Friends, Sexcapades and Love Affairs Ch. 19

Chapter Nineteen -- Reverse Musical Chairs

Adrian lay in bed, his eyes on the ceiling. His mind was full, filled with possibilities and the challenge of a puzzle that carried one name: Edward Hastings. After their torrid affair on the yacht, Edward had gotten an emergency call, and apologetically, he had bid goodbye to Adrian after leaving him on the shore.

When that had happened, there had been something in Edward's eyes that Adrian wanted to think he knew exactly what it was. Edward hadn't quite wanted to let him go, and, for a brief moment, Adrian had debated whether it would be a good idea to ask to come along. But, just as fast, the moment had been gone.

If he wanted to be more to Edward than just another lover of many others, Adrian needed to up the ante. That meant that he needed to break through the impenetrable wall that was Edward's life outside his usual proclivities.

Adrian knew that Edward was a doctor and that he came from money, but details were lacking. Where did he work? Who were his parents, his family? At the Awakening, it was clear that people there had known each other from their respectable lives, but Adrian, just like others, had been an outsider.

That was what he needed to become: not an outsider, but an insider. Adrian smiled at the joke that came to his mind. He had been inside Edward enough for that, but this was about real life, not the one spent in the throes of passion and the shadows of an existence that, apparently, was meant to be kept under wraps.

Edward hadn't struck him for one moment as someone hiding his sexual orientation, but there was still the matter of his wealthy family and those secretive Sunday meetings that Edward was required to attend without fail.

Adrian knew he would get with Edward where they needed to be. Edward needed it, too, although he probably hadn't become aware of it just yet. He could run his mouth all he wanted, stuck in his pretense that he was somehow too jaded to enjoy some trite romance. Adrian knew that he needed to lay the net and wait. He could be patient and careful. There was no way he would let Edward get away from him, now that they had found each other.

With that refreshing thought in mind, Adrian climbed off the bed and hit the shower. Someday, he would get Edward to spend entire Sundays with him, but, until then, Adrian had plenty of other things to do. After showering, he would call Jared and Mike and see what they had been up to.

***

Mike clasped his hands together and paced the room while waiting for Jared. Had he gone completely insane? He needed to swear off booze forever; what guy in his right mind handed in his resignation while completely off his socks drunk and stupidly in love with his boss? Apparently, one Mike Cavanaugh.

He grabbed both his cheeks and then slapped them at the same time. That should teach him to be so reckless. Tequila was one hell of a drink if it could turn him into someone who dared to quit his job so that he could pursue a romantic affair with his boss.

His phone pinged, letting him know that Jared was almost there. Without waiting for his friend to reach the door, Mike went into the hallway and looked down the stairs. Jared was jumping the stairs two by two, and his hair looked like a bird's nest. Yeah, they had all drunken like bottomless pits last night, and it looked like he had taken Jared directly from his bed, and, probably, a hungover.

"Hey," Jared said breathlessly, but brightly, like it was a good morning or something.

His eyes were shining, and his skin was glowing, but Mike couldn't quite imagine why Jared looked like that. Maybe tequila had a rejuvenation effect on some people. Clearly, Mike wasn't one of them. Jared was a lucky guy.

"Oh, J," Mike said and collapsed in Jared's arms once his friend reached the landing.

"Hey, hey, it's not that bad. Let's get inside, and I'll make some coffee, what do you think?"

"Maybe some chamomile tea instead? My stomach hurts a little."

Jared patted his head. "I'll figure out something. I'm sorry I got a little carried away and let you drink more than you should. I, of all people, should know how much of a lightweight you are."

Mike allowed Jared to take him inside his apartment and then followed him like a kicked puppy to the kitchen. Without asking for directions, Jared began preparing the tea. His moves were a bit abrupt, and, through the fog of his hangover and self-loathing, he felt the seed of a suspicion growing.

"You really hold your liquor well, J. I envy you."

"Well, you know, I might have drunken plenty of gallons of the thing in my life. Shane and his ideas," Jared said and shook his head.

Mike scrutinized his friend, but Jared stood with his back to him, so there wasn't much to tell from his body language. The suspicion just grew stronger. "What did you and Shane do after you two dragged home my sorry ass?"

"We called it a night," Jared said. He turned and smiled at Mike.

Mike observed Jared a little more. Bed hair. The same clothes from last night. Stupid grin on his face. Okay, not stupid, but ... satisfied? Mike's eyes grew wide. "You slept with him again!"

Jared's face fell. He put up his hands and began waving. "No! No! Why would you say such a thing? I didn't! Who are you talking about? Shane? No, no, definitely no, I didn't sleep with him!"

Mike could feel some of his hangover going away. He grinned. "You so totally slept with him again. Yes, with Shane." Jared blushed so quickly that Mike couldn't believe his eyes. "What happened with being just friends?"

Jared grabbed one elbow with the other hand and stared down at his shoes. "We are friends," he protested in a meek voice.

Mike scratched his head. "You are? Of course, you can't say boyfriends without friends, so --"

"No, we're not boyfriends. Just ... friends."

Mike blinked a few times. So, his brain was a complete mess, but what sense was in that? "Friends who have sex together?"

Jared nodded, although it was clear as day that he was embarrassed. Still, he wasn't denying it, so Mike was happy that at least, one time, he had read the situation right. If only he were a keen observer of whatever was happening to him or what he was doing when smashed on tequila.

"What kind of friends are those, though?"

"With benefits!" Jared snapped. Just that moment, his shoulders slumped. "Sorry, Mike. I shouldn't yell at you since it's all my fault I'm getting in this kind of situation."

"It's okay. So that you know, I'm not judging you or anything. But why friends with benefits? Can't you two be boyfriends?"

Jared continued to look down. "It wouldn't be fair," he said quietly. "I don't have much to offer right now, and it wouldn't be fair toward Shane to use him as a rebound relationship or something like that."

"And does he agree with this?" Mike asked, puzzled now.

"Agree? He came with the idea. And I said 'yes' because, obviously, I'm not in my right mind lately, and somehow, I thought, at the moment, that having a friend with benefits was an awesome idea." Jared's voice was bright again, but a bit forced.

Hmm, so Shane had come up with that. Mike was pretty sure Shane wasn't the kind of guy to do friendships with benefits, which meant that he was a bit sly, though. He could just go ahead and tell Jared that he was played, but, in this case, Mike decided to keep his mouth shut. If Jared suspected just a smidge that Shane was using any means necessary to keep him close with the clear intention to make him his boyfriend, after all, he would shut down everything, and that wasn't an option.

Funny thing how he could see things clearly for other people, but not himself. Mike sighed. "Okay. I suppose you guys know better what we're doing. What am I saying? Anyone with half a brain in this world knows better than me what they're doing. The hell did I do, J? I messed up everything." Changing the subject would let Jared off the hook for now.

Jared looked at him now. "Oh, Mike, you didn't mess up. Actually, it was kind of heroic and a bit funny. Tequila!" He made an impersonation of Mike's antics from the previous night.

That wasn't terribly encouraging, but, yeah, Mike could admit, it was a bit funny. He snickered, and then he remembered right away that he was unemployed. "Fuck. I quit my job."

"It was just a verbal resignation, but I'd say that it reached the correct recipient, so it's all good." Jared grinned now.

Mike moaned and covered his face. "I quit my job. I am insane!"

"You're not. All right, so maybe it was a little Shane's fault for nudging you to do that, but, well, I don't think it's a bad thing."

Mike took his hands off his face. "Is Shane mad at me?"

"Mad? Why would he be? I think he worries that you might be upset with him."

"I could never be. It was my decision. I drank, got smashed, and quit my job."

Jared poured the tea and came with two cups at the table. "Look, Mike, I know that this is way out of your comfort zone, but it's all for the better. Do you want all your life to think of 'what ifs'? Now, you're free to find a new job, and also to pursue Ryan. I think it's a good trade. And you're smart and hard-working. Everything will work out for the best, you'll see." He caressed Mike's head. "Drink your tea. You'll feel better soon."

Jared's phone rang. "It's Adrian. Hey, lover boy," he said as soon as he answered. "I'm at Mike. Long night, and long story. Hey, Mike, it's okay for Adrian to come over now?"

"Sure thing. He doesn't have to ask. I could use another pep talk."

"Mike says you should hurry," Jared said with a big smile. "He's on his way," he added after finishing the conversation with Adrian.

Mike nodded. "This is some delicious tea, J. Sometimes, I think you know my kitchen much better than me."

Jared offered a warm smile. "I let you drink too much, so it should be up to me to put you back together." There was a short moment of hesitation, and then he bit his lips. "Mike, do you think we can keep it a secret from Adrian that me and Shane, you know?"

Mike snickered. "Keep a secret? From Adrian? He would never forgive you. Or me."

Jared sighed. "Yeah, I know. But I think he'll give me a lecture again, and I don't know if I can handle it. I already told Shane that we should keep it hush-hush."

"J, I don't mean to brag, but it took me a couple of minutes to realize that you slept with Shane. Don't you think Adrian will be able to tell?"

"One can hope. Promise me?"

Mike sighed. "With the risk of having Adrian keep me in one of his famous wrestling holds until I can't feel my body, I promise."

"Hey, Adrian doesn't do that anymore."

"Luckily. I'm so glad he's always been my friend because, otherwise, I could swear sometimes, he can be the biggest bully."

Jared rolled his eyes. "Are you telling me? Adrian is into tough love, something big."

They both laughed. Of course, they knew their best friend like the back of their hands. Mike could swear that Adrian would see the truth in seconds from walking through the door.

***

Mike opened the door to Adrian and hugged him.

"Are we a little emotional?" Adrian asked and hugged Mike back. "What happened with you two last night?"

Mike walked with Adrian into the kitchen, where Jared was now preparing a light breakfast.

Adrian kissed Jared's cheek in greeting. "Ah, you got fucked all night. Did your cowboy take you for another ride?"

Mike snickered. Jared turned to throw him a murderous glare. "Mike, don't make the situation worse."

"Hey, I told you Adrian would know," Mike said in his defense.

"Of course, I'd know. When Jared gets a good dicking, it's all over his face. Wait, did you two want to keep that from me?"

Mike put his hands up in surrender. "I didn't. It was J's request."

"You little traitor!" Jared turned off the cooktop. "Now I'm going to be the only one who'll get the brunt of Adrian's anger and famous chokeholds."

"I thought you said Adrian didn't do that anymore!"

"I lied."

Adrian was all over Jared, holding him and rubbing his head vigorously. "What's that I don't do anymore? Spill out everything, or I'm going to tickle you!"

"I told Mike that you're no longer a bully!"

"When was I a bully?" Adrian had Jared now in a tighter hold, and he was having fun, by the looks of it.

Mike couldn't even feel down anymore over quitting his job. He sighed and shook his head. His friends always made him feel normal, no matter what an awkward person and bundle of contradictions he was.

"So, are you two going to tell me everything about last night, or should I tickle J until he pisses himself?" Adrian asked, still not letting go of Jared.

"I quit my job," Mike said in one go, without one moment of hesitation.

"While you were dancing and drinking? How come?"

"Ryan was also there, and, well, I had too much to drink, and I also talked to J and Shane, and one thing led to another, and I told my boss that I quit."

"Wow, that sounds like quite the night. Where did you find the guts to do that, Mikey?" Adrian asked with a smirk.

"By the looks of it, at the bottom of a bottle of tequila."

"And Shane, kind of, came with the idea," Jared chimed in.

"He just said that I could get with Ryan by quitting my job because he would hire me, and J would let me sleep with him if I became homeless."

Adrian laughed wholeheartedly. "What a scenario. I guess that came straight from Mike's deepest fears."

"You know, you can let me go now," Jared said, and Adrian released him not without patting him down as if he needed to adjust his clothes. "Ugh, thanks."

"Okay, you boys had quite an eventful night. So, Mike, what's next? Are you preparing emotionally for the life of the unemployed and homeless?"

Jared nudged Adrian in the ribs, and not quite playfully. "Stop encouraging him to feel bad, you bully."

"Hey, I'm just pulling his leg. With that awesome brain of his, he'll get hired somewhere in no time. Plus, I suppose Ryan would give him some great recommendations."

"I don't know about that," Mike said. "He did ask me not to leave the company before because he thinks I'm a good worker. I have a feeling that I let him down. Even drunk, I know that I saw a look of total dismay on his face."

Jared intervened. "He'll get over it. He'll lose the server guy, but he'll get a lover. I'd say that it's a good trade."

Mike shook his head. "I don't know. It could be that I read everything wrong."

"Yeah, right." Jared snorted. "I suppose that romantic dances on the roof are just part of how Ryan runs the company. Just how many employees did he do that with?"

"Let's not forget about kissing, and that blowjob Mike gave him," Adrian added.

"Hush, don't be an ass, Adrian. Mike needs to focus on the romantic side right now."

"Romantic? Like you?" Adrian looked at Jared with a crooked smile. "How was your cowboy ride?"

"Let's focus on Mike here for a moment. He's the one going through the most important change to date in his life."

Adrian looked like he wanted to add something, but Mike could tell that Jared was too happy to be left off the hook.

"So, how long should you stay with them before you can go your merry way and romance your ex-boss?" Adrian asked.

"What?" Mike asked, a bit confused.

"You need to give them two weeks' notice or something, right? I mean, it depends on the company policy and --"

Mike felt a new surge of terror growing inside him. "I don't know the policy! I mean, I think I knew when I got hired, but right now, I can't remember!"

"Hey, hey," Jared began, "don't get upset over details. You will know tomorrow when you go to hand in your resignation as you should. I mean, in a formal manner."

"But it will be so awkward!" Mike covered his face and moaned. "How come I didn't think of that? Of course, I didn't think of much, so that's --"

"Mikey," Adrian interrupted him, "chill, dude. At most, it could be another month of doing what you were doing as usual. A bit of a transition period cannot hurt. You'll have time to get used to the idea, and you'll be able to send naughty texts to your boss, with promises of what you're going to do to him once you're no longer his employee."

Jared punched Adrian in the shoulder. "Mike won't do that. He will keep it to the boundaries of employer and employee until he's off the hook. Then, he'll do everything he wants."

"Speaking of boundaries, now that Mike knows that he has our full support during these trying times, what about yours? Where did your determination that you would only be friends with Shane go?"

"They're still just friends," Mike intervened.

"Yeah," Jared admitted and began staring at his shoes again.

"Friends? Like fuck buddies?" Adrian asked.

"Something like that," Jared replied, but his voice was getting gradually quieter.

"Hmm," Adrian said. "And what does Shane say?"

"He came with the idea," Jared explained.

Adrian opened his mouth to say something, but Mike caught his eye and shook his head. Adrian's eyes lit up with understanding. A knowing smirk curled his lips. "I see. I didn't know cowboys were so worldly."

"Yeah. I mean, I was quite surprised," Jared replied.

"And you went with it."

"I guess I did."

"Don't regret it," Adrian warned, just about as Jared began to sigh.

"But it's the kind of situation that warrants regrets," Jared said. "I mean, we met at the wrong moment."

"That's just your opinion."

"I'm not in a mood for a new relationship. I feel jaded, and I'm afraid I'm going to be mean and suspicious, and treat Shane badly when he doesn't deserve it."

"And being fuck buddies means that you don't have to worry about any of that."

"Pretty much, yeah," Jared replied.

Adrian rubbed his chin in thought. Mike exchanged another look with him. It wasn't totally fair that they were doing that with Jared present, but their friend was a bit of a head in the clouds kind of guy, and he felt the need for emotional complications. Maybe someone grounded like Shane was the best fit for him. Plus, it looked like Shane knew how to deal with Jared better than anyone could have imagined.

"Then that's a great idea," Adrian said. "We also like Shane, so it's cool that he's hanging out with us. Isn't that right, Mike?"

"We love Shane," Mike confirmed. "I like it that our group is getting bigger. And, you know, we never brought anyone we liked into our circle. Isn't it a shame?"

Jared threw Mike a curt like. "This is about having a new friend, not bringing anyone we liked in a different way, right?"

Mike swallowed. "Yeah, that's what I meant. Since we all like Shane and all. And not the kind of like that makes us want to sleep with him, I mean, nothing is wrong with that, but --"

"I get it, Mike," Jared said, amused now. "It's kind of crazy what I'm doing. Don't you guys think?"

"Hey, as long as he's a good lay, I say go for it," Adrian said with a shrug.

"And I think so, too," Mike added. Adrian could keep a straight face while saying that, but, for him, the struggle was real.

"Are you guys making fun of me a little?" Jared narrowed his eyes and stared at them in turn.

Great. Mike was sure he was making a face, and now Jared was starting to get suspicious.

"We always make fun of you," Adrian replied promptly. "You're too easy to tease."

"I thought that was Mike," Jared said. "Sorry, Mike, not like we think badly of you or anything. It's just that you're too cute sometimes, worrying about the smallest things."

Mike smiled. "Yeah, that's totally me. And I don't mind, at all. And we're not making fun of you. It's that, just, this friends with benefits thing is too new, at least for me."

"Frankly, I don't recall ever having a friend with benefits, either," Adrian added. "See, Jared, you're advanced compared to us."