Page 26 of Good Friends
Over the next three weeks, Dane ended up in Porter’s bed more often than not in the middle of the night, but they still weren’ttalkingabout it. Porter had opted to wait and see where this led rather than confronting him. Wasn’t like it was a hardship for him, even if it wasn’t sexual between them. Porter always made sure to wear boxers or sleep shorts to bed because he didn’t want to freak Dane out.
He grew to learn to listen for Dane, the sound of his thrashing in bed, the way his cheap-ass bedframe creaked. By the time Dane made it to his bed, Porter would have scooted far to the side to make room, and was facing toward the open space, his arms open to him.
Week four, when Dane came to him, Porter buried his face in Dane’s hair and told him it was okay to start out in his bed at night instead of waiting. So they could both sleep better.
It was another two weeks before Dane did just that.
And another week after that when Dane skimmed off his shorts before climbing in bed with him, this time not wanting to sleep.
* * * *
Rain like they had today always triggered Dane in deep and bad ways, making him want Porter to distract him by spanking him and fucking him hard. Tying him up.
But always only after he asked for it.
If Porter ever tried to offer or suggest, it sent Dane scurrying, so he quickly learned never to ask Dane.
He soon realized he never had to.
Porter also quickly learned that when Dane asked for it, the cutting…didn’t stop totally, but it rarely happened then.
They’d been living together for almost eight months and doing this dance with each other when, after a rainy, stormy night spent fucking each other until their balls were empty, Dane got drunk on tequila and told Porter about his four years of hell, and one of his older half-brothers, who was almost thirteen years older than him and lived with them—their father and Dane’s mom, the man’s fourth wife.
The first time it’d happened, Dane had only been six.
How everyone in his family, including his five grown half-brothers, grandparents, and his own mother and father, blamed him for his brother going to jail. Why Dane had left Arkansas as soon as he’d graduated from tech school.
And why Dane was now a cutter and had the nightmares, especially on the stormy nights.
* * * *
Ten years ago…
“I’m going to miss this place.” Dane stood at the back window and stared out at the misting rain.
Porter walked up behind him and waited for Dane to lean back.
Not only did he do that, he pulled Porter’s arms around him and tightly held on to him like that.
Porter gently rested his chin on top of Dane’s head. So would he. “We don’t need to go. They said they’d extend our contracts, if we wanted.” He’d actually extended his past the two years he’d first planned on working here so he could stay with Dane.
Dane sighed. “No, it’s time for us to move on. We’re going to make better money in Lakeland, anyway. Before, this was the better bet.”
“I’ll have plenty of room in my place.” Porter was renting a mobile home not far from the airport they’d both found mechanic jobs at in Lakeland. Not the fanciest place, but a three-two, and cheap rent because it belonged to a cousin of a future coworker.
More than big enough for two people
They weren’t “dating.”
They weren’t “boyfriends.”
They weren’t “lovers” or “Dominant and submissive” in label, because any of those labels, and their potential for making it back to anyone Dane still had living in his family, especially his mother, terrified him.
They wereabsolutelyfriends.
But since they’d been living together, Porter didn’t even try to go out with anyone else except as friends.
Didn’t want to.
