Well, Well, Well

Tim came around last night, he'd had an argument with Nicholas about Nicholas' homophobic, scrubber sister coming to visit, from Tasmania, in a few days.

We got chatting about Nicholas' many and varied relatives, eventually turning to Nicholas' cute cousin Craig, from the other night - mainly from me steering the conversation in that direction because I wanted to talk about him. Was I taken with him? I suspect so. The other night, Craig had told me about his struggles with drugs and his history of poofta bashing when he was much younger.

You know, I was never for it, he said, as the two of us sat in the back yard together, as the sun set.

Well, you don't have to be for it, I replied. You just don't have to be against it.

He smiled, his eyes intense, as we gazed at each other in the gentle light.

You're gay, I assume, he said. He shrugged. It's not something I'm proud of, now. I was young...

Did he just acknowledge that I was checking him out? I thought. Yes.

Why is Nicholas' sister homophobic, I asked Tim. Craig seemed to be comfortable with Nicholas being gay.

Did he tell you about being in jail, asked Tim. Then he made a cock sucking face.

No, he didn't. What do you mean?

Apparently, he took to it easily in jail, said Tim. So his wife stirs him about it now a days.

He told his wife?

Yes, said Tim. Apparently.

So maybe when Craig slipped his hand into his pocket, at the party and fiddled discreetly, looking over at me, surreptitiously, it wasn't in my head, after all. And boy was he cute! Short dark hair, olive skin and a smile that could melt even the hardest heart. And a bulge in his jeans that was worth a second look, let me tell you. If I knew then what I know now, I might have actually put the hard word on him, instead of telling myself that he was Nicholas' cousin and I should tread carefully.

You know, you're all right, Chris, he said, drunkenly, smiling at me. If he said that once he said it many times. Maybe I'm just a little slow on the up-take? Maybe? I guess I'll never see him again. Sigh.