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  “Friends is good.” Marlowe stepped away again and grabbed his hand. “You have done your good deed for the night. I release you of your vows of boyfriend-hood.”

  “Aren’t you afraid Clay will seek you out again?” “Nah; I just saw him leave. So we’re good, for now. I don’t even know why he was here, it’s not like he was invited.” Marlowe tugged on his hand and led him over to Gene and Hunter.

  Gene looked at their hands curiously. “I thought you were straight?” “He is. He was just being a gentleman and helping me out of a spot of bother with some unwanted attention being given to me.”

  “Clay?” Hunter asked

  “Clay.” Marlowe confirmed with a nod.

  “When is that jerk going to get it through his thick head?” Hunter snarled. “Damn, I can’t believe he was here and I missed seeing him again. You should have come and gotten me.” Turning to Gene he added, “I swear the guy is like the wind, invisible but annoying.”

  “He’s never gonna get it,” Marlowe sighed dramatically. “I mean, all we went on was one date a year ago and he just keeps hounding me.”

  “Have you thought about getting a restraining order?” Gene asked. Hunter and Marlowe nodded. “The police say unless he actually does something, they can’t do anything about it, and so far he is just being annoying not really physical,” Hunter growled. “I have yet to get a good look at him. If I ever do I am going to have to give him a piece of my mind, I can tell you.”

  “It’s okay, really, I don’t think he wants to hurt me he just wants to...”

  “Own you!” Angelo prompted helpfully.

  “Yes!” Marlowe’s eyes lit up, because Angelo got it. “Oh wait, that’s not a good thing is it?” “No babe, it isn’t.” Hunter reached out and ruffled his cousin’s hair. “Lately he has been hanging around more and more. That is definitely not a good thing. I hope he isn’t going to turn nasty on you.”

  “It’s coming up to Christmas. I think he is just lonely,” Marlowe said softly. He sure knew what that felt like. He had been lonely for a very long time. Even when he was in a crowd like tonight, he was still lonely. “He really isn’t that bad, we just didn’t click. Well it didn’t click for me, but I know how he...”

  “You are nothing like him.” Hunter pulled his cousin into a hug. “Mum and Dad are going to start their great adventure this Christmas; it will be strange for them not to be here,” Marlowe said with a shrug. He wanted to change the subject away from Clay.

  “You’re moving in with me anyway, so it’s not like you are going to be on your own.”

  “Great adventure?” Gene asked. “Uncle Skye and Aunt Astra have decided to sell their home and buy a mobile home and go where the wind takes them. Apparently, Australia is calling to them. Uncle Skye is determined to see as much of our country as possible before Aunt Astra gets sick of it and wants to come home.” Hunter couldn’t help but smile at their antics. “Uncle Skye says they are finally getting the honeymoon that they always wanted.”

  “That’s sounds awesome.” Angelo grinned. “My parents would never do anything like that. Could you imagine? What would the neighbours think?”

  Gene snorted because Angelo had just imitated his mother to a ‘T’. He even had the look of her down to the right mixture of shock, horror, and disgust. He thought that it was going to work out with Angelo coming to him for help. It wasn’t like his sister and brother-in-law spoke to him. He was the black sheep among the family; not morally religious enough he supposed. In his mind, God didn’t much care who you loved, or where you prayed.

  Chapter Two

  Marlowe yawned and scratched his head. It had been two weeks since his birthday and only two days since he’d moved in with Hunter. Two days since his parents had hit the road, and already his mother had called him about twenty times. A smile came to his lips as his phone started ringing on the stand beside the bed. He answered it without even looking at the number. “Good morning, Mum.”

  “Morning to you too, Silver.”

  Marlowe jumped up so fast that he fell off the side of the bed and dropped the phone as he recognised Angelo’s voice. “Hey, are you okay?”

  Grabbing the phone he answered, “Sorry, thought you were Mum.”

  “What was the big bang?”

  Marlowe was thankful that Angelo couldn’t see him at the moment. “It was nothing.” Angelo started laughing. “Be honest, you fell out of bed, didn’t you? You got a shock when it wasn’t your mum, and you fell out the bed...go on admit it?”

  “Okay, yes, I fell out of the damn bed. Are you happy now?” Marlowe grumbled rubbing the elbow that had connected with the floor. “What the hell are you ringing so early for anyway?”

  “Breakfast, Silver, the rest of us are headed down to Tello’s for a cook up. Are you coming? If so, you better haul arse.”

  “Give me five minutes.”

  “Ha!” Angelo blurted out. “Five minutes and counting, so no primping; we wanna eat sometime before Christmas.”

  “Very funny,” Marlowe replied drolly. “Christmas is still two weeks away.”

  “Your point being?”

  Marlowe couldn’t help but smile as he pulled on a fresh shirt and jeans. “My point being; I am not that slow.” He held the phone away from his ear as Angelo broke out in hysterical laughter. “I’m hanging up arsehole,” Marlowe shouted as he shut off his phone with a grin and slipped it into his pocket. Picking up his wallet, watch, and keys, he headed out to meet the others.

  “Wow, the sleepy-bye creature has woken.” Hunter grinned.

  “It’s only,” Marlowe looked at his watch, “eight a.m. for crying out loud.”

  “But we have been up for hours.” Gene gave a mock pout. “Besides, Dex has told us to haul arse; she’s already at Tello’s.” “Man, you get me up early, and now I have to put up with Dex as well? All I need now is for Clay to turn up and my day will be set.”

  “Already been and gone,” Angelo said flatly. “He was standing on the footpath when I got the milk this morning. I told him to bugger off.”

  “So that is the real reason you came banging on the door so early.” Hunter chuckled. “I thought you had just come to get your gayness on.”

  “Still like girls...sorry.” He patted Hunter on the arm. “Someday someone might see what a great catch you are...or not.”

  “Wanker.” Hunter shook his head. “I can’t believe that I missed seeing Clay again. I swear, sometimes I think he is a figment of your imagination.”

  “Now why would I make something like that up?” Marlowe snapped. “I’m not that much of an attention whore.” Gene cleared his throat. “Okay my pretties, let’s go, my lady awaits.”

  Hunter snorted. “I wouldn’t let Dex hear you calling her a lady. She prides herself on being as tough as guts. One of the boys.”

  “Only ‘cause she reckons me and you are too girly, so she has to even it out.”

  Hunter fluttered his eyelashes in their direction as they got in the car. “I am never girly.”

  “Whatever, Princess!” Gene chuckled as Marlowe started to drive. “Who was it that came screaming over to my place bare arsed naked because a spider jumped on him in the shower?”

  Hunter rolled his eyes at his best friend. “Did you see how big that sucker was?”

  “It was only as big as a fifty cent piece.”

  “Like I said, huge.” He winked at Angelo. “That sucker was about to eat my arm off.” “It wasn’t even poisonous.”

  “That is so not the point,” Hunter exclaimed.

  “Then what is the point?”

  Marlowe was enjoying listening to Hunter and Gene bicker playfully; it took his mind off his own problems. Not that they were anything major, he just wanted to find the right guy and settle down, and raise lots of kids...well maybe puppies, but he wouldn’t mind at least one child. He sighed loudly as they pulled into Tello’s parking lot and got out of the car.

  “What was that for?” Angelo asked as he walked
beside him. “Nothing just thinking.”

  “Sounded like some really heavy thoughts.”

  “Nothing major.” Marlowe smiled. “Just trying to work out

  what to do with the rest of my life.” Marlowe kissed Dex on the cheek as he slid into the booth opposite her.

  “Ooh life plans.” Dex grinned. “So what are they?” “Oh, you know; the usual. Find Mr. Right; settle down with a child and some puppies, lots of puppies.” Even though Marlowe smiled and made it sound like a joke, Angelo wasn’t so sure that he was joking.

  “We are not getting a dog. We don’t have the right fence for a dog,” Hunter said

  “What kind of dog?” Dex and Angelo said together. “Any kind. I’m not fussy.” Marlowe shrugged as he picked up the menu.

  “Don’t encourage him. He is not having a dog.”

  The waitress came and they placed their orders. The talk turned to Christmas and what everyone was going to be doing. “Well I am not going home. That’s for damn sure,” Angelo grumbled. He had tried calling home for the last three days but every time his mother answered and heard his voice she hung up. If that wasn’t telling it like it is, then he didn’t know what was.

  “We can spend it together,” Marlowe said; he reached across the table and patted Angelo’s arm. “That way we can split the costs and we won’t get stuck eating leftover’s for the next month.”

  “I’m just gonna miss being with Dimmy; you know?” Angelo blinked away his tears; he was not going to cry over something he didn’t have a hope in hell of changing. He was not ruining this outing with his uncle and the people he was fast becoming friends with. He smiled as Marlowe pulled back his hand. If he really admitted it, Marlowe was fast becoming the best friend he ever had, and wouldn’t his parents just blow a gasket over that, because Marlowe was also one of the most flamboyant people he knew. He had already come to think of him as his own personal silver lining. Hence the reason for the nickname he had given him: Silver.

  Gene wrapped his arm around Angelo’s shoulders. “We will just have to have the best time ever; can’t have you and Marlowe being all down.”

  Marlowe looked affronted. “I have never been down. I am the happiest person alive. Just ask Hunter.” His broad grin wavered as he looked past Gene’s head to the person that had just walked through the door. “Oh, fuck me drunk! What the hell does he want now?”

  “Who? What the hell are you talking about?” Hunter looked up and gasped as a young man came to stand at the end of the table.

  “Hunter, I would like you to meet—now what did you call him—this is Clay, the figment of my imagination.”

  Hunter turned to his cousin in shock. “What is wrong with you? He’s a hottie, why the hell would you turn that down?” “Apparently, I’m not his type.” Clay smiled at Hunter. “And who are you?” “Clay, this is my cousin Hunter. Apparently you are his type.” Marlowe grinned, maybe now he could divert some of Clay’s attention. “Sit down and join us for breaky.”

  Hunter blushed as Clay squeezed in beside him. “Don’t mind if I do.” Angelo glared at Clay before looking at Marlowe with a WTF look. Marlowe just smiled and shrugged as he bumped their knees together under the table. By the end of the meal, Angelo had to grudgingly admit that Clay was okay, really friendly for a stalker. But he still didn’t like how he divided his time and attention between Hunter and Marlowe. Why the hell was Marlowe so friendly towards him all of a sudden? Even going as far as telling him that Angelo really wasn’t his boyfriend.

  “So what is everyone up to for the rest of the day?” Clay asked as they exited Tello’s.

  “Not much,” Hunter said as he opened the car door. “Me and Marlowe are just gonna veg and watch videos.” “Don’t forget we are putting up the Christmas tree. That reminds me, we need to go and buy some decent ornaments, yours are crap.”

  “I love Christmas,” Clay sighed, “but my roommate is whatever that religion is that doesn’t celebrate Christmas, and he won’t let me put up a tree.”

  “You wanna help put up ours?” Hunter asked.

  “I don’t want to intrude.” Clay’s face beamed at Hunter. “You’re not intruding; Gene and Angelo are coming over as well.”

  “Not me,” Gene interjected. “I’m going to that work-do with Dex.” “Well, Angelo is coming over.”

  “So it will kinda be like a double date.” Clay smiled.

  “Ha!” Marlowe barked. “It’s a double date where one of us isn’t gay.” Marlowe headed around the car softly singing the children’s song under his breath, ‘one of these things is not like the others’, before climbing into the driver’s seat.

  “You okay?” Marlowe asked as Angelo sat in the seat beside him. Speaking low and leaning in so the others didn’t hear him Angelo said, “The guy has stalked you for a year. Why the hell are you inviting him into your life now?”

  Marlowe shrugged. “I figure if I can divert his attention away from me then it is all good. Besides, I will have you there to protect me if he starts getting fresh.”

  “I’ll knock his bloody block off if he starts getting fresh.” Marlowe leant across the consol and kissed his cheek. “I knew that you loved me best. Even if I’m not a girl.”

  “Mar, stop macking on the straight guy.” Hunter chuckled as Angelo blushed. “He probably hits really hard.”

  “I wasn’t macking,” Marlowe replied as Angelo mumbled something like, ‘I wish’. Well, that would give Marlowe something to think about. He took another quick peek at Angelo before they headed home.

  r r r

  Angelo sat on the couch and watched as Marlowe and Hunter lay on the floor and looked up through the branches at the coloured lights.

  “Do you know what they are doing?” Clay asked from where he sat in the recliner.

  “Not a fucking clue.” He grinned as Marlowe’s head popped up and smiled at him. “I’m gonna go with too much alcohol.” Clay looked at him confused. “But they haven’t even had a drink yet.”

  “It’s something I read in a book once, and it sounded cool,” said Marlowe.

  “What book?” Clay asked. “I don’t remember, but when I read it, I thought, I am going to do that this year, so here I am looking up a tree,” Marlowe said from beneath the branches.

  “So Christmas is a big thing for you then?” “I love it; what’s not to love? Good friends, presents, good food, presents, festive movies, presents, festive music, presents. Did I mention the presents?” Marlowe sat up and grinned.

  “You may have once or twice,” Angelo said drolly. Hunter sat up beside his cousin and smacked him up the back of the head. “Dork!” “Hey! I resemble that remark.” Marlowe crawled across the floor; climbing up on the couch beside Angelo. Laying his head on Angelo’s shoulder he looked up at him through his lashes. “You’re going to buy me a pretty present, aren’t you?”

  “Stop pouting. I will buy you the prettiest present that I can find.” Grinning, Marlowe leaned up and kissed Angelo’s cheek. “I knew you wouldn’t let me down.”

  Hunter rolled his eyes. “He only agreed to it so you would leave him the hell alone. Have at least a bit of decorum.”

  Marlowe laid his head back down and poked his tongue out at his cousin. “He loves me best, you know.”

  “He doesn’t love you at all; you’re not a girl,” Hunter said a little coldly. It was the first time Angelo had ever heard Hunter talk to Marlowe in such a way. Usually they got on like best buds. He felt Marlowe freeze beside him, and then pull away. By the look on his face, Angelo knew that Hunter’s words had cut deep.

  “I’m sorry, Angelo,” Marlowe said, his face held nothing but a blank expression. “I didn’t mean to make you feel uncomfortable. There is no need to get me a present. I was only joking about that anyway.” Standing up he ran his hands down his shirt smoothing it out. “I’m kind of tired. I think I might go to bed.” As he turned away Angelo thought he saw tears pooling in Marlowe’s eyes.

  “There is no need to go sulk,�
� Hunter called after him; but Marlowe didn’t stop until he had entered his room and quietly closed the door behind him.

  Clay sat staring at Hunter open mouthed.

  “What?”

  “I can’t believe you just spoke to him like that. He wasn’t doing anything wrong.” Hunter spoke calmly, “He has to learn that sometimes he can’t have what he wants. Angelo is straight, as in, he is not gay. There is no way that Marlowe is going to get into his pants, no matter how hard he tries. The sooner he learns that, the better.”

  “He wasn’t trying to get into my pants,” Angelo said coldly as he stood up. “And even if he were, what business is it of yours?” “You’re not gay, Angelo.” Hunter stood up and faced Angelo off. “I love Marlowe with every breath I breathe. If he keeps chasing after you, he is going to be the one that ends up hurt, so unless you are planning on sticking your cock up his arse, then you’d better shut up.”

  Angelo pushed against Hunter’s chest. “My cock is also none of your concern, nor is where I want to stick it.”

  As Hunter stumbled backwards, both he and Clay watched Angelo walk into Marlowe’s room and close the door. “Did he just admit that he wants to have sex with Marlowe?” Clay asked in astonishment.

  “Yup,” Hunter said with a huge grin.

  r r r

  Angelo stood in the darkened room, letting his eyes adjust to the sudden lack of light. He could see Marlowe curled up on the bed. His shoulders were shaking, so Angelo knew he was crying. Shucking his shoes off; he lay stretched out on the bed beside Marlowe.

  “Don’t let him get to you. He was probably pissed that Clay was making goo-goo eyes at you all night.” His heart raced as Marlowe turned around and wrapped himself around his body as he sobbed. Tentatively he rubbed soothing circles on Marlowe’s back while he cried himself out.

  Strangely, this didn’t feel as weird as he thought it would.