Rebound Pt. 01

I waited for the crowd to abate before I approached the till. Can't imagine anything worse than queuing for coffee.

The barista gave me a smile when I reached him. God, I could feel the little pink arrow hitting me square in the side of my head. That smile was different. It really was MY smile, just for me, which meant he was totally into me- even if he didn't know it. I smiled back and watched his cheeks go pink. Na, he knew he was into me. He also knew he shouldn't be flirting and his co-worker DEFINITELY knew he shouldn't be flirting because he was suddenly hovering and scowling at me. Ugh, I really shouldn't encourage flirting. But it's harmless. I wondered how old he was? Not half my age, definitely not. Probably pretty close to me actually, although firmly in his 20s and regretfully I can't really get away with lying about being 29 forever- although I still tried, at 32. I always did look older though. I never got ID'd when I was a kid. My barista berated me for being late and asked about my mother in law. So he had seen the ring. So it was fine then, we were definitely just mindlessly flirting to make the day more interesting. That's good. I can do that.

As I walked away I sighed. I really should call my mother in law.

----

Nate

----

9.45. I glanced at the clock as I served the strangely swelling crowd. We're not normally this busy at this time of day but there was a conference on somewhere in the building and my whole routine had been thrown off. I put my head down and Russell and I called one of the chefs in for backup as we got through it.

"I'm actually in a hurry." Someone said impatiently. Yes. You and every single one of these people. I smiled and apologised and retaliated the only way I knew how- by using full fat milk instead of trim. Take that bitchy lady who always calls me 'boy'. There's only one context I like that in and it's definitely not here. Russell's even worse. He'll give people decaf. But I'm not a cold hearted asshole. I sighed. Worse than this horrific meeting of share holders or whatever- Mr Contractor was late.

Ok. Late might be grandiose. It's been like a week. But he struck me as so consistent. He never wavered from his order in the morning. He had the same stubble everyday, which meant he probably spent inordinate amounts of time getting it right, and he wore the same cut of suit, almost impeccably matching his tie to his shirt, and he somehow managed to come in every day exactly at the time. He was my on the dot, missing the crowd, new favourite customer.

So he was late, which meant maybe he was cheating on us with La Cloche- the nice French place two doors down. Can't say I blame him. We're good, but we're also generic as hell. I sighed as the crowd dissipated as quickly as it had arrived. Oh well. Always the crossword.

"Ivan." A voice said. I glanced up at him with a smile. He was smiling back. God, I bet people tell him all the time he has a nice smile. He looks so moody when he's not smiling- but when he does it's like the sun comes out.

"Olaf." I said. He looked down at the crossword again, frowning slightly. "Because 13 down will be opaque." I explained as I filled it in.

"You're right." He said as he settled in at the bar opposite me. "How's your day?"

"Riveting." I rolled my eyes. "Just had 15 people in a row tell me they're kind of a big deal and if I could actually do my job properly they wouldn't be late, and they know the manager, which they do, because it's me, and frankly I can't wait for the emails... The usual?"

"Na, dry cappuccino with coconut milk. And I'm kind of in hurry, so make it snappy" I blinked at him and he laughed at my expression. "Yeah, the usual. And please take your time, I've just had the most boring meeting, need a breather." I grinned and started to make it, forgetting on purpose to take his money.

"I noticed you're late." I chided him. "I was worried the barista at La Cloche had stolen you away."

"The barista at La Cloche wears the most obnoxious perfume." He said absentmindedly. "Elizabeth Arden. I used to sell it at Farmers. I can't go there without overwhelming recollections of horrible early morning team talks and pushy old women trying to set me up with their daughters." I laughed.

"Did it ever work?" He rolled his eyes.

"Well I made some good sales." He said. "Gift of the gab. Like you." He sighed. "But can you imagine a mother in law who smells like Elizabeth Arden?" I smiled and leant on my hand.

"Sounds sort of nice." I couldn't even imagine a mother in law. I glanced at his hand. "So what does she smell like?" He shrugged.

"Whiskey and cigarettes."

"What a woman." I grinned and handed him his coffee. He grunted.

"Hmm. Maybe." He sighed and stood up, reaching in his pocket. "Keep the change." He handed me a $20 and I rolled my eyes.

"I'll use it for a new perfume." I joked. He smirked at me.

"Nothing wrong with Tom Ford." I blushed as he swept away. I wish he wouldn't do that. He was beyond disarming. You know, it could really send the wrong idea to a bored and impressionable young barista.

-----

Jude

----

"Well." Denise picked up the phone. "Someone's feeling guilty. To what do I owe the honour, young man?" I smiled to myself. Denise is every bit as charming as her son and twice as perceptive.

"I have an hour over lunch Denise. Should I come and visit?" She cackled into the phone.

"Oh someones feeling REALLY guilty." She said. "I'd be delighted Jude."

I had to uber over which is a pain in the ass and expensive to boot, but I don't back down from a promise. I got her flowers, nice ones because she'd know if they weren't and greeted her in her semi detached single room in the retirement village out in Kilbirnie. She sighed as she looked me over.

"Not eating enough." She said. I rolled my eyes.

"It's called staying in shape, Denise. And if you wanted a portly son in law you should have taught Levi to cook." She laughed and welcomed me in, fussing over the flowers and arranging them as she absentmindedly threw me her cigarettes.

"As if it would have made a difference." She said. "Levi won't learn anything unless it benefits him." I smiled thinly and tried to change the subject, asking her about the Symphony Orchestra and how getting out had been since she was vaccinated. She sat down heavily on the couch and frowned at me. I found myself avoiding her gaze. She sighed.

"No wedding date yet?" She asked. I shook my head. "You better hurry or I'll cark it." She threatened. I tried to smile but Denise sees through that. She sighed heavily. "He's upset you again."

"No!" I lied too quickly and she rolled her eyes.

"Judey." She said softly. "I know my son. What idiotic thing has he done now?" Not what. I thought. Who. I glanced at her. Strange that his mother was my closest confidant. But I didn't have a mother to complain to. I helped myself to a cigarette after all, chiding myself silently even as I lit it. No smoking inside, obviously, but Denise got away with anything she pleased.

"Oh, no..." I said cautiously. "No, he's just been... late at the office a lot. You know. End of the financial year." Denise sucked on her cigarette and raised her eyebrows at me. She said nothing. The silence wore on until I couldn't stand it. I hate how she does that. She used to do therapy and it was a trick she'd learnt. Say nothing because your client will fill the silence. I fell for it every time. "He's..." I couldn't say it out loud.

"He's fucking around again." She said. Well. Trust her to just fucking say it. I sighed.

"Think so." I said quietly.

"You can still visit if you call off the wedding." She said. "You're still my most handsome son." I laughed.

"Stop it, you old flirt. You're worse than he is." She grinned.

"He gets that from me. He gets the other stuff from his good for nothing father but that's men for you." She reached over and touched my knee. "Judey." She said quietly. "Have you talked to him?"

"Yes." She shook her head.

"Properly?" I winced. She nodded in understanding. "Talk to him." She said. "Don't set a date until you've talked." I nodded and stared at the carpet. "He won't change who he is." She said slowly. "But maybe you two can reach an understanding." I swallowed. "And if you don't, well, Judey, I'll forgive you." I looked at her and my eyes pricked. But that was probably just the smoke in the room.

-----

Saturday

--

Jude

-----

Levi spent so long letting our relationship fall apart he didn't have the slightest clue how to heal it. So he did what he always does. He had flowers sent to my office. He offered to take me out to dinner. For a week that was charming. And then it began to wear thin.

He swanned into the apartment after a day of hard work shopping I assume, based on the obnoxious amount of bags in his hand, and told me to get dressed up because we were going out. I sighed and sat him down at the kitchen table.

"Lee." I said. He sighed.

"Why do I feel a lecture coming?" I smiled at him. He smiled back and took my hands. "Go on." He said quietly. I gestured around the house.

"The dishwasher needs unloading. The laundry needs putting away. The bench needs clearing." Levi slowly looked at everything.

"The place looks fine." He waved his hands. "I'll do it tomorrow."

"You won't, baby. When was the last time you did the laundry?"

"Well- I mean you do the laundry usually. I do the rubbish and the plants."

"Ok but there's laundry almost every day. There's rubbish once a week. You don't get to be a goddamn hero and do the rubbish once a week and that's it." Levi started pouting.

"I just wanted to take you out." He muttered.

"I'm exhausted." I said. "I worked all day, I cleaned up and the house still isn't clean and if we go out this still has to get done." He sighed.

"I was busy all day too." He muttered. "And I'm exhausted too. And I don't see why this can't wait another day."

"Because another day and it's twice as much work and you're twice as unlikely to help."

"I help!"

"You don't." He frowned at me and stood up.

"Fine." He said. "I'll go out by myself."

The door slammed behind him and I sighed and put away the laundry.

And Levi did return, half an hour later with a sad look on his face.

He bit his lip and begged for forgiveness.

"Levi." I whispered. "Come on. We're broken."

"Maybe." He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. "The sex is still good." He raised his eyebrows at me.

"I don't think we can sustain this on sex alone." I laughed. He grinned.

"We could try?"

We tried. I was the furthest thing from horny, but he helped me finish cleaning, and we started debating what we'd do for dinner. He curled up with me on the sofa and I stroked his hair as I scrolled through delivereasy. We agreed on curry eventually and I ordered.

"Dammit." I mumbled. "An hour away."

"An hour?" Levi turned to look at me and smiled wickedly. "Darling, that's perfect." I watched him as he slowly unravelled himself and climbed over me to straddle me. "That's just the right amount of time to do another load of washing." I laughed and he stretched out, letting his shirt come untucked and giving me a glance of his stomach, which was flat and tanned and had the most delightful sexy trail of hair. I found myself reaching for him, running a hand up under his shirt and tweaking his nipple. He moaned softly. "Or we could scrub the bathroom." He said. "That needs doing, right?" I started to unbutton his shirt and he ran his fingers over my chest, feeling the taut muscle under my clothes. I moaned as I slipped his shirt off over his shoulders and mirrored his movements, touching his softer body and caressing his nipples with my thumbs. He closed his eyes. "Change the sheets..." He mumbled. "When was the last time you changed the..." I cut him off by clasping his chin and gently pressing my thumb against his mouth. He obediently opened it and wrapped his warm pink tongue around me.

"Do you ever shut up?" I asked. Levi grinned and briefly opened his eyes.

"Only when you make me."

"That can be arranged." I shuffled back on the couch and looked at my cock pointedly. Levi bit his lip as he reached for my trousers and shuffled them down. I helped him as he wrapped his hands around my dick and pulled it out reverently. "See something you like?" I teased, pushing his hair off his face as he practically drooled over me. He's like that- an utter whore. You put a cock in his face and whatever witty, sarcastic, intelligent thoughts he usually has fly right out of his pretty little head. He smiled dopily at me.

"Please." He asked quietly.

"Be more specific." He moaned as I ran my hands over his body again. He leant down and kissed the tip of my cock reverently. A drop of pre or spit dribbled down his face as he pulled away.

"Please let me suck it." I stroked myself, looking at his big puffy lips and he moaned. "Agony." He said, watching me. "Do you want me to suffer?"

"Na." I whispered. "You love begging for it. Beg for it Lee." He moaned and buried his face in my balls, sniffing them and kissing the base of my cock chastely.

"Please, please, can I suck you?"

"Mmmm." I played with myself, and ran my fingers through his hair. "Alright, slut. You can suck me. Go slow. Savour it." He moaned and wrapped his tongue around me, looking in my eyes as he did. His eyes were unfocused and bleary- he was such a drooling moron was a dick in his mouth. Just the way I like him. "That's good, baby." I whispered as he closed his eyes. I let him tease me for a bit, using his tongue and his hands, sucking on my balls, and slowly licking and kissing every inch of me. He's a fucking good cocksucker, I'll give him that.

I wrapped my hands in his short hair as he took me in his mouth and held him in place. Ugh. That was so good. Using his mouth like a toy. Good baby boy, just taking it, letting me use him like this.... I told him as much and I watched his hand drift to his own cock as he moaned around mine. I caught it and twisted his wrist back, which made him fight harder- as he blinked up at me with a flash of anger in his eyes.

"Thought you were my good boy Lee?" I whispered. "You should know that my cock is the one that matters." He struggled with me- stronger than he looks- and we fell off the couch as he fought in my arms. Eventually I rolled on top of him, pinning him down. "This what you wanted?" I breathed heavily down his neck as I rubbed my dick up his crack. He whined and turned his head to face me, nodding furiously. I clasped his chin and nibbled on his neck. "Lube?" I panted. I lose track but Levi usually knows exactly where some is. He rolled his eyes at me, killing the mood a bit.

"Literally right there." He widened his eyes at the occasional table in the middle of the room. Oh. Huh. Did we often leave lube out? Thank god we never had guests over. I reached out to retrieve it before pinning Lee down with a grunt again, to send him back into horny dumb territory... which worked as intended and he thrust his ass up at me. "Oh fuck Jude." He moaned as I splashed lube all over him. "Fuck me, no prep... just...." You know normally I'd ignore a hysterical bottom who thinks he's good to go... but I knew Levi's ass better than my own hand.

"Yeah baby." I grabbed his waist and parted his cheeks and impaled him. He cried out- nothing the neighbours hadn't heard before, and I slowed down so he could adjust.

"Shit." He whined. "You're so big, Daddy."

"I know, baby boy." I whispered. "You want me to fuck you with this big dick?"

"Please, sir." Lee whimpered. "I need you so bad."

"Good boy." I whispered. And I didn't hold myself back. His ass was so good, and he was so relaxed beneath me- just soft and inviting and moaning affectionately. We fucked on the floor, and then I sat him on the couch and had him ride me, and then I took him from behind and reached for his dick.

"Close." I warned him. He started working harder, squeezing me and milking my dick.

"Breed me." Lee whispered.

"Oh fuck yes..." I grunted, and throbbed in his ass, coating him with my seed. I didn't let up on his cock and it wasn't long before he was cumming too, squeezing me even tighter and moaning.

"Shit." He panted. "You sure we can't save our relationship with sex?" I laughed and ruffled his hair, holding him tight against me and listening for his heartbeat.

"Well..."The doorbell rang and we exchanged horrified glances. I laughed at Lee- ok, definitely me who should get the door, at least I wasn't covered in cum- and quickly wrestled a shirt and pants back on.

"Thank you so much." I said sweetly to the delivery driver. He swallowed.

"You ah.... Your flies undone." He said. I glanced down and turned red. Dammit.

----

Monday

----

Nate

----

"Don't get up." Darius complained as I tried to slip away.

"I have work."

"Be late." He gripped my hips tight and started rubbing his morning wood against my thigh. "5 minutes?" I looked at him in disgust.

"Sounds so good, baby." I said sarcastically. He shrugged.

"5 minutes now or next time you come crawling into my DMs I'll ignore it."

"As if." I swallowed. Maybe not the emptiest threat in the world. Darius was kind of a total jerk like that. "My ass is a bad idea." I warned. "It's on a schedule." Darius grinned at me.

"Lie on your side and let me fuck your hot thighs then." I sighed. But I lay down. He moaned and slipped his dick between my thighs and wrapped his arm around my chest as he started humping. I grabbed his other hand and directed it to my dick. It wasn't fair if I couldn't use him just as thoroughly as he used me. He wrapped his hand around it and panted in my ear.

"Cute." He murmured. He always teased me about my dick. He had a thing for it. I hated that, but I hated him, and I hated his stupid dick, and for some reason all that hatred always got me hot as hell. I moaned and he moved his hand to my mouth.

"Your brother will be up." He cautioned. I would have said something back to that but he was holding my mouth really firmly and all that came out was a garbled moan. He chuckled as he humped harder, pumping my dick. "Cute little slut." He teased. "Can't say no to your Daddy. Can't say no, let's me use him like the cumdump you are, yeah? Good boy, good little boy...." I moaned and thrust back into his hand. I hate him so much.

We thrust hard and fast as he murmured in my ear about what a little whore I was, what a waste of a dick I had, how needy and desperate I was for him... and almost bang on 5 minutes later my breathing hitched and his grunts got shorter and we came together. He slowly pulled his hand away from my mouth and moved over. He smiled down at me, and I let him fall into me, kissing me gently, his stubble tickling my face.

"Nate, you're so pretty." He said. I smiled up at him.

"Get bent, D." I leapt up and stretched out. "You're the worst."

"I'm clearly not the worst or you wouldn't keep coming back." He said. I rolled my eyes, but there was no sharp response because- well. He had a point. I grabbed my clothes from last night and quickly got dressed.

"I'll see you later." I said.

"If you're lucky." He said. Ass.

Russell was indeed up, and he rolled his eyes as I slumped into the room, trying to look cool and calm and collected.

"Morning." I said. Russell shook his head and pointed to the jug of coffee. He'd made extra. Oops. Too loud last night. I reached for it and he sighed.

"Shona's over." He said quietly.

"Who?"

"Shona." He nodded his head in the direction of the shower. "Love of my life, fire of my loins."

"Ew."

"You're one to talk." He sighed and carefully rationed out the coffee for the three of us. "Need a lift?" He offered. I shook my head.

"Brought the Prius over." I glanced up as Shona entered the room.