"I was supposed to cook, you should have woken me." I glanced at the clock on the wall, it was 6.45pm. I'd slept for around five and a half hours, the most in one stretch since I'd been injured. Usually pain kept me awake for a good portion of the night and it was partly my own fault. I refused to take the pain killer medication the doctor recommended. I'd seen the results and dealt with people addicted to prescription pain medications. Some of them became so desperate they would lie, cheat, and steal to get their next dose. I'd also had a lengthy discussion with the doctor who said he understood how I felt. He said, after a while the body adapts, and larger and stronger doses became necessary. These people often needed constant changes to something the body hadn't adapted to so they could obtain some relief. It became a vicious roundabout, one I wasn't about to take a ride on.
I'd found relaxing walks and hot baths helped ease the pain somewhat and having my ribs strapped reduced it to a dull ache which I could cope with. I was comforted by the fact, any pain I suffered was short term. In a few weeks it would be gone. I didn't have to deal with it for the rest of my life like some poor souls. I could put up with almost anything in the short term, especially with Kyle in my life.
"I didn't want to wake you, Luke. You were exhausted and sleep was the best thing for you at this point in time."
Wendy made a show of glancing from me to Kyle. "Yeah, don't worry, he'll take care of you for now and will make sure you earn your keep once you've recovered." She winked at me and I felt my face heat.
Did she know what had taken place between Kyle and I? Nah, she couldn't. Could she?
Wendy leaned forward and rested her elbows on the table. "So, you're gay. I'm guessing that had something to do with the argument between you and your arsehole father."
"Yep. To say he's a bigoted homophobe would be the understatement of the century. I guess he figured he'd beat the gayness out of me."
"Fucking arsehole. How long have you had a thing for Kyle?"
I glanced at Kyle who was dishing up steak, mash, and vegetables and he nodded. I took that to mean I could tell Wendy whatever I felt comfortable with. She seemed to have relaxed around me since learning I preferred men, well, Kyle actually. Her voice was less threatening, her eyes softer.
"Since high school. Something about him attracted me and I watched him every opportunity I had."
"So, why now? Why didn't you do something about this attraction sooner?"
I waited to answer until Kyle set plates in front of us, returned for his own and a jug of thick gravy, and then surprised the fuck out of me by dropping into the char alongside. His hand lowered to my thigh and he squeezed which brought an instant reaction from my cock. I felt the loss when he removed it and we all began eating. The steak was tender, cooked just how I liked it, and I moaned with pleasure as I chewed. Wendy and Kyle laughed before he spoke.
"Been a while, huh?"
"I can't remember the last time I had steak with gravy as good as this." I hadn't forgotten Wendy's question but paused while I forked in another mouthful and chewed. Damn, it was good.
"To answer your question, Wendy, I decided I'd denied my heart long enough. It became somewhat of an obsession to find out if Kyle and I could actually have something, or if my pining was a waste of time and I needed to move on."
"Aw, you pined for him?"
"I did."
"How did your father find out?"
"I tried to explain my coming back here was because I might be in love with Kyle and needed to find out if we could have a future. You saw how he responded."
"Fucking arsehole, you should have beaten him unconscious. Well, from what I can see, Kyle feels the same way, so I guess I'd better invest in a good pair of ear plugs."
We all laughed but I felt my face heat, and when I glanced at Kyle, his was bright red.
***
KYLE
Luke was in love with me? We'd hardly spoken in school, not seen each other for fifteen years, and he thought he loved me? The full force of his words hit me and realisation dawned that I might actually have a future with this man. A man I knew I was in love with. Leaning closer, I took Luke's face in my hands and kissed him gently.
Wendy groaned. "I guess I'm gonna have to get used to you two having your hands and lips all over each other."