The Attraction Of David

Chapter 6

The exhaustion was surreal. Nine hours, a seemingly adequate amount of rest for a man, was in no way refreshing. It was like the energy the s*x had expended last night was the kind that was usually consumed for an entire week’s worth of work. Tired was an understatement.

The hunger and thirst were unbearable, and the summer fervor was just too much. It felt like I was being smothered by the sheets of the bed with how hellish the temperature was. Not to mention the loud music emanating from Davion's bedroom. These things were pure torture.

“Your music is too damn loud, Davion,” I banged on his door. “Can you please? You know I was sleeping!”

He lowered down the volume. "What the hell is your problem?!" The low-fi he was listening to was intolerably loud. The appeal of the music wasn't in line with the time of the day.

"You knew I was sleeping! It's only eleven in the damned morning!" I knocked a couple more times to prove my point then went downstairs.

My throat was parched. I opened the fridge and grabbed the bottle of water, letting the coldness ease me up. Sitting was a struggle, and my insides felt sensitive like it was swollen, and it was uncomfortable.

I hoisted my shirt up, and a curse left out of my mouth as I noticed the hickeys on my chest, down to my right rib. My right n****e was swollen, and the worst one was the purplish bite mark on my left shoulder.

Thanking God that it was hidden, I grabbed a plate and served food for myself. I took my first spoonful of rice, and instinct made me almost spat the half-chewed food when my right incisor and bottom lip, collided. There was a small scab left from last night and the impulse to ran a finger to feel it was unavoidable.

“Where have you been last night?” Davion asked. “You weren’t answering my calls. Mom was concerned about you. What time did you arrive?”

I looked at him, surprised by his sudden appearance. “I was at a friend’s house. The music was too loud last night, I must’ve not heard it when you called.”

“What a lame excuse. Did it not even vibrate?”

“Should I call you dad from now on? Get lost,” I retorted.

“Why are you so pressed? I am just curious,” he said, chuckling. “Had fun, though?”

I looked at him. I wished at that moment that I could at least wipe the mischief off his damned face. I dismissed the thought and instead continued eating the food.

“Yes, I had fun. Why are you so interested?”

He walked towards the fridge and took a bottle of water, gazing at me. “Come on, you don’t have to hide anything from me. After all, I’m your brother.”

No f*****g way. I huffed in disbelief, staring at the tall and muscled frame opposite my direction, who was now having that sly grin on his face. I had been in the same predicament before with him. Once he got a bit of information that he found risible enough to discuss, he would exert effort to nag and push me into spilling the rest all over the floor.

“Hiding what?” I asked, stalling, piecing the puzzle together, knowing exactly where this conversation would go.

“Come on now, Aris told me. I called him last night, I thought he might’ve known where you were, and sure enough.”

“That conniving bugger. Un-f*****g-believable,” I shook my head in disbelief. “And what did he tell you?”

He held his laughter. I was exasperated, and Davion found humor in every second of it. He knew exactly how to wind me up.

“That you were meeting up with a guy. Don’t fret, he spared me the bloody details.” And with that, he walked away, a grating laugh coming out of him as he ascended the stairs back to his room.

When would I ever learn? I knew that there was a chance that this thing would occur, and it did not surprise me it transpired. I should’ve just kept the activity I was up to last night on my own. It was not the first time where my friend, Aris, told things to my brother.

Frustrated, I dialed Aris, utterly annoyed that this i***t once again stabbed me in the back. It only took a few seconds before he answered. I was suddenly in the mood to castigate the hell out of this man.

“Yeah, why?” Aris said, not bothering to answer hello. This bugger was on another caliber of annoying.

“Seriously? I told you not to tell my brother where, and what, I was up to last night. Are you out of your mind?”

He chuckled. He’s got that same attitude as Davion. They knew that I hated people who make those small crackling sounds whenever something pissed me off. Ever since I told them about it, they always have weaponized that revelation, using it each time it was possible. I hated it when someone laughs at me whenever I’m mad.

“Why are you so mad?” he asked, laughing as he did. “What was I supposed to say? Your mom was worried.” His laugh was unflagging, the kind that felt as if the sound was abrading my eardrums. It was pure torture.

If only I could grab him by the collar and knock him unconscious over the phone, I already have done it. I was heaving in pure rage. He finally stopped laughing, coughing in the process. I had to chug on the bottle of water to calm my nerves after that.

“I’m sorry, okay? I didn’t want to lie to him. Also, your mom had always been so nice to me. My heart couldn’t bear making a white lie when your brother had asked where the hell you were.”

I inhaled sharply. “You could’ve just given other kinds of excuses on my behalf, Aris. Seriously, telling my brother that I was meeting someone to hook up? That was so dumb of you.”

“Now I was the dumb one? Wasn’t it you who met with a person he barely knew for a quick f**k? On top of that, you were so scared that you might get yourself killed in the process because you were so dickpressed.“

Dickpressed. Yeah, f*****g Aris.

“Okay, enough!” I had to cut him off, having to endure hearing him hold his chuckle of victory over this conversation. “I don’t know why on Earth I was surrounded by a bunch of crazies. You and my brother are... I cannot describe you guys further, unbelievable.”

“Hey, don’t forget your dad. He’s the craziest of us all,” Aris asserted. “Anyway, how was it? “

I was thankful that he did not follow another comment after he mentioned my dad. And I knew he wouldn’t. If there was another thing Aris knew wholeheartedly about me, it was my history with my father. Any topics wherein my dad had been featured, terrified me. Just the thought of my dad right at this moment was overwhelming enough. I had to shake the thought away with a sigh.

“How was it?” I questioned back, just to be certain if that was the last question he had asked me before passively blanking out due to the image of dad.

“Yeah, was it okay? Did he cure your dickpression?” he further enquired while chuckling, possessed by the idea to know more about my s****l intercourse from last night.

With my left hand holding the phone, I lifted the sleeve of my gray shirt using the right one and then looked down, seeing the mark Stanley had left on my skin. The more my eyes lingered at it, the more vivid his picture in my mind, became. It was as if my body was still in his bed, his teeth, nibbling on the skin of my neck, my legs, straddled around his body as he gyrated his hips deliciously. I swallowed hard, pushing the thought aside.

“It was okay.” I succinctly answered.

He groaned. “Oh, f*****g hell, don’t be a p***y and give me the details.”

He was serious. He wanted to know. I was uncertain if my childhood friend was turning gay, a reason for him to want to know the details of my s****l endeavor with a man. He wanted me to kiss and tell. And now that made it clear that he was one hell of a crazy man.

“What f*****g details do you even want to know, Aris? f*****g hell, man, you’re disgusting.”

“Like, was he big? Was he a five-minute type of man? Don’t expect me to not be interested when you’re the one who started this, David."

“What the hell, Aris?” I exclaimed

It flustered me. God, he was making me feel uncomfortable. Saying expletives and declining would not even work when it comes to him.

“Yes, he was big. And, no, he was not that kind of man. He even left me some damn hickeys and a bite mark," I said.

He laughed, and once done, ended the call, enough to make me shake my head. Just when I thought that the crazy conversation was over, he was the one who made the call, but this time, it was thru Facetime.

I answered it, seeing his face on the phone’s screen. He looked like he was thoroughly enjoying the situation at my expense, a wide grin curved on his mouth.

“Really? Man, please, let me take a look,” he requested. No, not requested. The conviction in his voice to know how the markings looked like was more inclined to a command.

“Where the hell are you?” I asked, noticing and fully knowing at that point that he was riding a train, the background, showing a bunch of people who either were disgusted with what they were hearing or with how loud he was.

“Uhhh, inside the train? Does it matter?” he asked, feigning curiosity. “They wouldn’t see it, believe me.”

“f**k you, really,” I spatted out. “You’re the scum of this planet, Jesus, man.”

That made him hold his laughter. He always had the penchant for finding humor in my discomfort. And the more agitated I was, the more rush it was for him. And I knew that resisting nor objecting have never worked for Aris. He knew damn well that I would rather oblige than deal with his rattling laugh. That laugh. That annoying, derisive, and obnoxious sound of his laugh always worked its way out into making me say yes to his craziest s**t.

Begrudgingly, I hiked my shirt up. "Yeah, go to hell after this."

He cringed. "Holy s**t, David."

I pointed the front cam to my chest. The image of how crimson the hickeys were, flooded the screen. Even I had almost cringed and reacted the same way, noticing the other hickeys that were left unspotted by my eyes earlier. They looked like clots of blood, like someone badly battered my chest.

I dropped my shirt and brought the phone up. “Happy now?”

The grin he had earlier was now gone and instead replaced by a sneer. “That was... goddamn, David. That was unsettling. Diabolical, really. Jesus, put some damn cream or toothpaste on those nasty things.”

“Why were you so disgusted? He worked hard for it,” I said, my turn to make him feel unsettled. “Besides, I paid for it.”

Before I knew it, the only information left out from our conversation last night, spilled out. That was the only bit I have not dared telling my friend. A scoff had left him, and I uttered ‘s**t’ inwardly. We were both as shocked and confused by what I said, and what he heard from me.

He frowned “You f*****g what, David?”

“I, uh... well,” I shrugged, not knowing exactly how to defend myself. “He was hot.”

“Man, you’ve got to be joking. Tell me you’re joking right now.”

I hope I was just kidding when I said that. Unfortunately, all I could do was close my eyes and sigh at him. And when I did, he knew I wasn’t. If given the chance to retract the words I said, I definitely would’ve taken the opportunity to at least, just maybe, expunge the sudden awkwardness that my friend and I were feeling.

“I was lonely and stressed out.”

"Why didn't you tell me?" he asked.

"Tell you what, exactly?"

"That you were lonely and stressed out."

"I'm not in my element, Aris. I don't want to let other people know, it's unsettling." I huffed.

"Man, you can always talk to me. I know you're kind of stupid with your decisions sometimes, so don't ever think I would hesitate to talk to you."

“I'm sorry, really. Did that disappoint you?” I asked him, looking at my friend over the phone. I didn’t know what thoughts were running through his mind, but the blankness of his countenance made me feel as if he was feeling sadness for me.

He cleared his throat. “I don’t know what to say, but I was not disappointed because of that. I’m just... confused. I mean, yeah, I understand that you’re stressed out and lonely, we all are at times.”

“You looked like you were pitying me. Don’t feel bad about it, I just really needed an escape. The days were about to drive me crazy, and that was the only thing I could think of.” I chuckled.

“Do I?” he arched an eyebrow and smiled. “I don’t mind, really. If that was an escape for you, then I’m glad you found one. But, why would you pay? I mean, you’re good-looking, can’t you just find someone who’d do you for free?”

“It just happened. You knew I rarely lingered around in that app. That app is not for me, but these past few weeks had been too much. I had to deal with the kind of stress I never knew I could handle, and all I ever wanted was just a night to ease me up.”

“We could’ve just hung out, you, me, and your brother. But I guess that wouldn’t work,” he said.

“Yeah, we could’ve just hung out. But, last night was great. It really was, and I have no regrets about it. He was sexy, intense, and very vocal. Chances of meeting another one like him in the future may not happen again, so, yeah, I guess that made me do something I never thought I would.”

“Did you sleep at his place?” he asked.

“No, I actually didn’t.”

He glowered. “Why so? Did he kick you out or what? Have you been hurt?"

I had to chuckle at that, remembering how Stan generously offered me the liquid courage I badly needed last night. “He didn’t. He was pretty nice and accommodating.”

“Then, why did you not sleep at his place, after he had suckled and bit your skin like a goddamned teether?”

“Because I might get too attached.”

“And, what’s so wrong with that? Isn’t that great?

"No, it isn't. It might not even be possible. You know guys over there don't give a s**t about emotions."

He chuckled. "And you always fall for someone right away."

I sighed. "Yeah... I'm too old for that, you know? He looks so damned good, I knew better than messing around his likes."

"There's nothing wrong if you'd admit you liked him, though."

I knew Aris would ask countless questions, knew that he would drag this conversation further to push this agenda of attraction. As I looked at the handsome and confused face of my friend on my phone’s screen, I did not mind. I was happy that he was trying his best to understand my situation.

He had no idea with how things worked in that app, and I was glad that he was straight and not had to deal with the things a man like me had to go through, just to feel valued.

“Alright then, just so you'd quit on bugging me, yes, I was infatuated. I don’t know what’s great about being attached to someone just because you’re lonely, and you found him very attractive," I said.

“Well, what if he felt the same way? God, you’re pissing me off. You could’ve snaked your way into his heart with that good looks of yours. All you had to do was ask him out for dinner, David. In that way, you’d get to know that bugger and see if things will work.”

“An advice from a single man since god knows when? Yeah, I think I’ll pass. Let’s catch up, let me or Davion know. I’ll see you when I see you.”

Aris laughed a bit, said goodbye, and ended the video call. My mind pondered what my thoughtless friend had said to me.

Attraction. Yeah, right, it always led to uncertainties and rejection. Worse, the damned pain and heartache would arrive next.

I guess I should’ve at least said goodbye to Stan last night and not left right away while he was at the shower? Or maybe I could have slept on his bed last night when he requested and not pretended as if I did not hear his words? Would that be a good start to know if things would work?

Crazy, none of those would work. I got my fix, it should make me happy, and it was better for me not to focus on the attraction that welled in my heart.