Breaking Through The Blackout - 10. Chapter 10

10

It was a week before Andrew decided to get serious about his search for a job.

He had awaken early, showering and dressing casually. He combed his hair over and tested his friendliest smile in the mirror. Deciding that it would do, he put on his black boots, making sure to cover the tops with the cuffs of his jeans. He placed on a grey pea coat and headed out the door.

He walked on the road to avoid soaking his pant legs in the four inches of snow that layered the sidewalks. Considering that few people would drive down this street until spring, it was of little to no consequence.

It was only about ten minutes before he reached the strip. The strip ran parallel to the beach, offering the long row of businesses and shops a view of the ocean. An icy wind whipped off of the water, chilling him to the bone. He hunched his shoulders against the wind, turtle tucking his neck further into the collar of his jacket.

The street was covered in a wet slush, gray and dirty. The sidewalk was shoveled only in front of the businesses that had remained open. The others had signs bearing similar messages: 'Closed for the season', 'See you Next Summer', and a particularly cheeky one on a florist's shop reading 'Off To Maui, So So Sowwy!"

Andrew chuckled at the last sign, carefully maneuvering the snow drifts. More than two thirds of the shops were closed, so only about a dozen or so cars lined the front of the strip at intervals.

When he finally reached the Mocha House he was glad to see that it had several vehicles parked out front. The exterior of the building had been painted a dark yellow stucco, with a deep brown trim. The large windows flanking the door were adorned with multicolored coffee mugs and tea cups. They had been suspended from varying lengths of fishing wire, giving the place a feeling of whimsy. From outside he could see a few patrons spread out amongst the tables.

He opened the door to a blast of toasty air, he assumed from the fireplace that commanded the back wall. The smell of assorted coffees and a variety of baked goods reminded him that he hadn't eaten breakfast.

The left wall of the long aisle-like building was dominated by a row of brightly lit deli cases placed end to end. Behind the counter, a pony tailed girl had her back turned, busy operating an espresso machine. A single customer trailed the length of the cases, obviously deciding what treat to indulge in.

On the opposite side of the room, a raised platform ran the length of the building, housing purple booths and tables. Each booth was lit by a cranberry colored pennant light. Above each of the tables there hung a painting. From where he stood, he could see they each had a price tag, making him wonder if they were paintings done by local artists.

The center of the building was lined with two rows of small two person tables. They provided a runway to an area in the back that was fashioned into a traditional drawing room. The large fireplace sat between two large bookcases piled with books and magazines. A large crystal chandelier hung from the warehouse style ceiling, the light casting tiny rainbows through the crystals. Multi colored wingback chairs horseshoed around the fireplace, separated here and there by small end tables. A middle aged man sat on the raised hearth, his back to the warmth of the fire, his nose buried in an open newspaper.

"Welcome to Mocha House!" The cheery voice broke into Andrew's visual exploration of the place. He knew he already liked it here.

He turned to see Ms. Pony Tail leaning on the counter and smiling brightly. Mr. Indecisive had already found a table. The girl was young and petite, with impossibly white teeth and pretty features.

Straight boys wet dream.

"Hi, how are you?" he asked, trying to sound as friendly as he could. The environment certainly helped. You couldn’t help but feel cozy in this place.

"Oh I'm great!" she chirped. "Just another cold day in Maine. God, will I be glad when this snow goes away."

"I hear ya." he replied as he approached the counter and pulled out his wallet.

"What can I get you today?"

He perused the selection, which had been neatly written on chalkboards above Pony Tails head, in every hue of chalk. Mochas, smoothies, coffees and teas. The wide array of choices was intimidating.

"What's the best?" he asked.

"Well…the mochas are popular, and the Chai tea. Personally I prefer the white chocolate mocha with raspberry drizzle. " The way she spoke it so fluidly made Andrew think she said it five times a day. It was a reflexive rattle now rather than a sharing of opinion.

"I'll take that in a large then." Andrew said, deciding that it had sounded tasty enough.

"Any muffins or biscotti with your mocha today?" she asked as she began preparing his drink.

"Ummm…" he walked the length of the case, pouring over the cakes, cookies, muffins and cupcakes. He settled on a banana nut muffin the size of a small saucer.

When his drink was finished, she set it on the counter so that she could fetch his muffin from the case.

"That will be seven twenty-five. Can I get you anything else?"

"No, that'll be all…" he had forgotten that he had come here for an application. "Oh yes actually. Do you guys take applications this early in the year?"

Ha. Wave a muffin in your face and you lose your cool.

She fished beneath the counter, procuring a pad of applications forms.

"Yeah. You're in luck too, I'm pretty sure Rick, he's the manager, is looking for another person."

"Great." he said as he handed her a ten and removed one of the sheets from the pad.

She handed him his change, which he placed in the tip jar. She in turn handed him a pen from her apron. He chose a table in the middle, sipping his coffee and penning in all of his personal information.

He finished the application in record time. He had always enjoyed paperwork, and was swift when it came to job applications. Just one of the things he had perfected while job hunting in fast paced Chicago. He finished the delicious muffin and walked the plate, the pen and the form back to the counter.

"Finished already?" she asked, surprised at his speed.

He laughed. "Major nerdy I know, but I love paperwork. And if you meant the muffin, to my credit it was really good."

She giggled. "It's all good. Are you new here? I don’t think I've ever seen you before."

He nodded as she banished the plate to a bus boy's bin.

"Yes. I just got here a few weeks ago."

"Where from?"

"Just south of Chicago. Mokena." He was prepared for the next question.

"Really? Why Maine?!"

"Just needed to get away. Change of pace. Everyone's always rushing there."

"Oh. well…Welcome!" She held up her hands as if to say 'Well. This is it.'

"Thank you."

"Well, I will put in a good word for you…." She quickly glanced at the application, "Andrew."

"What do you think my chances are of getting it." he asked.

She flipped the form over, checking the work experience portion.

"I think you can count on it. You have decent work history. If I can convince Rick to interview you, which I most likely can, he'll take one look at you and you'll have the job."

He looked at her quizzically. "Gay guy?"

"Nailed it!" she said with a snap of her fingers. "He's sweet, but he has a weak spot for cute young guys."

Well then. That cats in the bag.

"Don’t we all. " he chuckled.

She lowered her voice. "Are you as well? Gay I mean?"

"I am." he admitted without hesitation. He had never been one to deny it, no reason to start now.

"Awesome. Well we have plenty of LGBT people and allies here. I'm an ally. I love gay boys."

Oh yeah, real shocker there!

"I'm Brittany by the way." They shook hands. "Rick's out of town until Thursday, but I will call him and let him know you came by and applied."

"Great, thanks for all the help. It was nice meeting you Brittany."

She beamed. "No problem. Lets catch lunch sometime."

He promised they would before retrieving his coffee and exiting with a casual wave.

He walked home quickly, not particularly enjoying the cold. He couldn’t wait to get home and under a blanket. He wished he had put a hat on before leaving, but it would have ruined his semi professional hairdo.

It's just a frickin coffee shop.

First impressions are everything, he thought.

Obviously he had impressed Brittany enough to have her put a good word in for him.

And a gay manager!

He was surprised at how many people were turning out to be gay in this town. He had expected to be rather lonely in the alternative sexuality department. Still, he wasn’t complaining.

Once he reached the house, he stripped down and lay on the bed, deciding that a nice warm nap was in order.

He was out in minutes.

*******

The sound of knocking woke him from his gentle slumber. He threw his clothes back on and dashed down the stairs, taking them two at a time. He expected to see Dee Dee.

Instead, he received a faceful of Kevin's manly mug. He stood wearing a brown corduroy coat with a wool collar, hands shoved into the pockets of his jeans.

"Hi." Andrew said enthusiastically. "I didn’t expect it to be you."

Invite him in.

"Sorry for the impromptu visit. Did I wake you?" he asked with a smirk.

"No, no you're alright…"

"Are you sure? There's sleep lines all over your face." he was chuckling now.

"Ok so I was taking a nap." he muttered. "Come on in."

Kevin looked surprised. "For a nap?"

Andrew laughed. "We will have to rain check on that. I was gonna make coffee for the two of us."

Kevin flushed. "I thought…I…yeah…Coffee sounds good." He took off his boots while Andrew waited for him on the stairs.

Upstairs he directed Kevin to sit wherever he wanted. He filled the coffee pot with water. adding a filter and scooping fresh grounds into the basket. He joined Kevin in the living room while he waited for it to percolate.

They shared the sofa, Andrew sitting Indian style, Kevin with his ankle crossed over his knee.

They were quiet for a minute or so. Kevin kept swinging his leg back and forth, gently ramming his knee into Andrew's thigh. Andrew grinned before breaking the silence.

"So what's been going on? How have you been?"

"Working. And when I'm not working…." he paused and checked Andrews face as if it were a way to gauge the situation, "Well honestly, when I haven't been working I've been thinking about you." He averted eye contact after announcing it.

"Oh?" Andrew asked, letting the word hang in the space between them, neither an encouragement or a discouragement.

"Yeah. Good things. All good things." Kevin added.

"Well that’s comforting." Andrew replied gently, wondering where this was going. He got up to get the coffee, letting his hand drag across Kevin's leg as he walked in front of him on the way to the kitchen. It was his way of letting him know that he wasn’t stepping out of the conversation, that he was still listening.

Kevin grinned at him, and he couldn’t help but return the gesture. He poured two mugs of the black brew and added sugar and cream to his own. He was just about to ask how he took his coffee, but Kevin had already begun to speak.

"The reason I came over…well I came over to ask you if you would join me on a proper date."

Andrew's heart jumped to his throat, catching like an incomplete hiccup. He closed his eyes and breathed slowly through his nose until it passed.

He wanted to, he really did. He had spent the past week wondering if Kevin was going to stop by, or if they would run into one another. Realistically, the latter wouldn’t have happened, considering that he hadn't been out except for his trip to Mocha House. He was fully prepared to say yes, but he wanted to play it out a bit.

"How do you take your coffee?" he asked, prolonging the answering of Kevin's question.

"Black. One spoonful of sugar." he replied.

Andrew brought the two mugs back to the living room and took his previous position beside Kevin.

"So?" Kevin asked expectantly.

"I don’t know Kevin. I've been so busy lately. Besides, I'm not sure if I am ready to date just yet."

Oh yeah, lay it on thick.

He watched Kevin's face take on a disappointed grimace. He sipped his coffee quietly, avoiding Andrew's eyes.

"Well…" he started slowly, " what if we didn’t necessarily date date? What if it was more of a 'hang out date' between two friends. I won't even get romantic or anything?"

Unable to keep up the charade, Andrew let go of the giggle he had been suppressing.

"What?!" Kevin asked in alarm. "Do I have a booger or something?" He gingerly wiped his wrist against his upper lip, inspecting it for evidence when he pulled it away.

At the snot check Andrew started laughing harder. He had to set his mug on the coffee table, afraid of spilling it on the sofa.

"Were you screwing me this whole time?!" Kevin asked incredulously as he caught on to Andrew's ruse.

Unable to speak through his hysterical laughter, Andrew only nodded, falling back on the sofa to relieve the pressure on his diaphragm.

Kevin pounced on him, holding his arms above his head.

"Oh you's about ta get it mistah!" He sat on Andrew's legs and began to tickle his ribs.

Andrew shrieked and began to buck and squirm, trying to get out from under the muscular guy who was now pinning him to the sofa and laughing about it.

"No! No! I hate being tickled! Stoooooop!!!!" he screamed.

Kevin paused, still pinning Andrew's hands, and allowed him to catch his breath.

Andrew groaned, the tears from laughing now trailing down the side of his face to his ears.

"No more. Please. I hate getting tickled."

There was a devious look in Kevin's blue eyes. He grinned like a cat ready to eat his prey.

"Oh yeah? I hate when cute little boys screw with my feelins'. Take your punishment!" he said and laughed as he began to tickle him again.

Andrew resumed this one sided battle, shrieking every time Kevin's fingers came in contact with his sides.

Suddenly Andrews body went rigid with pain. He clenched his teeth against the burning sensation in his side.

Knowing something was wrong, Kevin immediately sprung up and off of him.

His eyes were wide as he asked what was wrong.

Andrew reached both hands above his head and pointed his toes as he extended his legs.

"Cramp." he whispered on the verge of tears. "In my side."

Kevin got on his knees next to the sofa and began gently massaging the side of Andrew's torso.

After a few minutes he asked, "You ok now?"

"Yeah." Truth be told, the cramp had gone before Kevin even began to massage him, but the feeling of being touched by him was a comfort that he didn’t mind prolonging.

"I'm sorry." he said, pushing his bottom lip into a pout and bowing his head.

"You're fine. It happens."

Kevin stood up and remounted him. Fearing another bout of tickling, he folded his arms, locking them over his chest.

Kevin grinned. "I won't. Promise. But you have to agree to one date before I can let you up."

"Nope!" Andrew teased, part of him hoping that it would ignite more tickling.

Instead, Kevin attempted to pry his arms open. Before he could succeed, Andrew rolled beneath him, so that he was face down on the sofa, Kevin straddling his back. He tucked his arms beneath him, safely away from his opponent.

I hope he doesn’t get off of me, he thought. He liked the feeling of dominance that Kevin was exuding.

Kevin lay flat on top of Andrew and forced his arms around him. He held him there and put his cheek against his back, between his shoulder blades. He then began to fake snore.

Andrew laughed again. "Get off you goof!"

Kevin brought his lips to Andrews ear and whispered. "Only on one condition."

Andrew interrupted. "I was going to say yes before any of this started."

"Really? Do you always take the hard route?" Kevin asked, raising up on all fours to allow Andrew to roll over.

"Most of the time. I'm the epitome of difficult." he said as he looked into Kevin's eyes. He wanted to stroke his face, to feel his warm skin and stubble against the soft inside of his palm.

Just do it already. I think you have got to that stage at least. He IS laying on top of you right now.

"Tell me something that I haven't figured out." Kevin said with a smirk. "But you know what they say, the most difficult catch is the most rewarding."

He'd been given enough reason to do it. He reached out and rested his open palm against the highest point of Kevin's jaw, enjoying the coarse bristles that raked against his skin. Kevin sighed and his eyes fluttered closed as Andrew softly dragged his hand down his neck and rested it on his shoulder. Before he could open his eyes, Andrew had planted a soft kiss on his pink lips.

Kevin jumped up and sat at the end of the couch.

"I have to stop before this goes all sorts of crazy." he said as he looked at Andrew, who had raised up on his elbows and swung his feet into Kevin's lap. "You're just too desireable."

He wasn’t expecting a foot rub, but he got one. Kevin rubbed his feet as he laid back down and closed his eyes.

"So you'll really go on a date with me? Like a date date?" he asked as he kneaded the ball of Andrews foot.

"Yes. And if you keep rubbing my feet like that you just might get to second base." He was only kidding, of course, but he wanted to communicate his satisfaction with the job.

"Sorry! I no do happy ending. Against regulation. Ling Ling get fired if Ling Ling get caught." he replied in a faux Asian accent that made Andrew giggle.

"So when do you want to have this date?" Andrew asked.

"Well I work the next three days, but I'm off from Friday through Monday. Wanna go out Friday night?"

"Sounds good to me, I have nothing planned. I'm not exactly facing a line of suitors here."

"Good. Means I get first shot. And you can bet I will be booby trapping the line behind me, that way all the summer boys can take a long walk off of a short beach." Kevin replied.

"You crack me up with the stuff you say." Andrew informed him.

"You're pretty silly yourself. Second base? I thought I told you I'm a gentleman. I'm not even thinking about second base."

Andrew didn’t believe him, partly because he had already wondered what second base was going to be like, and if they would get there.

"Horse shit. You haven't even thought about it? Be honest."

"So maybe I have thought about it, but there is a difference between a little fantasizing and having an expectation."

"I've thought about it myself." Andrew admitted.

"Yeah?" Kevin purred.

"Yeah. But we will get to that when we get to it. No rush."

Kevin agreed that it was better not to rush. Andrew sat up and drank the rest of his coffee. He mentioned that he had applied at the Mocha House.

"I hear it’s a good place to work. Everyone fights to get in over there. Personally I like my job at the ship building plant in the next town. I paint boat hulls and stuff, but not everyone is cut out for that kind of work." he responded. "I hope you get a call back."

"Yeah me too, I'm tired of sitting around and twiddling my thumbs. A job would be good."

"They've got a pretty chill schedule over there from what I hear." Kevin explained. "So you'll get to have a good time this summer. We have some pretty kick ass beach parties."

"Sounds like a blast. I can't wait til people start getting here. It gets kinda boring and lonely here."

"Yeah, that’s off season for ya. People start getting here in May. Some of the shop owners come a little earlier to clean out their shops and order inventory. It's a great time to make some spare cash. I help open a few pools, and there's a few shop owners I help."

"Jack of all trades?"

"Pretty much yeah. Keeps me busy. But now that a certain someone is around, I may have to scale back a bit. Keep my schedule open."

"Who?" Andrew asked, feigning ignorance.

"Oh you know, this really cute new guy from the big city."

"He sounds kinda interesting."

"Oh. More than you could know. More than he even knows."

He laughed. "You're so cheesy. Cute, but a total cheesmo."

Kevin stuck his tongue out defiantly.

"Well. I have to get going, but I'm totally looking forward to Friday." he said as he took his coffee mug to the sink.

"I am too. I haven't been on a date in over two years. I'm not even sure I remember how to date anymore." Andrew replied seriously.

"We will brush up your skills. I promise."

Andrew walked him to the door.

After he had put his boots on, he turned back to Andrew.

"Can I get another one of those really sweet hugs?"

Andrew stepped forward and hugged him, laying his head on his chest like he had the first time. Kevin softly ran his fingers through his hair, hugging him tightly with one arm.

When he spoke, his warm breath played across Andrews scalp.

"If you can trust me, I promise I will do all I can to make this a really great summer. I'll help you live it up and enjoy yourself."

Andrew pulled back and searched Kevin's face, finding no signs of deceit . "You promise?"

Promises get broken. Always.

"I promise I can and will do my best."

Andrew sighed against Kevin's chest before letting him go.

"I'm going to hold you too that."

"And another thing," Kevin mentioned "I'm always here when you feel lonely and bored. I left my cell number on that grocery pad on your fridge."

Andrew smiled. "I will remember that."

Kevin grinned. "Goodbye for now beautiful. I'll be here at five on Friday night."

He called you beautiful! He gets points for that.

As fast as he had arrived, as fast their time had slipped away, Kevin was gone, leaving his promise ringing in Andrew's ears.

*******

Thursday afternoon, Andrew was reading on the sofa when his cell phone rang for the first time in over a month. He had changed his number, so he knew it couldn’t be David or any of his friends from Illinois. That left Dee Dee or Mocha House.

It was the latter.

"Hello?" he answered.

"Andrew Piper?" The voice was gentle, but definitely male.

Rick.

"This is him."

"Hi Andrew. This is Rick from Mocha House. How are you today?"

"Good, I'm good. How can I help you?"

"Well, I looked over your application and I think you would make a good candidate for the position. I wanted to see if you were available for an interview tomorrow at noon."

"I can be there at noon." he said, trying to mask the excitement in his voice.

Yes! Another victory!

"Alright, that’s settled then. You don’t need to dress up or anything. Clean shirt and jeans is fine. Other than that, I'll see you tomorrow at noon."

"Thank you, I'll be there."

"I look forward to it." Rick said before hanging up.

Andrew tossed the phone on the couch and did an excited jig, gyrating his hips and moving his arms in a wide stirring motion.

He had a date with the towns resident wet dream, and likely a job at the hippest coffee shop in the area.

Can life be any better?, he wondered as he picked up the phone and dialed Dee Dee, glad to share the good news.