Kindly His

Chapter 1The first time I met Arthur Kindly, I was already in a relationship and so was he. That was high school. Arthur had a girlfriend, Peggy, who was on the cheerleading squad. He was much more popular and good looking than I was at the time. Everyone knew, because Arthur never failed to tell anyone who would listen, that he hated his name, but that his mother loved the Arthurian Legend, and thus he was named after it. I had a boyfriend in high school, though admittedly we pretended to be only the best of friends. Carl and I were much more than that, of course, but that was a time when something like that would not have been readily accepted. When high school ended, so did my relationship with Carl, and any direct knowledge of Arthur for a few years. Later I learned that his relationship with Peggy went the same way mine with Carl had, and he had moved on to someone else. In high school I had believed Arthur was firmly heterosexual, and it wasn’t until I met him again, years later, I learned he was bisexual. I was at a bar with a few friends, enjoying drinks after a long grueling shift as a paramedic in the Los Angeles Fire Department, when I spotted a guy sitting at a booth with another guy. The second guy I didn’t know at all, but there was something vaguely familiar about the first one and I found myself looking over there now and again. “Damian.” My friend and partner paramedic, Marcos Valenzuela, nudged me with his shoulder. “Dude, you’re staring.” “Am not.” He grinned. “Are, too. And from the looks of it, he’s taken anyway.” Well, Marcos wasn’t totally wrong about that. They did look pretty cozy. It wasn’t a gay bar or anything, but it was a bar that was friendly to everyone. It’s why we all liked it. None of us felt unwelcome for any reason. “I just…I think I know that guy from somewhere.” Marcos followed my gaze. “Ex?” I rolled my eyes. “Nah. I haven’t had so many that I can’t remember ‘em.” “Speaking of not remembering, your current one is walking in the door. You might want to stop ogling someone else.” I glanced toward the door and spotted the guy I had been dating for about five weeks, Richard Stevens, entering the establishment. He worked at a garden center not far from the bar and had agreed to meet me there after work. I liked Richard, but honestly, I didn’t really see us going anywhere long-term. Prior to us meeting, Richard had a partner he’d split with, in a clearly devastating-to-Richard end to their relationship. “Order him a drink for me, would you? A merlot.” Marcos frowned. “What are you doing?” “I’m going to see if that guy is who I think he is.” I slid off the booth, waved at Richard, then turned to approach the booth where the guy and his likely date sat together. The guy was very handsome in a classical way. Sandy brown hair, warm brown eyes, and a slight dimple in his chin. I guess I had my doubts that it was really Arthur because of the guy he was with. Like I said, it hadn’t been my experience that he was into anyone of the same s*x. Stopping at their booth, I offered a smile. “Arthur Kindly?” He glanced at me quizzically. It was him all right, I was sure. But it seemed pretty clear he couldn’t remember me at all. Not really that surprising because it wasn’t as though we were much more than acquaintances. I didn’t have a big enough ego to be bothered by it. “Damian Lamonte. High school.” I knew the moment he recognized me—or my name anyway—because his handsome face lit up with a smile. “Damian. Yeah. Yeah. I remember. Short little skinny guy.” He laughed, rich and warm. “You’ve grown a lot.” I grinned back. “Sure did. Anyway, I didn’t mean to bother you.” I nodded at the guy next to him. “Just wanted to say hi. Enjoy your evening.” “You, too. Nice to see you, Damian.” I returned to the bar where Richard had now taken up the seat next to mine. He was sipping his merlot and giving me a curious look. “What’s up?” I sat on the stool and picked up my beer. “Oh. Just I knew that guy in high school. Wanted to say ‘hi.’” Richard nodded. “How was your day?” “All right.” I smiled, then turned my entire attention to him and forgot Arthur for the foreseeable future.