Moving On - 31. Chapter 31 - Forgetting and Forgiving

I was awoken by tiny fingers poking at my face. As I opened my eyes, I was about to grumble, but the look of happiness in Zach's eyes made it hard to stay irritated.

"Yay! You're awake, Papa," he told me. "Daddy, Papa's awake! Can I eat now?!" Zach yelled downstairs.

"Zacharias Hollin, there will be no yelling in my house! Come down here to talk to your father!" Lydia hollered back.

"Ok, Grandma! Sorry!"

So much for not yelling. I got out of bed, and Zach took off like a flash, while I grabbed a quick shower and dressed. When I arrived downstairs, everyone was eating lunch. I hadn't even realized the time.

"Y'all let me sleep late?" I asked, joining them at the table.

"I told them you didn't sleep well last night and needed a bit more. Do you feel more rested?" Noah asked, rubbing my back.

"Most definitely. Once I finally fell back asleep, it was very peaceful. Did anyone manage to get in touch with Tom this morning?"

"No, and I'm getting really concerned," Richard said. "It's not like Thomas to ignore an obligation, certainly not without calling to cancel first. I've contacted every place I can think of he could have wound up if he was in trouble. He's not in jail, and he wasn't in an accident."

"Well he and Sarah had a fight Friday night. Maybe that's part of the reason he didn't show up," Noah offered.

I pulled out my phone to attempt to contact him again. I was surprised to find a text from him. I did a double-take, since it didn't make any sense.

Sorry I BBC sint x ok me. Somerhibf xame ypm. Have t ok be al ok ne.

"Well, he sent me a text at ten, but I can't figure out what he is trying to say. Do you have any idea, Noah?" I asked my boyfriend, handing over my phone.

"Hmm, he doesn't text much, and he has a touch screen. My guess is he was drunk and trying to send this to you real quick. He was just relying on muscle memory to work in his favor. It's like using a keyboard with your eyes closed. If you know where all the keys are, it's easy; if you don't, it just looks like a jumbled mess."

"That's ridiculous! Thomas doesn't drink!" Richard said loudly.

"Not usually, but I'm pretty sure Noah's right. I think the middle sentence is supposed to be 'Something came up', but it's all garbled. Either way, we know he's alright. I'll keep trying to get him to answer his phone, but I'm sure he'll call or text me again if he needs anything."

"If he does, please have him call us," Richard said, more calm than before.

"Of course I will. You know him; it has to be something serious if he's acting this way."

After lunch, we sat in the family room for about an hour. Zach was playing with a few of his toys on the floor, while the four of us occasionally made small talk. Lydia was doing better, but I think it was partially an act for us. I'd been there; eventually, it would stop being an act, and she'd be better on her own. With the discussion about the hearing over, the dynamic was a little tenser between everyone, which didn't surprise me. After all, I was in my former in-law's house with my new boyfriend. Once we seemed to hit a lull in the conversation, I suggested we should head back home. We needed to make sure everything was ready and we got to bed early. The hearing was at ten in the morning, and in order to provide enough time in case of traffic, or other unforeseen delays, I wanted to be out the door by six. Before we left, I pulled Richard into his study to have a final word with him.

"Look, I know this has been at least somewhat uncomfortable, but I really appreciate you having us here. I can't thank you enough for all you've done. We've been really fretting over all the unknowns of tomorrow's court appearance, and you really helped put all our minds at ease, especially Noah's. Zach has certainly taken a liking to you both, and I'd like to keep in touch after this is all over, if that's ok with you. Noah lost his parents in an accident, and I think Zach really likes the idea of having more family in his life," I told him.

"I think I'd like that too, and I know Lydia has really taken to Zach. We'll have to play it by ear a little. It's incredibly difficult to see you with someone other than Steven, but it is good to see you happy again. Whatever you said to Lydia seemed to help, but I'll wait and see if her improvement is temporary."

"Just keep reminding her it's ok to smile. Steve would want you both to keep on living your lives. Trust me, I know, it sounds like a lie at first, but it does eventually sink in. Anyway, I just wanted to tell you 'thank you', Richard." I put emphasis on his name; it was the first time in many years where I had called him something other than 'Dick' to his face.

He smiled, before confiding in me, "You know, I grew to like you calling me 'Dick'. I know I deserved it, and it was your way of showing a touch of disrespect, but it was a constant I could rely on. I've tried to be more affectionate with my family the past few years, but it just wasn't how I was raised. The open displays of love just seemed to come so easily to you and Steven. In a way, I came to think of it as an extension of that. Don't tell anyone I told you this, but I wouldn't mind it if you kept calling me 'Dick'."

"If you say so, Dick," I replied with a wink.

We quickly put our bags in the back of the SUV, and said our goodbyes. I gave Lydia a hug and promised to call as soon as I heard from Tom. Of course, Zach had to get big hugs and kisses from his new grandparents. Without Noah or me saying a word, Zach climbed into his seat and buckled himself in, and we were off. Honestly, I'd been expecting Zach to break down, but he seemed in fine spirits.

"Are you upset about leaving?"

"Nope," was the entirety of the boy's response.

"Are you sure? You were really upset when Tom and Sarah moved down the street."

"Yup. 'Sides, I'll see Grandpa tomorrow. He said he's gonna make sure I'm yours forever, Papa!"

I was stunned a bit by his reaction, but I guess it made sense, and I wasn't about to insist he should be upset or anything!

As we drove, I filled Noah in on the call to my parents, and broached the idea of us taking a trip to visit them.

"Up to Maryland? That seems like a long drive," Noah said cautiously.

"Yeah, it's about ten hours. That's why we'd fly, obviously," I replied. Immediately, I felt his entire body tense as he squeezed my hand tightly.

"You mean in a p…p…plane? In the air?"

"Oh, God, Noah… You're parents! I'm so sorry, I didn't think about that. We can drive if you want."

Noah took a second to catch his breath. I hadn't thought about the fact he might be afraid to fly after what happened to his parents. After a few minutes of silence as he collected his thoughts, he spoke up.

"If we drove, would we be able to make it one day?"

"Steve and I did, the few times we drove up, but we also didn't make too many stops. We can try to make it in one go, but I have a feeling Zach is going to be too much to handle, cooped up in the car that long. We'll plan on taking two days, but see what we can do to make it in one."

"So four days of travel if we drive. How long is the trip if we fly?"

"The flight itself is about two hours, but the total trip would be… let's see…" I did a few figures in my head. "I guess somewhere between five and a half to six hours. Most of that is just sitting in the terminal or on the plane."

"And how often do planes actually crash?"

"Maybe one or two a year, but realize our airport alone has a couple thousand flights per day landing or taking off. Plane crashes get so much coverage because it's hard for anyone to survive falling out of the sky, and there are a lot of passengers on each plane, but they're really very rare," I told him. It may have been a bit blunt, but I could tell he was trying to convince himself that flying would be a better option than driving.

"So basically, I can let fear turn it into a trip where we have to extend the length due to driving, trapped in a small steel cage with a hyperactive child, or I can just try to relax," Noah said.

"Yeah, that's pretty much it," I replied with a laugh. "Honestly, though, if you don't feel comfortable flying, I'll understand, and we'll make it work. If you're willing to work through it, I'll do everything I can to help you relax."

"Really how?" I could almost hear the smirk in his voice.

"I was thinking holding your hand, and explaining the cabin noises to you. I'm not sure the fellow passengers would like it if I bent over and 'relaxed' you in the middle of the flight," I said with a laugh, Noah laughed at that as well. Zach looked at us strangely from the back of the SUV, but went back to looking out the window when we ignored him.

"That would be fun, though. Maybe we can join the mile high club?"

"I'm sure people do, but those bathrooms are too damn tiny for me," I responded with a chuckle, glancing back to see if Zach had caught my slip, but he was in his own world again.

"Ok, you sold me. This is the first time I've had the opportunity to fly. I know I'm being irrational, but the trip to Rome was the first time my parents ever got on a plane also," Noah said strongly, if a little sad. I gave his hand a squeeze.

"I'm sure they'd want you to take the most convenient method of transportation available."

"I know. I've told you you're the best, right?" he asked, leaning over to give me a kiss on the cheek.

"You have, but I never get tired of hearing it."

Many miles passed in silence. Ideas for the trip kept flashing through my mind, and eventually, I decided to bring them up.

"You know, we could always turn this into more than a trip to meet my parents," I told Noah.

"What do you mean?"

"I was thinking it would be good to see my brother and his wife; we could spend a few days with them and take Zach to the Inner Harbor in Baltimore. Also, my best friends from college would love you. There are tons of neat museums and things to do in Washington."

"That would be fun. It might be nice to do something before I start school. Maybe we can go somewhere just the three of us, too."

"That's exactly what I was thinking, babe. We could spend a week in the area with my family, then go somewhere, just the three of us, for a week. You would start school the day after Labor Day, right?"

"Assuming I get accepted, yes. I haven't heard officially yet, but the woman in the admissions office made it sound like it wouldn't be a problem. I should be getting my acceptance letter any day now."

"Perfect! How about we leave Saturday? From my folks place we'll go on our own personal vacation the next Saturday. We'll come back, and you'll have a couple days to get everything in order before classes begin."

"Sounds a bit chaotic, but we can manage. Any ideas for our vacation? I'd love to see New York or maybe the Grand Canyon."

"Oh trust me, I know exactly where we're going, but I'm not telling you a thing. I want to see the look on your face when you find out."

"A surprise? That's no fun!" Noah complained.

"No fun for whom? I'll find it plenty fun. Besides, you surprised me with our date and my 'therapy session', so it's only fair for me to return the favor once in a while."

"I'm never going to live down karaoke, am I?"

"Nope," I responded with a grin.

We settled back into silence. I'm sure Noah was brainstorming all the possible places I could be taking them, while I was already making plans in my head. I was impressed that Noah hadn't balked at expenses; I hoped the issues of money had finally been put to bed for good.

As we approached Atlanta, my phone rang. The Bluetooth in the car picked it up, and the screen showed it was Tom calling. Obviously, I answered it immediately.

"Tom! Where the hell have you been?" I said loudly, both out of anger, and I wasn't sure how good the microphone was.

"Papa! That's a –" Noah quickly shushed Zach's remonstration.

"It's a long story, but I need you to pick me up. I'm at that flea bag motel next to I-20," a distraught Tom replied.

"Why are you at that dump? You know what? Just tell me when I get there. We'll be there in about fifteen minutes. Are you ok?"

"No nothing's ok. I'm safe, if that's what you mean."

"Ok, at least there's that. We'll be there soon," I said as I ended the call.

"Sorry, Zachy, I didn't mean to use a no-no word. I was upset because I'm worried about Tom," I explained to the boy, which seemed to placate him.

"Well at least we know where Tom is," Noah said, squeezing my hand. "By the way, I noticed you've started saying 'Zachy'."

"I hadn't even realized I was doing it. I guess I heard you say it so much I picked it up. It wasn't intentional; I know it's your special name for Zach," I said apologetically.

"I don't have a problem with it. I think it's kinda cute, actually."

When we pulled up to the dilapidated motel, Tom was waiting out front. To call this place run-down wouldn't do it justice, because that implied it was nice at one point. I'm pretty sure it had always been seedy. Tom looked like he belonged there; his hair was disheveled, and he had a growth of stubble I'd never seen on him before. His eyes were bloodshot and he had remnants of vomit down the front of his shirt. He looked like shit.

"Get in the car, Tom," I told him. I was a bit short with him, angry he had done this to himself.

Noah moved to the backseat, and Tom climbed in next to me. The putrid reek of bile quickly filled the entire car, and I rolled the windows down to keep the smell from becoming too overpowering.

"Ewww! You smell bad," Zach said, pinching his nose.

"That's not a nice thing to tell someone," Noah scolded him gently.

"But he does, Daddy!"

"I know, but you don't say anything. Besides, I'm sure Tom feels bad enough as it is."

"Where's your car?" I asked Tom.

"Back at that bitch's house," he snapped angrily. My eyes bulged a little hearing him utter a curse, and Zach was quick to remind him to watch his language. That boy was already pretty well trained.

"Well, let's just take you back home and then we'll get everything sorted."

Tom's only response was to nod his head.

We weren't far from home, and a few minutes later, I pulled up to the house. Noah said he'd take care of Zach and the bags, so I helped Tom inside. It was clear he was still a little drunk, and I'm sure quite hung-over. I hauled him into the bathroom and ordered him to strip. I insisted he take a shower and brush his teeth while I threw his filthy clothes into the wash. I grabbed some clean clothes for him to wear, put them in the bathroom, and headed to the kitchen to start a pot of coffee. Noah wrapped his arms around me from behind and kissed my neck.

"Tom looks like hell. Do you want Zach and me to make ourselves scarce so you two can talk?"

"That might be a good idea. If his comment in the car was any indication, I'm not sure it'd be good for Zach to be around for this conversation. As much as I want you beside me, maybe it would be better if you keep him distracted," I told him, turning around in his arms and resting my hands on his strong chest as we talked.

"Hmmm… how about I take him to the store, and we get a couple of DVDs and watch one out here while you talk to Tom in the bedroom or something."

"That sounds perfect. Maybe you want to see if Will wants to join the two of you. Have you spoken to him this week?" I asked, leaning in for a kiss.

"I don't know… Are you sure you wouldn't have a problem with him being in your house? I know he's not exactly your favorite person at the moment."

"No, he's not, but he's your friend, and it’s our house now. I'm not about to say you can't talk to him. For all I know, you're still mad at him, anyway."

"I am, but he's my friend. You and I have been busy doing our own thing this week, but I do miss hanging with him. He's seen pictures and heard me go on and on about how great Zach is, but he's never actually met him. You sure you wouldn't mind if I called him?"

"If I did, I wouldn't have suggested it," I said, leaning in for another kiss. "You're the best; I want you to be happy. I'll pass on what I find out later tonight."

"Only if Tom tells you it's ok. I don't want him thinking he's telling you things in confidence, only for you to run your mouth off to me."

"Fair enough, but I'll just tell him I'm going to tell you. If he has a problem with it, I'm sure he'll let me know. Now go call Will, and see if he can come over to play," I said, stepping out of our embrace.

"Well, I was just going to see if he wanted to hang out. I didn't know that was an option!" Noah said with a giggle. I smacked his ass.

"You know what I meant, perv. Besides, I want you all to myself tonight," I added with a wink.

"Every night, babe," Noah responded, giving me another kiss.

Despite my intentions, the kiss turned a bit passionate, as his tongue snaked his way into my mouth. Greedily, I accepted it, wrapping a hand around his head to pull him deeper into the kiss. A gentle cough interrupted us.

"You two can't be left unsupervised, can you?" Tom asked with a weak smile as he walked into the room. My clothes were a little baggy on him, but he looked a hundred times better than before.

"Not usually, no," Noah deadpanned. "How are you doing?"

"I've been better."

"Why don't you two find a quiet area to talk; I'll give Will a call, then figure out what Zach and I will do from there."

"Sounds like a plan to me. Does that work for you, Tom?"

"You sure you don't want to join us, Noah?"

"I do, but if I join you, Zach will want to take part in everything, too. Besides, Scott's better at this sort of thing than me anyway."

"Is it alright if I fill him in later tonight?" I asked Tom.

"Yeah, it's not really something I'm going to be able to keep a secret, and I'd rather not have to tell it a dozen times."

"Alright, well I'll talk to you both later," Noah said, before leaving the room.

I poured the coffee into a carafe, and Tom and I went into my new office. I sat on the chair at the desk after closing the door, while Tom sprawled on the twin bed in the room. Tom's eyes darted to the door a couple times, as if unsure.

"Noah's going to get a couple movies for Zach, and then he's going to invite Will over to hang out with the two of them. This way, we're not disrupted by them, and they won't overhear the conversation.

"Ahh, ok; you’re fine with him having Will over?"

"Why does everyone keep asking me that? It was my suggestion."

"Well, he did put some moves on you and tried to break Noah and you up."

"Yeah, don't get me wrong, I'm not a fan of the guy, but he's Noah's best friend, or at least was. I'm not Noah's mother; he can hang out with whomever he wants. I'm not sure if I'll be able to be friends with him, but I know I'll have to see him, and I have to be cordial. Anyway, enough about me, what the fuck happened?"

Tom sat silently for a moment, thinking of how to respond.

"Sarah dumped me," He said finally. "Or I dumped her, I'm not really sure. All I know is it is over."

"How can you not be sure? I can see not being sure if it was actually a breakup or not, but not being sure who ended it, especially when you're this upset doesn't make sense to me."

"Remember that fight Sarah tried to pick the other day? I wasn't completely honest. She wanted to borrow my credit card to go out for a girl's night later in the evening. When I told her 'no', she started yelling at me, so I dragged her out to the porch. She complained I didn't buy her nice things anymore, and said she didn't even know if I loved her. I tried to explain I didn't need to spend money on her to prove that, but she wasn't having any of it. Finally, she stormed off, and I went back inside. When I got home, she was gone. There was a note on the counter that she went out anyway, and not to wait up for her. She left her wallet open on the countertop. All she'd taken was her ID. I tried to stay up anyway, but I finally passed out sometime after three. I didn't hear her come in, but she was in bed with me, fast asleep, when I woke up the next morning.

"When she finally woke up, I asked her where she went for girls night, and she launched on the defensive, claiming I had no right to ask that since I hadn't paid for it. When I asked how she paid for it, she said she charged it on her card, so I confronted her about the fact she left her cards at home. She never tried to explain that, nor did she deny it, but she changed the topic back to the previous day. She went on and on about how clear it was you loved Noah, since you bought him a car, a new mattress, all these toys and clothes for Zach. She brought up all the places you guys took Zach the previous few days. Oh, and she mentioned the laptop you bought Noah, and refused to believe me when I said he paid for it himself. She actually said 'sugar daddies' always pay for everything, but they'll occasionally make the other person feel like their contributing. She wagered you'd given him a large sum of money so Noah felt like he was spending his 'own' money on things, when it was really yours. Honest, Scott, I didn't tell her about the loan."

"What the fuck?" was all I could say in response. "Where is she getting all this? It's not like we openly talked about who bought what," I said after a minute.

Before Tom could answer, there was a knock on the office door. Without waiting for a response, Noah poked his head in.

"Sorry to interrupt, but Will wants to have a quick word with you, Scott."

I sighed, and Tom grinned despite himself. We both knew I was going to have to repeat myself again. "Alright, send him in."

Will entered the room, shy and pensive. I stood and walked over to him, extending my hand, which he shook.

"Noah said it was ok for me to be here, but I just wanted to double-check with you first. I've screwed up enough with you; I don't want to invade your personal space, too."

"I appreciate that, I really do. However, my personal space is also Noah's, so it doesn't entirely matter what I think. Especially if Noah can forgive you and move past everything, I'm pretty sure I'll be able to as well, given enough time. I can't – and won't – stop you from hanging out with Noah, no matter where it is. Have you met Zach yet?"

"Yes, and he's just as adorable as Noah made him out to be. I'm glad you're happy. Hi, Tom," Will added, giving an awkward wave, which Tom reciprocated.

"Thank you," I responded.

"Anyway, I just wanted to make sure everything was cool. Noah said you two were in the middle of a discussion, so I'll let you get back to that. Sorry for intruding, and thanks for letting me be here."

With that, Will shut the door. Tom and I sat in silence for a minute, trying to remember where in the conversation we'd been.

"Anyway, how did Sarah find out?" I asked, suddenly remembering my last question.

"Zach's apparently a great undercover agent. Sarah asked what you guys had been up to, and he was more than happy to tell everything. Obviously, his version was more style than substance, but it wasn't hard to ferret out the facts. Did you really test drive a Porsche?"

"I did, but it just wasn't right. I wouldn't be surprised if Noah has his eyes on one now, though – he could barely keep his tongue in his mouth looking at the 911 Turbos!"

"That night, after Zach went to bed, Sarah begged me to buy her one. She wasn't happy when I told her no."

"Did you know about her telling Zach we would leave him, or he'd be taken away, if he wasn't good enough?"

"She did what?! I knew she said something to him, but I didn't know the details. Not to completely excuse it, but Zach was horrible after you dropped him off on Thursday. He was crying and screaming, and he wouldn't listen to either of us. We knew what the issue was, and we agreed not to tell you; neither of us wanted to ruin your night. All I knew was Sarah talked to him, and he was a perfect angel the rest of the night."

"I guess I can see that, but Zach was on edge the whole next day. I think it really wasn't until your father explained the hearing to him that he really relaxed. Speaking of which, you need to call them."

"I will after I'm done telling everything to you. Back to yesterday, after I continued to refuse to just be a blank checkbook for Sarah, she angrily told me she wasn't out with her friends; she was with another man, one that 'treated her like she deserves to be treated', as she put it."

"Shit… How'd you respond to that?"

"I told her we were over, but she told me she was leaving my 'cheap ass'. I stormed out, and just started walking. I went past a package store and on a whim, went in and bought a bottle. I continued to wander as I drank, and before I knew it, the bottle was empty. I bought another, but everything's a bit hazy after that. I vaguely remember deciding I needed a place to stay, but I don't remember how I got to the motel. This morning, I found the second bottle empty, and I was lying in a puddle of vomit."

"Jesus, Tom! You could've been mugged, or worse. I know you were upset, but you could've come here; I know you still have a key. That was really fucking stupid." I know I wasn't being very constructive, but I was pissed at how reckless he'd been.

"You don't think I already know that? I just can't believe she'd do that to me." Tears slowly began to fill his eyes and his speech wavered as he said the last sentence. When he finished, he lost his composure and began to weep, holding his head in his hands.

I moved over to the bed and sat beside him, rubbing his back gently. Suddenly, he surprised me by resting his head on my chest. I just wrapped my arms around him and rocked him back and forth.

After he calmed down, I told him, "Congratulations, welcome to the club."

"What do you mean?"

"You just had someone rip out your heart and stomp on it. Been there, done that. It's something of a rite of passage."

"Who broke your heart? Steve?"

"No; it definitely broke when he died, but I was thinking of Tony, my best friend growing up. Man, was I ever infatuated with that boy. When I came out to him, he asked me if I thought he was cute. I told him I did, and he beat the shit out of me. The pain in my heart was worse than the bruises, but even that healed with time.

"At the time, I thought Tony and I were destined to spend the rest of our lives together. Honestly, I haven't thought about him in years."

"So what do I do now?" Tom asked.

"First things first, call your parents. I was supposed to call when I heard from you. After that, we'll try to get your stuff, but she hasn't been answering her phone, either."

"Where will I stay?"

"Here, of course. You're welcome to stay as long as you'd like. Noah, Zach, and I are thinking about going out of town for a couple weeks starting Saturday, but that just gives you a bachelor's pad. If you'd prefer, I can take you back to the luxurious digs you had last night…"

Tom managed to crack a smile with that. "No, I'll manage just fine here. Thank you."

I gave him privacy to make the phone call. In the living room, Noah and Will were using Noah's laptop, while Zach was engrossed in the Disney movie with the fish. I sat down next to Zach, and without a word, the boy leaned against me, so I wrapped my arm around him. I looked over at the laptop, and saw Will and Noah were looking at gym equipment. I'd noticed they were quietly talking animatedly back and forth, almost as if engaged in an argument.

"What's up, guys?" I asked quietly, so as not to disturb Zach.

"I was showing Will what we ordered for our gym, and got distracted. I found a really neat weight machine, but he thinks it's unnecessary, and is trying to talk me out of it."

"It is unnecessary! If you're already getting a Bowflex and a weight bench, you can do all the exercises this one is designed for, except for pull-ups, and all you need is a bar that hangs from a doorframe to do those!"

"Yeah, but…" Noah paused, trying to actually think of a rebuttal.

"You got nothing, do you, babe?" I asked with a wink.

"Not really, no. You're right; it doesn't really serve a purpose. That doesn't change the fact I want it, though," Noah confessed.

"Then get it," I said, "or you can always hold off. We can get it later if you still think you'd benefit from it. Doing a good job keeping my man in check, Will?"

Will actually laughed at that. "I'm doing my best, but I don't think Noah actually thought about what all he'd find online. He's like a kid in a candy store. Is Tom ok?"

"He will be. This is the first time he's gone through a breakup, and it was a rough one. Tom can fill you in if he wants."

"Babe, can I use your credit card? I'm gonna go ahead and get this. It'll provide a little variety to our workouts. I'll go ahead and write you a check for my half, but my card has a fairly low limit."

"Sure, no problem, my wallet is on the table. Just make sure you check the delivery date before ordering, since we're going to be out of town until Labor Day."

"Where are you guys going?" Will asked. I wasn't sure if it was specifically directed at either of us, but Noah was distracted, so I fielded it.

"We're going to my parents, and see some family. Then, we're going somewhere special, just the three of us."

"How about Hawaii, or Seattle?" Noah asked without looking up.

"Keep fishing all you want, I'm not telling you."

"Damn. New Orleans?" he asked, looking up at me with a wink. Will and I both laughed at his not-so-clever attempt to get me to spill the beans.

"Scott, I'm glad I introduced you two. As much as part of me wishes I was in Noah's position, I can see how happy you are together and how well you complement each other. Again, I'm sorry."

"I know, and thank you."

Tom came into the living room, looking completely exhausted.

"Scott, any chance you'd be willing to go get my stuff and bring my car down? I don't think I can face her right now."

"Sure, go lay down. By the way, you're coming with us tomorrow to the custody hearing."

"I was planning on it anyway. Dad practically insisted on the phone."

I stood up after carefully repositioning Zach, who had fallen asleep against me.

"Tom, go lay down. I'll go try to get your stuff and bring it over. Just relax. It'll get better."

Tom handed me his keys, and I quickly walked up the street. His car was where he left it, but Sarah had taken the opportunity to scratch the sides up. I walked up to the porch, where his suitcase lay open, filled with his clothes. A note lay on top.

Here's your shit, you cheap bastard! I never want to see you again!

I crumpled up the note and tossed it into the bushes. It wouldn't do Tom any good to see it. I closed the suitcase, and drove the car back down the street. When I got home, Will was heading out the door.

"I need to get going. Thanks for having me over, though. It was great to finally meet Zach, and I'm glad everything seems to be going well for you guys," Will said, giving Noah a hug. I stuck my hand out for him to shake. I may have been willing to work on a friendship, but I wasn't about to embrace the man.

Noah and I threw together a dinner, and I woke Tom. The four of us talked, but dinner was rather subdued. While Noah did dishes, I got some things together for the next day. Once we put Zach down for the night, the two of us retreated to our bedroom.

No sooner had the door closed before we were practically ripping each other's clothes off. Finally naked, we collapsed on the bed, his larger body resting on top of mine as we ground our hard cocks against each other, kissing passionately. Without a word, Noah spun around, gripping my cock and directing it towards his mouth while his massive member dangled before my lips. I watched in awe of his endowment as a tiny droplet of precum oozed out the tip, and made contact with my lip. I licked my lip clean before doing the same to his glans and directing the large head into my mouth.

I was moaning in pleasure into Noah's cock as he bobbed frantically up and down. I tried my best to give him a decent blowjob but he was far from reserved that night, thrusting his cock in and out of my mouth. After gagging several times and unable to figure out the best way to deep throat him from this position, I reluctantly withdrew his cock from my mouth, and readjusted myself under Noah to be able to sample his amazing, hairless ass. Noah's mouth shot off my cock the second my tongue made contact with his pucker, letting out a loud moan.

"Get back on my cock this instant, unless you want to wake Zach!" I said harsher than I intended.

"Oooh, someone gets all dominant when he's horny, I see. I can live with that sometimes," Noah said with a laugh, followed by another moan as I drove my tongue as deep into his hole as I could. He did me one better than I had commanded, raising my legs as he went to service my hole as well.

We moaned mutually into each other's orifices, both of us focusing on giving at least as much pleasure as we received. Eventually, Noah returned to sucking my cock and began to finger me.

"Fuck," I moaned after an eternity of pleasure, pulling away from his delicious ass for a moment "give me another finger."

"Really? I already have three in there!"

That was a shock to me. Considering the only lube he'd used was his spit and my sweat, I was surprised he'd loosened me up so easily, especially since it had been a long time since I'd had anything in there. All I'd known was the pleasure had just kept building over time, and I wanted more

"Then I'm ready for the real thing, tiger. Suit up and fuck me!"

Noah pulled away for a moment.

"Not tonight, babe. Unless you bought a stash of condoms and didn't tell me, we don't have any protection."

"Ugh," I groaned in horny frustration, "then just go raw! I'm clean, and I trust you."

"Even if that's the case, we're both horned up and not thinking clearly. We'll talk about protection when we're both more rational. I also want to wait. I want our first time to be special, just like it was the other night. I don't want it to be rushed and nothing more than a moment of passion. I want to remember it for the rest of my life."

"Dammit, Noah," I said. There was probably some anger to my tone, but it was my frustration that was most apparent. "Why must you be right? Ok, fine, we'll wait. I don't want to, but I understand," I said with a sigh.

Noah kissed me gently on the lips. "I want nothing more than to make love to you all night long, babe. We'll get there, I promise. Maybe I'm just a romantic at heart, but I want the first time with the man I love to be that perfect moment like in the movies. I love you. Shit," he added, looking at the clock, "It's already after midnight. What say we bring this home and try to get some sleep before our big day tomorrow?"

"Sounds like a plan, lover boy. Now bring that tasty ass back over here."

This time, he accepted my demand, and resumed sucking my cock as I sealed my lips back around his hole. I ran my hands up and down his chest, tweaking his nipples and teasing his pubes. My climax was building and I began to thrust my cock in and out of his mouth, which he took like a pro. His body began to shake, so I began fervently stroking his cock in time with my thrusts.

My breath was ragged, and I could no longer focus on his hole. Nipping at his buns and thighs, I unleashed shot after shot into his mouth. Moments after I finished, his body tensed, and the first shot of cum landed with a splat about halfway down my shaft while Noah was concentrating on getting the last drops of cum from my slit. Without missing a beat, he lowered his head to swallow part of his own load, only to have the next two shots hit him squarely on the chin.

In my post-orgasmic high, this was absolutely hilarious to me. Once his orgasm subsided, he joined in. I pulled him around for a sloppy kiss and licked some cum off his chin with a giggle before grabbing a discarded shirt to finish cleaning up our mess. To be fair, it was mostly his mess, even if much of it was on me.

"I'm sorry if I was a little pissy, babe," I said as we curled up into each other's arms. "You were completely, one hundred percent right. We have a decent idea of each other's sexual history, but that wasn't the moment to decide we don't need to use condoms. It also wasn't the right time."

"It's all good. I would've been just as pissed if I'd wanted your cock as badly as you wanted mine. By the way, I thought you said you generally preferred to top," Noah responded with a grin.

"Yeah, well I have more experience as a bottom, other than recently. Sex with Steve came naturally to me pretty quickly, but whenever I thought about it, I just assumed I was bottoming more for convenience than pleasure. Maybe I was wrong, Mr. Finger-Fuck Me."

"At least I never claimed to be more of a top! I like them both, but bottoming has always seemed more intimate to me, Mr. Suit Up."

Our banter continued for a few more minutes, until a final glance at the clock reminded us how much we would be hurting in the morning. Tightly wrapped in each other's arms, we quickly fell asleep. The wonderful dream from the night before returned, and it was just as glorious as I remembered.