Next Stop Funnel Cake (4 page)

"Yeah, but how did it turn into a full time job? When did you leave State?"

I started to get a bit hot under the collar, the conversation turning in a direction I wished it wouldn't, but knew it would.

"Um, I left State after my sophomore year. I'd been working at Downy's during the summers, and it kind of happened. I needed the job, and Nick was more than happy to have the help."

When the waiter came back for our orders, I was glad for the temporary reprieve. But it didn't last long. After we'd picked our meals, Andrew started in again.

"What happened after your sophomore year? Did you flunk out?"

"No, I mean, my grades were good."

"So, what was it then?"

I opened my mouth to tell him, but the words wouldn't come. I decided to try evasion.

"Andrew, I really don't want to talk about this, okay?"

"Why not?"

"I just don't."

Once again, he put his hand on mine, trying to calm me down.

"Look, Travis, there's no shame in finding college overwhelming. A lot of kids do. Sometimes, when you go to college at an older age, things work out better. Hell, these days, you don't even have to leave the house to go to school."

I sighed and pulled my hand away, wishing I could be anywhere but where I was.

"College wasn't too much for me. I loved it. I wanted to stay, but I couldn't."

"Why not?"

"Because I didn't have the money. Okay?"

He sat back in his seat, and I saw the look of shock on his face.

"Travis, I'm sorry. I should've left it alone."

I sighed and ran a hand through my hair, undoing all the time I'd spent on it before the date. "It's okay. Now you know."

"I don't know what to say."

"There's nothing to say. My parents' divorce got out of hand. They fought over everything for years. By the time they were done, there was nothing left. I didn't have anything saved, and I didn't qualify for any scholarships. So..."

"You had to drop out."

"Yup."

"And Nick helped you out?"

"He let me live with him and gave me a job. He wanted to help me go back to school, but I didn't want him to take a second mortgage on his house. I figured I'd work and save money, but there never seemed to be enough. Something always comes up and...well, I shoved it all to the back burner."

"So, you gave up on school."

"Yup."

It may have been a simplistic view, but he wasn't wrong.

"Jesus, Travis, I'm so sorry."

"Don't be. I'm okay. I know you're disappointed in me and all that because I didn't live up to the potential you thought I had, but--"

"Stop right there. I'm not disappointed in you at all. I always wanted the best for you."

"Well, I'm not sure what the best would be, but like you said when I first saw you, Downy's isn't exactly where either of us saw me ending up."

Our food came, but neither of us touched it.

"It doesn't have to be permanent, you know. There are always options."

"I haven't ruled out school somewhere down the line. But it's not in the cards right now."

"How do you know?"

"Because I've seen my bank account."

He smiled, but I could tell he was trying to get me to be serious.

"There are loans, you know."

"Which I need to be able to afford to pay back."

"You could always--"

"Andrew, I appreciate what you're trying to do, but can we not talk about this anymore?"

I could tell he wanted to say more, but he relented. "Okay. I'm sorry."

"It's fine. Let's eat. This food's been sitting here taunting me."

"Yeah, I've been thinking about this steak all day."

We spent the rest of the meal making more casual conversation, but I could tell he was still thinking about what I'd told him.

* * * *

After dinner, we went back to his place. I'd thought about asking him to take me straight home after dinner, but part of me didn't want the night to end. Even if it meant I had to endure more questions. I sat on the couch, nursing the glass of wine he gave me after he'd taken me on the tour of the apartment.

"You have a really nice place, Andrew."

"Thanks. I like it. Do you still live with your uncle?"

"No, Clayton and I have a place. It's not much, but we can afford it."

"I'm sure it's not so bad."

"You haven't seen it."

"I'm sure when I do, I'll like it."

He edged closer to me on the couch and put a hand on my knee. It felt good, but there still seemed to be a bit of tension in the air.

"Andrew, I want to make sure that things are okay between us."

"Why wouldn't they be?"

"Things got a little heated at the restaurant. I don't want you to think I'm angry at you or anything. I understand why you wanted to know about school, about why I'm at Downy's, but it's kind of a sore subject with me. I'm not exactly proud of it."

"I know you're not angry with me. And I'm really glad you felt you could tell me the truth. Believe me, I know it can't be easy for you. Any of it. But I'm happy to listen."

"You always did make it really easy for me to talk to you."

He stared into my eyes, and suddenly things felt very intense. The look in his eyes told me what he was thinking, which made me anxious. The feeling was soon too much, so I got up from the couch and put my glass on the table. I focused on a piece of art next to one of his windows, trying to calm down. I heard Andrew's footsteps until he was standing next to me. He turned me to face him and left his hand on my shoulder.

"You okay, Travis?"

"Yeah, I guess. Things were starting to feel a bit, uh, well... serious."

He wrapped his hand around my neck and pulled me close, our lips gently brushing for a brief moment before we kissed. It started innocently, like it had in the parking lot that night. It wasn't long before his tongue was in my mouth and our hands were roaming everywhere we could reach. When he pulled back, I could barely breathe.

"How do they feel now?"

"I'm not sure. I still can't believe this is happening."

"Which part?"

"All of it. Being here with you. The kiss. It's all crazy."

"If Shane hadn't dragged me to Downy's that day, it never would've happened. He didn't think he could deal with the boys on his own, so I relented and went with him."

"Then you saw me in my train conductor glory and somehow you weren't repulsed."

Andrew laughed as he pulled me into his arms.

"Far from it. I thought you looked sexy as hell. Don't suppose you get to take those overalls home with you?"

"Not usually, but I might be able to make an exception."

"Until then, I'll have to use my imagination."

His hands held tight to the back of my shirt as we kissed, things getting heated very quickly. When he reached for the top button of my shirt, I once again felt a surge of panic wash through me. I reached up to stop him, throwing a bit of cold water on the mood.

"What's wrong, Travis?"

"I'm not sure."

He rested his forehead against mine before looking into my eyes. "If you don't want to do this, we don't have to."

"I want to. I don't know how to stop being so nervous."

"I might have a way to help you out with that. Get you to relax a bit."

He grabbed my hand and led me down the hallway to the bedroom. If anything, what he was doing was making me jumpier, but I tried to go with it. The room was dark, but after Andrew messed with the switch, there was a dim glow all around us. His smile made my legs turn to wet noodles and his lips were on mine again without another word. When his fingers made deft work of my buttons, my brain was screaming, but this time I ignored it and let it happen. The fabric hit the floor and his hands started roaming over my chest, my skin tingling at each point of contact.

"You sound like you're hyperventilating, Travis. Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yeah. I'm fine. Would this be a bad time to admit to having a crush on you when I was in school?"

"No. Although, I'm more concerned with how you feel about me right now."

"Well, I think that's pretty obvious."

My hard cock was straining against the zipper of my jeans, and when Andrew put a hand over the bulge, he smiled.

"Seems like a good sign."

His tongue dove in my mouth as he undid my pants and pushed them to my ankles. After whisking away my socks, shoes and my discarded denim, all that was left were my boxers. Andrew stood up and didn't do anything but look at me. My face felt hot as I watched his eyes move up and down my body.

"God, you're cute," he said.

"And you're kind."

He leaned in closer, and I expected another kiss, but he dropped to his knees in front of me and hooked his fingers into the waistband of my boxers.

"Still feeling tense, Travis?"

I opened my mouth to respond, but the words died in my throat as he reached inside my boxers and took my cock in his hand. He stroked me slowly, our eyes locked. My toes dug into the soft carpet and the moan I'd been holding back finally broke free from my lips.

"Jesus, that feels good."

"I'm just getting started."

He winked before shucking my boxers down my legs and taking my cock in his mouth. His lips made a tight circle around the head and his hands gripped my thighs as he sucked me in and out. His tongue traced delicately back and forth along the underside of my dick, before teasing my slit for a moment. I put my hand to his hair and urged him on, my inhibitions about the night disappearing as the minutes ticked by.

When his hand started teasing my balls, I knew I was in trouble.

"Oh, God, I'm gonna come."

Instead of charging ahead, he backed off a bit, slowing everything down until I felt a bit of composure return. It didn't last long, though. As soon as my head cleared for a moment, he started speeding up again, sucking me faster and deeper until I couldn't stand it another minute. This time, there was no warning, except my groan as I came in his mouth, a handful of his locks between my tense fingers.

Things got quiet and Andrew stood up. My whole body felt weaker than I'd expected. It only took a small push for me to fall back onto his bed, my eyes staring at the ceiling, but everything was out of focus.

"So, feel relaxed now?"

I managed a laugh, but it felt like too much for my lungs to handle.

"Yeah. I think so."

He quickly undressed and got into bed with me, pulling the tangled mess of covers over us.

"What if I'm feeling tense, Travis?"

I looked over at him, his smile making my heart skip a beat.

"Give me a few minutes. I might be able to help."

* * * *

"And, where did you spend the night, mister? I was worried sick about you."

Clayton was in the kitchen rummaging through the fridge when I walked through the door, the memories of the night before still fresh in my mind.

"None of your business. Last time I checked, I didn't live with my mother."

"As if I don't already know. How is Andrew these days anyway? I take it you got that whole husband and kids things straightened out?"

"Turns out the guy was his brother."

"Huh, didn't see that coming."

"Me neither."

I collapsed on the couch and closed my eyes. The sleep deprivation would suck later, but for the moment, I was happy to sacrifice a little shuteye for the time I got to spend with Andrew.

"Does this mean you have a boyfriend, Travis?"

I opened my eyes again and sighed.

"Don't know. I guess. We're still getting to know each other."

"But that didn't stop you from hooking up with him."

"Nope."

Clayton feigned shock, but he always was a terrible actor. "Good for you, man. About time you get in the game. Even if it is with some old guy who helped us pick colleges."

"He's not old. He's thirty-six."

"Dude, that's old. At least to me."

"Then it's a good thing you're not dating him."

"Neither are you, or so you claim."

My brain spun with all the new information and my witty retort got lost in the shuffle.

"Shut up, Clay. I'm too tired for your shit right now. I'm gonna go nap before my shift."

"Fine. See you at the park. Oh, and don't forget your engineer's hat. Wouldn't want to look stupid driving that train."

"Fuck you."

* * * *

Not even the little girl who screamed the entire train ride could bring me down. When I walked into the office, Nick knew right away that something was different.

"What's with you, Trav?"

"Nothing. Why?"

"I can't explain it. Something's off. I mean, there you are at your desk, huge stack of bills in front of you and you're actually smiling."

"I'm not smiling."

"Yes, you are, and when you're not doing that, you're staring off into space like a loon. Are you going to tell me or do I have to guess?"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Fine. Play it that way. But I know his name is Andrew and you must've finally called him back."

I thought of lying, but there didn't seem to be much point. "Okay, fine. I went out with Andrew. We had our second date yesterday."

"I take it the night went well."

"Very."

"So, he isn't married with children?"

"Nope. All a misunderstanding. Like you said."

"Well, I am wise."

"You're something alright."

"Man, it's nice to see you happy." Nick tapped his hands on the desk and laughed.

"You act like I'm miserable, Nick."

"Not miserable. But certainly not content. I know things have been rough since you left school, but it's good to see you living again. Don't fuck it up."

"Thanks for the advice."

"No problem. Now, get back to work, you deadbeat. I'm not paying you to moon over a guy."

"I wouldn't have pegged you for a bowling fan, Andrew."

"Are you kidding? I used to come here all the time when I was in grad school. Although back then, they didn't do glow bowling with the disco music. I don't think I've seen this many black lights since I lived in the dorm."