Wednesday Brief

Weds Brief

Prompts: "I thought I knew  you, but..."

or use the alternate prompts:  Use: daft, punk, rooster or  or "The first time we kissed..." or use: Danube, power, kiss or "High as a kite, he..." or write a sex scene, but without removing any clothes!

 Happy Together-by Lily Sawyer

‘It would never happen to them.’  Those were the words that echoed in Ben’s head, the words that were said when their neighbors, Scott and Ray, had their fight.  The one that ended their relationship forever.

Ben and Tom swore to each other it would never happen to them, yet here Ben was in a corner table at their local Starbucks, drowning his sorrow with a caffè   mocha.  His laptop open, an unopened email from Tom staring him in the face.

Ben stared at the gold band on his left ring finger; they’d gone to New York to make it official.  Those happy moments of wedded bliss, when he and Tom had said “I do”, played in his head.  He loved that man more than anyone.

They’d been married only a few months, but he and Tom had been together for a couple of years.  They finished each other’s sentences, for goodness sake.

“Why, Tom?” Ben had tears in his eyes. Was it over for them, like it was for Scott and Ray? It wasn’t going to end in a nuclear meltdown, but with a quiet whimper.

He sniffled.

“Ben?” Ellis Carter stopped by his table.  He was one of Ben’s co-workers at the real estate office.  “Are you okay?”  Ellis had gotten to know Ben and Tom. Ellis had a BBQ party during the summer and had invited them. Could that have been just two weeks ago?

“No, no I’m not okay.”  He saw the other man had a cup of coffee and a paper bag; he’d obviously stopped off for a quick pick up and go.  Instead, Ellis took the seat opposite him.

“What’s wrong?”

“It’s Tom. I think he’s going to leave me.”

“What? You’re kidding, what makes you think that?”

“He’s acting differently. With his busy schedule and mine, we always get together on his days off and have date nights.”

“So? What happened?”

“We haven’t done anything in a long time and he’s been getting phone calls. I overheard one of his conversations.  He said he felt like he was being held back and that he let things go on long enough. He said it was time to make a change.”

“Have you spoken to him?”

“He’s just been avoiding me. We haven’t had any time alone. It looks like the honeymoon’s over.”

“Oh, I don’t believe that for a minute.” Ellis patted him on the arm. 

“You don’t?” Ben looked up from his coffee.

“No, I’ve seen you and Tom together. You’re as much in love with each other as Susan and I.”  Elllis and Susan had been married for eighteen years.  They had two sons, one just starting college and the other a junior in high school. 

“I just don’t know. We’ve been together for seven years. Maybe he’s tired of me.  He’s getting that seven year itch.”

“Stop talking nonsense. I think you need to talk to him.”

“I will, Ellis. Thanks for listening.”

“Sure thing, Ben.  Just call me if you need to talk.”

When Ben got home, Tom was making dinner. “Hi Ben.”  He was busy cutting vegetables.  “Why don’t you have a seat by the counter?”

“I thought I knew you, but I guess I don’t.”

Tom stopped cutting and looked Ben in the eye.  “What are you talking about?”

“Remember when we promised each other to talk our problems through, to be honest with each other?”

“Yes, I remember, why?  Do you think I haven’t been honest with you?”

“No, you haven’t, we’ve barely spent any time together.”

“Well, you know I’ve been very busy training the newbies. It takes a lot of time to get them ready for the field.”

“I know that, but I overheard you saying you were done with me.”

“Done with you? Are you daft?”  Tom put the knife down and came to sit next to Ben at the counter.  “Honey, what are you talking about?”

“You said you had let things go on long enough and that you’re done with dealing with someone who was keeping you back.   That it was time for a change.  I thought you’d been avoiding me ‘cause you were waiting for the right time to lower the boom.” 

“Ben.”  Tom shook his head.

“It happens to couples. Look what happened to Scott and Ray. I didn’t see that coming.  We’ve known plenty of couples we thought were going to have that ‘happily ever after,’  but they didn’t.   I thought we were too, but…”  Ben couldn’t help the sob that escaped his lips. Tom draped his arm around his shoulder and held him tight. 

“Ben, honey, that’s what happens when you eavesdrop. You don’t get the gist of what the conversation’s about at all.” 

“You’re not tired of me? Yet?”

“Yet? I’m never going to get tired of you.  Face it, Ben, you’re stuck with me.” 

“But what was all that stuff about needing to cut the ties or something like that.”

“I was talking about some of the procedures the fire house has on handling certain emergencies that are obsolete and I had to talk to my captain about one of our firefighters who’s not doing the job. He’s been given so many chances, and I had to rate his performance.  It’s never easy when you have to say someone isn’t cutting it.  Not everyone can make it as a fire fighter. “

“It’s not that new girl, Amy?”

“No, she’s doing very well. There are plenty of women who do just as good as the men.  I’d rather not say who it is.”

“We need to talk more. I want to know what is going on.  No cloak and dagger stuff. For either of us.”

“Okay.” They kissed.

my fellow flashers

Nephylim    m/m

MA Church    m/m

MC Houle      m/m

Julie Lynn Hayes  m/m

Michael Mandrake m/m