Fic: All I Want For Christmas Is ... Inappropriate (NC-17, 5/6)
Warnings for this part: A little sexy, and dirty thoughts. :)
Back to Part 4.
Part 5.
Just before noon the next day, Len texted Jim.
[Hey Jim.]
It took a while, but Jim texted back.
[o hi i was in the barn. wassup?]
[Wanna have lunch?]
[yes yes yes yes yes yes yes i do :)]
[Good. I can come down to your neck of the woods, since you’re working today and I’m not.]
[that would be great because theres not a lot of time between lunch and afternoon chores which sam covered for me yesterday so I cant ask him again today and] [and I totally have to see you again like now]
[Me too. Where should I meet you? I don’t think your mother would like it if I showed up to pick you up at your house.]
[theres a diner on the main drag in riverside. bingos. c u there? what time? i can be ready whenever.]
[I’ll leave now. See you there in like half an hour.]
Twenty-five minutes later, Leonard arrived at Bingo’s diner, and surveyed the scene for a familiar face. Everyone in the place looked like a farmer, and Len felt a bit out of place.
“Bones!”
Len turned, and there he was.
Jim looked like a farmer, too, in worn jeans and a plaid flannel shirt. But, Leonard reminded himself, he was a farmer. He was a farmer on Christmas day in the ER, and he was a farmer at the grocery store, and the coffee shop, and last night when they were kissing just inside Len’s front door.
“Let’s get that booth back there,” Jim said, pointing to a small booth near the kitchen.
As they made their way past the counter and the other booths, several people greeted Jim, and looked at Len with interest that made him want to disappear. Only one person stopped Jim, though.
“Jimmy!”
“Hey, Chris!”
“Good to see you up and about. You look awfully skinny, though. Everyone doing okay?”
“Oh, sure. I’ll be working on that skinny problem here at lunch. And thanks again for helping out while we were all sick. That was really awesome of you.”
“You’re welcome. How’s that one cow doing, who had the leg ulcer?”
“She’s fine-that ointment did the trick all right, so thanks. Oh-Chris, this is my friend Leonard McCoy. He moved up here from Georgia. Bones, this is Chris Pike-he’s the local vet,” Jim said.
Len shook Pike’s hand, and felt somewhat more comfortable, meeting someone who spoke his language.
“McCoy, nice to meet you. What brings you to Iowa?”
“Oh, I got a job offer I couldn’t pass up at the hospital in Iowa City,” Len said.
“He’s a doctor in the emergency room. Keep ducking hooves the way you do, and you should be able to avoid his professional services,” Jim said. “But anyhow-I don’t have a ton of time, so we oughta go eat. Good to see you, Chris.”
“You too, Jim. Nice to meet you, McCoy.”
“Likewise.”
They sat down in the tiny booth, and once again their knees met under the table.
“Good to see you,” Jim said in a low voice.
“You too,” Len said, smiling despite his nervousness at the situation.
“You look nervous-what’s up?”
Len rubbed his brow. “Um, this is going to sound really awful, but … I panicked a little, because I thought you were going to mention that I was your doctor at the ER. We shouldn’t tell people that, because I could get in trouble.”
“I know. I realized as soon as I said what you did that you might think I was gonna say something like that. But I won’t,” Jim said.
“Okay,” Len said. “Um … do we need a story? That sounds kind of creepy, but maybe we do.”
“People around here tend to mind their own business,” Jim said.
“Yeah, but it’s a small town,” Len replied. “I grew up in a small town. People might look like they’re minding their own business, but on the inside they sure as hell ain’t.”
Jim grinned.
Len scowled. “What?”
“Your accent. It’s cute.”
“I don’t have an accent. Everyone else does.”
“Whatever you say, Bones. I still say it’s cute. But-leave the story to me, if anyone around here asks.”
Len raised an eyebrow.
“Trust me,” Jim said. “I know what I’m doing.”
“The last time someone told me that, I ended up needing a thousand dollars of work done on my car,” Len said. “But okay.”
“Okay.”
They looked at their menus.
“What’s good?” Len asked.
“Um … nothing?”
Len laughed. “Points for honesty. What’s least bad?”
“Actually, the Reuben is pretty good,” Jim said. “And there’s no eggs in it.”
“Hmm. Okay.”
The waitress took their order, and Len looked around the diner, feeling like a complete alien. Everyone in the place except him was a farmer, or in some kind of agricultural business. There were feed caps everywhere, and it seemed that half the men were wearing Carhartt bib overalls. It hadn’t really occurred to him before, but he was dating someone from a completely different world.
“Hey, I got my class registrations confirmed for the spring semester.” Jim handed the paper across the table to Len.
Len looked at the paper, and felt more at ease-Jim was a farmer, but he was also a student. That was familiar to him. “Developmental Psychology, and Social Foundations of Education. Sounds great.”
Jim looked carefully at Len. “You look … not quite yourself. What’s up?”
“I guess I feel a little out of place.”
“Hmm. Yeah. Funny thing is, so do I. This is gonna sound awful, since it’s my hometown, but I never really felt like I belonged here. Chris Pike tried to convince me more than once to just get out of Riverside, but … I can’t just abandon my mom. Can’t just abandon her family’s farm,” Jim said.
“That’s commendable. It’s a tough business, from what I hear,” Len replied.
“Yeah. Especially with all the mega-farms buying up all us little folk. But anyhow. That’s all boring.”
Len frowned. “Not to me. I’d like to hear about what you do. Like, for instance, you talked about morning chores, and afternoon chores. What all do you do?”
“Seriously? You want to hear about farm chores?”
Len nodded. “I do.”
“Okay … just kick me under the table when it gets boring. So, the alarm goes off at four-thirty a.m. …”
Jim spent the time before their order arrived laying out the morning chores, and while they ate, he went over the afternoon chores.
“Kid, I’m exhausted just listening to all that. How do you do that every day, and also fit two classes in on top of it?”
“Oh, I don’t do all of it. Mom and Sam and I all work together, and we’ve got three guys who work for us full time from spring through fall, and here and there during the winter.”
They both finished their sandwiches, and gratefully accepted top-offs for their coffee.
“Can I ask you something else?” Len said.
“Of course,” Jim said. “Fire away.”
“What would people around here think if they knew … uh … how can I put this,” Len said. “Shoot, never mind. I’ll ask you later.”
“What, if they knew my gate swung both ways?” Jim said, not bothering to lower his voice. “Hell, Bones; I said I was a bad teenager. I think everyone who cared to pay attention to my various misbehaviors probably has that one figured out. A third of ‘em probably don’t admit it to themselves, though, and another third of ‘em avoid me, and then there are some people who genuinely don’t give a shit. There was this one guy who … strenuously objected to his daughter going out with me. But it can’t be worse than, say, Georgia.”
“Hmm,” Len said, looking around the diner again. “Maybe that’s a story for another time.”
“Sure, Bones,” Jim said easily.
“So. Can I see your farm sometime? Maybe help out with some of those chores you were tellin’ me about?”
“Really?” Jim said, face brightening.
“Yes, really,” Len said. “Why?”
“Uh, because I thought you were just asking all that stuff to be polite.”
Len burst out laughing.
“Or maybe not,” Jim said. He put on a thinking face for a moment. “How ‘bout this. Tomorrow my mom’s going to her sister’s, so it’s just me in the afternoon. Why don’t you come over for afternoon chores?”
Len thought about the proposal for a second. “Okay, sure. Then maybe we can do something after.”
“Definitely.”
They stared at each other stupidly for a few seconds.
“Or,” Jim said, “we could run away to Tahiti together, right now, and never come back.”
“All right. Let me go home and pack my swim trunks.”
Jim laughed, and they slid out of their booth. They paid their check at the counter, and went out to their cars.
“Wish we could end this date the way we ended the last one,” Len said quietly.
“Hmm,” Jim said. “I could drag you out behind that dumpster there.”
“Or we could be grown-ups and wait till tomorrow,” Len said. He looked at Jim, and looked at the dumpster. “Or not.” He nonchalantly strolled towards the alley, and Jim followed like a puppy, practically tripping over his own feet.
As soon as they were concealed from the parking lot, Len took Jim by the lapels and put him up against the wall, not violently, but forcefully enough that Jim knew he wasn’t messing around. Okay, he was messing around, but was serious about it.
They were exactly the same height, so Len was able to lean into Jim and kiss him thoroughly without anyone’s neck having to bend unduly. Jim closed his eyes and melted into the cold brick wall, and admitted to himself with the few neurons that were still active that he was mildly shocked by Bones’s sudden forwardness. The thought that Bones might actually be a pushy bastard thrilled him and sent a shiver down his spine that Len apparently felt, as he pulled back briefly.
“You okay, there?”
“So totally okay, Bones,” Jim said breathily, as he pulled Len back towards him.
This time, Len let his whole body press Jim into the wall, from knees to lips, and suddenly the Iowa winter temperatures didn’t even register anymore. Heat flowed from his chest, upwards to his face, and downwards, and when the heat reached his groin, it intensified exponentially, and he had to breathe hard to keep up with the oxygen demands. The heat ratcheted up even more when he heard and felt Jim moan into the kiss, and he couldn’t help but answer with his own noise of appreciation.
Until his elbow whanged loudly and painfully into the dumpster as he shifted his weight, and he suddenly remembered where he was. He pulled back, needing to come up for air anyhow, and his and Jim’s visible exhalations mingled in the cold air, becoming one cloud.
“Jesus Christ, Bones,” Jim murmured. “This is so hot. You’re so hot. Holy crap.”
“This is so public,” Len said, failing at not sounding like he was panting. “And, uh … okay, hot.”
“Too hot?” Jim asked, seeing some discomfort in Len’s face.
“Uh, maybe for right here. Maybe for right now,” Len admitted.
“Okay-you’re right. Let’s …”
“Cool down, maybe?” Len suggested.
“Yeah. That’s what my brain says. Nothing else-just my brain,” Jim said. “’Cause damn, Bones.”
“Damn,” Len agreed. “So here’s what we’ll do. You walk that way, around back, and I’ll walk this way, straight to the parking lot, and I’ll call you later to work out plans for tomorrow.”
“Okay,” Jim said. “Wow.”
“You surprised about somethin’?”
“Um, to be honest, until just now, I was starting to think you might be a little bit of a prude.”
Len raised his eyebrows. “I don’t think so, darlin’.”
Jim’s knees wobbled at that term of endearment, in that tone, in that accent, with that husky voice. “Got it,” he said weakly. “Okay. So. I’m going that way. And I’ll talk to you tonight.”
“Okay,” Len said, as he pretended his legs weren’t quivering. “Talk to you later.”
“Yeah.” Jim cleared his throat. “Okay. Later.”
They went out to the parking lot in opposite directions, and drove their separate ways. Their vehicles’ paths diverged, but their thoughts were solidly in the same place.
Jim was home in ten minutes. He saw his mother through the living room window, and realized he’d barely spoken to her since yesterday before his date with Bones. He briefly considered going straight to the barn to avoid being asked anything about the previous night, but decided that would be immature. Besides, his mother probably would be thinking about other things.
He hung his coat on his peg by the back door, and kicked his boots off.
“Hi Mom!”
“Well, hello, stranger! How was that date last night?”
So much for her having forgotten all about it, Jim thought.
“Um … it was really good.”
“Good,” Winona said. “Where did you go?”
“To that little Thai place by the university,” Jim said.
“And then?” Winona asked, giving Jim a sly look.
“Mother!”
“Sorry, I can’t help myself. I’m glad you’re getting out. But you’re awfully mysterious about this fellow, so I’ve been trying to figure out why,” Winona said. “I’ve come up with several options. One: he’s much older, and you think I wouldn’t approve. Two, he’s much younger, and ditto. Really, sixteen as the age of consent is absurd if the other partner is ten years older. But that’s beside the point-I hope.”
“No, mom, no jail-bait for me, thanks. And I wouldn’t go out with a high-school kid. Sheesh,” Jim said.
“Didn’t think so. Three, it’s someone I know well, and it’s too weird for you to talk about it. And four, and please don’t let this be true, he’s married.” Winona crossed her arms and stared at Jim.
Jim crossed his arms, and stared right back at her.
“None of the above,” he said, smirking.
“Didn’t think so,” Winona said. “Five: and don’t think I’ve forgotten about this, young man-it’s that doctor from the ER. You tracked him down in one of your sneaky modern internet ways, and that’s who you went out with.”
“It wasn’t like that at all!” Jim protested, and then clamped a hand over his mouth.
“Thought so,” Winona said smugly. “Spill it, kiddo. Don’t make me have to pry it out of you.”
Jim flopped down onto the sofa across from his mother’s chair. “Fine. You win. You always do. I didn’t track him down, or stalk him, or anything like that. We just ran into each other. I mean, come on, Mom! I took your lecture seriously. I really did. But we ran into each other at the Fareway the other day, and bam! No doctor, no patient. Just two guys. And we talked about that whole doctor/patient thing, okay? I’m not an idiot! He’s not an idiot!”
Winona’s face softened as she looked at her son. “I know, honey. But I also know you feel deeply, and you’re wounded easily. I just don’t like to see you get hurt.”
“I’m not trying to. And I’m trying not to. All that stuff,” Jim said.
“Sometimes it happens though,” Winona said. “But you seem happy.”
“I just … have a good feeling about this. You know? It’s so out of the blue, and the timing sucks, but … it seems right,” Jim said, unable to suppress a smitten sigh from his voice. “It’s different. He’s different, from anyone I’ve ever known.”
“Well, that’s good. I’m sure I got a wrong impression of him at the hospital,” Winona said.
“Well … I don’t exactly know if you did. I mean, he admitted he has a terrible bedside manner. It was kind of cute, actually, when he realized you probably thought he was a jerk,” Jim said, grinning despite himself.
Winona laughed. “So, if I get up some morning and he’s in our kitchen, it might be a little awkward?”
“We’ll work it out real fast, I’m sure. And by the way-he’s coming over for afternoon chores tomorrow. When you’re at Aunt Marcia’s.”
“Ah,” Winona said. “Should I plan on staying over?”
Jim shook his head. “Do whatever. I mean, ever since we put in your new bedroom downstairs, it’s kind of a non-issue, right? You’ve got your part of the house, and I’ve got mine. And who knows if that’s even gonna be relevant.”
Winona squinted at Jim. “Don’t tell me you’re moving slowly?”
“Um, kind of on purpose. So we don’t wreck things. You know?” Jim squirmed in his seat, not used to talking so frankly with his mother about such things.
Winona leaned back and gaped openly at her son. “Who are you, and what have you done with James Tiberius Kirk?”
“Like I said. It’s different. I don’t wanna mess this up.”
“That’s good, Jim. And I don’t want to mess it up for you. So: honest answer this time, Jim. Would it perhaps be useful if I stayed over at Marcia’s tomorrow?”
Jim fidgeted some more. “I guess. Yeah. Because I was kind of thinking of making him dinner, and … we’ll see what happens.”
“How many times have you been out? Just the once?”
“Uh … we had lunch, just now. And we’ve chatted a few times too. He’s moving from night shifts to day shifts, so we’re not doing anything tonight, but we’re gonna talk after I’m done with chores this afternoon.”
“Good. Well. I’ll make myself scarce tomorrow night. Then you don’t have to worry about me,” Winona said, “and neither does he. But if things keep going well, I would like to meet him in different circumstances.”
“Thanks, Mom, for tomorrow. And yeah-you should totally meet Bones when he’s not in ranting doctor mode.”
“Bones?”
“Just his nickname.”
“Ah.”
Jim cleared his throat, and stood up. “Um, I guess I’m gonna go out to the barn and get stuff done. I’ll make dinner tonight.”
“All right, dear.”
Jim hesitated before leaving the room. “And Mom?”
“Yes?”
“Thanks. Thanks for not being weird about this, and for … facilitating.”
“Anything, Jimmy. I want you to be happy.”
Jim didn’t move for many seconds. “You know what? I think I am. I really think I am.”
~!~!~!~
Len went home after lunch, and thought about ethics.
There was no question in his mind that he was becoming involved with Jim Kirk, and no question that he wanted to keep going with the relationship. But there was also no question in his mind that some of his colleagues might find this relationship to be unethical.
Seeing a patient in the ED, once, was different from other doctor/patient relationships, though. In the ED, he hoped and expected not to see his patients again.
He rummaged through his filing cabinet, and found his contract with the hospital. There wasn’t anything specific in it about dating patients-just that he was expected to adhere to “accepted ethical standards.” Which of course weren’t defined.
He turned his computer on, and brought up the shift schedule for the week. The one person he could talk to about this situation wasn’t on today, and hadn’t been on the previous night, so Len decided it was safe to call.
“Hello?”
“Hi, Jacob. It’s Len McCoy from the hospital.”
“Oh, hi, Len. What’s going on?”
“Well, I was wondering if I could run something past you if you had a few minutes.”
“Sure-the kids are at school, and they go to after-school today. Can we do this over the phone, or is it an in-person kind of thing?”
“In person, for sure. Can I meet you somewhere?”
“Hmm, why don’t you come over here? Just so we don’t end up talking about something sensitive at Starbucks.”
“Sure. Thanks.”
Len confirmed his colleague’s address, and drove over. Twenty minutes later, they were seated in Jacob’s den, coffee in hand.
The den was paneled in dark wood, with plenty of built-in storage, and a bar at the far end. The maroon carpeting made the room both snug and quiet, deadening any sound. Len liked it, and felt comfortable.
“So, Len-what’s up?”
“I have this hypothetical situation I want to run past you.”
“Okay,” Jacob said, his expression completely neutral as he sipped from his mug.
Len sighed. “Who am I trying to kid? It’s not hypothetical. It’s real. And I just need a sane opinion about whether I’m doing something totally wrong. I mean, totally wrong as opposed to just slightly wrong. Because I know it’s slightly wrong, but I don’t think I’m doing anything really awful. I don’t think I am, but if I am, I have to end it now.” Despite the coziness of the room, Len was nervous, and couldn’t stop himself from running off at the mouth.
“Lay it on me,” Jacob said, ignoring Len’s obvious discomfort. “I’ll be as honest as I can.”
“Thanks. So. I’ve kind of ended up seeing a patient.”
“Ah. That’s an oldie, but a goodie. Tell me more.”
Len turned his coffee mug around in his hands a few times. “There was … a spark of interest, I think, in the ED. But we both knew that any action on that spark was right out. But now … we’re seeing each other.”
“Okay. First question: how long was it between the patient’s visit to the ED and when you started seeing each other?”
“A few weeks,” Len said, feeling guilty about overstating the length of time.
“And did she seek you out, or did you seek her out?”
Len paused. He decided to ignore the pronoun for the moment, since he didn’t really know how the fact that his date was male might color his colleague’s impressions of the situation. “It wasn’t like that. We ran into each other at the grocery store, and started talking.”
“And you didn’t have any contact with each other between the ED visit and when you ran into each other?”
Len shook his head. “None except a phone call to pass on some lab results that wouldn’t have made it in the mail before the patient’s follow-up with their primary care physician. And that conversation was completely and utterly professional.”
“And do you have any reason to believe that she was stalking you? Trying to run into you?”
“No. None. I’m quite sure it was a total coincidence that we ran into each other at the store. But we did. And then we had coffee. And then a couple days later we went out for dinner,” Len said. He didn’t feel it was necessary to mention the kissing part, even though he couldn’t stop thinking about it.
“I’m betting you’re talking to me about this because it hasn’t gotten heavy yet, but you think it’s about to,” Jacob said.
“Pretty much,” Len said. “We’re planning to see each other tomorrow.”
“I’m wondering whether you feel like there’s any infatuation on her part that could be based on your doctor/patient interactions.”
Len shook his head. “I really don’t think so. The whole family came in with food poisoning. This patient was dangerously dehydrated, and puking and shitting all over the place. Not exactly a set-up for romance.”
Jacob laughed out loud. “No, not exactly the first page of a story-book romance. It’s beyond me how there could be any attraction in either direction in that kind of situation.”
“I don’t get it either. But later, when we had coffee a few weeks later, we talked about the doctor/patient thing. I honestly don’t think there’s any kind of vulnerability, or knight-in-shining-armor syndrome, or anything like that. I really don’t, Jacob. I’ve seen that happen, and I don’t think that’s what this is.”
Jacob nodded. “Okay. Well, here’s my take on this whole thing. It sounds like there’s nothing untoward going on at the moment. It doesn’t sound like she’s interested for the wrong reasons, and it certainly doesn’t sound like you’re taking advantage of anything having to do with the doctor/patient relationship, which is in the past. The timing is a little troublesome, though. If you’d run into each other a few months later, rather than a few weeks later, it would be much more straightforward. But with the way the timing is, if things go bad, she could cry ‘foul,’ and someone would probably listen to her. So even though nothing of the sort will probably happen, I’d still be cautious.”
“That’s kind of my thinking, too,” Len said, sighing again. “No perfect answer. I guess I could … I don’t know. Slow things down.”
“But you really, really don’t want to,” Jacob said. “Which is why you’re here. I’m sorry I can’t give you a better answer other than ‘be cautious,’ but it’s not a black and white situation. Especially with a male doctor and a female patient. I don’t know if the other way would be different-I suspect it probably would. But your situation is just … fraught.”
Len unclenched his jaw, and rubbed his temples, but didn’t say anything. He braced his elbows on his knees, and let his forehead rest on the heels of his hands. In for a penny, in for a pound, he thought.
“I … kind of left something out,” Len said.
“Oh?”
“She’s not a she. He’s a he.” Len’s voice was barely audible, and his eyes were locked onto the toes of his shoes.
“I see,” Jacob said slowly. “All right. Well, first of all, that’s not a problem for me. Just so you know. But to be honest, I really don’t see how it changes the ethics of the situation. But it does mean that any potential complaints could open a can of worms that couldn’t ever be closed.”
“I know,” Len said softly. “Believe me, I do know.”
“So here’s my advice,” Jacob said, “and I’m not gonna ask whether you’re gonna take it or not, because that’s up to you. But here it is: take it slow. Get to know him, really well, before you jump in the sack. Because the less the relationship appears to have started with anything sexual, the better off you are in the unlikely event that the shit hits the fan.”
“Yeah. Okay.” Len blew out a long breath.
“I’m not telling you anything you didn’t already know, am I?” Jacob said.
“Not a thing,” Len admitted. “I just wanted to see if another sane person saw things the same way I did. As a potentially dangerous gray area.”
“That sums it up nicely, Len.” Jacob put his mug down on the table in front of him, and looked Len in the eye. “So be careful,” he concluded.
“I’ll try,” Len said, knowing full well that he and Jim probably wouldn’t be able to keep their hands off each other on their next date.
“Now. As long as you’re here, I have this new video game I’ve been wanting to try. It’ll take your mind off things,” Jacob said. He held up the box, and Len winced.
“Looks like it’ll take my mind off, period. But why the hell not.”
~!~!~!~
By early evening, Len was exhausted. He’d forced himself to stay awake the entire day, so he’d be back on track for day shifts sooner rather than later, and, to be honest with himself, so he’d be able to sleep well enough that night that he’d be able to stay up late with Jim the next day. He cleaned up after dinner, brushed his teeth, changed into flannel pants and a long-sleeved t-shirt, and got into bed with his phone. He called Jim, and was rewarded with an answer on the second ring.
“Bones! I was just thinking about you.”
“Yeah? What’s goin’ on?”
“Well, I just finished cleaning up after dinner. So I was thinking about tomorrow.”
“Uh huh?”
“You come over around four, and I’ll show you around the farm-at least the parts that are doing anything in the winter-and then we can get some chores done. Then I’ll make dinner, and then we can hang out. For as long as we want.”
“You sure we won’t bother your mom?”
“She’s actually staying at her sister’s. So-no problem. What are you doing now?”
“Oh, just about to turn in, I think. I made myself stay awake most of the day, so I’ll be back to a daytime schedule soon. So I’m pretty tuckered out.”
“You sound it,” Jim said. “Tired, but okay, right?”
“Just dandy. Layin’ here in my bed, talkin’ to you.”
“What else did you do today? After lunch?”
“Hung out with a guy from work for a while. Played video games in his man-cave. That’s about all.”
“Well, I did some thinking in the barn today.”
Len’s heart sank. In his experience, “thinking” on the part of a romantic partner usually led to his being dumped. Or divorced. He tried to hide the shaking in his voice as he replied. “Oh? What about?”
“No, Bones! Not that kind of thinking!” Jim said, as if reading his mind. “The kind of thinking where all I could do was wonder what you were up to. The kind of thinking where I wondered what your favorite vegetable is, so I can make it tomorrow. The kind of thinking where I remembered what your body felt like pressed up against mine behind the dumpster this afternoon.”
Len wasn’t sure how his heart tolerated the fast plummet and then the soaring that was happening now. “Mm, I’m remembering that right now, too. How it didn’t seem cold at all any more. How your hands felt on me, pulling us closer together. How I wished we didn’t have thick coats and gloves in the way, this afternoon and last night,” Len said.
“Jesus, Bones. I wish I was right there with you, right now. Not just because it’d be hot, but because I want to know you. I want to get right inside your skin, and know you. I want to watch you fall asleep, and watch you as you’re sleeping, and watch you wake up.”
“Me too,” Len said.
“Tomorrow,” Jim said.
“Tomorrow,” Len agreed. “And broccoli.”
“Huh?”
“My favorite vegetable. Broccoli.”
Jim laughed. “Broccoli it is, then. Along with my extremely mundane spaghetti and meatballs.”
“Good. And I’m about to pass out, here. So I’ll see you at four tomorrow.”
“Looking forward to it,” Jim said, “in case you couldn’t tell.”
“Me, too. See you then.”
“G’night,” Jim said.
“Night.” Len plugged his phone into the charger, and set it on the nightstand. Feeling like a teenager, he folded his hands behind his head and ruminated over the day’s events, and his conversation with Jim.
It was true-he wanted Jim’s body, no question about it, and he felt the warm tingle of knowing he was wanted in the same way. But he also wanted to know Jim-know what made him tick, what was important to him, what he liked, what he hated. He realized they’d made a pretty good start of it, at dinner the previous night, and at this afternoon’s lunch. And he liked that. He liked that they hadn’t just fallen into bed with each other. But he also greatly looked forward to the moment they did, and it was pretty damned obvious that was going to be tomorrow.
He fell asleep imagining not just the intense thrill of exploring another person’s body, and being explored, and chasing down the orgasm, but also the deeper thrill of holding Jim close to him, with nothing in the way. He slept more easily than he thought he would, and his dreams were like the Thai food they’d enjoyed together the previous night: hot, but with an underlying sweetness that both complemented the heat and made it last longer.
~!~!~!~
Twenty miles away, Jim was too distracted by the conversation he’d just finished to do anything productive at all. He’d been in the kitchen when he answered the phone, but quickly ran upstairs to his study, since Winona was well within earshot from her place in the living room. He put his phone down on the rickety table next to the threadbare but comfortable recliner where he did his reading for school, and kicked back in the chair.
He imagined watching Bones fall asleep. Would the perpetual creases between his eyebrows soften, or even disappear? Or would he scowl in his sleep, finding something to be cranky about even in his dreams?
What might his face look like, from below, in the dim light of Jim’s bedroom, as Bones straddled Jim on the navy-blue sheets of his bed, and as Jim’s hands found his ass and kneaded the cheeks, which he knew would be the absolute perfect combination of pliant and firm?
“Fucking hell,” Jim said to himself, as he realized he’d fantasized himself right into a raging hard-on. He went to his room to snag his robe on the way to his bathroom, where he’d just have his nighttime shower a little on the early side.
On to Part 6a.
Back to Part 4.
Part 5.
Just before noon the next day, Len texted Jim.
[Hey Jim.]
It took a while, but Jim texted back.
[o hi i was in the barn. wassup?]
[Wanna have lunch?]
[yes yes yes yes yes yes yes i do :)]
[Good. I can come down to your neck of the woods, since you’re working today and I’m not.]
[that would be great because theres not a lot of time between lunch and afternoon chores which sam covered for me yesterday so I cant ask him again today and] [and I totally have to see you again like now]
[Me too. Where should I meet you? I don’t think your mother would like it if I showed up to pick you up at your house.]
[theres a diner on the main drag in riverside. bingos. c u there? what time? i can be ready whenever.]
[I’ll leave now. See you there in like half an hour.]
Twenty-five minutes later, Leonard arrived at Bingo’s diner, and surveyed the scene for a familiar face. Everyone in the place looked like a farmer, and Len felt a bit out of place.
“Bones!”
Len turned, and there he was.
Jim looked like a farmer, too, in worn jeans and a plaid flannel shirt. But, Leonard reminded himself, he was a farmer. He was a farmer on Christmas day in the ER, and he was a farmer at the grocery store, and the coffee shop, and last night when they were kissing just inside Len’s front door.
“Let’s get that booth back there,” Jim said, pointing to a small booth near the kitchen.
As they made their way past the counter and the other booths, several people greeted Jim, and looked at Len with interest that made him want to disappear. Only one person stopped Jim, though.
“Jimmy!”
“Hey, Chris!”
“Good to see you up and about. You look awfully skinny, though. Everyone doing okay?”
“Oh, sure. I’ll be working on that skinny problem here at lunch. And thanks again for helping out while we were all sick. That was really awesome of you.”
“You’re welcome. How’s that one cow doing, who had the leg ulcer?”
“She’s fine-that ointment did the trick all right, so thanks. Oh-Chris, this is my friend Leonard McCoy. He moved up here from Georgia. Bones, this is Chris Pike-he’s the local vet,” Jim said.
Len shook Pike’s hand, and felt somewhat more comfortable, meeting someone who spoke his language.
“McCoy, nice to meet you. What brings you to Iowa?”
“Oh, I got a job offer I couldn’t pass up at the hospital in Iowa City,” Len said.
“He’s a doctor in the emergency room. Keep ducking hooves the way you do, and you should be able to avoid his professional services,” Jim said. “But anyhow-I don’t have a ton of time, so we oughta go eat. Good to see you, Chris.”
“You too, Jim. Nice to meet you, McCoy.”
“Likewise.”
They sat down in the tiny booth, and once again their knees met under the table.
“Good to see you,” Jim said in a low voice.
“You too,” Len said, smiling despite his nervousness at the situation.
“You look nervous-what’s up?”
Len rubbed his brow. “Um, this is going to sound really awful, but … I panicked a little, because I thought you were going to mention that I was your doctor at the ER. We shouldn’t tell people that, because I could get in trouble.”
“I know. I realized as soon as I said what you did that you might think I was gonna say something like that. But I won’t,” Jim said.
“Okay,” Len said. “Um … do we need a story? That sounds kind of creepy, but maybe we do.”
“People around here tend to mind their own business,” Jim said.
“Yeah, but it’s a small town,” Len replied. “I grew up in a small town. People might look like they’re minding their own business, but on the inside they sure as hell ain’t.”
Jim grinned.
Len scowled. “What?”
“Your accent. It’s cute.”
“I don’t have an accent. Everyone else does.”
“Whatever you say, Bones. I still say it’s cute. But-leave the story to me, if anyone around here asks.”
Len raised an eyebrow.
“Trust me,” Jim said. “I know what I’m doing.”
“The last time someone told me that, I ended up needing a thousand dollars of work done on my car,” Len said. “But okay.”
“Okay.”
They looked at their menus.
“What’s good?” Len asked.
“Um … nothing?”
Len laughed. “Points for honesty. What’s least bad?”
“Actually, the Reuben is pretty good,” Jim said. “And there’s no eggs in it.”
“Hmm. Okay.”
The waitress took their order, and Len looked around the diner, feeling like a complete alien. Everyone in the place except him was a farmer, or in some kind of agricultural business. There were feed caps everywhere, and it seemed that half the men were wearing Carhartt bib overalls. It hadn’t really occurred to him before, but he was dating someone from a completely different world.
“Hey, I got my class registrations confirmed for the spring semester.” Jim handed the paper across the table to Len.
Len looked at the paper, and felt more at ease-Jim was a farmer, but he was also a student. That was familiar to him. “Developmental Psychology, and Social Foundations of Education. Sounds great.”
Jim looked carefully at Len. “You look … not quite yourself. What’s up?”
“I guess I feel a little out of place.”
“Hmm. Yeah. Funny thing is, so do I. This is gonna sound awful, since it’s my hometown, but I never really felt like I belonged here. Chris Pike tried to convince me more than once to just get out of Riverside, but … I can’t just abandon my mom. Can’t just abandon her family’s farm,” Jim said.
“That’s commendable. It’s a tough business, from what I hear,” Len replied.
“Yeah. Especially with all the mega-farms buying up all us little folk. But anyhow. That’s all boring.”
Len frowned. “Not to me. I’d like to hear about what you do. Like, for instance, you talked about morning chores, and afternoon chores. What all do you do?”
“Seriously? You want to hear about farm chores?”
Len nodded. “I do.”
“Okay … just kick me under the table when it gets boring. So, the alarm goes off at four-thirty a.m. …”
Jim spent the time before their order arrived laying out the morning chores, and while they ate, he went over the afternoon chores.
“Kid, I’m exhausted just listening to all that. How do you do that every day, and also fit two classes in on top of it?”
“Oh, I don’t do all of it. Mom and Sam and I all work together, and we’ve got three guys who work for us full time from spring through fall, and here and there during the winter.”
They both finished their sandwiches, and gratefully accepted top-offs for their coffee.
“Can I ask you something else?” Len said.
“Of course,” Jim said. “Fire away.”
“What would people around here think if they knew … uh … how can I put this,” Len said. “Shoot, never mind. I’ll ask you later.”
“What, if they knew my gate swung both ways?” Jim said, not bothering to lower his voice. “Hell, Bones; I said I was a bad teenager. I think everyone who cared to pay attention to my various misbehaviors probably has that one figured out. A third of ‘em probably don’t admit it to themselves, though, and another third of ‘em avoid me, and then there are some people who genuinely don’t give a shit. There was this one guy who … strenuously objected to his daughter going out with me. But it can’t be worse than, say, Georgia.”
“Hmm,” Len said, looking around the diner again. “Maybe that’s a story for another time.”
“Sure, Bones,” Jim said easily.
“So. Can I see your farm sometime? Maybe help out with some of those chores you were tellin’ me about?”
“Really?” Jim said, face brightening.
“Yes, really,” Len said. “Why?”
“Uh, because I thought you were just asking all that stuff to be polite.”
Len burst out laughing.
“Or maybe not,” Jim said. He put on a thinking face for a moment. “How ‘bout this. Tomorrow my mom’s going to her sister’s, so it’s just me in the afternoon. Why don’t you come over for afternoon chores?”
Len thought about the proposal for a second. “Okay, sure. Then maybe we can do something after.”
“Definitely.”
They stared at each other stupidly for a few seconds.
“Or,” Jim said, “we could run away to Tahiti together, right now, and never come back.”
“All right. Let me go home and pack my swim trunks.”
Jim laughed, and they slid out of their booth. They paid their check at the counter, and went out to their cars.
“Wish we could end this date the way we ended the last one,” Len said quietly.
“Hmm,” Jim said. “I could drag you out behind that dumpster there.”
“Or we could be grown-ups and wait till tomorrow,” Len said. He looked at Jim, and looked at the dumpster. “Or not.” He nonchalantly strolled towards the alley, and Jim followed like a puppy, practically tripping over his own feet.
As soon as they were concealed from the parking lot, Len took Jim by the lapels and put him up against the wall, not violently, but forcefully enough that Jim knew he wasn’t messing around. Okay, he was messing around, but was serious about it.
They were exactly the same height, so Len was able to lean into Jim and kiss him thoroughly without anyone’s neck having to bend unduly. Jim closed his eyes and melted into the cold brick wall, and admitted to himself with the few neurons that were still active that he was mildly shocked by Bones’s sudden forwardness. The thought that Bones might actually be a pushy bastard thrilled him and sent a shiver down his spine that Len apparently felt, as he pulled back briefly.
“You okay, there?”
“So totally okay, Bones,” Jim said breathily, as he pulled Len back towards him.
This time, Len let his whole body press Jim into the wall, from knees to lips, and suddenly the Iowa winter temperatures didn’t even register anymore. Heat flowed from his chest, upwards to his face, and downwards, and when the heat reached his groin, it intensified exponentially, and he had to breathe hard to keep up with the oxygen demands. The heat ratcheted up even more when he heard and felt Jim moan into the kiss, and he couldn’t help but answer with his own noise of appreciation.
Until his elbow whanged loudly and painfully into the dumpster as he shifted his weight, and he suddenly remembered where he was. He pulled back, needing to come up for air anyhow, and his and Jim’s visible exhalations mingled in the cold air, becoming one cloud.
“Jesus Christ, Bones,” Jim murmured. “This is so hot. You’re so hot. Holy crap.”
“This is so public,” Len said, failing at not sounding like he was panting. “And, uh … okay, hot.”
“Too hot?” Jim asked, seeing some discomfort in Len’s face.
“Uh, maybe for right here. Maybe for right now,” Len admitted.
“Okay-you’re right. Let’s …”
“Cool down, maybe?” Len suggested.
“Yeah. That’s what my brain says. Nothing else-just my brain,” Jim said. “’Cause damn, Bones.”
“Damn,” Len agreed. “So here’s what we’ll do. You walk that way, around back, and I’ll walk this way, straight to the parking lot, and I’ll call you later to work out plans for tomorrow.”
“Okay,” Jim said. “Wow.”
“You surprised about somethin’?”
“Um, to be honest, until just now, I was starting to think you might be a little bit of a prude.”
Len raised his eyebrows. “I don’t think so, darlin’.”
Jim’s knees wobbled at that term of endearment, in that tone, in that accent, with that husky voice. “Got it,” he said weakly. “Okay. So. I’m going that way. And I’ll talk to you tonight.”
“Okay,” Len said, as he pretended his legs weren’t quivering. “Talk to you later.”
“Yeah.” Jim cleared his throat. “Okay. Later.”
They went out to the parking lot in opposite directions, and drove their separate ways. Their vehicles’ paths diverged, but their thoughts were solidly in the same place.
Jim was home in ten minutes. He saw his mother through the living room window, and realized he’d barely spoken to her since yesterday before his date with Bones. He briefly considered going straight to the barn to avoid being asked anything about the previous night, but decided that would be immature. Besides, his mother probably would be thinking about other things.
He hung his coat on his peg by the back door, and kicked his boots off.
“Hi Mom!”
“Well, hello, stranger! How was that date last night?”
So much for her having forgotten all about it, Jim thought.
“Um … it was really good.”
“Good,” Winona said. “Where did you go?”
“To that little Thai place by the university,” Jim said.
“And then?” Winona asked, giving Jim a sly look.
“Mother!”
“Sorry, I can’t help myself. I’m glad you’re getting out. But you’re awfully mysterious about this fellow, so I’ve been trying to figure out why,” Winona said. “I’ve come up with several options. One: he’s much older, and you think I wouldn’t approve. Two, he’s much younger, and ditto. Really, sixteen as the age of consent is absurd if the other partner is ten years older. But that’s beside the point-I hope.”
“No, mom, no jail-bait for me, thanks. And I wouldn’t go out with a high-school kid. Sheesh,” Jim said.
“Didn’t think so. Three, it’s someone I know well, and it’s too weird for you to talk about it. And four, and please don’t let this be true, he’s married.” Winona crossed her arms and stared at Jim.
Jim crossed his arms, and stared right back at her.
“None of the above,” he said, smirking.
“Didn’t think so,” Winona said. “Five: and don’t think I’ve forgotten about this, young man-it’s that doctor from the ER. You tracked him down in one of your sneaky modern internet ways, and that’s who you went out with.”
“It wasn’t like that at all!” Jim protested, and then clamped a hand over his mouth.
“Thought so,” Winona said smugly. “Spill it, kiddo. Don’t make me have to pry it out of you.”
Jim flopped down onto the sofa across from his mother’s chair. “Fine. You win. You always do. I didn’t track him down, or stalk him, or anything like that. We just ran into each other. I mean, come on, Mom! I took your lecture seriously. I really did. But we ran into each other at the Fareway the other day, and bam! No doctor, no patient. Just two guys. And we talked about that whole doctor/patient thing, okay? I’m not an idiot! He’s not an idiot!”
Winona’s face softened as she looked at her son. “I know, honey. But I also know you feel deeply, and you’re wounded easily. I just don’t like to see you get hurt.”
“I’m not trying to. And I’m trying not to. All that stuff,” Jim said.
“Sometimes it happens though,” Winona said. “But you seem happy.”
“I just … have a good feeling about this. You know? It’s so out of the blue, and the timing sucks, but … it seems right,” Jim said, unable to suppress a smitten sigh from his voice. “It’s different. He’s different, from anyone I’ve ever known.”
“Well, that’s good. I’m sure I got a wrong impression of him at the hospital,” Winona said.
“Well … I don’t exactly know if you did. I mean, he admitted he has a terrible bedside manner. It was kind of cute, actually, when he realized you probably thought he was a jerk,” Jim said, grinning despite himself.
Winona laughed. “So, if I get up some morning and he’s in our kitchen, it might be a little awkward?”
“We’ll work it out real fast, I’m sure. And by the way-he’s coming over for afternoon chores tomorrow. When you’re at Aunt Marcia’s.”
“Ah,” Winona said. “Should I plan on staying over?”
Jim shook his head. “Do whatever. I mean, ever since we put in your new bedroom downstairs, it’s kind of a non-issue, right? You’ve got your part of the house, and I’ve got mine. And who knows if that’s even gonna be relevant.”
Winona squinted at Jim. “Don’t tell me you’re moving slowly?”
“Um, kind of on purpose. So we don’t wreck things. You know?” Jim squirmed in his seat, not used to talking so frankly with his mother about such things.
Winona leaned back and gaped openly at her son. “Who are you, and what have you done with James Tiberius Kirk?”
“Like I said. It’s different. I don’t wanna mess this up.”
“That’s good, Jim. And I don’t want to mess it up for you. So: honest answer this time, Jim. Would it perhaps be useful if I stayed over at Marcia’s tomorrow?”
Jim fidgeted some more. “I guess. Yeah. Because I was kind of thinking of making him dinner, and … we’ll see what happens.”
“How many times have you been out? Just the once?”
“Uh … we had lunch, just now. And we’ve chatted a few times too. He’s moving from night shifts to day shifts, so we’re not doing anything tonight, but we’re gonna talk after I’m done with chores this afternoon.”
“Good. Well. I’ll make myself scarce tomorrow night. Then you don’t have to worry about me,” Winona said, “and neither does he. But if things keep going well, I would like to meet him in different circumstances.”
“Thanks, Mom, for tomorrow. And yeah-you should totally meet Bones when he’s not in ranting doctor mode.”
“Bones?”
“Just his nickname.”
“Ah.”
Jim cleared his throat, and stood up. “Um, I guess I’m gonna go out to the barn and get stuff done. I’ll make dinner tonight.”
“All right, dear.”
Jim hesitated before leaving the room. “And Mom?”
“Yes?”
“Thanks. Thanks for not being weird about this, and for … facilitating.”
“Anything, Jimmy. I want you to be happy.”
Jim didn’t move for many seconds. “You know what? I think I am. I really think I am.”
~!~!~!~
Len went home after lunch, and thought about ethics.
There was no question in his mind that he was becoming involved with Jim Kirk, and no question that he wanted to keep going with the relationship. But there was also no question in his mind that some of his colleagues might find this relationship to be unethical.
Seeing a patient in the ED, once, was different from other doctor/patient relationships, though. In the ED, he hoped and expected not to see his patients again.
He rummaged through his filing cabinet, and found his contract with the hospital. There wasn’t anything specific in it about dating patients-just that he was expected to adhere to “accepted ethical standards.” Which of course weren’t defined.
He turned his computer on, and brought up the shift schedule for the week. The one person he could talk to about this situation wasn’t on today, and hadn’t been on the previous night, so Len decided it was safe to call.
“Hello?”
“Hi, Jacob. It’s Len McCoy from the hospital.”
“Oh, hi, Len. What’s going on?”
“Well, I was wondering if I could run something past you if you had a few minutes.”
“Sure-the kids are at school, and they go to after-school today. Can we do this over the phone, or is it an in-person kind of thing?”
“In person, for sure. Can I meet you somewhere?”
“Hmm, why don’t you come over here? Just so we don’t end up talking about something sensitive at Starbucks.”
“Sure. Thanks.”
Len confirmed his colleague’s address, and drove over. Twenty minutes later, they were seated in Jacob’s den, coffee in hand.
The den was paneled in dark wood, with plenty of built-in storage, and a bar at the far end. The maroon carpeting made the room both snug and quiet, deadening any sound. Len liked it, and felt comfortable.
“So, Len-what’s up?”
“I have this hypothetical situation I want to run past you.”
“Okay,” Jacob said, his expression completely neutral as he sipped from his mug.
Len sighed. “Who am I trying to kid? It’s not hypothetical. It’s real. And I just need a sane opinion about whether I’m doing something totally wrong. I mean, totally wrong as opposed to just slightly wrong. Because I know it’s slightly wrong, but I don’t think I’m doing anything really awful. I don’t think I am, but if I am, I have to end it now.” Despite the coziness of the room, Len was nervous, and couldn’t stop himself from running off at the mouth.
“Lay it on me,” Jacob said, ignoring Len’s obvious discomfort. “I’ll be as honest as I can.”
“Thanks. So. I’ve kind of ended up seeing a patient.”
“Ah. That’s an oldie, but a goodie. Tell me more.”
Len turned his coffee mug around in his hands a few times. “There was … a spark of interest, I think, in the ED. But we both knew that any action on that spark was right out. But now … we’re seeing each other.”
“Okay. First question: how long was it between the patient’s visit to the ED and when you started seeing each other?”
“A few weeks,” Len said, feeling guilty about overstating the length of time.
“And did she seek you out, or did you seek her out?”
Len paused. He decided to ignore the pronoun for the moment, since he didn’t really know how the fact that his date was male might color his colleague’s impressions of the situation. “It wasn’t like that. We ran into each other at the grocery store, and started talking.”
“And you didn’t have any contact with each other between the ED visit and when you ran into each other?”
Len shook his head. “None except a phone call to pass on some lab results that wouldn’t have made it in the mail before the patient’s follow-up with their primary care physician. And that conversation was completely and utterly professional.”
“And do you have any reason to believe that she was stalking you? Trying to run into you?”
“No. None. I’m quite sure it was a total coincidence that we ran into each other at the store. But we did. And then we had coffee. And then a couple days later we went out for dinner,” Len said. He didn’t feel it was necessary to mention the kissing part, even though he couldn’t stop thinking about it.
“I’m betting you’re talking to me about this because it hasn’t gotten heavy yet, but you think it’s about to,” Jacob said.
“Pretty much,” Len said. “We’re planning to see each other tomorrow.”
“I’m wondering whether you feel like there’s any infatuation on her part that could be based on your doctor/patient interactions.”
Len shook his head. “I really don’t think so. The whole family came in with food poisoning. This patient was dangerously dehydrated, and puking and shitting all over the place. Not exactly a set-up for romance.”
Jacob laughed out loud. “No, not exactly the first page of a story-book romance. It’s beyond me how there could be any attraction in either direction in that kind of situation.”
“I don’t get it either. But later, when we had coffee a few weeks later, we talked about the doctor/patient thing. I honestly don’t think there’s any kind of vulnerability, or knight-in-shining-armor syndrome, or anything like that. I really don’t, Jacob. I’ve seen that happen, and I don’t think that’s what this is.”
Jacob nodded. “Okay. Well, here’s my take on this whole thing. It sounds like there’s nothing untoward going on at the moment. It doesn’t sound like she’s interested for the wrong reasons, and it certainly doesn’t sound like you’re taking advantage of anything having to do with the doctor/patient relationship, which is in the past. The timing is a little troublesome, though. If you’d run into each other a few months later, rather than a few weeks later, it would be much more straightforward. But with the way the timing is, if things go bad, she could cry ‘foul,’ and someone would probably listen to her. So even though nothing of the sort will probably happen, I’d still be cautious.”
“That’s kind of my thinking, too,” Len said, sighing again. “No perfect answer. I guess I could … I don’t know. Slow things down.”
“But you really, really don’t want to,” Jacob said. “Which is why you’re here. I’m sorry I can’t give you a better answer other than ‘be cautious,’ but it’s not a black and white situation. Especially with a male doctor and a female patient. I don’t know if the other way would be different-I suspect it probably would. But your situation is just … fraught.”
Len unclenched his jaw, and rubbed his temples, but didn’t say anything. He braced his elbows on his knees, and let his forehead rest on the heels of his hands. In for a penny, in for a pound, he thought.
“I … kind of left something out,” Len said.
“Oh?”
“She’s not a she. He’s a he.” Len’s voice was barely audible, and his eyes were locked onto the toes of his shoes.
“I see,” Jacob said slowly. “All right. Well, first of all, that’s not a problem for me. Just so you know. But to be honest, I really don’t see how it changes the ethics of the situation. But it does mean that any potential complaints could open a can of worms that couldn’t ever be closed.”
“I know,” Len said softly. “Believe me, I do know.”
“So here’s my advice,” Jacob said, “and I’m not gonna ask whether you’re gonna take it or not, because that’s up to you. But here it is: take it slow. Get to know him, really well, before you jump in the sack. Because the less the relationship appears to have started with anything sexual, the better off you are in the unlikely event that the shit hits the fan.”
“Yeah. Okay.” Len blew out a long breath.
“I’m not telling you anything you didn’t already know, am I?” Jacob said.
“Not a thing,” Len admitted. “I just wanted to see if another sane person saw things the same way I did. As a potentially dangerous gray area.”
“That sums it up nicely, Len.” Jacob put his mug down on the table in front of him, and looked Len in the eye. “So be careful,” he concluded.
“I’ll try,” Len said, knowing full well that he and Jim probably wouldn’t be able to keep their hands off each other on their next date.
“Now. As long as you’re here, I have this new video game I’ve been wanting to try. It’ll take your mind off things,” Jacob said. He held up the box, and Len winced.
“Looks like it’ll take my mind off, period. But why the hell not.”
~!~!~!~
By early evening, Len was exhausted. He’d forced himself to stay awake the entire day, so he’d be back on track for day shifts sooner rather than later, and, to be honest with himself, so he’d be able to sleep well enough that night that he’d be able to stay up late with Jim the next day. He cleaned up after dinner, brushed his teeth, changed into flannel pants and a long-sleeved t-shirt, and got into bed with his phone. He called Jim, and was rewarded with an answer on the second ring.
“Bones! I was just thinking about you.”
“Yeah? What’s goin’ on?”
“Well, I just finished cleaning up after dinner. So I was thinking about tomorrow.”
“Uh huh?”
“You come over around four, and I’ll show you around the farm-at least the parts that are doing anything in the winter-and then we can get some chores done. Then I’ll make dinner, and then we can hang out. For as long as we want.”
“You sure we won’t bother your mom?”
“She’s actually staying at her sister’s. So-no problem. What are you doing now?”
“Oh, just about to turn in, I think. I made myself stay awake most of the day, so I’ll be back to a daytime schedule soon. So I’m pretty tuckered out.”
“You sound it,” Jim said. “Tired, but okay, right?”
“Just dandy. Layin’ here in my bed, talkin’ to you.”
“What else did you do today? After lunch?”
“Hung out with a guy from work for a while. Played video games in his man-cave. That’s about all.”
“Well, I did some thinking in the barn today.”
Len’s heart sank. In his experience, “thinking” on the part of a romantic partner usually led to his being dumped. Or divorced. He tried to hide the shaking in his voice as he replied. “Oh? What about?”
“No, Bones! Not that kind of thinking!” Jim said, as if reading his mind. “The kind of thinking where all I could do was wonder what you were up to. The kind of thinking where I wondered what your favorite vegetable is, so I can make it tomorrow. The kind of thinking where I remembered what your body felt like pressed up against mine behind the dumpster this afternoon.”
Len wasn’t sure how his heart tolerated the fast plummet and then the soaring that was happening now. “Mm, I’m remembering that right now, too. How it didn’t seem cold at all any more. How your hands felt on me, pulling us closer together. How I wished we didn’t have thick coats and gloves in the way, this afternoon and last night,” Len said.
“Jesus, Bones. I wish I was right there with you, right now. Not just because it’d be hot, but because I want to know you. I want to get right inside your skin, and know you. I want to watch you fall asleep, and watch you as you’re sleeping, and watch you wake up.”
“Me too,” Len said.
“Tomorrow,” Jim said.
“Tomorrow,” Len agreed. “And broccoli.”
“Huh?”
“My favorite vegetable. Broccoli.”
Jim laughed. “Broccoli it is, then. Along with my extremely mundane spaghetti and meatballs.”
“Good. And I’m about to pass out, here. So I’ll see you at four tomorrow.”
“Looking forward to it,” Jim said, “in case you couldn’t tell.”
“Me, too. See you then.”
“G’night,” Jim said.
“Night.” Len plugged his phone into the charger, and set it on the nightstand. Feeling like a teenager, he folded his hands behind his head and ruminated over the day’s events, and his conversation with Jim.
It was true-he wanted Jim’s body, no question about it, and he felt the warm tingle of knowing he was wanted in the same way. But he also wanted to know Jim-know what made him tick, what was important to him, what he liked, what he hated. He realized they’d made a pretty good start of it, at dinner the previous night, and at this afternoon’s lunch. And he liked that. He liked that they hadn’t just fallen into bed with each other. But he also greatly looked forward to the moment they did, and it was pretty damned obvious that was going to be tomorrow.
He fell asleep imagining not just the intense thrill of exploring another person’s body, and being explored, and chasing down the orgasm, but also the deeper thrill of holding Jim close to him, with nothing in the way. He slept more easily than he thought he would, and his dreams were like the Thai food they’d enjoyed together the previous night: hot, but with an underlying sweetness that both complemented the heat and made it last longer.
~!~!~!~
Twenty miles away, Jim was too distracted by the conversation he’d just finished to do anything productive at all. He’d been in the kitchen when he answered the phone, but quickly ran upstairs to his study, since Winona was well within earshot from her place in the living room. He put his phone down on the rickety table next to the threadbare but comfortable recliner where he did his reading for school, and kicked back in the chair.
He imagined watching Bones fall asleep. Would the perpetual creases between his eyebrows soften, or even disappear? Or would he scowl in his sleep, finding something to be cranky about even in his dreams?
What might his face look like, from below, in the dim light of Jim’s bedroom, as Bones straddled Jim on the navy-blue sheets of his bed, and as Jim’s hands found his ass and kneaded the cheeks, which he knew would be the absolute perfect combination of pliant and firm?
“Fucking hell,” Jim said to himself, as he realized he’d fantasized himself right into a raging hard-on. He went to his room to snag his robe on the way to his bathroom, where he’d just have his nighttime shower a little on the early side.
On to Part 6a.