Mything You

She needed more!

She could speak with the man to ask him where he bought it, but his attitude put her off. Shit! He was going to throw it away!

Putting that course of action aside, she did some research on local shops that specialized in costumes and medieval designs. Not surprisingly, there were few, and they were relatively close to each other, in an area of the city she'd never traveled. She'd have to visit tomorrow.

She wrote a note on her cell with the addresses to visit and shut her laptop down.

She carefully removed the shirt and held it out before her and smiled to herself. If her lost week in Las Vegas did nothing else but ensured she prevented this piece of wearable art from being lost, then it was all worth it.

Hugging it to her chest with a happy smile, she walked over to her closet and placed her new possession on a hanger.

With a final glance at it, she walked into the bathroom to begin preparing for bed. Tomorrow was going to be a busy day!

Chapter 4

Sam woke with a pounding headache. He stumbled into the bathroom and took some painkillers. He flipped on the light then splashed water on his face before looking in the mirror. The man looking back at him was a mess. Skinny, pale, ragged beard and a mop of unruly hair. Fuck.

He did notice one positive aspect of the morning. He found himself feeling almost desperately relieved about not throwing the chain mail shirt down the trash chute last night. He also felt a tiny bit of hope that the garment would be worn again. It deserved to be.

He owed that pretty lady a debt of gratitude. At least she'd been thinking straight.

Her image resurfaced in his mind, and he paused to appreciate how lovely she'd looked. His eyes went to the wreck in the mirror once more, and he shuddered. Maybe it was time to freshen up his look.

He dragged himself into the shower and cleaned himself. Then he dried off and got dressed. He grabbed his wallet, cell, and keys, put on his boots, and out he went. He took the subway downtown and grabbed a hearty breakfast at a small restaurant he'd regularly frequent years ago. He realized he hadn't been there since Christie moved in with him as most of the food there was fattening.

After his delicious food, he walked a few blocks west to a salon he used to visit. Christie had taken over the task of cutting his hair.

As he stepped inside, he saw not much had changed.

"HUSBAAAAAANNDD!!!"

Sam smiled at the excited cheer as a tall slim man with lovely milk chocolate colored skin and the features of a Paris runway model rushed from the back of the salon to throw his arms around him.

"Hello Billy," he said as he returned the hug.

The salon owner held him out at arm's length as he examined him with a critical eye. "I've seen this look before, but it's usually on the hobos in the back alley. Hmmph! At least you smell good."

Sam grinned at the man's assessment. "Think you might be able to bring a civilized man out of this mess?"

Billy smiled widely. "Baby, I'm a miracle worker! Come!" He tugged on Sam's hand to bring him back to the hair washing stations in a little side room. He wrapped a gown around Sam and protected his collar with a small towel. Once Sam was seated and resting his head on the sink's lip, Billy smiled as he removed a large intricately carved silver ring from his left ring finger. He paused to admire it.

"Still wearing it I see," Sam said with a smile.

"Since the day you slipped it on my finger," Billy said with a dreamy sigh. "Of course, I take it off when I wash hair, deal with chemicals, or cook. It gleams like it did on day one." He tucked it into the pocket in his tight slacks.

Sam noticed another man peering around the corner at Billy, listening in with a hurt expression on his face. Sam gestured with his head, and Billy turned to face the smaller Hispanic man wearing a blue silk shirt and tight black jeans. The man suddenly moved around the corner to confront Billy.

"So I finally meet your secret love!" he blustered.

Billy smiled tenderly and put an arm around the man. "Oh, it's a far more tragic story than that, Philip. It was a love that was never to be. It's true that Sam captured my heart so many years ago, but the poor man is afflicted with a terrible and terminal case of Heterosexuality. There isn't a gay bone in his body. To ease my heartache, Sam made the ring I continue to wear to this day. Now put away that silly pout and say hello to a wonderfully artistic, yet sadly straight man."

Sam sat up, and Philip shook his hand.

"Nice to meet you, Philip."

The man's frown finally disappeared, and he gave Sam a warm smile. "Nice to meet you as well!"

Billy gasped as his eyes went wide. His lover looked to him nervously, but he was staring at Sam. "Are you still making these exquisite custom rings?"

Sam looked at him curiously and nodded hesitantly.

Billy grabbed Sam's hand between his and looked beseechingly into his eyes. "Could you make our wedding bands?"

Philip squeaked in surprise as he stared at Billy in shock with his hands over his mouth.

Billy spun to look at Philip in dismay. "Oh my God! I did that backward!" He dropped to one knee before Philip. "My love, will you marry me?"

"Yes! Yes, oh yes!" Philip gasped happily.

Billy popped back up to his feet and kissed his partner. When they were done, Billy turned to face Sam. Philip watched Sam's expression cautiously but relaxed when he saw him smiling.

Billy looked hopefully at Sam again. "Would you make our wedding bands?"

Sam nodded. "I'd be honored. You need to give me some idea of the design you want and the sizes."

Philip squeaked in excitement again.

"We'll work on that this weekend and get in touch with you on Monday, ok?" Billy said.

Sam nodded and took out his cell to share his contact details with Billy.

With a final wave, Philip rounded the corner into the main room, and a cheer went up from the three other staff members listening in. They all came back around the corner and gave Billy and Philip hugs.

"Ok, shoo! I have to discover the real man under this shaggy beast, and you have work to do!" Billy scolded his staff gently. With grins and waves, they all went back around the corner.

Billy wasted no further time and washed Sam's hair. Wrapping it in a towel, he led him back out to his station and situated him in the chair.

Standing behind Sam, Billy looked him in the eye via the mirror. "Are you going to trust me to give you the makeover you need?" Sam nodded solemnly, and Billy smiled with satisfaction. "Good! Now I haven't seen you in a long time, and I can tell you have a tale of heartbreak." At Sam's surprised glance, Billy just nodded. "I can see it so spill it. Tell me all about where you've been and what brought you back to my door in such a desperate state!"

Sam settled back and told Billy about the magical first days of courting a woman who was small in stature but enormous in her capacity to love. Sam spoke of those early days when the future seemed to glow with promise. He related the days when unexpected conflict arose and seemed insurmountable until they realized how insignificant they were, compared to their love for each other. He had wonder in his voice as he described his epiphany at discovering that compromise was not a loss of self-determination but an acceptance of personal growth. He spoke of the laughter and tears they'd shared and how significant that sharing had felt for both of them.

Billy was an excellent listener. When Sam seemed to be losing steam or getting stuck within a memory, he'd offer a simple word or gesture and Sam would slip free of the obstruction and continue. While he listened, he slowly worked on snipping away the excess hair from Sam's head and face.

Finally, Sam spoke of the final day and how he'd failed her when it mattered most. His tears were flowing freely, and outside of offering a tissue to Sam, Billy simply listened until Sam could speak no more.

"It sounds like you two were pretty excited about attending the convention that day," the stylist offered quietly.

Sam nodded as he wiped his eyes. "We'd spent so much time on our costumes. I have to admit we looked pretty damn good."

Billy smiled at his friend in the mirror. "And in that excitement and hurry to join your friends, a mistake was made. One shared between you and your lady."

Sam's eyes lifted to see Billy watching with a compassionate expression. He couldn't speak, so he just nodded.

"A mistake which only became tragic due to a happenstance encounter with something the lady was allergic to," Billy said gently.

Sam sighed as his shoulders dropped. He nodded again.

"You're right. It was a tragic event, but the weight of your guilt is an undue burden. You need to let that go first. Once you realize that, you'll be able to say goodbye properly."

Sam's tears burst forth, and Billy wrapped his arms around Sam from behind to give his friend support.

There wasn't a dry eye in the shop as the morning was slow and they'd all been listening to Sam pour his heart out.

When the tears ran dry, Billy looked to Philip. "A hot towel, please." His partner rushed off to get one and returned with it promptly. He kissed Billy's cheek, then moved back.

Billy eased the seat back and expertly wrapped the towel around Sam's face. He leaned closer to speak quietly into Sam's ear. "Rest now. I'll be back in a moment to finish."

Billy gestured for Philip to join him in the side room. Once alone, he pulled his partner into a firm hug, and they stood like that for a long moment. Finally, Billy pulled back and smiled at Philip, touching his cheek. "Thank you." His partner just nodded in return with love in his eyes.

Billy returned to Sam's side and made preparations for shaving the remainder of Sam's beard.

When he removed the towel, he smiled as Sam looked far more at peace than he had when he entered. He still looked undernourished, but the pain and tension seemed to have left his brow.

Billy lathered up his face and carefully ran the blade over his friend's skin to bring it back to a clean, hair-free state.

When done, he brought the chair back upright, and Sam saw himself in the mirror for the first time since he sat down. His eyes flew wide in shock as the man looking back at him was significantly changed! He hadn't paid attention to the cut at all, and with his ratty beard gone, he looked...

"You look gorgeous! It's ok; you can say it out loud. It won't go to my head to hear justly deserved praise," Billy sighed happily.

Sam took in the short, almost shaved length on the sides and the slightly longer length on top which still preserved his natural waves and the small curl over his forehead. His Superman curl, as his friends liked to tease.

He found Billy's eyes in the mirror. "You said it. You're a miracle worker! It's brilliant!"

Billy's smile showed his pleasure. "Yes, it is." He held up a mirror for Sam to see the back and soaked up Sam's appreciation. He put the mirror away and removed the gown, whisking the loose hairs from his neck.

Sam stood and reached for his wallet, but Billy stopped his hand.

"No. This one was on me as long as you promise not to be a stranger! No one else can make you look this good!" he said earnestly, holding Sam's eyes with his.

Sam smiled and pulled Billy into a hug. "I promise! This place is as good for my soul as it is for my style!"

"I'm adding that to our sign and business cards!" Philip exclaimed and clapped his hands!

Billy smiled at his partner and nodded, then looked at Sam. "I'll contact you on Monday about the rings."

Philip grinned excitedly and rushed forward to give Sam a hug which he returned. Philip looked back at Billy. "I think I'm falling in love with Sam too!"

Billy pulled his lover into his arms. "I'll save you from that inevitable heartache."

Sam smiled at the couple. "Thank you so much, Billy! I haven't felt this good in a long time."

"Go get a meal in you!" Billy said with a grin.

Sam nodded and with a final wave, left the shop.

As he made his way back to the subway, he realized he felt lighter. Billy was right; he'd been carrying the guilt from that day. He still felt sad, but the guilt no longer sunk its claws into him. He decided he'd head over to the comic shop then grab lunch from a restaurant in that neighborhood.

Making plans felt good too.

Chapter 5

Taylor glared at the store manager across the counter. He wasn't being helpful in the least and almost seemed to be purposefully delaying her. His clerk had been far more excited when she pulled the chain mail shirt from her purse than the manager now seemed.

She'd already visited a costume shop where they'd marveled over the construction of the shirt but had no clue as to its origin. Then she went to a Medieval Faire shop where the clerk tried to pick her up but finally admitted they had nothing comparable to the shirt and he didn't know who made it. Now she was in the last shop in town that could know, and this man was acting like he did know something, but he'd been clicking on his mouse and staring at the computer screen for, she glanced at the wall clock, seventeen minutes!

"Look, if you don't know-" she began, and the bell on the front door jingled. She saw the man's expression change to relief then he looked to her. "I do know, but I needed a second opinion from someone very familiar with the piece." Taylor turned to see a very petite and pretty Chinese woman approaching with a cautious expression on her face.

"Jasmine, thank you for coming on such short notice. I'm hoping you can confirm the origin of a piece this young woman brought in," the manager said quickly. He held up the chain mail shirt.

The new arrival looked closer then gasped. Pretty eyes went to the manager then to Taylor. "Yes, this was Christie's."

"And now it's mine," Taylor said, beginning to feel ambushed. "All I asked for was how I might go about getting more items of this quality!"

"How did you come to possess it?" Jasmine asked carefully.

Taylor gave her an equally cautious look. "A man in my apartment building gave it to me last night."

"100 Pacific Drive?" she asked, and Taylor's eyebrow rose as she nodded.

"What did he look like?" the petite woman asked.

Taylor was getting annoyed. If she didn't need answers so badly she would have walked away. "He was a little taller than me but slim... maybe a little too slim, with messy long black hair and an untrimmed beard. He had nice blue eyes except he was crying."

Jasmine's eyes showed her concern. "That's Sam! He made this shirt for Christie!"

Taylor frowned. "Did they break up? He was on his way to the trash chute last night to throw it away when I stopped him. I told him he couldn't throw it out and he gave it to me instead."

"Christie died last year. Sam took it very hard and hasn't recovered yet. We're all worried about him," Jasmine told her then looked to the manager. "Thanks, Gary. I have to go check on Sam."

"I'll go with you. The man lives on my floor, after all," Taylor insisted. She held out her hand to the manager, and he reluctantly handed the shirt back to her. Taylor folded it and slipped it back into her purse. She held out a hand to the woman. "Taylor Anderson."

"Jasmine Zhang," she responded with a smile as she shook the hand.

Taylor followed Jasmine outside. The smaller woman pulled her cell out and made several brief calls as they walked to the subway. When she finished, she looked back at Taylor. "Our group had a talk after our game night with Sam last night. We were going to have an intervention with him. Now it sounds like he's worse off than we thought."

Taylor nodded as she recalled the man's tears and gruff attitude the previous night. "I'm sorry your friend is hurting so much." She thought of the chain mail. "Is he an artist?"

Jasmine smiled at her. "Sam makes custom jewelry. Truly gorgeous and unique pieces! He works with all kinds of metals." She held up her hand to display the delicate silver ring on her finger. Two snakes intertwined and wrapping themselves around a leafy vine. Taylor gaped in amazement.

"Oh my God! That's exquisite!!!" the tall blond gushed, and Jasmine glowed happily.

"I like sneks!" she giggled.

Taylor blinked at her. "Sneks?"

Jasmine grinned. "Just a fun name for snakes."

Taylor nodded as her mind spun with the possibilities. "So, Sam does jewelry and chain mail-"

"Plate mail and scale mail too!" Jasmine exclaimed. "It's lightweight, yet it looks like the real thing, only prettier!"

Taylor was vibrating with her need to speak with Sam to beg him to make her a costume. She looked closer at the young woman. She was rather developed up top for such a petite woman. She'd had some work done too. "You've known Sam for a long time?"

"For years, but I met Christie first. She was so much fun and loved cosplay as much as I do. We would design costumes and work on props. When she met Sam, I was a little jealous. I wanted Christie all to myself, but I could see she was in love. They were a beautiful couple. I mean, physically they were so different, but they cared so deeply for each other. Then she died in his arms. She had a severe allergic reaction to... something. We never found out what. Her death devastated Sam for so long. We thought he might be coming out of it, but to throw away such a beautiful piece of art..."

They rode the subway back to Taylor's neighborhood, and she felt like she'd gone full circle searching for the origin of the beautiful chain mail. All along, it'd been the man who gave it to her.

As they approached the building, they heard someone calling out to them.

"Jaz!"

They turned around and saw a couple running towards them. The two were a little out of breath when they caught up. They both looked up at Taylor curiously.

Jasmine made the introductions. "Anesh, Shelina, this is Taylor. Sam gave her the chain mail shirt he made for Christie last night, and he was crying at the time."

"You're very pretty!" Shelina blurted, staring at the tall beauty with wide eyes.

Taylor smiled in surprise. "Thank you! So are you!"

"Yes, she is, but our friend needs our help, so let's go!" Anesh said impatiently.

"Guys!"

They turned around again and saw two men hustling towards them. One was bearded, and the other was very dark skinned.

Jaz stepped forward again. "Rick, Ben, this is Taylor. She told us Sam was in emotional distress last night."

Rick immediately stepped closer. He had to look up a little to look her in the eye, but his eyes took their time getting past her tits. "Hey, I'm Rick."

"Yes, Jasmine just told me," Taylor sighed as Jaz snorted. The women traded weary looks.

"If you're not busy later-"

"I think I will be," Taylor interrupted with a smile. She nodded to Ben, who just waved with a smile.

Rick shrugged and was about to move when they saw David walking towards them.

"I see I'm the last to arrive," he sighed.

"David, this is Taylor. She told me Sam was in distress last night. He gave her Christie's chain mail shirt which he was about to throw out."

David's eyes widened. "That's significant. Has anyone spoken with him today?"

"I tried calling after I called you guys but it went to voicemail immediately," Jaz said.

Shelina nodded. "I tried as well, same thing."

"Can we stop talking about it and just go?" Rick asked.

"We're wasting time!" Ben asserted.

Jasmine gestured for them to go, and the group continued up the street towards the apartment building.

Taylor used her key to get them into the lobby, and they took the elevator up to her floor. As they walked down the hall, Taylor looked to the group of friends. She was very impressed and touched by how much they cared for Sam. They were obviously very close. She wished she had such good friends. "Which of you has the spare key to Sam's apartment?" They paused and looked at each other, then back to Taylor. "None of you has a key?" she asked in surprise.