“Hope you don’t mind stir-fry vegetables and brown rice for tonight,” Liam suggested. We both agreed to eat whatever was available in the apartment instead of going out anywhere or ordering delivery.

“That sounds great, actually.” I admitted. “Need my help with anything?”

“Just find us a couple of plates, if you could. Second overhead cabinet on the right.”

I found us a couple of plates and dug around for utensils. After I finished setting the table, I ended up feeling a bit daring. I waited until Liam finished turning the rice over with a large spoon and then I wrapped my arms around his waist from behind, stood on the tips of my toes, and rested  my chin on his shoulder as I peered at his work.

“Not bad,” I mused. I felt him tense up for a brief second in surprise and then instantly relaxed.

Liam placed a hand over one of mine and gently stroked it with his thumb. “When I was a kid, I loved white rice so much that I ate it almost every single day,” he said as he reached over to make sure all of the burners were off. “I was quite the round little thing. It took quite the scolding from the family physician for my parents to choose healthier foods for us to eat, white rice in moderation.”

“Your family sounds kind, to have worked together like that.” I replied. “How did they react when you told them about not liking girls?”

“My uncle’s gay and my dad’s always been bi. So, I was lucky. Mom felt worried for me and the road ahead, but didn’t judge me. Dad merely shrugged and patted me on the shoulder as if it didn’t matter to him in the slightest.” Liam said as he scooped the rice onto a large bowl that he grabbed with a towel and placed on the table. “He told me ‘Man or Woman, just bring back someone home that you feel very serious about.’”

“Wow. Well, my mom had already suspected, since I never brought any girls home. My dad was just awkward with me for a while. It took him a good few months to realize that just because I preferred men didn’t mean that I didn’t enjoy watching and playing sports with him or any of the other things we usually did together.” I responded. “I think he thought I’d start wearing dresses and skirts or something. It’s quite funny when I think about it now. Granted, the one that gave him the most grief was Michael…but, I’ll let you see all of that for yourself.”

“It’s that bad?” he asked as he grabbed the pan of stir-fry and began to fill our plates.

“No, he just would do things on purpose to freak dad out. He’d dress like a woman for Halloween, quite convincingly, too. Antoine and I had to make sure he wasn’t getting hit on if we went to a party. Would have been a nasty surprise for any straight guy.”  I explained. “He also wears pale pinks and lilacs whenever he feels like it, paints his nails sometimes, and wears eyeliner on the rare occasion.”

“Does he prefer men?” Liam asked with an uncertain tone of voice.

“Oh, he’s bi. Had a hard time of it, too.” I confessed. “One of his close female friends outed him to the rest of the group and no one wanted to date him after that.”

“That’s terrible. What kind of a friend would do that?” he huffed before taking a few bites of food.

“Probably one that was lost and confused herself.” I figured. “High school is a rough and confusing environment for that age group.”

“How’s he doing now?” he questioned after taking a sip of water.

“He’s pretty serious about his college courses, but he hasn’t really told me if he’s been dating anyone recently.” I realized as I spoke aloud. When I finally took a bite from my own plate, I was quite impressed. “This is really good! Thank you.”

Liam grinned. “Don’t mention it, glad it’s to your liking,” he replied.

The rest of the dinner was spent in warm silence as we finished eating. His apartment had only one bathroom, so he gave me the first turn. The bathroom was relatively clean, so my OCD was quelled. He told me I could watch anything I wanted in the living room. I decided on Family Feud while I waited for Liam to take his turn.

He joined me briefly for the end of the show and then the two of us decided to retire for the night. The auburn-haired man must have been more self-conscious than I previously thought, because he wore boxers to bed and really did lock his door. I didn’t know if it was to keep me out or to keep himself in. I wasn’t even able to steal a goodnight kiss. Perhaps it was for the best. I really did want to respect his wishes, after all.

The guest room was right next to Liam’s room. It was unused, but tidy. I didn’t see a layer of dirt anywhere, though I imagined that the closet had probably accumulated some. As I tucked in, I realized just how soft and comfortable the bed and pillow was on the queen sized bed. I was asleep a moment or two after that.

I was then plunged into a nightmare.

I flinched at the sound of a whip cracking. As I looked on, I saw the sharp break in the skin and heard a muffled scream. Line after line of blood dripped down the person’s back. I wondered if that was me. Was I having an out of body experience?

More sharp cracks, more cuts. I was finally able to turn my head to see Kris Locklear holding the handle of the whip. Hi green eyes looked right at me as a cruel smirk formed on his face. I frowned and rushed around to see the person that he had immobilized. It was Liam.

I let out a scream that was part anger and part fear as I rushed forward and tried to tug the whip handle out of Kris’s grip.

My eyes flew open and I gasped for air. Warm honey eyes filled my vision. The lamp light was on. Liam? What was he doing in my room? Wait, I’m in his apartment.

“Are you ok?” Liam asked softly.

I didn’t say anything. I just clambered around him and frantically pressed my hands along his smooth, unmarred back. I let out a shuddering sigh of relief. “You’re ok. Thank goodness you’re ok.” I whispered.

I then clambered back around to face him and hugged him tightly as I waited for my heartbeat to calm back down. Liam began to run a hand up and down my own back in solace. I took in his scent and felt relieved.

Minutes passed and we remained that way. Liam finally began to move, but I stopped him. “Don’t go.” I pleaded. A part of me was desperate to keep him near, to keep him safe.

Liam leaned down to press a kiss to my temple. “I’m just going to the bathroom. If you want, I’ll stay right here for the rest of the night.”

I reluctantly let him go. Once he was out of the room, I tugged at my dark hair. As loathe as I was to admit it, something good came out of that nightmare. Proof. Proof that I no longer saw Kris through rose-colored glasses. Even my subconscious wanted Liam to be safe and well.

And that meant that I truly did care about Liam.

When Liam returned, I scooted over to give him room. He held the blanket open for me and I couldn’t help the bittersweet smile that formed on my face as I snuggled in close to him. “I’m sorry about all this- ” I began, only to be cut off.

“Don’t fret about it,” he insisted. “I’d rather you get some rest for the remainder of the night.”

For some reason, his warmth made me feel quite drowsy. I already felt myself drifting into sleep. “Thank you.” I whispered as my mind went blank.

In spite of having interrupted our sleep, I woke up feeling quite refreshed. The curtain in Liam’s guest room was a deep blue hue, so only a little bit of sunlight seeped out, but a large rectangle shined on the ceiling. I carefully shifted and noticed that Liam was still there, completely passed out and snoring softly.

At night, I normally slept on one side of my body and then the other, but Liam hadn’t moved at all. He was still in the same exact position.

My eyes took in the sight greedily. I could stare at him all I wanted while he slept. I noticed that his hair had sparse strands of gold in it. His eyebrows were just a slight shade darker than his auburn hair, but it was definitely a hue that I wasn’t used to seeing. His stubble seemed to be of the same hue, as well. He didn’t have a lot hair on his chest, but it was, once again, the same color. As I gently tugged down the blanket, my thoughts strayed to when he once told me that the carpet matched the drapes.

I was curious as all hell.

Ever so carefully, I tugged at the elastic top of the boxers and lowered it just enough to see some of the curly auburn strands that led down to the morning erection just beneath. I frowned as my mind went spiraling into the gutter. Crap. What were Liam’s exact words? Don’t go too far and safety.

He said nothing about getting him started, though. So, I found myself tugging the boxers carefully down and over the other man’s flesh. I couldn’t remember the last time I held another man’s member. Liam’s felt quite nice. As I stroked it and ran my thumb along it, I peered at his face. He was circumcised, just as I was, not that it mattered to me. But, I couldn’t risk looking down to affirm what my hand felt.

I wasn’t disappointed. He began to squirm and breathe heavier. His face was set in a frown as he opened his eyes. I lifted my free hand to press a finger to his lips. “I remember what you said, I don’t intend for us to anything more than this right now.” I explained. “Either let me finish you off or take over and let me see you finish yourself off.”

Liam let out a groan as he rubbed his face with a hand. “Fuck, Seth. Are you trying to kill me?” He keened. But, in the end, he reached down to grab his own shaft as he quickly worked himself to completion.

I slid my hands up his inner thighs as I watched him. His eyes tracked my every movement, so I sent him a devious smirk as one of my hands took hold of his lower sac and gently squeezed and lifted. With a shuddering gasp of air, he lifted his hips twice. Shit.

I couldn’t take just watching anymore, so I slid my hand right down into my pajama bottoms and began to stroke myself, as well. The gasps and moans that fell from Liam’s mouth were echoed by my own. “So hot, Liam,” I whispered headily.

His face was flushed down to his neck and part of his chest.  I lifted myself onto my knees beside him and pulled off my white tank. I lowered my pajama bottoms enough to free my shaft and then leaned back as I tried to match the pace of his strokes and copied his movements. When his hand reached all the way down and back, my hand did the same. When he squeezed himself tight, I did the same. When he slowed down, I slowed down. When he sped back up, I sped back up.

Liam started to realize what I was doing, and began to stroke himself in the ways that he wanted to see me stroke myself. He abandoned his shaft to slide his hands up his abdomen and chest, scratching the tips of his nipples with his fingernails. I copied his movements and arched my back as my hands slid back down, my thumbs dragging along my nipples on their way down.

“Liam,” I gasped and his hand immediately grasped back onto his flesh.

“Do that again,” He requested. “Slowly…fuck.”

I slid my hands up my throat and sucked on two of my fingers. My grey eyes were still looking right at him.

Liam came first. As he tried to catch his breath, I reached down to finish myself off, which only took a few more seconds. “Hah!” I cried out. I couldn’t remember the last time I came so hard. Watching Liam and having him watching me in turn was far more pleasurable than I would have imagined.

When we began to come down from the high, my OCD began to nag at me. I pouted. “Sorry about your sheets. I can wash them if you show me where your washer and drier are.”

Liam merely laughed.