The Coffee Shop Pt. 03

"I'm not sure," I said as I stumbled over the words. "But I have a couple of ideas."

"Oh I think I like the sound of that," Andrew said as he looked at me. "Well, go on then, don't keep them to yourself, guy."

"First we even things up," I said as I wiggled out of my suit jacket. Andrew raised an eyebrow, like Mr. Spock from the old Star Trek television show, as I hung my suit jacket on the back of one of the kitchen chairs and got to work on my tie. I didn't want to waste what time we had left of this evening. It took me only a few moments to strip down to my waist and pile my clothes on the kitchen chair next to me. I held our my arms from my sides as I twirled around a few times, to let Andrew see all of my exposed chest and stomach.

"I think you look better in the suit," he said to me. "But then all gifts always look better when they are wrapped up," he quickly continued as his eyes twinkled and he flashed another sexy smile at me. His expression became softer and more serious when he spoke again a few seconds later and asked. "So what's next?"

"This," I said as I reached out and cupped his face in my hands again. His eyes glowed with warmth as I drew his head down and towards mine, a second time. With gentle firmness I pulled his head towards mine, and slowly brought our lips together again. I pressed my lips firmly on Andrew's. The hard steady pressure of his lips on mine was a sweetness that I had been denied for a long time. I savored every second of it. My hands moved upward and slowly explored every inch of that handsome face before me. My eyes were tightly closed, and so I let my fingers 'see' Andrew's face for me. I brushed his skin lightly with my fingertips and rejoiced in the feel of the strong smooth warm of that sculpted face. I brushed my fingers through the stubble of his hair as my hands moved onward towards the back of his head. When my fingers met at long last, I pulled down strongly on Andrew's head in a vain attempt to kiss him even harder.

The brush of his fingers on my face was softer than silk, but infinitely more desirable. A wave of heat flooded over me, as every exposed inch of my skin suddenly seemed to be on fire. I never imagined that such a simple touch could have such a profound impact. As Andrew started to stroke my cheek with his fingertips, I let my hands and arms slip down around Andrew's massive chest. Slowly I encircled as much of a magnificent chest as I could and started to hug him. I let the hug melt into a steady embrace as I increased the pressure. I felt the slight nod of his head and soon felt his big strong arms circle around me. A shiver passed through my body, as I felt Andrew slowly start to pull me closer to him, with a gentle yet irresistible force. I was soon snug against that powerful chest of his, with that wonderful chest hair of his firmly trapped between us. Just breathing had now become a sensual experience. To feel my chest pushing against his as I drew a deep breath, and slowly let it out, was in a word, heaven. From the long slow deep breaths that he was taking, it was clear that Andrew felt the same, or maybe even better. All too soon, though, we had to release each other and slowly back away. We were both becoming slightly lightheaded and dizzy from all the heavy breathing. Well, I was at any rate. Andrew had better breath control I guess. I looked at Andrew as he stood before me and I smiled at him. It was a soft tender smile that barely touched my lips, but it caused my entire face to melt into an expression of tenderness, joy and satisfaction. The words didn't really begin to describe how I feel, but they were the best that I could come up with.

I let my arms dangle from my sides as I gazed at Andrew as he stood before me. His soft brown doe like eyes glowed with joy and pleasure. The smile he wore was radiant with joy. His body was flushed and even more sexy than before. I was enthralled at the sight of him so much so that I couldn't speak. All I could do was smile at him like some love struck idiot, which probably was not too far from the truth.

"Wow," he whispered. "How can we top that?" he asked breathlessly.

"Well," I said to him quietly. "I think we should go back out to the living room, lie down in front of the fire and hold each other close, kiss a few more times, and do a lot of talking. I think we have a lot to talk about."

"Sounds good to me,' he agreed, and then paused. "You do know, I hope, that the rest of my uniform and yours is going to stay where it is for the rest of the night, right?"

"Yes, " I said quietly. "I want that too."

"Why?" He suddenly asked me with a slight concerned look on his face. "Why is that what you want as well?"

I swallowed, and then decided that since he'd already seen me expose so much of myself tonight, a little bit more probably wouldn't make much difference. I looked down at my foot for a minute as I composed my thoughts. "Gee, I need to polish these things," came the unbidden thought into my head. I quickly banished it and got back to business.

"Andrew," I said to him, as I looked him right in the eye. He was slightly surprised to hear me use his full name since I'd been calling him 'Andy' all night. "I can sum it up in one simple word. AIDS." There was nothing more to say, so I closed my mouth and just looked at him. Silently I prayed that I had not been too blunt and too honest.

He looked at me, and then nodded at me in an unspoken request to continue with my explanation.

"I am HIV negative, Andrew and I want to stay that way," I said forcefully. "Until the blood tests come back and they show both of us to be HIV negative, we won't be exchanging ANY bodily fluids. Not even when we kiss. I know that I am HIV negative, but I owe it to you to proved that statement is true. I think you owe the same to me. It's not very romantic, I know, but I felt that you should know."

Silence filled the room as I stood there looking at Andrew while he thought about my little speech. I'd picked the prefect way to put the kibosh on the evening. I'd brought up the one subject that makes any gay man uncomfortable. AIDS. His face was unreadable. I had no idea what he might be thinking. Was he upset? Angry? Annoyed? Was I stupid to have been so blunt and direct?

"Perfect," he whispered just loud enough for me to hear him. He stood there looking at me, but he did not move any closer to me. I was to say the least, surprised, but puzzled would have been a more accurate word.

"Did I say something wrong?" I asked him. "Do you want to leave now?"

He suddenly shook his head at me, and then smiled briefly. "It's nothing. Let's go snuggle in front of the fire. I like that idea," he said to me as he held out his arm for me to grab. Eagerly, I accepted the proffered arm, and he escorted me into the living room.

We arrived before the fireplace and he sat down with his back against the sofa as I stood there and watched him. The fire had burned down, I'd noticed so I swatted down in front of it to add a few logs and move the other logs around with the poker. I felt a gentle pat on my behind as I swatted there tending the fire.

"Nice assets you've got," Andrew said as he patted my ass a few more times. I turned my head to watch him lean back against the sofa as he made himself comfortable, and grinned at me, laughingly. I finished with the fire and sat down beside Andrew with my back against the sofa.

"So I guess it is true after all," I said to him with a straight face, and then kissed him on the lips quickly.

"What's true?" He asked, looked a little wary.

"That old saying that the Mounties always get their man," I chuckled at him. "You've got me, at least for tonight, and I couldn't be happier."

"Oh, that's bad, very bad," he groaned out loud at my pun, and shook his head slightly. I slowly snaked my arms around Andrew' torso and drew him close to me, as I planted another long, soft, sweet kiss on his lips and hugged him firmly. It was an effective way to silence any further protests at my joke. He hugged back.

We lay there in front of the fire, and we held each other and talked, with kisses sprinkled throughout the conversation whenever either of us felt they were needed. I was thrilled at finally being this close to Andrew and having the opportunity to feel those muscles, and to explore the surface and texture of his skin. His face and body were all the more enticing by firelight. Anyone who tells you that lying in front of a fireplace with a fire burning in it, is not a romantic experience, has never tried it. The fire burned low again, but I wasn't in the mood to attend to it. As I lay there with my head on Andrew's chest listening to the beat of his heart I noticed that his arms were not holding me exactly. It was more as if they were draped across his body and I just happened to be there. I thought about it a bit more, and came to the realization that there was a slight detachment, a slight distance between us. At first I thought it was my imagination, but with each kiss, the feeling got stronger. Andrew was holding back.

"What's wrong, love?" I inquired.

"Oh, nothing," he answered absently. "I've just been thinking."

"Andy, there is something wrong," I insisted. "I've been running my hands all over you for the last little while, and you've barely done more than kiss me and hug me once or twice. Don't you like me, or is there something on your mind?"

"Yeah, I was wondering about what you said earlier," he responded. "Did you mean what you said about blood tests and waiting? I don't want to push this too fast."

"Yes, I meant what I said." I answered him. "Nothing more than cuddling tonight, I'm afraid." If I hadn't had my ear to his chest I would not have hear his heart skip a beat, and then start to pound. There was a sharp intake of breath as he spoke again.

"That's good. So you subscribe to safe sex?" He asked.

"Of course," I answered again. "Unless you're the oldest virgin in Canada, it's best to wait until we have blood tests before we get serious. I'm not, by the way," I said with a chuckle.

"I'm sure you're not," he said and relaxed a bit. He pulled his arms closer to me and kissed the top of my head. I sighed with pleasure.

"I'm sure you are," I joked.

Andrew's chest heaved suddenly, and his heart started to race. I bolted upright and spun my head around to look at him. There wasn't much light from the fire, but even so I could see that his face had gone pale. His eyes were wide with sudden and unexpected fear or shock. He wasn't shaking but his entire body was very tense.

"What is it, Andy? What's the matter?" I asked surprised.

"Who? Who told you?" He said between gulps. "How did you know?"

"Know? Know what? What are you talking about, Andy?" I asked him worriedly, and with more than a hint of puzzlement in my voice. "Somebody call Rod Sterling, 'cause we've just entered into the Twilight Zone, and we need help over here," I thought to myself.

"That.... that.....," Andrew stuttered. He was so upset that he couldn't seem to talk. He merely looked at me, and his lips moved as he tried to say something. I watched in amazement as he suddenly blushed bright red. Seconds later his face became pale again. I did not understand what was happening, but whatever it was, he was extremely upset.

"Purple fuzzy bunny slippers," I said in a clear strong voice. Andrew looked at me and slowly the post hypnotic suggestion took effect. I watched as his eyes fluttered a bit and slowly closed. A few heartbeats later his head dropped to his chest. Slowly the tension left his body, and his breathing slowed until it was deep and steady. Considering his extreme state of near panic, I was not at all surprised that he returned to his hypnotic trance. Escaping into this safe place in his mind was certainly a better alternative to facing whatever it was that had gotten him so upset. However, I could not leave him like this all night, as much as that idea might appeal to my libido.

"Feeling good, and going even deeper, aren't you Andy?" I asked him.

"Yes, corporal." He replied.

"Fine. Just keep going deeper," I said to him. He nodded his head in agreement.

"I have to be leaving very soon, now, corporal," he said suddenly.

"Why?" I asked him, surprised at his statement "Don't you enjoy being with me?" "Yes, I like being with you, corporal, but I really must go, now, corporal," he insisted.

"Andy, I don't want you to go, but if you feel that you must, then you must," I said to him. "I wish you would tell me what it is that I did to upset you so much. Whatever it was, I'm sorry." I knew that I couldn't stop him, if he wanted to leave. I also knew that I couldn't force him to tell me what the problem was.

Andrew didn't move. He sat there, nodding his head, and did not make the slightest effort to leave. "Aren't you going to leave, Andy?" I asked him after waiting for a minute or two?

"I don't want to go. I want to stay, corporal," he said very quietly.

Now I was really confused. "I'm sorry Andy, but I don't understand," I said to him. "You say that you have to leave, but also that you don't want to leave. Which is it?"

"Both, corporal," he replied

"Okay, we've just hit a new high on the confusion meter," I thought to myself. This was getting us no where fast I sat back and looked at the glowing coals in the fireplace. Looking at Andrew would have been a lot more fun, but would not have helped me to work through this problem. I took a few deep calming breaths, and did my best to replay what had happened just before Andrew had started to panic. I moved next to the fireplace and carefully placed a few new logs onto the glowing red hot coals. It took only a few deep breaths to coax the flames back to life. I felt a small sense of satisfaction as I watched the flames grow stronger and start to lick their way around the new logs. The light from the reborn flames started to fill the room and I let the heat caress my face as I sat back and thought. I thought about what we had been talking about, and what I had said, and slowly a possibility came to mind. It didn't seem very likely, but it was all that I could come up with. The problem was how to ask the question without causing Andrew more problems. Another oddity came to mind and I decided to deal with this minor issue first.

"Andy, why do you keep addressing me as 'corporal'?" I asked him.

"A constable's immediate superior is a corporal, sir," he replied. "When you help me go into this wonderful special place, I want you to be my superior. It feels so good to let go and let you make all the decisions."

"I'm flattered, Andy," I said. I was surprised and flattered, and a bit turned on too. I blushed. Thank goodness Andrew's eyes were closed or I'd have had to explain that to him. "I am pleased that you trust me when you are hypnotized, that you want me to be your superior. It is a shame though, that you don't trust me enough to tell me what the problem is."

"Corporal?" He asked puzzled.

"Constable," I replied sternly. "I said, or did something a few minutes ago that got you a bit upset. So upset in fact, that I felt it necessary to bring you back into your hypnotic trance, as you are now, so that you could calm down and maybe explain to me what the problem is. You couldn't or wouldn't tell me what it was then, and you also felt it necessary to leave here, rather than to tell me. If you still want to leave, then go ahead."

"Corporal, I want to stay, but I don't know if it would be right to tell you, sir," Andrew replied with difficulty. He slowly lifted his head, opened his eyes and looked at me. Those beautiful brown doe like eyes of his were brimming with tears. He wasn't crying or sobbing, though. I watched, fascinated as one tear escaped from his right eye and slowly slid down his face. He didn't look upset. He looked sad. Just that. Sad, and nothing more.

Without thinking about it, I followed my heart. I hurried over to him and gently pulled Andrew towards me. I held him as close to me as I could and started to stroke his hair with my left hand, and hugging him tightly with my right arm. "Shh, it's okay," I muttered to him, as his chest heaved and he started to slob softly. "You don't have to tell me anything that you don't want to. I won't think any less of you. We all have our secrets, love, and you are entitled to keep yours. I'm sorry I pushed you about this. Can you forgive me?" With Andrew holding me tightly, I started to rock gently back and forth as I told him how sorry I was about pushing him to tell me. Slowly his sobs stopped and he squeezed me tightly once or twice as I kept rocking back and forth.

"Promise me, that you won't laugh, and that you won't think me a disappointment, and I'll tell you, sir," Andrew finally muttered in my ear. I stopped my rocking and slowly pushed him back from me, just enough so that I could see his face once more. The tear streaks on his cheeks were wrenching at my heart. I knew he was in pain for some reason, and the knowledge that I was part of the cause of that pain caused my vision to blur. Yes, tears were starting to well up in my eyes too. I took his face in my hands. I slowly turned it so that we were looking each other in the eyes.

"Tell me only if you are sure you want me to know, Andy," I said to him. "You do not owe me any explanations. I don't know what this is all about, but it is a big deal to you. Only if you are sure, should you tell me, Andy." I braced myself for the bad news. I had a sneaking suspicion about what it was. Andrew was probably already involved with someone else, or he was married to a woman. Either one would be just my luck, and would break my heart. I did my best not to think any more about that, but I couldn't deny it any longer. I was starting to fall in love with Andrew. I'd never really believed in love at first sight, but it looked like I had a really bad case on my hands. Somewhere the rational part of my brain told me that I was merely on the rebound and over reacting. It was probably right, but that didn't change how I felt.

Andrew looked at me for a few more seconds, but it seemed more like minutes. The expression on his face, and in his eyes reminded me of a sad little innocent helpless puppy. I'm sure you know the type. The little puppy with the big soulful eyes that tugs at your heart strings, and looks to you with innocent trust. Some grain of wisdom told me to keep my big mouth shut and wait for Andrew to talk.

"How did you know that....that....that I'm inexperienced?" He finally blurted out. The words sounded as if they were being torn from within him. Each syllable dripped with pain. It was my turn to be shocked into silence. I understood what he was saying, what he was implying but it didn't seem real. I couldn't seem to really comprehend more than a fraction of it. The idea was almost bizarre. Andrew, a virgin? Unknowing about the intimacies of gay sex? This hot stud sitting here beside me? It was all too unreal. I had to get used to the idea slowly. I looked at that handsome rugged and sexy face before me and upon it I saw innocence, doubt, fear and a silent desperate pleading for understanding. Gone was the strong sexy face that I'd come to admire all evening. Before me was a the faced of an innocent. A true innocent.

I pulled Andrew's unresisting body back towards me and wrapped both arms around him tightly. "Oh dear Lord, I'm sorry, Andy!" I cried out as I clung to him. "I didn't know, Andy." I said to him in smooth soothing tones. "Really, I didn't. I was only trying to make a joke. I'm so very sorry." That's all I could do, keep saying I was sorry as I held him close, and rocked back and forth gently. I cried. I sobbed. I shuddered and throughout it all I kept tell Andrew how sorry I was. I meant every word. I only hoped that he believed me.