“And you look like you were in a fight. And lost.” Josh’s coworker greeted Josh with that statement rather than saying a salutation. JC slugged through the door with a giant cup of coffee in his hand. He walked to the check out station where his friend was currently turning computers on.
“Ah Chris.” Josh, tired, flipped him the bird. “I had a late night last night.” He threw himself down in a cloth swivel chair and threw his book bag onto the wooden desk.
“Oh you had a,” Chris humped the air and wiggled his eyebrows, “late night, eh?”
“Shut up.” Joshua pushed the shorter man. “I stayed up on the phone, you loser.” When he got home he couldn’t wait to talk to Justin and neither did Justin. The two discussed their likes, dislikes and where they were going to go on their date today. JC tried to pry the information from the other man but Justin wasn’t talking. They would have talked all night long but Josh had to get up soon so they promised to talk later that day.
“You and Lance gossiping?” Chris assumed. “I swear you two are girls.”
Josh rolled his eyes. “No, it wasn’t him.” He smiled brightly thinking about he did talk to.
“Now that’s a smile I’ve never seen in awhile. In fact I doubt I’ve ever seen it. Who is he?”
“He? I don’t know what you are talking about.” He quickly picked up the books left from overnight and checked them with his scanner. He didn’t want to discuss Justin and his feelings for the older man yet. He wasn’t sure where they were headed but he knew it was going there fast. Josh loved this feeling especially not having to be the one doing everything to try and keep a relationship. He definitely had Justin’s 100% and then some. He knew that in less than three days and he wasted almost a damn year on Ronal waiting for that ass to figure it out.
“Okay be secretive about him. But I know that it’s a him that has got you blushing like a school girl.” Chris warned as he went to the office to get the date stamps.
Josh rolled his eyes and folded his hands as he waited for nine o’clock to come. The library would be open then and hopefully he would keep his mind off of Justin. Every time he thought of him he smiled or blushed.
He started his homework and wasn’t interrupted much. The library wasn’t exactly a place of bustling crowds. The building was huge, over ten floors with each floor containing endless stacks of books. Therefore a mad rush to the checkout station wasn’t probable.
Joshua was done with his class work in about two hours and he counted down the hours until his lunch hour. Chris left him to go help a student with an assignment so he had no one to talk to.
But then he felt his cell phone vibrating against his hip. JC pulled it out his pocket and expected to see Lance’s name to pop on the screen. But to his happy surprise it wasn’t. He pressed the talk button and smiled. “Hi Justin. Didn’t we just finish talking to each other a couple of hours ago?”
“Yeah but I just had to hear your voice again. Morning.” He sounded like he just woke up.
“Good morning. Suppose I was busy?”
“Well I would have left a nice little message but talking to you is even better. What are you wearing?” He quickly asked.
JC laughed. “Nothing but a smile.”
“You better not be.” His tone sounded playfully gruff. “I might have to come there and keep watch. And maybe sneak a peek.”
Josh’s grin could only be described a liquid smile. “Or two.”
“You know me so well. So let’s go have lunch together.” He breathed heavily into the phone.
“Justin. I’m at work. I have about one more hour to go and then I’m free for an hour but Justin you’re going to have me all day after work.”
“I know but I just want to be around you all the time. So how about it?”
“You’re too good to be true.”
“No I’m not. Come on. Come with me. I like the little stubble you have on your jaw. Makes your lips look more red.”
“What? How in the hell do you- Oh my God.” Josh looked up and saw Justin leaning against a table smiling wickedly at him.
“I know.” He said as he walked to lean across the checkout desk. “I missed you.” He puckered his lips and kissed JC until the dark haired man began to push Justin away.
“Justin. I’m at work.” Joshua pleaded with a grin.
He nodded and then kissed JC again longer this time. When JC pulled away, a loud smacking sound could be heard. “It’s not like anyone is bothering you now. Come with me or I won’t stop.”
“I won’t let you,” JC warned but Justin leaned in again and JC held onto his shaven head. He slipped his tongue into the younger man’s mouth and began to lick every centimeter. Justin tried to ease away from the soft lips but JC held on strong to Justin’s head. When someone cleared their throat, the two did pull away and looked to where the newcomer was standing.
Chris wiggled his fingers in greeting. “If students are giving out kisses as thanks then I need to take over the checkout station.”
Josh’s swollen mouth tried to form a good explanation while Justin quietly took in the newcomer. His hand held JC’s while outright staring at the smaller man after he turned to face forward.
“Well since Josh is trying to form a logical thought, I’ll introduce myself. I’m Chris.” The bearded man held his hand out for Justin to shake but Justin looked at the hand. He nodded his head silently. Chris withdrew his proffered hand awkwardly.
“This is Justin, Chris.” Josh introduced. “Justin, this is my bud Chris. He’s a real librarian.” Josh smiled sweetly at Justin.
“Excuse me, I need help finding a book.” A female student went to stand by the mini crowd.
“Sure not a problem,” Chris walked to the girl and the two of them went in search for her requested book.
Justin turned back face Josh. “What do you say? I’m sure your friend would understand. Be with me. Leave this place for a little while. I’ll bring you back on time. I swear.” He looked up with puppy dog eyes and a pout at JC. He brought JC’s hand to his mouth and planted the milky skin with kisses. “You know you want to say yes. So just say it.”
“Well when you put it that way.” JC looked around for Chris but the man wasn’t there. “Okay I’ll go with you but I have to be back by the end of my lunch hour.” Josh pushed his textbook and notebook into his book bag and stood up.
“I’ll take that.” Justin reached for the shoulder bag and hefted it onto his shoulder gracefully. “Can’t wait to take you out of this stuffy building,” he winked. He held out his hand and JC interlaced their fingers together. With Justin leading the way out of the library, Joshua and he were on their way to the parking lot with Justin kissing the back of Josh’s hand from time to time. Justin halted in front of a 1986 black Corvette with tinted windows.
“This is nice,” Joshua said in a hushed tone. The car gleamed and looked sleek…very much like its owner.
“Yeah.” Justin grinned. “Wait til you get inside. All black leather and smooth,” Justin said with pride and opened the passenger door. Joshua still held onto Justin’s free hand and peered inside. All he could do was whoosh out a big breath of air. “She’s goes 150 and grips all curves like a hellcat.”
“She?” Joshua smirked at hearing Justin talking ‘car speak’. After car colors and interiors, he was clueless. As long as it could drive him from point A to point B, it didn’t matter…okay it had to be pretty too. But he couldn’t help but to grin at the happy gleam in his friend’s orbs.
“Yup. She’s the only woman in my life.” He trailed a finger around the rim of the open door.
“How come she’s not a he?” Joshua asked once he sat down in the passenger seat. He looked up into Justin’s eyes.
“Cause I already have a boy.” Justin leaned closer and bent over. He whispered over Joshua’s lips, “You.” And then moved the few centimeters and kissed him.
Joshua felt a thrill inside his bones as he kissed Justin. Justin already called him his boy. Justin had him in a whirlwind of delicious emotions and he wasn’t freaking out, well too much, at letting whatever they had grow. He grabbed his bag out of Justin’s hand and asked, “You’re that sure?”
“Your kisses say so.” He nipped Joshua’s reddened lips and winked as he closed the door and went to the driver’s side. Once he sat down and started the Corvette, he reached over to hold Joshua’s hand. “So baby, what do you want to eat?” He steered the car with one hand and held Joshua’s hand while raining kisses on his knuckles.
Josh couldn’t form a thought much less think about what he was going to eat while Justin’s tongue would, every now and then, lick between his knuckles. He batted his eyes dreamily and sighed.
The two at the same café they had their pseudo first date. Between bites of sandwiches and sips of coffee, there were plenty of long glances and quick smooches to fingers and palms through their extended lunch. JC seemed to float back to work with swollen lips on cloud nine. Justin dropped Josh back at work with a promise to be back to pick him up at the end of the younger man’s shift. How Justin wormed his way inside his…just inside him was still to be determined.
“So. How was your two hour lunch hour?”
Joshua jumped as he tried to sit behind the checkout desk casually. “Chris,” Joshua smiled over brightly and turned to face his supervisor.
Chris held up a hand in front of Joshua’s face. “Save it. If I were gay and I had someone like him to play kissy poo with I’d have taken extra time off too.” He winked and walked away. He turned back to face his employee as if he forgot something. “Oh yeah. Don’t make it a habit,” he warned with a blank face and then went on his way.
Josh nodded but his supervisor didn’t look his way. He worked the rest of his shift with whisker burned lips and dreamy blushes. He did this in silence with hurried glances directed at the large clock on the wall. But looking at the clock made the minute hand move at a snail’s pace so he ignored the clock and immersed himself with his work. A student threw about twenty books onto the counter and Josh sighed heavily.
“Um, I wanted to find this book on President Franklin Pierce but it wasn’t on the shelf specified. Can you find out how long it’ll be out?” The kid asked hastily. Joshua looked up from the counter and saw that three people were on line behind the book-laden boy. Just great.
“Sure. No problem.” It really was a problem because JC was the only one working the checkout station and this kid seemed to have no problem spending all day at the checkout station. The, now, four people waiting on line would differ in opinion though.
“I actually have a list of books that were checked out. I would like the date when each one would be back.” He reached into his shirt pocket and whipped out a list of about twenty-five extra titles. He could not be serious.
“Would you mind if I look for that after I check you and your fellow student’s books out?” He knew the people wanted to go, hell he wanted to leave too.
“Yes I would mind. I’d list the dates first.” He folded his arms with an air of arrogance and looked pointedly at Josh.
“C’mon man,” someone groaned out from behind the kid on line. The boy ignored him and stared at Joshua even harder. Joshua rolled his eyes and got started on the lengthy list.
“Excuse me,” someone silkily asked from behind the harried student. Joshua looked behind the guy, as did the guy himself. He couldn’t believe who it was. He looked to the clock and saw that it was time to go. His shift would end in three minutes.
“No cutting,” the guy said snottily to Justin.
Justin grabbed the kid’s arm and began to pull him to the side before Josh could comment. “Oh I’m not cutting.” He winked at Josh and nodded to the people on the line. Josh got the drift and called the next person in line to get their book checked out.
“Now I think you don’t really want to look for all the dates.”
“But I-”
“No. In fact, I think you don’t want to check your book out now,” he spoke softly so he wasn’t overheard but his eyes said all he didn’t. “I think you want to check out those books later when his shift,” he nodded to Josh, who was checking out books and glancing at the two of them, “is finished. Like say in an hour or so, don’t you think?” He raised an eyebrow and kept his hand on the shorter student’s arm.
“I was in line first and-”
Justin didn’t squeeze the boy or even hurt him. He just stared with an eerie calm in his eyes. “Don’t you think?” He asked once again this time stepping closer.
The kid gulped and would have protested but something in those blue eyes kept him from even opening his mouth. “Sure,” he squeaked.
“Good choice.” He let his arm go and the student scurried off to the checkout desk. After the kid told Josh that he was sorry but he had more books to look for and walked out of the library, Joshua looked quickly to Justin.
“What did you say to him?” He had gone through the line of people in a little over a minute and his shift was officially over.
“I just told him that he wasn’t being fair and that he could bother another librarian with his list.”
“That’s all?” He asked warily. He watched the entire exchange and he didn’t see the boy cry out or Justin threaten him.
“Yes baby. I just suggested for him to ease up and chill out.” Justin watched as a girl walked from a room behind Joshua. “And come on. It looks like you are being relieved.” He held out a hand for Josh and Josh accepted as he sighed heavily.
“All I need is that kid coming back saying that you bullied him and then I’ll be fired and I-” Justin pressed his lips against the moving mouth and shut Josh up.
Once he pulled away, Joshua sighed out happily with plump, moist lips. Just how Justin liked to picture his boy. “I hope you’re hungry…for food that is. I know how your mind works.” Justin said darkly. Josh hit him on the shoulder and held onto Justin’s hand.
He didn’t let go the entire trip to the Corvette or during their drive to wherever the hell Justin was bringing him. He was content to sit in the luxurious soft seat, hold onto Justin’s hand and just lean against his shoulder. But when he saw the car pulling up in front of Fantasy Cove, he couldn’t help but grin. Fantasy Cove was a combination of a multiplex cinema and indoor amusement center, a great first date location. And it had two things that Josh loved, rides and movies. “I haven’t been here in so long.”
“Good. Then we can make it special together.” Justin purred as he parked into a spot. There weren’t a lot of cars on the lot mostly because it was a Tuesday night. The two walked towards the front door side by side and stood in the center hallway, which held two doorways, one led to the movie theater, the other to the amusement center. “Which one first baby?”
“How about pizza first?” Josh suggested. He loved to eat and the smell of pizza wafting from the restaurant inside the amusement center was driving his stomach crazy.
“Pizza it is.”
And they ate more in comfortable silence than in conversation. They more than enjoyed each other’s company. It was as if they knew each other much longer than three days. Once the dinner part of their evening was over, they decided a horror movie would be watched first then straight to the virtual roller coaster afterwards.
The couple settled in the back row of the movie theater, both sharing a big package of plain M & M’s. The previews were playing on the screen so they were bathed in darkness. After a few handfuls of chocolate, Justin craved something a little sweeter. He looked to Joshua, who sat next to the dark wall, engrossed with the latest trailer on the screen. Justin smiled to himself as he watched the blue eyes twinkle from the light off the screen.
Once the opening credits started for the film, Justin slid his arm around Joshua’s shoulders, moving the arm rest between them with his free hand and drawing his boy closer. He leaned over, ignoring the beginning scene on screen and brought Josh’s left ear lobe into his mouth, laving the flesh with his tongue.
“Justin,” he whispered to the older boy that currently was licking and lightly biting on his ear. He couldn’t help but shudder.
“Let me taste you,” Justin whispered softly into Josh’s ear. He brought his free hand to the brunette’s neck and tilted his head away from the screen. Joshua was more than willing to turn his head into Justin’s direction and intense stare.
“Okay…” he breathed out as Justin leaned even closer and captured Joshua’s mouth with his. Loud music reverberated in the theater causing a few girls to scream out in fright but it had no effect on the two who were more than caught up with themselves.
Justin suckled on Joshua’s bottom lip, tasting remnants of milk chocolate. Joshua moaned delicately and wrapped his arms around Justin’s neck. Justin moved his hand from Josh’s neck and moved it to the zipper of Josh’s gray sweatshirt. He zipped the metal down and ran his palm on the warm, clothed skin.
Joshua brought his hand to the top of the other boy’s head, running his slender hand through shorn hair, memorizing the texture as Justin’s tongue traced his lips. When his nipple was pressed first accidentally, then purposely, he breathed out a shocked gasp of breath which Justin covered up expertly…with his own mouth of course.
And okay.
Okay. This was moving more than fast for Joshua, who never even kissed Ronal until the second week of dating. He was sitting in a dark movie theater making out with a hot, sexy, roguish boy. He only knew said boy for a number of days that could be counted on one hand, in fact less than one hand. This wasn’t the Joshua he knew, the one he was used to. This Joshua was different. And so was Justin. And this all seemed too good to be true. But here he was inches away from being in Justin’s lap, ignoring the movie and skipping straight to necking in the dark. Boy, if Tyler could only see him now. His brother might have cheered him on or even try to join the party.
Justin’s tongue should be outlawed because it moved too sinuously, too stealthily inside Joshua’s mouth. He worked from one crevice, sucked and sampled all in between until he reached the other side of Joshua’s mouth. And Joshua gave up arguing with himself because his tongue was having too much fun twisting and turning with Justin’s to think of much else. He held onto to his boy’s head and continued in the tongue play for the entire movie, which was kind of sad because Josh really did want to watch the movie.
Justin pulled away from Josh’s swollen mouth with a resounding smack once the closing music came on. His eyes glittered with something indescribable but the look made Joshua’s heart somersault in his chest. “Enjoy the movie?”
Josh laid an index finger on Justin’s smirking bottom lip. “Thanks to a certain someone, I really couldn’t tell you.” Justin closed his mouth over the digit and sucked.
Before Joshua could close his eyes and let his senses take over for him again, he reluctantly withdrew his finger. “Rides, baby. We gotta do more than make out.”
“But we do it so well.” Justin pouted. Josh was really close to giving in and sliding into Justin’s lap in the now empty theater.
“Quit it. Rides first. Kissing later.” He stood up and held onto Justin’s jacket collar. “C’mon. We missed the movie already.”
Justin stood up as well and stretched. “You really wanted to watch it?” Josh held onto Justin’s proffered hand.
It was so common for the two of them to hold hands. “Yeah but it’s okay. I had fun with you more.” He wiggled his eyebrows up and down.
“We can see it. Again. I mean after the rides. If you want,” Justin finished off with a bashful blush and how could Joshua not fall for a face like that?
“Yes I want.” Joshua leaned into his boy and pushed him backwards towards the aisle. They walked out of the empty theater into the lobby. It was around ten o’clock so more people were clearing out the building than heading in. And that it was a school night even added to the small amount of customers. Without a lot of eyes around the amusement center, Justin and Joshua got away with little pecks and handholding.
Justin, of course, paid for the entire date including the tickets for the horror movie they were going to watch again. No matter how many times Joshua tried to sneak in paying for something, Justin staunchly refused. So Joshua remembered to file the information away as he was led to inside the amusement center.
They rode on the virtual roller coaster five times, every time they would kiss when hung upside down. Then they made their way to video game room but all the good ones were broken so they headed to tilt-a-whirl. After riding until they were to close to puking, it was mutually decided to ride a calmer ride next…until their stomachs settled. So they made their way to the bumper car track.
The line was small, only three girls who were chatting amongst themselves and flirting with the other line occupants, two guys. One of the men was eating up the female attention and the other had a bored look upon his face. But it all changed when Justin and Josh joined the line. Joshua caught the look of interest but figured Justin was the object of affection. He was cool with it because if he were in the man’s shoes, he’d do the same thing as well.
When it was finally time for the group to go on the track, Justin finally caught the other man’s stare. He and Josh parted to go into separate bumper cars. And as Joshua sat down, Justin looked away and saw the guy’s dogged stare not on him but on his boy. The guy looked at Justin, winked and brought his gray eyes back to Joshua. Justin’s car was directly behind Josh’s car. He made sure to block the staring guy’s view as he went in. Hopefully the guy got the message.
The track operator turned on the cars and Justin whipped his head around to watch Joshua’s admirer. He wasn’t looking toward Justin like Justin expected since Joshua was in front of him but he saw his boy on the other side of the track and Justin cursed under his breath. The guy smiled as he gently bumped into Joshua who in turn giggled, not catching on that the guy bumping into him was actually into him. The guy kept bumping Joshua in the back of the bumper car.
Justin saw red.
He didn’t drive, he didn’t move. He let everyone else move around him. He waited until the two were directly across from him and pressed full speed on the pedal. He zipped straight across the track and rammed full force into the gray-eyed guy. Joshua whipped his head towards the back of his bumper car to see the guy’s car tilt off the track and slammed back down. The guy’s head whipped back and forth like a bobble head doll but when he opened his mouth to spit out blood.
“Oh shit,” Joshua exclaimed. Justin stared at the guy, not breaking his gaze as the gray-eyed guy held his mouth. The bell rang through the loudspeaker to signify the end of the ride. Josh unbuckled himself and got out of the car. He looked wildly at his boyfriend as Justin sauntered out of his car. Did he do that on purpose? “Are you okay?” He asked the guy and turned to look at Justin. He just couldn’t believe this.
Justin shrugged his shoulders as he looked at the damage. Other than a big rubber skid in the front of his bumper car, there wasn’t any mechanical damage. He stood his ground and watched silently.
The other riders looked curiously. The track attendant came over to the little group. “Are you okay sir?” Joshua went to stand at the side of the man’s car.
“I just bit my tongue,” he winced as more blood tinged spit came out of his mouth. He looked to Joshua, “I’m fine. I wasn’t paying attention. Dude, you like rammed into me!” He yelled as he cupped a hand under his chin.
“The car just went out of control, man. Like the pedal got stuck or something,” Justin said in an emotionless voice and shrugged. His look dared the guy to say anything. An announcement was made on a loudspeaker that the amusement center would be closing in ten minutes. With hearing that, most of the other riders walked off of the track. The guy seemed to be okay.
“Would you like some water or something? It looks like you bit down really hard,” said Joshua. Justin had to bite the inside of cheek to not smile at hearing he “bit down really hard”.
The track attendant nodded his head quickly. “Yeah that does happen from time to time. I mean if it’s just a bit tongue, sir…” he trailed. The attendant really didn’t want to have any trouble.
“Yeah it’s fine,” the guy he said sullenly and looked briefly at Joshua. He looked accusingly at the attendant and got out of the car. He then looked at Justin like he was waiting for something but the attendant led him to the bathroom to wash off the blood and make sure the man did not think of suing the company.
“Justin.” Joshua walked over to stand by his boy.
“Yeah,” he leaned over to kiss Joshua but the brunette pulled away. “What’s wrong?”
He looked directly in his eyes. “You didn’t even apologize to him.”
“There wasn’t anything to apologize for. It was a mistake.” He shrugged his shoulders.
“But-” He couldn’t finish because Justin pressed his lips against Josh’s. Josh didn’t struggle but yielded instead.
“A mistake.” He said once he pulled away. “Now let’s go watch the movie, for real this time.” Justin hugged his boy with one arm and the two went back to the movie theater. On their walk, Justin noticed a photo booth in the corner of the hall that separated the center from the movies. He smiled and hugged his boy closer.