Arabian Nights Ch. 03

"You're home early," Zane comments, surprised to see me.

"Yeah, I had too much overtime." My shift wasn't supposed to end until midnight tonight. "Boss let me off early," I say, but I'm eyeing this guy I don't recognize.

"Awesome," Zane says, standing up a little straighter. "Well, um... this is Brad," he says, gesturing to his friend. "Brad, this is my buddy, Khalid."

"The infamous roomie," Brad says in his slightly effeminate voice. I arch my brow. Infamous? What does that mean? But he holds his hand out to me. "Nice to meet you, man."

"Same," I say, shaking his hand and looking him over. He looks like a Brad, just in the way that he's irritatingly good-looking. I notice he's very clean-cut, too, but so clean that he looks a touch fem.

"You hungry? I ordered some pizza," Zane says to me. "Should be here any minute."

"Oh, nice," I say, nodding. The thought of pizza disarms me for a moment as I realize how hungry I am. I haven't eaten since this morning. "Um. I should shower, but save me a few slices?"

"You got it, bro."

I nod, smiling amicably at Brad before going between them and heading down the hallway to my bedroom. As I strip down and get ready to shower, I can't help but wonder what's going on. Are they friends? Is this Zane's new boyfriend? He's been way more open with me about who he used to date after he came out, but he hasn't ever mentioned a Brad. Oh man... There's that jealous feeling again.

I take a quick, soothing shower and then change into some shorts and a comfy crewneck before following the smell of pizza into the living room. It has my mouth salivating, and I interrupt their conversation to lean over and grab the largest slice of pepperoni. "Don't mind me."

Zane chuckles before patting the couch. "Sit down."

I look at him, and then Brad, who's sitting on the floor up against the coffee table as he chews on his slice of pizza. "I don't wanna intrude," I say.

"You're not intruding," he says. "We're just talking about Brad's new boyfriend."

"He's not my boyfriend," Brad says quickly, and Zane laughs.

So they're not dating? I don't know why that makes me feel relieved. "Who's your not-boyfriend?" I ask, sitting down next to Zane and then taking a bite of my pizza.

"Just some guy who used to bully me in high school," Brad says, rolling his eyes. "Now he's been up my ass about seeing me."

"Literally," Zane mumbles, and Brad kicks his shin, making Zane laugh.

I smirk slightly. "So you're fucking the guy who used to bully you?" I ask.

Brad sighs. "I mean, sure, we fucked once. Now it's weird and he won't leave me alone."

"I still don't get how it's weird," Zane comments.

"Sex changes how you see a person," Brad explains mid-chew.

"No it doesn't," Zane says.

I decide to chime in. "I'm with Brad on this one."

"*Thank* you," Brad says gratefully before smiling at Zane.

Zane rolls his eyes. "Alright, it can, but it shouldn't."

"It shouldn't, but it does," Brad says, shrugging. "We could talk in circles about that for hours, but the point is, when you have sex with someone, you look at them differently." Brad takes a bite out of his crust. "Now that I bedded Paul, all I can see is his weird o-face."

Zane laughs, but I ask a question. "Sorry, but... and like, do what you want, but why'd you fuck him at all?"

"Seriously?" Brad asks.

"Seriously."

"I mean... he's hot," Brad says plainly, and Zane chuckles. "Honestly, he's still a douche, but it was kind of a conquest thing for me, so."

"A conquest thing?"

"Yeah, like..." Brad searches for the words.

Zane chimes in, though. "Like, fucking someone just to say you fucked them."

Brad gives Zane a look. "Harsh, but sure."

I laugh a little. "So it's just for the story? Was it even good?"

"Oh come on," Brad says to me, clearly thinking I'm judging him or poking fun. "You've never fucked a guy just to add another notch to your belt?"

Zane speaks up, pointing to me with his thumb as he addresses Brad. "Khalid's straight."

Brad actually looks surprised. "You are?" he asks, looking at me before turning to Zane. "But... didn't you two...?" And then he trails off.

There's this indescribably tense moment before Zane puts his hand over his eyes and sighs in frustration, and I feel my entire body warm up. "Why did you...?" Zane mutters softly, not looking at either of us.

Brad clearly can see that he said something he wasn't supposed to, because he says "Well this is awkward" in that stupid way people acknowledge a very obvious set of circumstances. Does that mean... Zane remembers? That fucker. He lied to me! How did he manage to play it off exceedingly well, acting as normal as possible all week? I had no idea he remembered. Maybe I was just seeing what I wanted to see. Maybe he doesn't think it's that huge of a concern.

But it was obviously something to him if he mentioned it to Brad. He probably said something along the lines of "Holy shit, dude, I hooked up with my best friend/roommate last weekend" without giving any serious context. I don't know what to say. I just clutch onto my pizza, wishing I could evaporate on the spot. Would it be better to sit here as still as a statue or gracelessly leave the room as if admitting defeat?

For nearly half a minute, none of us say anything. Brad just chews on his pizza, Zane stares at the ceiling, and I just sit there completely tense. I'm afraid of moving for some reason. But then Zane clears his throat, laughing nervously. "I don't know what to say."

A feeling I know all too well. But what *has* he said already? I wonder how in-depth he went in telling Brad about what happened between us, even though I have a feeling he didn't go into too much detail considering Brad thought I was gay, too. "Let's just forget I said anything," Brad suggests, biting his lip as he looks between us, waiting for one of us to speak. When we take too long, he asks a question directly to me. "What do you do for work, Khalid?"

The three of us end up chatting (albeit awkwardly) for however long it takes for us to eat through the two small pizzas. The conversation is clearly an attempt to forget that little awkward interaction, and we all know it. I at least learn the nature of their relationship, though: Zane and Brad are coworkers. They've gotten closer lately because of their similar "coming-out" situations. Brad's dad is a total hard-ass, much like Seth, so Zane is trying to take Brad's advice (with a grain of salt) in how to deal with an intolerant father: keep your distance, and don't try to change their minds because they're far too set in their ways. I don't know if I completely agree, but then again, I'm not the one with experience in these matters.

Once we've had our fill of pizza, the conversation dies out a bit. Eating served as a distraction from the earlier tension, and now that we're all full, sitting idly is much more difficult. I think Brad senses that he fucked up the dynamic for the evening, so he says he's going to go, hitting the coffee table to announce his leave. He stands up and shakes my hand before Zane walks him to the door. I watch them hug, and after Brad starts heading down the hallway, Zane locks up and then sighs.

He pauses for a moment before coming back over to the couch and sitting down. I notice he sits even closer to the edge of the couch than before, adding just a touch extra distance between us. After he lets the silence hang for a second, he speaks up. "Sorry about that."

Of course I know exactly what he's referring to. "It's okay," I say automatically. Then: "I thought you didn't remember."

"Of course I remember," he says as if I should have known better. "No one really gets *that* fucked up, Khalid." He tries to smile but still looks nervous. "I'm sorry. Part of me wanted to talk about it, but I thought I'd... I don't know, let you off the hook or something."

"Let me off the hook?" I question, though as I'm saying it, I think I see what he's getting at: he probably lied so that I wouldn't have to address it to him if I didn't want to - which is what I somewhat hoped for, isn't it?

"I panicked," he says. "Again." Then he looks at me for the first time since he sat back down. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry for lying, and I'm sorry for throwing that stupid party, and I'm sorry for kissing you, and I'm sorry for-"

But I miss whatever he says next, because my brain is focused on one part: he's sorry for kissing me. Is that what he thinks happened? That *he* kissed *me*? I glance at him slightly. "You know I kissed *you*, right?"

He stares at me for a moment. "Really?"

"Yeah."

"Huh." He pauses, his eyes scanning my face. "I mean, it was foggy, but I could have sworn..."

"Nope," I say simply. My throat feels itchy all of a sudden, and now I wish I wore a t-shirt so I could sweat this out comfortably.

The silence is so drawn out that, after a while, I wonder if Zane is just waiting for me to elaborate. Then, he tilts his head a bit and confirms my suspicions: "Why?"

How do I answer this? Do I just say all the confusing things I'm feeling in the hopes that he'll weave something sensible together, or do I play it safe? I choose to start off somewhat safe. "I don't know," I say. "Curiosity?"

He nods a couple times. "Makes sense."

I almost laugh at the easy way he seems to accept my half-assed response. "Does it?"

He just smiles slightly. "I don't know," he says, laughing slightly to himself. There he goes again, trying to let me off easy. Then his eyes scan my face before settling on my chin, maybe my lips. "I don't regret it, you know."

"Really?"

"Yeah. I mean, I feel bad for falling asleep on you," he says with a smirk, and both of us laugh. That feels nice, bringing some humor into this situation. I feel a little lighter, a little less tense. "But I'm not like, mad it happened. I just didn't want to make it weird," Zane adds, "if you just wanted to, like, forget about it."

"I *did* want to forget about it," I tell him, tugging on a few hairs on my thigh. "But honestly? I couldn't."

I peer over at Zane, and our eyes meet - shiftily, I'll admit, but they keep finding each other. I gulp a bit, thinking of Baba and his advice. I even think of Zane, who has been happier living more honestly and openly. Should I do the same?

But he asks me something before I can even think of what to say. "Is that a... bad thing?" he asks.

"Um... No," I admit. "I, uh... I liked it," I add after a moment, scratching my head. "A lot, actually."

Zane smiles a bit. "Yeah?"

Seeing the gentleness in his smile makes me want to open up a little more - but I keep a bit of humor with it in order to maintain a lightness about this conversation. "Pretty sure you turned me bicurious or something," I say with a playful grin.

He lets out a little laugh. "I think that ship has sailed," he says, though it's in a half-joking manner. "It's not exactly curiosity anymore if your curiosity is satisfied, right?"

"I didn't say it was satisfied."

He stares at me hard for a moment, his eyebrows raised. At that shift in his expression, I feel my face getting warm, and I try to maintain composure. Did I really just say that out-loud and so pointedly? What was I thinking? What is *he* thinking?

I decide to apologize. "Sorry," I say quickly, trying to laugh it off.

"No, you're... you're good," he says, though he's eyeing me a little differently. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"How long have you been... 'curious'?"

I bite my lip a bit. "A little while, I guess," I say, thinking back to that night I jerked off to a nude photo of Zane. Fuck, why'd I delete that? "Since you broke it off with Jason."

"Not before?"

"Not really," I say with a shrug. "I never really thought about it 'til then."

"'It'?"

"You," I clarify, and his eyes open a little wider before he nods a bit to himself.

"Wow," he says softly.

"What?"

"Nothing. Just..." He scratches his scruffy little beard a bit, dragging his nails across his jaw. "It's just surprising."

I smile a little. "Surprised me too."

Zane laughs before looking at me, back to that soft smile that seems to relax me. "Why'd you wait so long?"

I blink. "What?"

"Woulda been nice if you were into me earlier. Save me the heartbreak." He grins in a way that makes me think he's teasing me.

"Whoa, whoa, I didn't say I was into you," I say with a laugh, holding my hands up.

"My apologies - 'bicurious for me'," he corrects himself with a mocking tone, laughing.

I roll my eyes, half-chuckling. "Don't make fun of me right now."

"I'm serious!"

"How is that serious?"

He smiles. "I don't know," he says softly, almost in a whisper. He just stares at me, and after a moment, I feel nervous under his gaze because neither of us aren't looking away. Our eyes might drift slightly, but not far - only to glance at eyebrows, or the hairline, or maybe the suddenly-all-too-fascinating shape of each other's lips. Fuck, his lips... Why do they look so incredibly enticing right now, more so than usual?

I think we're thinking the same thing, because both of us laugh nervously. They're soft laughs, small chuckles that allow us a reprieve from our staring contest in order to look away for a moment. But then, our faces are turned back towards each other within seconds. It can't just be me, right? He feels it too: the want, the desire.

I'm staring so intently back at Zane that I don't even notice his hand moving until I feel it touch my thigh. I almost jump, looking down at his thick fingers sliding up the side of my leg. When he sees that I don't stop him, he inches higher. His hand goes over my pocket and then smoothly shifts to my hip before coming to a rest at my side. I feel him grip a bit, and when I look at him, he tugs on my shirt as if asking me to come a little closer. So I do. I lean in, and he leans in, and, surprisingly smoothly, our lips come together.

Fuck. Fuck yes. He has the same idea as I do: no pecking, no coming up for air. These are deep kisses, lips mashing against each other by the force of necessity. I sure as hell needed this. I needed to kiss him again. Now that Zane is sober, though, his kisses feel even better than I remember, his lips softer and fuller. And when I tease him with a bit of tongue, he lets out a soft laugh against my lips, smiling before giving tongue back to me ten-fold. I start to lean into him more now, reaching forward to grasp at any article of clothing I can get my fingers around. Without looking, I manage to clutch onto his shirt, but it's right in the front, so terribly close to his groin. I can't tell if the back of my hand nudges his bulge or his thigh, but regardless, it excites me. It makes me deepen the kisses even more. All I can hear is our heavy inhaling, moan-filled exhales, and the lewd smacks of wet lips against lips. Zane's large hand rests on the back of my head, combing through my hair and keeping a firm grip on me that says, "You're not going anywhere, Khalid."

Then: a knock on the door. It startles us both enough for us to abruptly pull back. We both stare at each other, breathing heavily for a moment, our lips damp with each other's saliva. I start laughing. I don't really know why, but I do, and Zane joins in briefly before there's another knock at the door and a muffled "Hello?" coming through it.

Zane rubs his hand over his face before standing up. I notice him adjust himself before he heads towards the door, and I realize that I have to do the same. My cock, somehow hard without me even really noticing during the kiss, is straining against my briefs at a weird angle. I reach in and shift my boner to the side before Zane opens the door. Quickly, I wipe my lips with the back of my hand as none other than Brad pops in.

"Forgot my fucking wallet," he says, heading right into the kitchen. Zane just stays by the open door, glancing at me with an amused sort of smirk. I listen to Brad shuffle around before he finds his wallet and then takes his leave. "Sorry. Thanks. See you Monday," he says to Zane.

Zane nods. "See ya," he says, shutting the door once Brad is gone. Once again he locks up, and once again he sighs before turning to me. This time, he smiles a bit and then rubs the back of his neck. "Fucking Brad."

I laugh. "Fucking Brad," I concur, nodding a little before leaning against the couch on my side.

Zane comes back over and then sits perpendicular to me, resting against the back of the couch. He seems to want to say something, so I wait for him to speak. "Question," he says, looking at me. "Are we doing this?"

"Seriously?" I ask, cocking my brow.

"What? I don't wanna push you into anything."

Fair, but I still laugh. "It's just weird when it doesn't happen... organically," I say.

He rolls his eyes. "So, you want me to organically put my cock in you?"

My eyes go wide before I see that he's grinning. "Are you k-?"

"Yes, I'm kidding," he says. "Unless...?"

"No."

He laughs. "I figured." Then he smiles a bit, his hand going back to my thigh. He gives it a light squeeze as he licks his lips. That's all the signal I need. I immediately lean forward, moving my hand to the back of his head to continue kissing him. We start over, start slower, taking the time to enjoy the feeling of each other's lips before we start to move a little more.

Soon, Zane starts to get more handsy, putting both of his hands at my sides before they move to my hips. Then, gripping the hem of my shirt, he starts to pull it up. Naturally, I lift my arms and pull back from his lips, letting him strip my crewneck off of my torso. He doesn't wait a moment to continue kissing me though. As he pulls my shirt off of my arms, his lips are moving right against mine like a dance, slow and methodical. I hear my shirt fall to the floor before Zane starts leaning into me more - enough so that I end up on my back with him hovering over me.

When he breaks the kiss, I pant slightly, looking up at Zane. He just hits me with a little smile before starting to move down my body. One kiss on my chest, a quick lick of my nipple, dragging his scruffy chin across my stomach. I bite my lip a bit, watching him move closer and closer to my groin. His hands, which start from my pecs and then slide down my sides, grip onto my shorts and start tugging them down just as his lips reach the waistband. One good tug and my shorts are off my hips. My cock is exceptionally prominent right now, completely outlined in my briefs after I moved it to the side. Zane grins a bit at the sight of it before leaning in, opening his mouth, and attempting to wrap his lips around the head through the fabric. I moan softly, his saliva soaking the front of my briefs, his tongue pressing insistently at my cock. It's like a tease, watching him suck on me through my underwear.

Then, finally, he peels back my briefs, my cock flopping into view. He reaches forward and wraps his thick fingers around my member, making it throb. "I've always said you have a pretty cock," he says, smirking up at me as he rubs the side of my shaft against his face.

"Shut up," I mutter, my sensitive head being tickled by his facial hair. He just chuckles a bit before giving it one quick kiss and then engulfing me with his mouth. I moan out, my body relaxing. Fuck. I just sink into his warm, wet mouth, feeling myself drip with every lap of his tongue. My eyes close for a moment as he takes control of my pleasure with a firm grip and an eager mouth. I look down at him and watch closely, but while I'm also enjoying the sensations, I'm also studying. I'm watching the way he bobs up and down slowly before taking me into his throat, struggling for just a second before he can really sink down on me. I'm watching the way he pops off the tip of my cock to lap at the head or the sides of my shaft, lapping up any spit dripping down my member. I'm watching the way he kisses down to my balls and lets his tongue roll around each nut. These are things I have to keep in mind - the way the lips, tongue, and throat work so nicely together.