Promises 2 (5 page)

He hurriedly tied the tourniquet and wiped the alcohol pad across the crease in the middle of Quick’s arm. He opened the needle – and like always – took a calming breath before he stuck his patient. He wouldn’t be an ass and stick him hard, when Cayson knew how to do it without the patient feeling the slightest pinch. Instead, he angled the syringe like he’d been taught during his pediatric internship and gently pushed the tip, easily breaking the skin and entering the vein.

“Wow. I didn’t even feel it.”

“Mmm hmm,” Cayson replied halfheartedly, staying focused on the job. He clicked on the couple of vials, filling them just enough to run the tests, before removing the needle. He handed Quick a gauze square for him to put over the pinprick. He knew his tone was forced and clipped, but he couldn’t help it anymore. “Hold it here for a few seconds.”

He was hurting now. Still not bothering to look Quick in the eye, Cayson pulled out the three-container storage unit and properly placed the labeled vials in the container. “I’ll have the test results by tomorrow afternoon. If I don’t call, that means everything is good. No news is good news from a doctor.” Cayson finally rose to his feet and made sure he had the dock charger for the X-ray tablet in his bag before he closed it. He didn’t bother saying anything else. He had Quick’s email and mailing addresses. He’d send him some pamphlets on healing ribs later. Right now, he had to get the hell out of there before he lost it. He was embarrassed, sweating, and he felt like a fool. He knew he was on rocky terrain with Quick, but he’d at least thought Duke and Vaughan were his friends.
Guess I was wrong.
Again.

“I think you should call anyway,” Quick grunted, sitting back up. Quick slammed the recliner down and stood up, stretching his long torso, in turn making those loose pants slide down to an obscene level. As soon as Cayson’s eyes diverted, Quick noticed it and chuckled at him. “You like?”

Cayson narrowed his eyes and just barely refrained from taking a swing at Quick. He was furious, not suicidal. But, that bastard. Did he like? Was he serious? Cayson had showed his “like” before and Quick had a shit fit that time. What the hell was going on now? “You know what. Grow up, Roman.” Cayson hefted his bag on his shoulder and raced for the front door. He was across the spacious living room and yanking on the door handle by the time Quick realized what was happening and called out to him, but he wasn’t stopping.

“Cayson, wait! Don’t leave. I wasn’t—” Quick couldn’t move as fast as Cayson because of his tender ribs. “I’m sorry.”

Ignoring the words, Cayson was so happy when he was finally outside Quick’s playhouse and safe. It wasn’t until he shivered trying to get his key in the car door that he realized he’d left his good parka behind. He looked up and saw Quick wearing a confused expression. Probably wondering why his trap didn’t work. Fool him once, shame on you.

Quick

Quick watched Cayson burn rubber out of his driveway in his little Prius hybrid, his face a mask of anger and betrayal through the thick windshield. Closing his door on the bitter cold that was beating against his flushed skin; he locked both locks and leaned until his forehead was against the smooth wood surface.
Now what did I do?
Walking back through his living room, he looked through the blinds to see if maybe Cayson had circled back around, but of course, he hadn’t. Had Quick come on too strong? He couldn’t help that his cock took interest when the sweet doctor took off those gloves and began to lovingly caress his back. That wasn’t a fuckin’ exam. He’d had plenty exams, none ever felt like that. Feather-light fingertips just barely grazing his body, hot breaths blowing against his moist skin. And Quick didn’t miss the doc’s erection, either. No matter how hard he tried to hide it.

Disgusted and tired, Quick picked up his cell phone off the breakfast bar. Damnit. Now he knew exactly how Cayson had felt when Quick had shot down his advances before and thrown him out. Sighing in frustration over blowing his last chance, he called his best friend. When it began to ring, he switched to speaker while he powered up his laptop to order his dinner, too tired to make his preplanned chili.

“Yo.” Duke’s rough voice came through his cell speaker.

Quick rubbed his still aching head, not even sure how to start this conversation.

“Quick? What up, man?”

“Duke. I thought you said the doc was interested. What the fuck, man? He flew outta here faster than a felon on a revoked bond.”

Duke chuckled lightly, but Quick wasn’t laughing.

“What happened, Rome? Oh, never mind. I’ll be there in ten.”

Quick frowned when he realized Duke had hung up. He was coming over. Meaning he actually had time for him. Quick rolled his eyes. He felt like an idiot. How could a man feel good about himself when he was feeling sour because his son ran off with his best friend? It was absurd. Quick’s food hadn’t even arrived yet, and Duke was coming through his front door, using his key. He had on a no-name pair of sweat pants and a thick Atlanta Falcons hoodie. When he yanked it off, his black and silver hair stuck up in various directions. His cheeks were covered with dark stubble, but Quick could easily see the redness from the cold underneath it.

“Where the hell is your coat?” Quick grumbled, turning down the volume of the Food Network. “You wanna get pneumonia?”

“It’s in the car,” Duke huffed, blowing on his hands. He flopped down on the couch, sparing a quick glance at the television before looking back at him. “It is getting cold as hell. What is it, forties tonight?”

“Yep. It’s like negative ten in Chicago and we’re complaining about forty degrees.”

“We’re spoiled. We’re not used to cold. We’re tropical now.” Duke smiled, still looking at Quick.

“I’m from Buffalo, Duke. I’m far from tropical,” Quick mumbled, staring back at the muted television as the chefs scrambled to get their dishes on the plates before time was up.

“This what you wanna talk about, bro? Geography. The climate.”

He tried to ignore Duke’s dark glare for as long as he could, but he knew why his friend was there and exactly what they were going to discuss.

“So. You gonna tell me?” Duke leaned back, draping one arm along the back of his couch.

“I could’ve told you on the phone. You didn’t have to waste time coming over here.”

Duke sat straight up. “Whoa, whoa. What the hell is all this ‘waste time’ bullshit? When have I not come over when you needed to talk?”

All Quick could do was shrug. He didn’t want to have this conversation. He didn’t want it to appear like he was whining. “You got Vaughan’s stuff to deal with now; you don’t need me adding—”

“First of all,” Duke cut him off. “Vaughan doesn’t have any stuff. Unlike us, he has his shit together. Probably always will. It’s usually
me
bringing my shit to
him
. So I’m wide open to accept yours.”

Quick believed what Duke said. His son had always had it together. He truly was one of the luckiest parents in the world. If it weren’t for his son always trying to impress Duke his whole young life, he wouldn’t have been as focused and determined to become such a great man. He guessed he owed that to his best friend. Vaughan didn’t do anything unless he thought Duke would approve and praise it. “You just seem….”

“In love.” Duke sat towards the end of the couch, looking hard at Quick. “That’s all, man. I’m in love, but I’m still your best friend, you idiot. Nothing could change that. Sure, I want to be around Vaughan a lot, but I miss your big, ugly face.” Duke smirked, picking up one of the small pillows and throwing it at Quick’s chest. “All these reservations you have about hanging around us are in your own head. I’ve always showed you respect when you’re around. I don’t grope your son in front of your face.”

“No you don’t, and I appreciate that.”

“Nope… I wait until he’s in my bed to do that.” Duke laughed hard when Quick threw the pillow back at him with significantly more force. “Just joking, man.”

Duke’s good mood was infectious. Quick was actually feeling lighter. This was the relationship he and Duke had.
Have
. And he’d been missing it. Maybe the hesitation was his own doing. They’d invited him over or out plenty of times where he’d refused, not wanting to feel like a third wheel. Maybe his friend had been missing him, too.

“Cayson was here,” Quick said, lower than he meant, but he was sure Duke still heard him.

“I’m not going to ask how it went, because your call clued me in on that, so tell me where it went south.”

Quick got up and started pacing. His ribs yelled at him to sit his big ass back down, but he ignored them. He didn’t need to worry about being overly careful anymore, since he was sure everything was okay in his old body.
Thanks to my sweet doctor
. “Heck if I know, man. He was smiling when I opened the door. I made sure I was smiling. I was surprised, but still happy to see him.”

“You were… happy?” Duke’s full lips rose in amusement.

“You know what I mean! I wasn’t mad, okay,” Quick barked, and Duke threw his hands up in apology, so he kept talking. “I um… I’d um… just finished… finished—”

“Finished what? Jerking one out?” Duke asked, confused.

Quick twisted his face up like he’d just sucked a lemon. “No, man! Jesus, Duke. I’d just finished showering, so I was a little underdressed.”

“You were naked.”

“No, not fully. I had on these pants, but they were slightly damp at the time and maybe a little see-through, but I didn’t have this shirt on. I thought he’d….”

“Get excited, again. Like last time.”

“Yeah, man,” Quick huffed, carefully sitting back in his chair.

“He got turned on by your chasing gear… the leather, remember. Not your nakedness. Maybe you intimidated him or something.”

“This is stupid, Duke. I’m not doing this anymore. He doesn’t like me, and all I do is make him mad whenever I’m around.”

“Rome. He wouldn’t have come, man. He brought all that equipment to your house. What doctor would do that for a person who’s not even technically their patient? No doctor I’ve ever encountered. The idea of you getting hurt bothered him. I could see it before he was able to school his expression.”

“He did seem pretty nice when I got nicked by that bullet and he stitched me up a few months back,” Quick said softly, grasping at straws, needing to cling to a sliver of hope.

“Okay, then,” Duke said excitedly. “You deserve someone, Rome. I thought it’d be a woman, but I think this would be real good, man. To at least explore a little. Vaughan and me both like Dr. Chauncey, too. If he stirs something in you that’s been dormant for years… don’t fight it. The doc is a solid guy, and since you hate going to the doctor so much, or getting checked out when you’re injured, don’t you think it’d be a good idea to date a surgeon?”

“Everything doesn’t work out all the time, Duke. We all don’t get a happily ever after ending. What? Did you think we were all going to double date and eventually do a double wedding, where we all go down to city hall in cheesy ass tuxes and get our gay marriage licenses?”

“I think it’s just ‘marriage license,’ no need to add ‘gay’ before it.” Duke ducked and rubbed the back of his head, trying to hide his smirk.

“Shut up. No joking. Just tell me what to do, then. I asked him if he liked what he saw and… he told me to… he told me to grow up.”

Duke was trying so hard not to laugh, but after a few horrible hiccups, the laughter burst through. “You mean he didn’t fall at your feet with smooth lines like that?”

“Shut up, you asshole. I thought men liked to be direct and straightforward. So that’s what I was aiming for.”

Duke only laughed harder. Quick was two seconds off Duke’s ass when his doorbell chimed, alerting him his takeout Thai was there. Although Quick wanted to put on a pair of boxing gloves and spar a few rounds with his smart-mouthed best friend, this is truly what he’d missed the most. Him and Duke shooting the shit and talking trash while ribbing the hell out of one another.

After sharing half his dinner, Quick and Duke got off the subject of football and got back to a topic that was more pressing. “You still didn’t say what I should do.”

“Well. In my opinion.” Duke wiped his mouth with a napkin. “I think you should go big or stay home. You know the saying, right?”

“Yeah, I know the saying. Go big, but big like how? I mean, I know what women would want as big. Jewelry, quality time, compliments, candy, whatever. I don’t think the doc would go for that. So big like… fifty yard line tickets or something?”

His best friend was looking at him like he’d just said the stupidest thing in the world. “You wanna get him football tickets?”

“Sure, why not? That’s fuckin’ huge. Those seats are hard to get. I’d be grateful as hell if someone got those for me.”

“I know that, but that would probably benefit you more than him. Do you even know if he likes football?”

“All men like football,” Quick said confidently.

“Stop being ridiculous.”

“You’re the one being ridiculous. You think just because he’s gay that he might not like football.”