays but the money is great.” Chad ran his family’s florist shop in Uptown Minneapolis. It had been suffering from a lack of business but after Chad took over, it was finally making money again. Dylan was proud of his friend’s savvy business sense.

“That’s great. Are you going to hire a manager soon?” Dylan asked.

“We’re not there yet, but soon.”

“Soon? That will make it easier to help you grow the business.”

“Hope so,” Chad smiled back at his best friend. “It’s nice to see customers all the time. It was so depressing at first. Now, we have some business regulars and like I said, we’re getting more weddings and even some funerals.”

“How is Karla doing?” She was an old friend who Chad hired to be the head designer. The old floral supervisor from before Chad took over had been stuck in the seventies and eighties. Karla had dated a bartender at Sweet Nora’s and after seeing the pictures from her portfolio, Dylan hooked Chad and her up.

“Karla is our salvation. Her arrangements and eye for color have generated a lot of repeats. We even got some pictures in Twin Cities Business Weekly for a couple of corporate events I wrangled. Her designs generated quite the buzz.” Chad said. “I don’t know if we’d be doing so well without her good taste.”

“That’s great,” Dylan said, truly happy for his friend.

The two men chatted in easy familiarity. Their long, storied past coupled with a genuine love between the two friends made catching up a simple affair. After finishing their drinks, they headed to the main bar and the main dance floor. It was beginning to heat up. Guys dressed in late summer shorts and t-shirts were spilling onto the dance floor.

“Come on Dylan. Let’s dance,” Chad said grabbing his arm. The two guys started dancing and soon it was too hot to wear their shirts. Both guys took them off and tucked them into their waists. They continued bopping to the techno and jerking around in the strobe and laser lights. It was fun. It was exciting. It also was exhausting and they decided it was time for another drink.

After getting another round, the two stood at the bar and watched the half-naked boys and a few girls wildly bouncing around the dance floor.

“Look at that blond over there, the one in the shimmering blue shorts,” Chad pointed out a nearby guy, dancing by himself.

“You should go for it. He’s by himself,” Dylan said into Chad’s ear. Chad shook his head.

“Not into twinks right now,” he laughed. “I’m looking for a nice frat boy tonight.”

“A nice frat boy who wants to get a little freaky,” Dylan laughed.

“Yep. You know I like them freaky don’t you,” Chad said. He wasn’t looking for himself right now. He was trying to find someone to interest Dylan.

“Look at that one over there,” Chad said pointing out a guy in jeans and a tank top with pierced nipples. The guy was slim and muscled without being built. He was looking around, obviously cruising the crowd.

“That guy looks like a winner,” Dylan said. “You should turn on the old Chadster charm.”

“No, too rough looking for me. How about you introduce yourself?” Chad said not looking at Dylan and taking a drink. He figured the guy in question looked a little like Chuck, though handsome and not skanky.

“I’m not interested,” Dylan said. “Let’s find someone for you to play with.”

Chad groaned. He figured a couple of drinks and the sight of hot men would get Dylan’s libido running. His mission was to show Dylan what he was missing out on while he played house with ‘butt ugly.’ Chad had an idea. He thought maybe a little dual cruising would work.

“Let’s go over to the game room,” Chad said to Dylan. Maybe he could find a pair of hotties, one for each. If he could get Dylan talking to someone of quality, it could wake his dumb ass up.

“Wanna play some pool?” Chad asked. “I’m buying.”

“Sure, I’ll play,” Dylan answered with a smug little smile on his lips. He could anticipate Chad’s actions. Right now, Chad was scoping the room for a couple of guys to hook up with. He’d take one and foist the other on Dylan. Chad seemed to think Dylan was an idiot. Well, let him do his worst.

“You break,” Chad said. While Dylan was cracking the balls, he looked around at the crowd which was getting bigger. Lots of hunters tonight it seemed. Labor Day was around the corner and the “boys of summer” would soon be looking for fall boyfriends. The hot, humid weather of late August was perfect for cruising. The blood boiled with sexual electricity whenever the temperature topped eighty.

“So, Isaac tells me Chuck’s old boyfriend was at Buck’s Tuesday night,” Chad said casually. He wanted to start a little trouble or at least get some questions worming into his friend’s mind.

“I doubt that’s what Isaac said,” Dylan said watching Chad sink a ball. “He may have said someone in love with Chuck WASN’T at Buck’s. His old dance partner didn’t show because I was there.”

“Oh. Did you know about this old boyfriend?” Chad sank another ball.

“Chad, cut the shit. His dance partner was in love with him but they never dated.”

“Sure about that?” Chad said whiffing the cue ball.

“I’m sure. Skinny and Muffin told me they were never an item,” Dylan said taking the shot and dropping a ball. “Chuck and Vern never were together.”

“Could be?” Chad rested his chin on his cue. “Maybe his friends Skanky and Biscuit are just covering for him. Those dirt bags work together you know.”

“Skinny and Muffin,” Dylan said loudly and carefully, “are a very nice couple who I enjoyed meeting. They love Chuck but I believe them when they told me Vern was just a friend. I believe Chuck too.”

“Are you listening to yourself Dylan?” Chad said. “You’re talking about guys who call each other high school nicknames and get together to fucking line dance. The Dylan I know would be mocking them and pointing out how irrelevant they are.”

“They call me Houdini,” Dylan said knocking another ball into the pocket. “And they call Isaac ‘Stallion.”

“Talk about pathetic,” Chad snorted. “Let’s talk about something else.”

“Sure,” Dylan laughed. “You brought it up.”

Chad started telling Dylan about his last trick, a hot college junior. Chad made him crawl on the floor to service him. Dylan smiled. Chad thought of himself as some kind of alpha male/dom. In truth, Chad just liked to get men to do what he wanted. He didn’t care how the other man felt about the sex. Chad was just selfish.

“Sounds hot,” Dylan said and finally missed. Chad lined up and sank another ball. They had the same number of balls on the table. A couple of guys, much like them, dropped quarters on the table. They were up next. Chad decided to see if they wanted to play doubles. Dylan and he were pretty close at the game. Maybe they could score these guys.

The other guys took a long look at Dylan and him after he asked them to play doubles. They agreed and watched them finish their game. Chad threw it letting Dylan win. Dylan just grinned knowingly at his friend.

“I’m Tim,” the dishwater blond with a really cute button nose and wicked smile said.

“I’m Matt,” the dark haired hottie with an eyebrow piercing said. He had a nice deep voice that Chad would like to hear begging him for relief. Matt broke the rack and Chad chatted with Tim. He was an environmental science major at the U and had just turned 21. The two guys were just friends though occasionally they hooked up together. That was perfect as far as Chad was concerned. He didn’t want a boyfriend or a scene when he and Dylan split them up.

“Dylan, you’re next,” Chad said. He walked over and talked with Matt for a few moments. Matt was twenty-two years old and just graduated from St. Joe’s. He had been a business major and worked for a title company downtown. Pierced boy was perfect for him. Dishwater would get Dylan’s motor running.

Dylan put in a couple of stripes. He missed a difficult bank and went back over to Chad.

“Tim goes to the U,” Chad said.

“Yeah, I’m going to grad school at the U in January,” Dylan said to the blond.

“Cool. What are you going for?” the guy asked. He was good-looking in a frat boy way but he wasn’t half the man Chuck was, Dylan thought. Chuck could make him laugh, his toes curl, and cook food that made his mouth and other parts excited. These guys looked like a beer bong and a porn movie would be considered date night.

“I’m getting my doctorate in history,” Dylan replied.

“That’s cool. I want to get my master’s eventually too. I’m into ecology. Gotta stop screwing the planet,” the boy said. Dylan couldn’t help but think, ‘boy.’

“Never done that before. I prefer men,” Dylan joked. The blond laughed and moved closer. Dylan moved a step away.

Chad was knocking them in right and left. But, Dylan could feel his eyes on him and ‘the boy.’ Dylan decided to play a little trick on his friend. He was being such an ass about Chuck. Dylan figured payback is a bitch.

Dylan moved closer to Tim. He put his hand on the guy’s shoulder and whispered in his ear. Chad smiled and missed the next shot. Finally, something was going right. He walked over and watched Matt sink one. Eyebrow boy had a delectable ass. He would love to sink his teeth, and more, into that. It looked firm but plush. Yum. Dylan and Tim were still talking.

“Shit,” Matt said and stepped over to Dylan and Tim. “Your turn, Dyl.”

“Thanks. Tim, talk to your friend. See if he’s interested.”

Chad watched as Dylan sank three in a row. Tim and Matt were feverishly whispering and looking at Dylan. Maybe this was working. A couple of drinks, some cute guys, and reminders of how fun casual sex is would work wonders. Earlier, Chad had told a few fun stories about guys he’d tricked with. This was going better than he’d planned. If Dylan wanted both frat boys, he could have them. Just as long as he forgot about that ditch weed Chuck for a night.

Tim missed his first shot and it was Chad’s turn again. Dylan was talking with both of the boys now so Chad kept shooting balls into pockets. They laughed and were touching each other. Tim and Matt were looking excited, primed for an encounter. Dylan looked happier than he did earlier. Chad was thrilled.

“Just hit in the eight ball guys,” Chad said. “Sorry Tim and Matt, we beat you.”

“That’s fine Chad,” Matt said and leered at him. Chad was confused. Tim was also looking at him funny.

What was going on?

Dylan clapped both guys on the shoulder and headed over to Chad. “I better get going. I’m gonna stop by and give my honey a good night kiss. Thanks for coming out with me.”

“Wait, Dylan. You’re my ride. How am I gonna get home?” Chad asked.

“The boys are taking you home. They said they’d be happy to give you a ride,” Dylan said with a raised eyebrow. Chad was pissed. What was going on?

“We’ll take good care of him Dylan,” Matt called out.

“Yeah, we’ll keep him well in hand,” Tim smirked.

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

“Thanks for bringing me lunch,” Chuck said. “I thought you’d be out later than this.”

“I was pretty much done with Chad. He thinks I need to date other men. I don’t. I love you,” Dylan said.

“Chad doesn’t like me?” Chuck asked worriedly.

“He doesn’t know you, at all. He’s worried we’re going too fast. He’s been my best friend for twenty years. Chad is just concerned about me.”

“Are we going too quickly?” Chuck looked at Dylan intently.

“No. We’re going at just the right pace for me. How about you?”

“I’d marry you tomorrow so I don’t think we’re going too fast,” Chuck grinned and took a bite of his chicken.

“I’m not quite ready for that but, yeah, we’re good.”

“What did Chad do that chased you off?”

Dylan took a deep breath. “Chad was trying to hook the two of us up with a couple of college boys. Before you say anything, I knew what he was doing and wasn’t the least bit interested,” Dylan said.

“So what happened?”

“I decided to play Chad for the fool. I told the boys that Chad was a very submissive bottom who was desperate to get double teamed by them. I told them he’d fight it but in the end Chad wanted to be treated like a slave. I said Chad like to get double teamed. They fell for it. Chad’s gonna have quite the situation.”

“Chad’s a top?”

“Chad’s a whatever. After a few minutes of negotiation, he’ll play whatever part they want. But, he’ll know I set him up, big time,” Dylan giggled. “He deserves it.”

“Hope I’m not coming between you two,” Chuck worried, but was laughing at the same time.

“Chad is coming between me and Chad. Well, maybe right now Chad is coming between those two college boys.”

And Chad actually was. He’d already forgotten about Dylan.