NOVEL: From Diamond to Coal, by Sol Crafter – Chapter Four [science fiction]

[table “21” not found /]

 

CHAPTER FOUR

 

“So, RJ’s your best friend?” Alan asked, reaching out to take a carrot stick off the tray.

“Yes,” William said, snagging a cherry tomato for himself. It was sweet and tart at the same time and burst across his tongue. “He looks a bit like Richie Cunningham, so try not to mention anything about Opie or anything like that around him. He’s very sensitive of his red hair and I’m the only one allowed to make fun of him.”

Alan laughed and shook his head. “Opie? Really?”

William shrugged. “Yeah. Like a lot. They totally could be twins separated by a few decades.”

“And you guys met at school?” Alan clarified.

“We went to the same college,” William said. “He’s like two years older, but I graduated a year ahead of him. We were both in the prodigy program.”

“Huh,” Alan said. “So should I be intimidated?”

William snorted. “No! RJ’s probably the most relaxed guy you’re ever going to meet. I don’t know about the girl he’s dating now — she’s new — but RJ himself is a great guy.”

“Okay. Best friend, great guy, check.” Alan loudly crunched on another carrot.

William probably should have told him to leave the food until their guests arrived, but he couldn’t help sneaking some more tomatoes himself. It wasn’t like RJ was going to mind or anything. He’d once given William a half-eaten gift basket with the wide-eyed excuse of “I got hungry.”

The doorbell rang and William hurried over to answer it.

RJ was standing on the Welcome mat with a tall, willowy brunette in a too short skirt and inappropriate spiked heels. She looked like she’d dressed to go clubbing, then got dragged to a boring dinner party instead.

“Hey, come on in!” William said expansively, opening the door wide.

RJ grinned at him in passing, but headed right over to Alan. “So you’re that Alan guy I’ve been hearing so much about?” He examined Alan closely. “You don’t exactly look like a paragon of virtue.”

“I leave that with my other hat,” Alan deadpanned.

RJ laughed. “You’re cool. I like that.” He held out his hand. “Richard Jensen Long, RJ to the world at large.”

“Alan Trent. It’s nice to meet you.” Alan had a firm handshake that he’d probably practiced for hours on his constituents. It was just the right amount of firm and comforting without ever crossing the line into facetiousness.

“Hey, great to meet you. This is Leslie,” RJ gestured his date forward to get a shake of her own. He knew enough not to volunteer William for handshakes.

“Nice to meet you,” Leslie said in her little girl’s voice.

William blinked. In her current outfit he hadn’t recognized her, but the sound of her voice was familiar. “You’re in the linguistics department,” he said.

She gave him a surprised look. “Yeah. Dr. Leslie Nielson.”

“Huh.” He hadn’t realized that she worked for him. “It’s nice to meet you.”

“We’ve met before at the all department meeting last month,” she said. “That’s where I met RJ.”

“Oh, nice,” he said. He gave RJ a bright smile. “Well, dinner’s going to be ready in about twenty minutes. There’s stuff to eat until then.” He waved at the platter of sliced vegetables and dip and the large bowl of chips.

“My favorite.” Rj reached out to take a handful of cone shaped snack chips out of the bowl. “Where the hell did you get this many Bugles?”

William shrugged. “I am very wealthy. I went to the grocery store.”

RJ slapped him on the shoulder and they grinned at each other. Being nerds had been one of those things that had drawn them together in the first place, that and their love of Dragonlance books.

William waggled his eyebrows at RJ then flicked his eyes toward Leslie.

RJ laughed. “I know, right? When did we turn into these guys?”

William shrugged. “After we made our first ten million dollars. Money buys coolness and hot babes,” he nodded toward Alan, who sighed.

“Do you ever get the feeling that they’re talking about us?” Alan asked Leslie conspiratorially.

She was looking at them, and she definitely was not laughing. “Yeah, and I’m not sure I really like it.”

“Relax,” Alan said. “At least they’re not making pocket lightsabers like I caught William messing around with last week. It was awful,” he said to RJ, “he managed to burn a hole in the couch and still thinks I haven’t noticed that he’s replaced it.”

RJ made an “o” face and turned to William. “You made a lightsaber?”

“Just a little scale model,” William said, shrugging mock-humbly.

“You made a lightsaber,” RJ repeated, “without me?”

“Sorry. It was the middle of the night and I just decided to make one,” William said. “You’ll totally be in on it when I make the real thing.”

“You’re going to make me one too, right?” RJ asked, crunching on Bugles while he talked.

“Of course,” William said. “You’re my go-to guy when it comes to making awesome sci-fi weaponry. You wanna sit down?”

RJ looked over at the couch and started drifting that way. “Sure. So when are we going to start making our own X-Wing?”

William made a “sh” gesture with his finger on his lip. “It’s not going to be an X-Wing. It will be… it will be a Cy-Wing and it will be completely different from the copyrighted design of the X-Wing.”

“Should I be hearing any of this?” Alan said, sitting next to William on the couch. “I mean, when they’re deposing me later I would like to be able to say that I don’t know anything about any illegal activity with a clear conscience.”

William arched his neck to give Alan’s finger’s better access. “I would never get you in trouble. Worst comes to worst, I’ll send you out of the country until all the hullabaloo dies down.”

“Did you just say ‘hullabaloo’?” Alan asked in disbelief.

“Shut up.” William lightly hit Alan on the chest with the back of his fingers. “I never make fun of the way you talk,” he manfully ignored the way Alan snorted and kept going, “and I’ve always gone out of my way to make sure you’re happy and well taken care of.”

“Why do I feel like I’m hearing things I’m not supposed to?” RJ leaned forward to scoop out another handful of Bugles. He nudged the bowl toward Leslie. “You want some of these?”

“No thank you,” she said, sitting primly beside him.

William glanced at her, wondering what he was supposed to do to make her more comfortable, then shrugged. He grabbed some cherry tomatoes and a broccoli floret off the veggie tray. “You guys really need to eat this,” he said. “You especially, RJ. Get some fiber in your diet.”

RJ kept crunching his Bugles. “I eat plenty of fiber.”

“Whatever.” William had known him long enough to know when his attention wasn’t going to be shifted. He was in full-on snack food mode and there was no changing that, especially with an offer of healthier substitutes.

“So,” Alan said, “you’ve known each other since college?”

RJ laughed. “Yeah, I was there first, but he graduated before me. Two years younger than me, he just showed up one day and burned his way through school. It was actually pretty admirable.”

“‘Admirable,'” William snerked, then ducked out of the way of RJ’s swat. “Come on, when was the last time you used a word like that in conversation?”

“Today,” RJ said. “You just heard me use it, didn’t you?”

William stuck his tongue out, then blushed and jerked it back in. “Sorry,” he said to Alan. “Every time I hang around RJ, it’s like my maturity level drops to that of a ten year old.”

Alan laughed and pecked him on the cheek. “You’re more like a twelve year old.”

“I could make comments about perverts or whatever,” RJ said, “but that would be rude.”

The swinging door of the kitchen opened and a man and a woman wearing black aprons over black pants and red dress shirts came out. They carried heavy trays that they carefully and efficiently unloaded on the dining table.

“Looks like food’s ready,” William said, standing up. “Which totally saves your butt.”

RJ laughed. “Saves my butt? Saves your butt, more like. What are we eating?”

William led the way over to the dining table. “I asked for turkey and stuffing and to surprise me with the rest. God, I love stuffing, I could eat it every day.”

RJ gave him a look askance. “Are you high?”

William covered his mouth to muffle a laugh. “Wouldn’t you like to know?”

“Mr. Neeley, I am both shocked and appalled. I thought you were completely vanilla, yet there you are.” RJ shook his head. “Tsk tsk.”

William bumped shoulders with him before going to the seat with his name on the placeholder. “Just sit down already.”

RJ laughed.

 

They had a wonderful meal, the two couples sitting side-by-side.

Alan clearly got on RJ’s good side when he mentioned being addicted to RPGs and RJ realized that they’d actually met online before. William just had to roll his eyes. While sweet, he had no real interest in video games because he would much rather be living out those adventures in real life. Still, it was nice that they had some common ground.

William tried to like Leslie, he really did, but he must have done something to offend her. She just kept looking at him like he was the awfulest person she’d ever met, and he didn’t know why.

He’d tried to be friendly with her, then he shifted to just being polite, since he thought she didn’t like his humor, then finally he just ignored her all together. Anything to not receive that somehow deriding look, all haughty and nose in the air.

William hated that look.

It was the look he’d received as a child when his mother was out of work and didn’t have the money to pay all the bills. Those people would come around with their haughtiest expressions and he would feel about an inch tall. And the worst thing was that they were trying to be nice to him because he was a kid, so they would say awful things to his mother when he wasn’t there to hear.

He could still remember the horrible feeling he’d get when his mother would cry late at night. Heart-wrenching tears that he could hear right through the wall. She thought that she was quiet and he never heard, but he could hear.

And she’d died like that, still thinking that she was a failure. She never got to know that he had made a success of himself because of her. She never got to see that all her sacrifices had been worth it and that he loved her.

She died when he was sixteen years old, three months before the launch of his company and all of the wealth that was to follow. She never got to see him make something of himself.

Non-small lung cancer. Her inability to stop smoking had killed her when she was only forty years old. It was just one of those things.

He had thought he was over it until he saw the way Leslie looked at him and it reminded him of his mother’s tears. Just in that instant, he’d realized that there was no way he was ever going to be able to like Leslie.

Tolerate for RJ’s sake? Yes. Like? No.

It was just one of those things.

So he was pleased that Alan and RJ were getting along so well, but he felt bad that he simply couldn’t click with Leslie. It made him feel like a jerk friend, not liking RJ’s girl. But there it was.

After RJ and Leslie left, William slumped down on the couch. “I feel horrible,” he said.

“Why?” Alan called out from the bedroom. He had gone in to grab something.

William leaned forward over the edge of the couch to speak loudly toward the bedroom door: “I didn’t like Leslie.”

Alan came out of the bedroom, his tie gone and his collar unbuttoned. He wasn’t wearing shoes or socks and William just had to notice that he had beautifully articulated feet. He really was very sexy, especially with his hair ruffled like that.

“Why didn’t you like Leslie?” Alan asked seriously. He always asked everything seriously, like every bit of William was absorbingly interesting.

“Because she brought up bad childhood memories,” William said. “Plus, she didn’t laugh at any of my funny stories. How am I supposed to get along with her when she doesn’t seem to like anything about me?”

“So you don’t like her because she doesn’t like you? Is that what you’re trying to say?” Alan asked.

William huffed out a breath. “Yeah, probably.”

Alan snorted and went to pour himself a drink. “You’re ridiculous.” He held up the decanter. “Brandy?”

William cocked his head in thought, mentally evaluating what might get all messed up if he got hammered tonight. “Give me a small one,” he said.

Alan grinned and poured him a bit more than a “small one” into a glass. As he carried the glasses toward the couch, Alan abruptly made a side trip to click off the main lights.

William sat in the dimness of two mood lights while Alan brought him his drink. “You’re cute, you know that?”

“I’m cute?” Alan snorted, handing William his glass. “Sometimes I feel like I should buy you a mirror, but I don’t ever want you to leave me.”

“You sound almost obsessed,” William laughed.

Alan pressed a kiss against the side of his neck. “I am obsessed. You are my obsession.” He knelt up on the couch next to William, bending down to try and consume his mouth.

William gave a breathless laugh and had to turn his head to the side to gulp his drink down. He didn’t want to spill it.

He dropped the empty glass, then reached up to loop his arms behind Alan’s neck, pulling him down to meet his hungry lips. “I think I want to keep you.”

“Isn’t that a quote from one of your movies?” Alan gasped, their tongues and lips meeting and mashing together.

“Yeah,” William huffed, working his hand down the front of Alan’s pants. “Hooked. It’s about Peter Pan never wanting to grow up.”

“Is that some kind of metaphor?” Alan asked, sucking at the pulse point on the left side of William’s neck. He knew he was going to leave a big mark and William was going to have to wear a high-collared shirt for a few days, and he didn’t care.

William thought about being mad at him, then decided he didn’t care. He stretched his neck out to give him more access. “Why do you always want to have these deep discussions right when we’re making out?”

“Because I’m utterly fascinated by you and the sound of your voice is very arousing to me,” Alan said frankly.

William just moaned and pulled Alan tighter against him. “Come on,” that’s all he could say, but it was heartfelt.

Alan’s laugh was wicked.

* * *

Even though he’d realized it was pretty serious when Alan moved in with him, it wasn’t until they’d been living together six months that he realized he wanted to live with Alan for the rest of his life.

It was one of the strangest thought leaps he’d ever experienced and it had left him totally reeling.

He hadn’t even been thinking about relationships, yet he’d managed to find himself in one. A relationship that was so serious that he wanted to grow old with Alan.

“That’s so weird,” he said out loud.

“What’s weird?” RJ asked, switching off his welder. He used his arm to flip up his big metal welder’s mask. He looked vaguely like an old time blacksmith in his brown leather apron, but the things he was playing with were very serious business.

William set down his tools and pushed his goggles up on top of his head. “I realized that I’m in love with Alan.”

“Oh, is that all?” RJ snorted a laugh. “We all knew about that months ago.”

“What?” William wrung his gloved hands in his white lab coat. “How could you have all known about it months ago when I’m just figuring things out myself?”

“Please, you’re completely obvious, all the time,” RJ said. William’s mouth fell open.

“You should shut your mouth before you catch a fly in it.” William’s mouth snapped shut and he glared at RJ, who kept talking: “Come on, did you seriously think you were being subtle? One look at you after your first date with Alan and I knew you were totally crushing. Then when you introduced me to him, that’s when I knew you’d found your personal one.

“So stop freaking out and just be happy,” RJ said.

“The way you’re talking, it’s like you already think we’re married or something,” William huffed, crossing his arms.

RJ just looked at him for a moment, raising his eyebrows. “You have a dog together.”

William’s eyes went wide. “Oh my God.”

He was finally focused on what his life with Alan really was like. They lived in the same house. They spent all their free time together. They had sex regularly. And just the month before they’d gone out and gotten themselves a dog — a brown mutt they’d named “Kudos.”

“Why didn’t anyone tell me I was in a serious relationship?” William asked.

RJ shook his head. “I didn’t ever think I would have to tell you something that obvious. You’re practically married to the guy, you’re so serious.”

“Well crap,” William said.

“I’m going back to work.” With a sigh, RJ jerked his mask back down over his face and went back to his welding project.

William sat at the workbench and stared into space, his little project of wires and circuits forgotten in front of him.

He just felt completely boggled.

 

That night he came home to find Alan already there.

“You’re here early,” he said, patting Kudos on the head before gently nudging him away.

Alan grunted. He was lounging in his suit pants and an undershirt on the couch, the lights turned low and the TV flickering across his face.

William usually didn’t like that kind of thing — he liked things to be neat and tidy and undershirts just didn’t scream tidy to him. So Alan’s pose on the couch probably should have sent him running in disgust; instead he found it oddly endearing.

“I found out that I love you today,” he blurted out.

Alan was still for a moment, then there was a faint “click” and the TV was shut off. He turned to look toward William. “You just found out today?” he asked in disbelief. Kudos ran up to him and tried to shove his nose in Alan’s hand.

William opened his mouth, but could only shrug.

Alan scoffed, then raked a hand through his hair. “I cannot believe you. I thought we were both in this to the same degree, and now I find out that you were just playing.” He shook his head. “I’m a Congressman, for God’s sake. There are reporters and news people that would love to have some kind of scandal off me. I mean, I’m not just representing myself, I’m representing every gay man out there, so anything that happens in my life is automatically blown out of proportion.

“So to find out that none of this is serious to you?” Alan stood up, glaring at William. “I just…” He shook his head. “What is wrong with you?” He stomped into the bedroom, Kudos running ahead of him. “Watch out!”

William’s mouth flopped and his eyes were starting to water. He didn’t know what he’d done wrong, but there was no way he was going to let Alan go without explaining.

“Wait!” He ran toward the bedroom where he found Alan already bringing out an overnight bag. “Don’t leave me!”

Alan glared at him. “If you’re not serious, then we can’t do this. Because I don’t know what I would do if you broke up with me later after I’ve already burned all my other bridges. My job is very serious to me.” As he talked, he opened the bag on the bed and went to his closet to start bringing out clothes to pack.

“No, you don’t understand!” William ran over to the bed, standing close to Alan. He might have been tempted to grab him, but he really didn’t want to get punched. Alan would probably never do that, but he had bad memories of other people. “I’ve always been serious about us, but I just didn’t realize quite how serious we’ve gotten. I mean, I just looked up today and it just kind of hit me that we live together. We have a dog together. And then I couldn’t help thinking that I want to spend the rest of my life with you.”

Alan stopped packing and turned to look at him. “Oh,” he said.

“Yeah.” William shrugged his shoulders and grinned. “I just had one of those great eye-opening moments today and I don’t think I’m ever going to be the same again. Especially if I’m living with you forever?” He cocked his head questioningly.

Alan stared at him, then the corner of his mouth curved up and his eyes stopped bugging quite so much. “Well, if you put it like that, I guess I could share my forever with you.”

“Exactly,” William said. “Forever.” He stepped forward to wrap his arms around Alan, pulling him closer.

“With you,” Alan said, tilting his chin back so the taller William could kiss him on the mouth.

After a minute of kissing and groping, William pulled his head back to gasp for air. He blinked at Alan in the dimness. “Just to clarify, we’re getting married, right?”

Alan bit at William’s Adam’s apple. “Of course.”

“And who’s the bride?” William asked.

“Why you, of course,” Alan said, then yelped and pulled out of William’s arms to run around the other side of the bed.

William chased after him and lunged to knock him on his back on the bed. “I’m the bride? I’m the bride? I don’t think so. You’re the bride.”

“I can’t be the bride,” Alan said, “I am a gentleman of uncommon virtue.”

William snorted. “I’ll virtue you.” He leaned down over Alan to steal himself some kisses. “This isn’t over.”

Alan gripped William’s arms above the elbow and flipped them over with a grunt. He sat back on William’s thighs, looking down at him. “It’s over for now. I’ve got other interests right now than who’s going to be the bride at our incredibly publicized wedding.”

“We could sell it as a TV show,” William said, lifting his head up to try and reach Alan’s mouth for a kiss. Alan just kept holding him down by the arms.

“Yeah, that’s never going to happen,” Alan said. He ground their pelvis’ together, seeming to like the sound William made at the friction.

Unable to resist any longer, William used Alan’s grip on his arms to pull the other man down on top of him. “Come on,” he said, undulating his body against Alan’s.

Alan groaned. “You’re evil.”

“I try.”

/ CHAPTER

If you’ve been enjoying this story, why not pick up a copy to own of “From Diamond to Coal: Arc One” for $0.99 from Smashwords or Amazon. I would really appreciate your purchase.

[table “21” not found /]