Gorilla and the Metalhead Pt. 13

Author's note: This is the final chapter of this story. If you haven't read the previous chapter before reading this final one, I strongly suggest you backtrack. Please let me know what you think.

*

Ace and Pete lay in each other's arms until morning. The sun eventually shone through. "Fuck," Ace exclaimed, awakening with bleary eyes. They hadn't slept for very long. "What's the time?"

Pete rolled over to check his phone on his bedside table. "10am." He stretched. "Do you have anything you need to do today, Ace?"

"I need to be on the road this afternoon, because we've got a show tonight about three hours' drive away, but I've got no plans for this morning. Other than hanging out with you, that is. Do you have a problem with that?"

Pete grinned. "I've got no problem with that at all."

Ace rolled on top of Pete and kissed him. Pete's thick tongue began exploring Ace's teeth, but Ace broke the kiss to move down to Pete's neck. He sucked so hard he left bruises. "It's my turn," he said. He brushed Pete's hair back and flicked his tongue across his chest. Pete moaned as his nipples stiffened. Ace licked one of Pete's pits, and goosebumps raised up across his skin. "Let me take something of yours to remember you by until we meet again," Ace whispered seductively.

He kissed and licked his way down to Pete's navel. He stuck his tongue in Pete's belly button, which was a sensation the drummer had never experienced before. He could feel Ace's hot breath near his groin. Ace gazed at Pete's erection. It was pulsating so hard that Ace could see Pete's heartbeat.

Boipussy's frontman swallowed Pete's cock in a single wet gulp. The feeling was so intense that Pete nearly recoiled. It was rare for someone to want to suck his dick, and it'd been so long since receiving his last blowjob that he'd almost forgotten how good it felt.

"Fuck, Ace, that feels ..."

"There's no need to talk," Ace interrupted. "Don't think, Pete. Just enjoy."

Pete lay back on his mattress as the interstate metalhead he met last night bobbed up and down on his penis.

Ace licked Pete's shaft and balls, massaging his sack with his fingers. His tongue swooped around the sensitive head of Pete's dick. Pete lifted his head up off his pillow and looked down towards his crotch. Ace met his gaze, and they smiled at each other. Pete was feeling a precious, rare connection with another man, the kind of connection he'd rarely ever felt before, and he hoped Ace felt the same way. Ace blew Pete an air-kiss.

Ace went back to the task at hand, his fingertips teasing Pete's smooth shaft and sensitive head. Ace knew Pete was getting close, and he took Pete's dick out of his mouth so he could stroke it hard. He could tell Pete wasn't sure about letting go, and that a part of him was trying to hold his load back.

"Do it, man," Ace urged, as his fist pistoned up and down Pete's wet shaft. "Cum on my face. I want you to."

Pete looked down at Ace's sexy face waiting for his load, and he couldn't hold it in anymore. His balls twitched, and thick ropes of cum plastered across Ace's cheek and lips. Ace sucked the head of Pete's dick back into his mouth, and it pulsed on his tongue. Pete writhed in ecstasy.

Ace held Pete's dick in his mouth until it had no more sperm left to surrender and it began to soften. He swallowed, but thin traces of Pete's load remained strewn across his tongue. He moved back up to Pete's face and kissed him hard.

Ace flicked his long blonde hair away from his face and gazed into Pete's eyes. "I love your cock, Pete."

Pete had never smiled so hard in his life. He couldn't recall ever hearing that said to him before. "I love yours too, Ace."

They talked for a while longer, but Ace was watching the clock. As noon approached, Ace reluctantly got dressed. "I have to go now."

"I know. Kick some ass tonight, dude."

"I'll message you when we're off-stage, Pete."

"Can't wait to hear from you later tonight."

Ace made the heart symbol with his hands before closing Pete's door behind him. He pressed the button for the ground floor, but Pete couldn't let him go. He ran out into the corridor and kissed Ace again. The elevator doors opened, and an elderly Republican couple were shocked out of their minds at what they saw -- two long-haired men, one of them completely naked, playing tonsil hockey with each other.

Ace stepped into the elevator. "See ya," said Pete. "Enjoy the awkward ride down to the street," he chuckled.

Ace smiled and held up a palm in farewell as the elevator doors closed.

Pete couldn't even begin to process the last 24 hours. He wanted to tell Ace that he loved him, but he knew it would've sounded crazy. Was it possible to fall in love with someone so soon? Was 'love at first sight' a real thing, or did it only ever happen that way in movies and books? Pete was a sensible guy who wasn't prone to overreaction, but he couldn't deny he was already head over heels, despite having only known Ace for a night and a day. Then again, he'd been single for a very long time, and he worried he might be getting ahead of himself.

How could he know whether Ace felt the same way as him? Sure, Ace had said all the right things last night and this morning, but maybe Ace was a slut on the road. Maybe he said similar things to other guys, then left them hanging and confused as he drove away. Was Pete just the latest in a string of Ace's conquests? He had no idea. He remembered Ace saying he didn't want last night to be a one-night stand, but was Ace just saying that because it was convenient at the time, or did he really mean it? If last night was a no-strings-attached fling, why did Ace blow him before he left this morning?

Pete felt confused and anxious. He walked around his apartment, smelling Ace's scent. He desperately hoped he'd hear from Ace tonight, but he expected his high hopes to crash down.

*

Carlos showed up for his 4pm shift at Eternal on Saturday night. Before he started work, he texted Gorilla: 'txt me when you're at the hotel?'. He spent the evening pouring drinks, serving food and clearing tables. Adahlia was right -- a busy night behind the bar at Eternal was harder than it looked.

Carlos's phone pinged around 8pm with a message from Gorilla -- 'hey dude... unloaded, eaten, in bed at sleep inn'. He sounded completely wrecked, and in desperate need of some vacation time.

In a break during his shift, Carlos responded -- 'see u 2mrw big guy, looking forward 2 seeing u again'.

By the time he arrived back home after work, it was far too late for him to call or text Gorilla. He'd be fast asleep. It didn't matter, he knew he'd see him tomorrow anyway.

*

Pete stayed home on Saturday night. He checked his phone regularly, waiting and hoping for a message from Ace. But as the evening wore on, Pete became more and more despondent, convincing himself that he wouldn't ever hear from Ace again.

His phone pinged around 11pm with a message. He nearly had a heart attack.

Ace: how you doin tonight sexy drummer dude

Pete read the message immediately, but he waited a painfully long two or three minutes before replying.

Pete: im good ... im covered in cum at the bottom of a six-man blowbang, just took a minute or two to wipe my face

Ace: dont try to scare me away with the truth

Pete:how did the gig go?

Ace: we fuckin rocked!

Pete: i knew you would! ... hey ace ive got a secret

Ace: what is it?

Pete: if i told you it wouldn't be a secret anymore would it

Ace: spill the beans or ill tickle u

Pete: ok ill tell u but u cant tell anyone else... i had an awesome time with u last nite

Ace: same dude

Pete: i miss your beautiful hair

Ace: i miss your cute sexy freckles

Pete: i miss your smile

Ace: i miss your lips

Pete: i miss your smell

Ace: i miss your amazing tongue

Pete: i miss your pretty face

Ace: i miss your mouth

Pete: i miss your dick

Ace: i miss yours too, and i miss your bed

There was a short pause. These two dudes were so totally infatuated with each other.

Pete: i miss u a lot and it's only been a day

Ace: same feels dude i miss u 2

Pete wanted to say those three magic words, but he'd only known Ace for a day. He wondered if Ace was feeling the same way.

At least he knew last night wasn't a one-off, and he hoped he was on Ace's mind the same way Ace was on his.

Pete: goodnight sexy

Ace: sleep well, my dude

Ace sent an emoji of a red heart, and Pete hugged himself in joy as he saw it appear on his screen.

Four men went to sleep on Saturday night in separate beds.

*

Gorilla woke up in Birmingham, Alabama, around 8am. He'd slept well, and he felt relaxed. He was scheduled to drive to Atlanta today, and he was glad that today's run was short. He expected to be on the road for no more than three hours. He got dressed, brushed his teeth, packed his bag, checked out of the Sleep Inn, and caught a cab to the warehouse. He looked out the window of his taxi -- skies were clear and blue, and the air was still. Signs were good for a smooth run through to Atlanta. He was looking forward to a few sweet days away from the wheel after unloading, and he was especially looking forward to spending some downtime with Carlos.

There was a problem. The shipment he was meant to take to Atlanta had been held up in transit. It was stuck on a freight train which had unexpectedly derailed in the early hours of the morning. Gorilla asked why he hadn't been notified, and the warehouse manager shrugged in response before walking away.

Gorilla's mood headed south. He wasn't happy. He grabbed a coffee and a sandwich and sat in an uncomfortable chair. He asked how long he'd need to wait before getting on the road, but he didn't get an answer.

His plans for unloading in Atlanta by lunchtime had been shot to pieces.

An hour later, he learned he should be on the road by 11.30, but 11.30 came and went with no sign of movement. Logistics staff are always wildly optimistic.

He had nothing constructive to do. All he could do was wait. He checked his phone, which chewed up five minutes of time. He flicked through a tattered, coffee-stained copy of last Thursday's newspaper, which took another fifteen minutes off the clock. He checked his phone again. Minutes passed slowly. Tick, tick, tick, tick.

There was nothing to do and nowhere to go. If he wasn't looking forward to spending some free time with Carlos at the end of his journey, he would've left, giving the warehouse manager a closeup view of his middle finger and suggesting the cunt find some other sucker to transport his crap.

He looked at a clock hanging on the opposite wall, and watched the second hand relentlessly ticking by. Tick, tick, tick, tick. He thought of all the other things he could be doing with this brace of wasted seconds of his finite life, instead of sitting here in this stale, airless warehouse.

Time only ever moves in one direction.

The upstream supply chain finally connected with the Birmingham warehouse around 2pm, but it took another half an hour for the container to be loaded onto his truck, and then another fifteen impatient minutes to complete the paperwork. Gorilla felt restless, frustrated and angry. His day's work should've been finished by now, but he hadn't even started.

Tick, tick, tick, tick.

He started the engine and rolled his rig out of the warehouse. He gave the warehouse manager the middle finger on the way out. He knew it wasn't the manager's fault he was so delayed, but he was pissed, and he needed someone to blame. "Fuck you, cunt!" he yelled. His face was a tortured scowl.

'If everything goes well from now on,' he thought to himself, 'I should be in Atlanta around 6.' He radioed his destination to make sure they were aware of his delay. He thought about texting Carlos, but he decided against it -- right now, all he wanted was to get to his destination as soon as possible.

He dragged his wheels out onto the I-20, feeling tired before he even started. 'It's only a short run,' he told himself.

On good days at the wheel, Gorilla was barely even aware he was piloting fifty-plus tonnes of mass. On those great days, the steering wheel, gears and pedals were extensions of his consciousness. On those beautiful, magnificent days, everything flowed naturally, and he could listen to a podcast or an audiobook, feeling the miles tick by as he enjoyed the solitude.

But today, he couldn't relax. He couldn't unwind. He couldn't find the zone. His breathing was shallow and uneven. He felt anxious, and he couldn't get comfortable in his seat. 'I should've been there by now,' he continually told himself, but the mental echo only made things worse.

He drove along the Tom Murphy freeway past Lincoln, Oxford and Heflin, and the more he drove, the closer he got to his own internal equilibrium. The sun was beginning to sink, and he knew it'd be dark by the time he arrived, but his anxiety had begun to recede.

About 20 miles east of Heflin, just after crossing the State line into Georgia, he saw flashing orange lights. DETOUR. ROAD CLOSED. A temporary sign was parked next to the road, with a red arrow pointing left, instructing him to head north towards Tallapoosa.

"FUCK!" he screamed. He'd had no prior warning of this. He bashed the heels of his hands into the steering wheel repeatedly. "FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK!!!!" He knew this would add at least another hour, or perhaps more, to his journey time. Again, he blamed the Birmingham warehouse manager. "MOTHERFUCKER!!!!"

He wouldn't arrive now until well after 7. He radioed his destination again, and he learned that everyone in the world knew about the road closure except himself. The warehouse in Atlanta was remaining open just for him, and he felt guilty, even though none of this was his fault.

Tick, tick, tick, tick.

The detour road wasn't well-suited for rigs like Gorilla's. It was almost completely dark now, and Gorilla had never driven on this road before. A fine mist began to fall like rain, and Gorilla flipped the wipers on. The wind picked up as some challenging weather rolled in. He drove slowly and cautiously, turning his audiobook off so he could devote his entire concentration to navigating the road in front of him. It took all his skill, but he felt mightily fatigued. He'd already decided he wouldn't be seeing Carlos tonight; he'd be way too tired by the time he arrived. He planned to check in, grab a meal, and hit the hay. He'd text Carlos when he arrived, and he'd see him tomorrow, refreshed after a good night's sleep.

A flat, straight stretch of road emerged, and Gorilla floored it in a desperate attempt to recover precious seconds of lost time.

*

Carlos started his shift at Eternal at 2pm. Gorilla was heading from Birmingham to Atlanta today, and he knew that it should be a short and relatively easy run for him.

He half-expected a text from Gorilla to say he'd arrived before his shift at Eternal even started, but there was nothing on his phone. Maybe he was running late.

It was a quiet Sunday afternoon. Adahlia worked alongside Carlos, and they had plenty of time to chat between customers. Carlos mentioned how much he was looking forward to hanging out with Gorilla for a few days.

"He's really special to you, isn't he?" she asked.

"Yeah ... he is. He's my dude."

She couldn't help smiling. She was so happy for her friend. They continued talking as they worked.

Carlos checked his phone around 4 o'clock. There were still no messages from Gorilla. He should've arrived by now. He felt a little worried, but he didn't call. Maybe Gorilla's phone was out of power.

He took a quick meal break around 6 o'clock, and as he looked up from his plate, he felt as though something in the world had suddenly changed. He felt a deep, unexplainable sense of loss. He shrugged it off and returned to the bar.

*

The bells, boom gates and flashing lights at the rail crossing had all failed.

Half a dozen carriages of an interstate freight train had been smashed headlong into a gully across from the tracks, and 42 wheels of metal were almost unrecognisable.

The impact was immense.

Rescue workers choppered in, followed by news crews.

*

The bar was quiet. "I just had the strangest feeling," Carlos confessed to Adahlia.

"What do you mean?"

"Like ... I don't know ... I don't really know how to describe it ... but I feel like something just went wrong."

Adahlia rubbed Carlos's shoulders. "I'm sure everything's fine, babe." She hugged him, kissed him on the cheek, and they returned to work.

*

Adahlia took her meal break around 8 o'clock. She sat in the office behind the bar, quietly munching a bowl of fries. A television was on in the corner of the room, but there was no sound. There was a story about a local accident. It looked serious. She stood up and found the remote to turn up the volume.

"...reports are just coming in about a fatality in western Georgia, just outside of Cedartown, where an interstate semi-trailer has collided with a freight train at high speed. We've spoken with the logistics company the driver worked for, and we can report that a John Ernest McGrillor of Wilmington, Delaware, known to his close friends as Gorilla, died instantly upon impact..."

The company had released an image of Gorilla's work ID pass to the media, and it was displayed on the TV screen. Adahlia recognised who it was. "Oh my god," she said. Her knees buckled for a moment. She didn't know how to tell him.

She walked slowly out towards the bar, tears streaming down both cheeks. Carlos was in the middle of a transaction, in friendly conversation with a customer. "Close the bar, please," she said.

Carlos smiled at the customer as he gave him his beer and some change. "Huh?"

"Close the bar, please, Carlos. We're done for the night." She was shaking.

Carlos saw Adahlia's tears and he registered the seriousness of her request. He did as she asked before slowly walking to the office behind the bar. Other staff cleared the room as Eternal prepared to close early.

Carlos looked up at the TV monitor in the corner of the room and saw Gorilla's face. "What happened?" he asked. "Why is he on the news?"

Adahlia was lost for words. "I'm so sorry, babe, I ..."

The image on the screen switched to an aerial shot of a freight train that'd been violently smashed off its rails, and a truck mangled beyond recognition.

She reached out to hug him, but she was too late. Carlos collapsed to the floor, struggling to inhale. He screamed the scream of someone who couldn't breathe. All of his senses imploded. He felt like the air had been sucked out of his lungs. He rolled onto his side. "This isn't real," he whispered to himself. "It isn't real."

Adahlia helped Carlos to a chair. She wrapped him in a blanket and poured him a glass of water. He drank it down, but he threw it straight back up. She wasn't sure what to do. Carlos began rocking back and forth, clearly in an intense state of shock. She sat behind him, her arms wrapped around him, holding him close and tight. She didn't know what to say.

"I don't understand," whispered Carlos. "What happened?" He rocked back and forth. "Is ... is Gorilla dead?"

Adahlia knew he wasn't able to think straight right now, and she didn't want to answer Carlos's question. "What do you need, Carlos?" she asked.

Carlos looked her dead in the eyes, tears streaming down his cheeks. "I don't know."

She tried a different approach. "Who do you need, Carlos?"

Carlos's mouth could barely form words. His face was a mess of tears and snot. "Pete," he said.

Carlos surrendered his phone to her. She found Pete's number in his contacts list and called him. She broke the dreadful news, and Pete was in his van, driving to Eternal within minutes. He rocked up at the loading dock, which he knew would still be open. He charged through the back gate and found Carlos, swathed in blankets, shaking uncontrollably.