Page 59 of Drink Up, Darling
“You want that?” It was Dariel’s turn to swallow hard.
“Very much so.”
They were moving before Dariel could really process what they were doing, his body positioning itself like muscle memory—already knowing what to expect from his partner. The bedside drawer opened, and Godwin moved to position himself overDariel, strong legs straddling him as Dariel assisted in removing his drawstring shorts.
It was much softer than anything they did the previous night—each finger stroke drawn out in the way of a carefully choreographed routine. They both understood this was never going to be the final time.
Then came the final act, Dariel biting down hard onto the pillow as Godwin inserted himself all the way, jolting their bodies together as gently as possible—Dariel noting how much time and care Godwin put into each thrust.
“Don’t leave us,” he found himself saying, letting his thoughts spill out between cries of pain and pleasure.
Dariel fell asleep not long after, flat on his front with his arms pillowing his cheek. Legs and arse pleasurably sore. He heard Godwin leave then come back with the fresh nature scent of his body-wash; felt the sunlight on his eyelids before he turned his head.
He vaguely remembered hearing the door open again and a mug being placed on the table beside him. He felt the weight of another step over him and settle between them. An arm covered his body and pulled him closer, but he was fast asleep again before he could note anything else.
Epilogue
Two weeks later
“We leave you alone for an hour. Honestly Dariel, what a mess.” Athens appeared at the door, closely followed by a flustered Godwin, oil staining both their overalls—the pair of them having come back inside after spending the morning fixing up Godwin’s 1989 BMW M3 he’d not used since the early nineties. It was going to take a lot of work, but Athens said he was up for the challenge, so that’s what had occupied a lot of their time the past few days. Dariel didn’t know a great deal about cars, nor did he particularly enjoy staring at their undersides, so he usually just stood and passed them things as they both talked near gibberish about gears and suspensions. That day, he’d decided to dye his hair.
“Look at poor Godwin’s sink, will that come out?” Athens said in half jest, Godwin already butting in and saying it was fine. Godwin stepped over to wash his hands and smiled softly, looking up at the dark brown disaster all over Dariel’s head and ears and… face.How did I manage to get it on my chin?He thought, catching an awkward glimpse at himself in the mirror.
“Is that your natural hair colour?” Godwin asked, looking for a towel to dry his hands.
Dariel scrunched his face. “Not really, I’m hoping it will fade to more of a coppery blond. It’s meant to…” he held up the dye box with a smiling woman on the cover with a very different hair colour to what Dariel was currently sporting.
“I liked the icy blond,” Athens stated from the doorway, arms folded. Dariel couldn’t quite make out if that was meant to be as harsh as he’d taken it.
“It will fade,” he said, quieter and more embarrassed.
Finally Athens’ façade cracked. “You could have any hair or no hair at all and it wouldn’t change my opinion of you.”
“Oh,” Dariel said in realisation, dropping his head and blushing. A drop of excess dye landed on the cream bath rug beneath his feet and he bent to stop it a second too late, mind not really engaged with his surroundings.
“Right, that’s it, I’m grabbing a bin bag. Head over the sink, Dariel.”
Dariel did as he was told, Athens leaving the room and Godwin squeezing his shoulders.
“You’re very handsome, Athens thinks so too. He says it a lot,” Godwin whispered, the pair of them locking eyes with their mirror selves. “You will suit this hair!”
You are very handsome, John.
Friday night became Dariel’s turn to cook. Or at least it was heading that way. He didn’t mind, just needed to refresh his memory onmostmeals. The most he’d ever cook for himself in the past was the occasional rare steak or maybe a burger if he was feeling extra low on energy.
Now he was serving up the finest spaghetti bolognaise north of Italy.Well.
“If it’s shit, we can raid Godwin’s wine cabinet to wash it down,” he said, lighting the candles in the middle of the table, the two men already tucking in. Dariel and Athens had very small portions, eating more for politeness, but Dariel still tried. Godwin seemed to be enjoying his.
They talked, as they usually did. Athens had been drawing up some design plans the past few days and wanted to share his ideas.
Godwin cleared up, as per his role for the evening, then they retired to the library, falling into routine.
Godwin lit the fire. Athens sat down last. “Well, what a lovely evening. I’m getting rather used to this, aren’t you?” He addressed them both, free hand patting Godwin’s inner thigh. “I definitely think green. For the box room.”
“I agree, though I may be biased.” Godwin nodded.
“I’ll be able to take the empty boxes down to the recycling unit tomorrow, they empty the bins every other Friday, right?” Dariel joined in, thinking about how much they’d managed to clear up in such a short space of time. They’d emptied most of the downstairs in the two weeks since they joined him; the whole place lighter and more… alive.
