A/N: Thanks for all of the reviews on Saving Graces, folks. I appreciate them! :) So can i have some on this chapter, too? Pweety please? :P -Dl
Chapter 5
Keith just stood there with his mouth open, gaping at him. Riley steeled himself for a negative reply, knowing that it had been a long shot all around. At last Keith pulled himself together and said slowly: "You really...? Why didn't you tell me this sooner?!"
Riley flinched. "Because I didn't know. It's only when I got mad after you told me that you had a boyfriend that I realized how I felt. I'm sorry."
Keith ran his hands through his fair hair. "I can't believe this," he muttered. "I get a boyfriend, finally, and then you tell me that YOU want to be my boyfriend too! I might think this was an awesome situation, if I weren't worried about hurting Frank. It's not fair to him to just dump him out of nowhere for you."
"I know," Riley said miserably.
Keith sighed. "Look, I like you, Riley," he began. "Obviously I do, or I wouldn't have brought you home with me that night. And I'll admit the sex was fantastic, and I was really hurt and mad when you freaked out on me the next morning. But how do I know that this isn't just some kind of fluke? That you'll change your mind again if I say yes, and then I'll have nobody at all? How can I trust you, a guy who's always been straight, and who had one drunken slip up? I'm not sure that I’d be smart to take a chance on you," Keith said soberly.
Riley didn't know what to say to this. He shook his head. "I don't know," he said miserably. "All I know is how I feel. Maybe that's not enough, I don't know. Could you just think it over?" he pleaded.
Keith considered this. "All right," he said at last, reluctantly. "But I'm not going to break up with Frank, not until I decide one way or the other. And if I pick him, not you, will you be able to handle that?" he asked, giving Riley a long stare.
"I guess," he said, lifting his shoulders helplessly. "I'll have to, won't I?"
"Yes, you will. Anyway, I promise to really think about it," Keith reassured him.
"Thanks, I appreciate that," Riley told him. "I don't deserve it, I know; but I'm really glad that you're not going to just blow me off."
"I couldn’t do that. Except for your initial reaction the morning after, and the first few days that I worked here, you've been nothing but nice to me. Yeah, you were only willing to just be my friend, but at least you WERE willing to be my friend. A lot of straight guys would have hit the roof, blamed me entirely, and tried to take it out on me. You're a sweet guy, Riley. I really like you. Even if I don't choose you, I hope we can still be friends."
"Of course," he replied, his voice tight.
Keith nodded. "I'll think it over and let you know soon," he said.
Riley nodded. He felt a combination of hope and anxiety that made the muscles in his mid-section contract sharply. He'd shot his load, taken his chance, and now he'd have to wait patiently and hope that Keith would choose him in spite of everything. Because he didn’t know what he'd do if Keith decided not to get with him after all...
The next couple of days were hard ones for Riley. He went to work every day, and felt his heart leap in his chest when he walked into the trailer and saw Keith there every morning. The secretary always smiled and greeted him pleasantly, but he didn't say anything about whether he'd made a decision one way or the other. Riley was starting to feel kind of crazy. He wondered dimly if Keith was doing this to him on purpose to torture him. He was going to lose it any day now.
He drove himself at work, trying to push away his anxiety and uncertainty. At night he had dreams about his wild night with Keith, which were not helping to improve his mood AT ALL. He was tired and grumpy when he trailed into work on Friday, anticipating a long weekend of staying at home fretting about Keith.
He entered the trailer, seeing the secretary sitting behind his desk. He didn't look up with a smile and a greeting as he had for the last few days. Instead, his gaze was sober and thoughtful. Riley felt his heart sink. Keith had made his choice, and it hadn't been him. He waited for the hammer to fall, wishing miserably that he could feel the trailer and not have to listen to it at all.
Keith pushed himself to his feet. "Riley," he began quietly.
I've been thinking and thinking all week about what you said to me. And I’ve made up my mind."
"Okay," he croaked, his whole body tense as he waited for the inevitable rejection.
Keith sighed. "I had a long talk with Frank last night," he began. "I told him that a guy I'd hooked up with before I met him had come back into my life, and that he wanted us to have a serious relationship. And that after I'd thought about it and searched my own feelings, that I really wanted to be with this guy. That I wanted to take a chance on him," he gazed steadily into Riley's eyes as he said this. "Frank wasn't happy, but he understood that I can't help but feel the way I do. So...we broke up."
Riley's heart was now pounding wildly. "You mean...?" he began.
Keith nodded. "I can't help it," he sighed. "Damn it, the night we had sex I was thinking that we might get together, then you pulled the rug out from under me by wigging out and telling me you were straight. I thought just being friends would be enough for me, if I couldn't have anything more. But now I can have more, so I'm going to take it. Even if I get hurt," he added quietly.
Riley couldn’t believe it! He felt happiness swell up inside of him, and broke into a large grin. Keith smiled at his expression, and Riley couldn’t help himself. He strode over and pulled Keith into his arms, closing his mouth over the smaller man's in a long, hot, joyously victorious kiss.
They came up for air some indeterminate time later. Keith's eyes were glassy, and he blinked owlishly up at Riley for a few moments. "Whoa," he croaked when he could speak again.
Riley felt the same way. His cock was so hard that it hurt, and if this trailer hadn't been a semi-public place, he'd have thrown Keith over the desk and fucked him senseless by now. He was just considering how very long the day was going to be until they knocked off work at five o'clock, when Keith spoke and shattered his pleasant but torturous musings.
"Riley," he began. When Riley looked at him, he said quietly but firmly: "That was an amazing kiss, but you have to know. We're not going to have sex right away."
"We're not?!" Riley blurted, all of his hopes crushed.
Keith shook his head. "No. I'm sorry, but I don't want to think that this is all about great sex. There's way more than sex to a good relationship, and I want us to have a good relationship. Not just fuck all the time, but be real boyfriends. You want that too, right?"
Crestfallen, he nodded miserably. "Sure," he said.
Keith's lips twitched at his hang dog expression, but he went on determinedly: "You're going to take me out on dates, starting tomorrow night. We'll dress up and go out to dinner. Okay?"
"Sure," Riley said again. He tried to console himself with the fact that Keith had dumped his boyfriend for him; and that thought did cheer him up a lot. It's just that his dick wasn’t so happy right now, but it would live. "Is there anyplace special that you want to go?" he asked aloud.
"Yes. There's this little Italian restaurant that my friends and I like to go to. You'll love the food. You do like Italian, don't you, Riley?"
"Yeah, I do," he agreed.
"Great. You can come and pick me up around six. You remember where my apartment is, right?" he went on with a sly gleam in his eyes.
As if he could forget. He nodded. "Perfect. Now, don't you have to get to work?"
Knowing a dismissal when he heard one, Riley left the trailer. His step was a lot more springily and full of energy than it had been for the last two days. While he wasn't going to get any anytime soon, the truth was that he wouldn't have gotten any anyway if Keith had said no, and he would also have been low and depressed about still having to work with a guy he had feelings for knowing that this same guy was with someone else! He could handle celibacy if it was for the right reasons. He whistled to himself cheerfully as he greeted his crew, and the guys were happy that their foreman seemed to be in such a good mood. Riley had been uncharacteristically gloomy and moody the last few days, and the construction workers had wondered what was bothering him.
At the end of the day, Riley walked back into the trailer to report the progress that his crews had made today, and also to see if there was any paperwork that he needed to sign or look over. Keith looked up at his entrance, and smiled in greeting. His heart leapt in his chest at that bright smile, and he found himself returning it automatically.
After a few moments of them silently beaming at each other, Keith pulled himself together visibly and reached out to pick up a stack of papers on his desk. "These are for you," he said, holding them out.
He pretended to grimace in horror. "Why is there always so much paperwork?" he lamented as he began to look it over.
"Hey, at least we don't work for the government," Keith pointed out. "They require paperwork for bathroom breaks - and filed in triplicate!"
"Good point," Riley murmured, scooping up a pen so that he could sign the papers that required a signature.
Silence fell in the trailer. Riley concentrated on the paperwork, though it wasn't easy with Keith sitting so near to him. His eyes occasionally lifted to look at the secretary's face, what he could see of it since Keith's head was bent over some files. A memory from one of his dreams entered his head, a memory of Keith lying under him with his mouth open, his eyes closed, and his face twisted in a look of extreme pleasure. He'd moaned wildly, his back arching, as Riley had driven into him as hard as he could...
Riley groaned under his breath as the front of his jeans suddenly became way, WAY too tight! Oh, shit, why had he thought of that dream? Why?!! He closed his eyes briefly, fighting to push away the images that were literally driving him crazy, especially since the source of those images was sitting not five feet away from him. Work, that was it. He had to be professional. He had to concentrate. He could do it. Surrreee he could...
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Chapter 5
Keith just stood there with his mouth open, gaping at him. Riley steeled himself for a negative reply, knowing that it had been a long shot all around. At last Keith pulled himself together and said slowly: "You really...? Why didn't you tell me this sooner?!"
Riley flinched. "Because I didn't know. It's only when I got mad after you told me that you had a boyfriend that I realized how I felt. I'm sorry."
Keith ran his hands through his fair hair. "I can't believe this," he muttered. "I get a boyfriend, finally, and then you tell me that YOU want to be my boyfriend too! I might think this was an awesome situation, if I weren't worried about hurting Frank. It's not fair to him to just dump him out of nowhere for you."
"I know," Riley said miserably.
Keith sighed. "Look, I like you, Riley," he began. "Obviously I do, or I wouldn't have brought you home with me that night. And I'll admit the sex was fantastic, and I was really hurt and mad when you freaked out on me the next morning. But how do I know that this isn't just some kind of fluke? That you'll change your mind again if I say yes, and then I'll have nobody at all? How can I trust you, a guy who's always been straight, and who had one drunken slip up? I'm not sure that I’d be smart to take a chance on you," Keith said soberly.
Riley didn't know what to say to this. He shook his head. "I don't know," he said miserably. "All I know is how I feel. Maybe that's not enough, I don't know. Could you just think it over?" he pleaded.
Keith considered this. "All right," he said at last, reluctantly. "But I'm not going to break up with Frank, not until I decide one way or the other. And if I pick him, not you, will you be able to handle that?" he asked, giving Riley a long stare.
"I guess," he said, lifting his shoulders helplessly. "I'll have to, won't I?"
"Yes, you will. Anyway, I promise to really think about it," Keith reassured him.
"Thanks, I appreciate that," Riley told him. "I don't deserve it, I know; but I'm really glad that you're not going to just blow me off."
"I couldn’t do that. Except for your initial reaction the morning after, and the first few days that I worked here, you've been nothing but nice to me. Yeah, you were only willing to just be my friend, but at least you WERE willing to be my friend. A lot of straight guys would have hit the roof, blamed me entirely, and tried to take it out on me. You're a sweet guy, Riley. I really like you. Even if I don't choose you, I hope we can still be friends."
"Of course," he replied, his voice tight.
Keith nodded. "I'll think it over and let you know soon," he said.
Riley nodded. He felt a combination of hope and anxiety that made the muscles in his mid-section contract sharply. He'd shot his load, taken his chance, and now he'd have to wait patiently and hope that Keith would choose him in spite of everything. Because he didn’t know what he'd do if Keith decided not to get with him after all...
The next couple of days were hard ones for Riley. He went to work every day, and felt his heart leap in his chest when he walked into the trailer and saw Keith there every morning. The secretary always smiled and greeted him pleasantly, but he didn't say anything about whether he'd made a decision one way or the other. Riley was starting to feel kind of crazy. He wondered dimly if Keith was doing this to him on purpose to torture him. He was going to lose it any day now.
He drove himself at work, trying to push away his anxiety and uncertainty. At night he had dreams about his wild night with Keith, which were not helping to improve his mood AT ALL. He was tired and grumpy when he trailed into work on Friday, anticipating a long weekend of staying at home fretting about Keith.
He entered the trailer, seeing the secretary sitting behind his desk. He didn't look up with a smile and a greeting as he had for the last few days. Instead, his gaze was sober and thoughtful. Riley felt his heart sink. Keith had made his choice, and it hadn't been him. He waited for the hammer to fall, wishing miserably that he could feel the trailer and not have to listen to it at all.
Keith pushed himself to his feet. "Riley," he began quietly.
I've been thinking and thinking all week about what you said to me. And I’ve made up my mind."
"Okay," he croaked, his whole body tense as he waited for the inevitable rejection.
Keith sighed. "I had a long talk with Frank last night," he began. "I told him that a guy I'd hooked up with before I met him had come back into my life, and that he wanted us to have a serious relationship. And that after I'd thought about it and searched my own feelings, that I really wanted to be with this guy. That I wanted to take a chance on him," he gazed steadily into Riley's eyes as he said this. "Frank wasn't happy, but he understood that I can't help but feel the way I do. So...we broke up."
Riley's heart was now pounding wildly. "You mean...?" he began.
Keith nodded. "I can't help it," he sighed. "Damn it, the night we had sex I was thinking that we might get together, then you pulled the rug out from under me by wigging out and telling me you were straight. I thought just being friends would be enough for me, if I couldn't have anything more. But now I can have more, so I'm going to take it. Even if I get hurt," he added quietly.
Riley couldn’t believe it! He felt happiness swell up inside of him, and broke into a large grin. Keith smiled at his expression, and Riley couldn’t help himself. He strode over and pulled Keith into his arms, closing his mouth over the smaller man's in a long, hot, joyously victorious kiss.
They came up for air some indeterminate time later. Keith's eyes were glassy, and he blinked owlishly up at Riley for a few moments. "Whoa," he croaked when he could speak again.
Riley felt the same way. His cock was so hard that it hurt, and if this trailer hadn't been a semi-public place, he'd have thrown Keith over the desk and fucked him senseless by now. He was just considering how very long the day was going to be until they knocked off work at five o'clock, when Keith spoke and shattered his pleasant but torturous musings.
"Riley," he began. When Riley looked at him, he said quietly but firmly: "That was an amazing kiss, but you have to know. We're not going to have sex right away."
"We're not?!" Riley blurted, all of his hopes crushed.
Keith shook his head. "No. I'm sorry, but I don't want to think that this is all about great sex. There's way more than sex to a good relationship, and I want us to have a good relationship. Not just fuck all the time, but be real boyfriends. You want that too, right?"
Crestfallen, he nodded miserably. "Sure," he said.
Keith's lips twitched at his hang dog expression, but he went on determinedly: "You're going to take me out on dates, starting tomorrow night. We'll dress up and go out to dinner. Okay?"
"Sure," Riley said again. He tried to console himself with the fact that Keith had dumped his boyfriend for him; and that thought did cheer him up a lot. It's just that his dick wasn’t so happy right now, but it would live. "Is there anyplace special that you want to go?" he asked aloud.
"Yes. There's this little Italian restaurant that my friends and I like to go to. You'll love the food. You do like Italian, don't you, Riley?"
"Yeah, I do," he agreed.
"Great. You can come and pick me up around six. You remember where my apartment is, right?" he went on with a sly gleam in his eyes.
As if he could forget. He nodded. "Perfect. Now, don't you have to get to work?"
Knowing a dismissal when he heard one, Riley left the trailer. His step was a lot more springily and full of energy than it had been for the last two days. While he wasn't going to get any anytime soon, the truth was that he wouldn't have gotten any anyway if Keith had said no, and he would also have been low and depressed about still having to work with a guy he had feelings for knowing that this same guy was with someone else! He could handle celibacy if it was for the right reasons. He whistled to himself cheerfully as he greeted his crew, and the guys were happy that their foreman seemed to be in such a good mood. Riley had been uncharacteristically gloomy and moody the last few days, and the construction workers had wondered what was bothering him.
At the end of the day, Riley walked back into the trailer to report the progress that his crews had made today, and also to see if there was any paperwork that he needed to sign or look over. Keith looked up at his entrance, and smiled in greeting. His heart leapt in his chest at that bright smile, and he found himself returning it automatically.
After a few moments of them silently beaming at each other, Keith pulled himself together visibly and reached out to pick up a stack of papers on his desk. "These are for you," he said, holding them out.
He pretended to grimace in horror. "Why is there always so much paperwork?" he lamented as he began to look it over.
"Hey, at least we don't work for the government," Keith pointed out. "They require paperwork for bathroom breaks - and filed in triplicate!"
"Good point," Riley murmured, scooping up a pen so that he could sign the papers that required a signature.
Silence fell in the trailer. Riley concentrated on the paperwork, though it wasn't easy with Keith sitting so near to him. His eyes occasionally lifted to look at the secretary's face, what he could see of it since Keith's head was bent over some files. A memory from one of his dreams entered his head, a memory of Keith lying under him with his mouth open, his eyes closed, and his face twisted in a look of extreme pleasure. He'd moaned wildly, his back arching, as Riley had driven into him as hard as he could...
Riley groaned under his breath as the front of his jeans suddenly became way, WAY too tight! Oh, shit, why had he thought of that dream? Why?!! He closed his eyes briefly, fighting to push away the images that were literally driving him crazy, especially since the source of those images was sitting not five feet away from him. Work, that was it. He had to be professional. He had to concentrate. He could do it. Surrreee he could...
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