‘It was doomed from the start wasn’t it?’ Darren said.
Daniel simply nodded.
‘Just a piece of fun to relieve the boredom of touring.’
‘No,’ Daniel hastened to correct him, ‘it was much more than that. It was you and being with you kept me going for as long as I did. You have no idea how many times I’d fall asleep at night and know that tomorrow was going to be ok, that no matter what happened I could face it all because I had you beside me. Knowing that when the day ended you’d be there for me, to comfort me, care for me.’
‘Fuck you raw.’ Darren said with a smile, reaching one hand out to caress Daniel’s cheek.
Daniel took hold of his hand and gently kissed the palm. ‘That too.’
Darren sighed and leant back against the head of the bed.
‘What happened?’
Daniel shrugged, ‘We grew up, turned into responsible adults. It was never going to last you knew that. You’ve just said as much.’
‘So it was just a mutually convenient arrangement?’
‘If you like,’ Daniel fingers moved to massage Darren’s wrist, ‘but I prefer the term ‘a natural expression of deep friendship’.’
‘I think I like that term too.’ Hesitantly Darren placed a hand on Daniel’s thigh and began to softly rub him through the cotton fabric of his cargos. ‘Are we friends again tonight?’
‘Yes.’ Daniel whispered, leaning forward until he was only millimetres from Darren’s face, so close that Darren could feel his smoky breath ghosting over his face.
Darren felt the familiar stirrings beginning. Whatever may have occurred between them over the last eighteen months, all the old feelings came rushing back, the desire, the want, the need and most of all how safe he felt when he was with Daniel. Daniel was right it had been much more than just the fucking. When things had began to go sour between them it wasn’t just a lover he lost but a friend as well. And that had hurt much more. It wasn’t as if they had ever declared undying love for each other, they had both been involved with other people at the time and it wasn’t something that had happened on a regular basis, just when things grew too much for one of them and they would turn to the other for comfort or sometimes it was purely for the sexual release.
‘Darren?’
‘Yeah?’
‘Can I kiss you.’ Despite their close proximity and the seemingly inevitability of the situation there was still a note of uncertainly in Daniel’s voice.
‘Yes.’ Darren replied simply, longing for it with all his heart. He had only been with one other man besides Daniel and that was a mistake. He had gone looking for someone hoping to recreate some of the feelings he had felt when he was with Dan but he had felt nothing. The encounter hadn’t even gone beyond a fairly tame make out session before Darren changed his mind and made a hurried exit. It was then that he knew it wasn’t the fact that Daniel was male that made him feel what he did. It was the fact that Daniel was Daniel.
Barely had Daniel brushed his lips against Darren’s before there came a sharp rap on the door.
‘Room Service.’ A cultured voice called out.
Groaning the two men parted, Daniel resting his forehead against Darren’s. ‘You’d better get that.’ He said, moving off of Darren and disappearing down the gap between the bed and the wall.
Trying very hard not to laugh at the absurdity of what Daniel had just done, Darren opened the door and ushered the service steward in.
‘Just leave it on the table.’ He instructed, waiting whilst the steward did so and then taking the proffered chit to sign it and add the tip.
As he handed it back the steward said haughtily, ‘May I remind Sir that this is a non-smoking room and that if Sir requires a smoking suite he should have requested one at the time the booking was made.'
Darren resisted the urge to punch the guy’s condescending lights out and instead settled for making some lame excuse about how he had had the balcony doors open and the smoke from another room must have drifted in.
The steward sniffed, making it all too apparent that he didn’t believe a word Darren was saying but knowing that he was not in any position to argue with a paying guest.
‘If you say so Sir.’ He replied and then to Darren’s immense relief departed.
‘Whoa, that was close.’ Darren exhaled in a rush, his back always put up by such arrogant behaviour.
The sound of barely muffled laughter started to come from Daniel’s hiding place and Darren launched himself at the bed, taking a flying leap to land over on the far side. Sticking his head down into the gap he saw that Daniel was practically doubled up with a fit of the giggles.
‘Oi you.’ Darren prodded him in the ribs.
‘May I remind Sir …’ Daniel mimicked, his face one big grin.
‘Hey,’ Darren prodded once more, leaning over a little further, ‘it’s all your fault anyway.’
‘Oh sod him, sod them all.’
Darren now had the majority of his upper body leaning out over the gap and it was a simple matter for Daniel to grab hold of his arms and pull him down on top of him.
‘Now where were we?’ he mused, his hands caressing the back of Darren’s head, ‘oh yeah I remember, right about…here.’
This time when their lips met Darren felt Daniel’s gently part and his tongue slide out to tentatively beg for access.
Access that Darren willing granted, sighing into the kiss as he melted into Daniel’s embrace, feeling the months and years slip away.
‘Dan…’ Darren mumbled, drawing back a little. Kissing Daniel had made him harden and he knew from the way that Daniel was grinding up against him that he was in a similar state.
Levering himself up he crawled to sit on the bed, Daniel following suit.
Darren could see the bewilderment in his eyes, bewilderment and arousal.
‘Darren?’ Daniel took his hands in his own.
‘Dan, I…Maybe we shouldn’t be doing this.’ He said feebly.
‘Tell me you don’t want this Darren.’ Daniel said, his eyes searching out Darren’s own, penetrating him so deep that Darren thought he would drown, ‘tell me and we’ll stop.’
‘Do you want it?’ he asked evasively.
Drawing their enjoined hands down to his crotch, Daniel answered Darren’s question and this time he didn’t flinch from using his pet name. ‘Doze I want this, I want you and yes, I do mean that in every sense of the word.’