You'd Have to Ask - 15. Chapter 15

The Deck

Cole woke up to the sound of a horn blasting outside. He checked the clock. It said 12:10. Cole ran downstairs in his boxers and opened the door.

He saw Lance sitting in the Jeep. “Hey, why don’t you come in, I’ll make some coffee and get ready.”

Lance gets out of the Jeep and comes into the house. He takes off his boots and heads into the kitchen. He checks out Cole as the man pours the water into the coffee maker.
“Man what a sight!” he says to himself checking out his buddy’s muscular back and ass.

Cole turns and sees Lance standing there, obviously the guy has been checking him out.
He smiles, “Well the coffee’s on, I’ll run upstairs and get dressed”

“No need to on my account” Lance says while he checks out the front of Cole’s body now. Noticing that the man has a buldge in the front of his shorts.

Cole heads back up stairs and goes to the can. He smiles with embarrassment, “That’s why Lance was focused” as he pulls out his cock to pee and notices it is semi-hard. “Well it happens to all guys gay or straight”

Lance is drinking a coffee when Cole comes back down. He checks out his buddy again and notices the guy is dressed to work now and looking damn hot. Lance has a plaid work-shirt on over a t-shirt. He is also wearing 501’s that are threadbare in spots and work boots.

“Where on earth did you get those” Lance asks. Referring to the Carhart overalls Cole has on.

“I saw them on sale in Edmonton so I got some” he says non-chalantly.

“Well in some of the places I hang out in you’d be raped if you showed up looking like that!” Lance says.

“Why’s zat?” Cole asks.

“Because you look fucking hot!” Lance says. He just takes a chance and throws it out there. It has been a while since he has seen Cole. The last time he saw him he wanted really bad to ask him about the book.

“Err thanks” Cole says, “Well let me grab some coffee and we can get started.” He walks to the machine. “Don’t want to waste anymore time.”

“Well I guess we’ll have lots to talk about” Cole says to himself “as we work on the deck.”

The two of them waste no time getting started. The sun is up and it is pretty warm. In no time they have the frame completed.

A person watching the two men work would notice that they go about their tasks diligently. Once in awhile they tell some stupid joke and laugh. But they are focused on the task at hand and work together.

After an hour Lance takes the work-shirt off. His t-shirt clings to his body, partly because of its size but mainly because it is wet with sweat.

When the frame is completed Cole looks at Lance. “Well, I think we should take a break, I am starved!”

“Me too!” Lance stands up and hikes up his jeans. He wipes some sweat away on the sleeve of his t-shirt.

Cole does the same thing looking at the fire fighter as he is doing it.

Lance notices Cole checking him out but does not say anything.

“C’mon, lets get something to eat, omelettes good?” Cole asks.

“Sure, you gonna cook?”

“Well the maid has the day off” Cole says with a smile, “I’ll be the one toiling over the stove.”

“Cool, have you ever cooked before?”

“A hot dog here and there, this will be a first” Cole says with a straight face.

“Maybe I should do it then, I have cooked at the station for years no-one has died yet!”
Lance says.

“You can help, but I am doing the cooking” Cole says.

The guys head into the house. Both take their boots off at the door and take turns washing up.

Cole opens the fridge and gets the stuff to make lunch. In no time he has the omelettes made. Lance has been saddled with the task of making more coffee and some toast.

When everything is ready they sit at the table. The guys devour the food.
They talk about the upcoming hockey season and their favourite teams. Cole is an Oiler’s fan and Lance supports the Flames. They joke about the rivalry between Alberta’s teams.

Lance takes care of cleaning up the dishes. Cole heads outside to get ready for the rest of the job. He has the wood piled down by the garage. He cuts the straps that bind the wood together off.

Putting on gloves he carries several loads of boards up to the side of the house.

When Lance comes out he sees that everything is ready to go. He picks up his tool belt and puts it on. Cole has nailed down the first plank.

“I guess we should work together on this.” Cole says, “I have measured everything and we should be able to work from either end.”

“But you don’t want a funny gap in the middle!” Lance adds and chuckles.

“Yeah and besides that’ll give us a chance to talk.” Cole says.

Lance does not respond. I guess Officer Wheeler is going to come clean about some things.

The two guys continue working well together, laying the planks and nailing them in.

“Well, I guess you want to know about the book you saw in my truck.” Cole says as he looks up into Lance’s eyes.

“No pressure Cole, feel free to tell me what you want,” Lance says.

Cole recounts most of his history of his experimentation with man on man sex since high school. He also tells Lance that he was having a perfectly satisfactory sex-life with women at the same time.

“I don’t know what happened, Lance” Cole says, “When I was going out with my last girlfriend. It started, well it didn’t just start but I became more aware of it.”

“How do you mean?”

“Well, with the shift work I found I had a lot of time by myself.” Cole says as he pounds in a nail. “I started working on the plans for the house and I had to go to a lot of stores in Edmonton, to order material.”

“While I was there I started to notice that there is a lot of good looking guys that work and shop in those stores.”

“You’re telling me!” Lance says and then indicates to Cole to go on.

“So anyway, I’d go out with Sherry and we’d go back to the apartment and have great sex. But it didn’t seem to be enough. It actually come to the point where I was taking longer and longer to finish.”

“On a day off I went into the city. I had to take a piss so I stopped at the truck stop up north of here. While I was there this guy kind of watched me and then started talking to me when I was washing my hands.”

“His rig was parked outside and he wanted to show it to me. I wasn’t born yesterday, but like I said my sex life seemed to need a tune up so I went to his truck.”

“It had a sleeper, the next thing you know we are in it and he is blowing me. In no time I was done and it felt so good. He asked me to do him and, I had never done anything like that before. But I decided, who is going to know, so I did it.”

“I bet you felt like shit afterwards” Lance says.

“I did.” Cole stops hammering. “It seemed different when guys were doing it to me, but actually doing it to some one else was basically admitting I was a fag.”

Cole takes a pause and gets some more boards. When he is back his eyes are moist.

“I felt like shit, but it was like a whole pile of lights went on in my head.
I mean, it wasn’t that bad!”

Lance smiles reassuringly and nods.

“Anyway, Sherry gets an offer to move to a higher paying job in Calgary. She asks me to go with her. I said no, I was planning on staying here. Building a house and stuff.”

“So it came to an end, it was like fate, it was about a month after that incident at the truck-stop.”

“Do you think you would have moved to Calgary if that hadn’t of happened?” Lance asks.

“I really don’t know Lance.” Cole looks him in the eye. “I suppose I would have moved and been happy for while, but would this thing go away. I’d like to think it would, but now I am not so sure.”

“So you’re telling me you have officially joined the team?” Lance asks.

“The team?” Cole says with a puzzled look.

“It’s just a phrase, more politically correct than all the other words.”

“Yeah, I guess I have.” Cole says with a smile.

Lance stops hammering and hugs Cole. The two men embrace for a while.

They finish the deck by eight o’clock and it is getting dark.

“Stay for supper?” Cole asks.

“Sure, but on one condition” Lance says.

“What’s that?”

“I cook, no matter what it is!” Lance says. “Besides you can go clean up, you’re a mess!”

“Hey Prince Charming you are not that clean either!” Cole says.

The two guys stare at each other for an awkward moment.

“You know what Cole?” Lance says, “Man I hate saying this. For the longest time I have dreamed of this day. I think I even had pictures of us living happily every after.”

Cole blushes he doesn’t know if he is ready for this.

“But” Lance pause, “I finally met a guy, Kurt, he lives in Calgary we have been dating for about a month.”

“Congrats Lance!” Cole says with sincerity. “It’s about time you found someone, so that explains the lack of phone calls.”

“Yeah, it has been great. We click on so many levels in and out of bed.”

The guys head into the house. Cole goes to the kitchen and shows Lance what he has for food.

“I guess I’ll go upstairs and have a shower. Got everything you need?”

“Yeah, I do, let me wash up first in the washroom.”

Cole comes downstairs about half an hour later he feels refreshed and lighter. Telling Lance has removed a lot of angst from him.

When Cole enters the kitchen he sees Lance is wearing nothing but boxers. He has some dance music playing and he is zipping back and forth between the stove and the chopping block. Every once and awhile he sings along with the music and dances provocatively.

Cole sneaks off and gets a camera, to take a picture. He comes back to the kitchen and gets off some quick shots of Lance at work. Lance sees the flashes and doesn’t mind. He turns around and Cole takes some more pictures of his friend.

“I feel overdressed Lance.” Cole smiles.

“I have always wanted to do this at the station, but you know, it’s just a dream. Besides you opened up to me today, so I figured that I could do something I always wanted to do.”

“Have at er!” Cole says, “The food smells good by the way.”

“Wait till you taste it! Its better than sex!”

“I’ll get the table ready, do you want some wine?” Cole asks.

“Trying to get me drunk so you can have your way with me?” Lance asks with a smile.

“Me? No way! Red or White?”

“I prefer Red myself but if you want White, that’s ok.”

“Well what goes best with what you are cooking?”

“Red!” Lance exclaims.

Cole goes and gets a bottle of wine and he also grabs a t-shirt and tosses it to Lance.

“Here put that on, I don’t think I can handle eating with a naked man.

“Naked!” Lance laughs looking down at himself. He shrugs and puts on the t-shirt, “Sorry my body is offensive to you!”

They both laugh at that.

Cole reaches around Lance and gets the corkscrew. As he does this he accidentally brushes his hand across Lance’s firm ass. He feels his face reddens and he quickly retreats.

“By the way, what are you cooking? You are bouncing around like the Naked Chef, so to speak.”

“C’est un surprise!” Lance says, “A surprise for my best gay friend.”

Cole feels a stab to his stomach, as he has never heard it in relation to himself.

Lance notices the guy’s apprehension at the word, “Don’t worry Cole, this too shall pass.”

Cole smiles, “Yeah I guess, I am just not used to hearing it.”

Dinner is finally ready and they sit at the table and start to eat.

Lance lifts his glass and proposes a toast. Cole gets his glass.
“To us, friends, fellow conspirators and now both members of the Universal Team of Lefties.”

“And the best damn deck builders this side of Lacombe!” Cole adds as they clink glasses.

“Lefties?” Cole asks, “Does the parade of names never end?”

“Those are just the polite ones!” Lance says while laughing.

When they have finished eating they both do the dishes.

“So you wanna stay for some beers and crash here?” Cole asks.

Lance has to think about this, he is still attracted to Cole and he would really feel like shit if something happened.

Cole holds up his right hand, “Nothing is going to happen, Scout’s promise.”

Lance thinks about it for all of ten seconds, “Sure he says but just one thing” He pauses and then asks, “Were you ever a Boy Scout?”

“Nope!” Cole says with a laugh. “I just wanted to hang out with you.”

When the dishes are done Cole says “Well bud, as hot as you look in your shorts, go get dressed, we are gonna break that deck in!”

Lance heads off to get dressed and Cole goes outside to move the table and chairs onto the deck.

It is a warm night for this time of year. Its great to sit outside as the mosquitoes have gone for another year.

Cole heads back in the house and goes to the stereo. He loads five CD’s into the player. Some Jimmy Buffett, Blue Rodeo, Jann Arden and David Gray.

He grabs a cooler from the closet by the back door and loads it up with some beer and then takes the cooler outside.

Lance is back in the kitchen when Cole re-enters. “All the stuff is outside!”

They go outside and Lance can hear the music perfectly outside. “Hey good planning!”

“Yeah, I thought of it when I was building the house. This is the first time they have been used.” Cole says looking up at the speakers built into the wall.

“Do you have any newer music?” Lance says with a smile.

“Nope, what you hear is what you get.” Cole says. “Actually this is part of the dream I had. Sitting outside drinking beers listening to these guys.”

“Well I guess since you have your heart set on it.” Lance says.

They sit and grab a beer. The sky is clear and there are lots of stars. The moon is shining brightly.

“Thanks Lance.” Cole says.

“Thanks for what?”

“For this, for helping me. I don’t think if I had help I would ever finish this.”

“Why is that?”

“My motivation has changed lately, I seemed to be more preoccupied with getting laid than doing this.” Cole says.

“Ah, the famous slut phase.” Lance says, “Most guys go through it.”

“Slut, you calling me a slut?” Cole laughs, “Well I guess if I looked at it that way….”

“So, you seeing anyone yet?” Lance asks.

“No, I have just been experimenting, I guess.”

“Where do you go?” Lance asks.

“The Hawk in Edmonton. It’s close and I have met some cool guys.”

“That’s funny” Lance says, “I met Kurt at the Hawk in Calgary. So why do you go to there?”

“Well it was a fluke. I went past The Roost and there was a line up, so I went to the other place I looked up.” Cole says, “They treated me nice there and there seems to be a lot of guys that caught my eye. Don’t know about the leather thing though.”

“That’s why I asked, you sort of dived in at the deep end.”

“Are you a leather guy?” Cole asks.

“Card carrying.” Lance laughs. “I find that the guys are more to my liking.”

“So are you like” Cole pauses, “Really into it?”

“Well yeah, but I have been at this for awhile.” Lance says while looking at Cole “I guess its what turns me on.”
“Well to tell you the truth, the look turns me on, don’t know if I can get into the bondage stuff. Or S&M!”

“Why not, you are a cop, that’s part of your job!”

“Well if you saw some of the things I have seen, you wouldn’t think of it as something to do in your spare time.” Cole looks back at Lance. “I use handcuffs on bad guys, not lovers.”

“Yeah, I guess.” Lance says, “Different strokes for different folks, so to speak.”

“You know?” Cole says, “When I was in training I used to go to a coffee shop to study.”

“Study?” Lance says with a smile.

“Yeah we study they don’t just give us a gun and tell us to hit the street!” Cole laughs.

“Anyway, I was in the coffee shop every night. I usually had the same waitress and she’d ask me stuff. When we were going through handcuff training my wrists were all torn up.” Cole shows Lance some scars that are still on his wrists.

“She asked me what happened to my wrists and I told her and she started flirting with me, she wanted me to try out the cuffs on her.” Cole says.

“That works!” Lance laughs, “Memo to self, get handcuffs and display prominently.”

Cole laughs, “I thought that too. But then I came back here and had to use them for real. Reality sure changed that.”

“So your wrists got pretty beat up?” Lance asks, “Why is that?”

“Well we, the class had to practice on each other. My partner, this big guy, and me we decided not to put masking tape on. Sort of a guy thing.” Cole says. “The next day my wrists were raw, so I gave in and put tape on.”

“Did they hurt?”

“Yeah, they hurt but not too bad, I wasn’t going to complain about it!”

“Well sorry Cole, but Kurt wants to get into that.” Lance says.

“Like you said, different strokes. I guess I have to get used to it.”

“So you met some guys at The Hawk.” Lance asks, “Any that you might want to see again?”

“Well, there is the owner.”

“You know Mike!” Lance says excitedly.

“Yeah, we met. Why?”

“Well besides you, I have had a crush on that guy for years!”

“Well he just welcomed me to the club and we had some beers.” Cole decides discretion is best.

“Anyone else, come on give me some dirt or I’m leaving!” Lance laughs.

“Hey buddy, I don’t kiss and tell. Not even to you.” Cole says sternly, perhaps too much so and he feels guilty as he knows he has already shared some stuff with Kat.

“All right, so you must have met someone you’d like to see again?” Lance smiles, he admires his friend’s scruples.

“Actually, I ran into this guy when I was running in the River Valley.” Cole smiles “I mean literally!”

“No way!” Lance laughs.

Cole gets some more beer out of the cooler and gives one to Lance. They twist off the tops.

“Yeah, thing is I am not even sure he is gay.” Cole says.

“You didn’t ask?” Lance laughs knowing he’d never ask either.

“Should I have?” Cole laughs.

“A black eye clears in about a week!” the alcohol is obviously having an effect on Lance as he lets lose.

“I am not that brave.” Cole says, “But he did say to look him up when I was next in town. I got his phone number and he showed me the coffee shop he hangs out in.”

“Which one?” Lance asks knowing he might be able to help his friend.

“It’s by the High Level Bridge, Bowl something.”

“Ah, the Sugar Bowl.” Lance says, “Cool place I go there sometimes when I go to Edmonton.”

“So what’s his name and what’s he do?” Lance feels safer on this line of questioning since carnal relations aren’t involved.

“Well his name is Greg and he is an Immigration Officer.” Cole says. “He is older probably about 45. “

“How long did you run together?”

“Oh, about 8 km’s” Cole says, “We ran in the River Valley and then up past the Sugar Bowl and across the bridge. We talked about some stuff, nothing really. He did ask me where I went out, I just said a place by the hotel.”

“Cool, well I suggest you run into him again the next time you are up there.”

“Well it’ll be a lot sooner, now that we have this done.” Cole raises the bottle to Lance and they clink again.

They sit quietly and look at the stars. Cole notices that the Northern Lights are on display. The sky is full of multi-coloured lights flickering.

As they watch this, Blue Rodeo is singing a song about Pyramid Lake and spaceships. Cole can feel waves flowing through his body. It is almost like a runner’s high.

Lance stares at his friend. He has never seen the man so content.