Dearly Beloved

xi. The Bar

When Dominic had arrived at the door of the first bar he hadn’t been even able to get in. This could be more difficult than he had thought. He went from bar to bar, pleaded, begged, even flirted sometimes. But with no success.

“Come on, man! I really had a bad day! I need to get inside!”

Dominic gave the door keeper the most innocent look possible. The big guy just stared down at him, but then – finally – he stepped aside and let Dom in. Dominic breathed out with relief. Yes! Party time! Although…what was there to party?

Well, at least he got in. After all, this seemed to be some kind of gay bar. There was a little stage where two male dancers were, well, dancing, almost naked by the way. Dom licked his lips. Whoa, was it hot in here or was it just him? He noticed a free seat at the bar and ordered a cola. No older, hot and horny guy around so he had to get drunk with coke and still water. He blew through the straw so that the coke was bubbling in the glass.

“Hey there!”, he suddenly heard someone say. Dom didn’t pay attention to that at first, doubting that this someone meant him.

“Hey, what did I do already to be ignored by you, kiddo?”

All right, that call was definitely for him. He looked to the right and was now staring into the face of a handsome, young man. Man. No boy. That was good for Dom. The stranger had black short hair, dark eyes, Dom guessed, and wore a black suit.

“I didn’t think that you meant me. Sorry.”, Dom answered and smiled slightly. He had done this before, flirting to get his aims.

“If I hadn’t meant you I would have told you.”, the man laughed. “I’m Matthew, by the way. And you are…?”

“Dominic. Dom.”

“Well, nice to meet you, Dominic Dom.”

“Listen, Matthew, I don’t want to make you any hopes. I’m here to drink. And if you won’t pay me at least one drink I will leave this bar at once.”

“You think that would stop me?” Matthew smirked. “But all right, I’ll get you a drink. But let’s go somewhere more comfortable at first.”

Dominic nodded and followed Matthew, after he had order one bottle of Scotch and two glasses, to a door that obviously led to the “Privacy Rooms”. Matthew held open the door and let Dom step through first in a corridor, then led him by putting his hands on Dom’s shoulder to another door, another room. Now they were alone. There was a bed, large one, king-size perhaps, some white fur on the red carpeted floor and a black leather couch with a glass table standing in front of it.

They sat down and started drinking the moment the Scotch was brought; chatted, laughed and sometimes talked seriously. Dominic though didn’t tell him about Billy. That was his own business, he wanted to solve this problem on his own. Somewhere between eleven o’clock and midnight Matthews hand landed more often on Dom’s knee, thigh, sliding up higher and higher every time. Dominic started feeling uncomfortable. He hated being touched. And especially being touched by some stranger who was only after Dom’s body. He was drunk, oh yes, but not too drunk to realize what Matthew was up to.

“I think I’ll better go now.”, Dom suddenly said and stood up from the couch. Matthew seized Dom’s hand though, not letting it go so easily.

“Oh come on, stay, just a few minutes more. I could take you to places you’ve never been before, I could show you emotions you never felt before.”

“Yeah, I believe that. But I’m seventeen and I don’t really like what you are saying. Sorry. I explained you that I didn’t want anything going on between us. I only wanted to drink…”

But Matthew didn’t let go so easily. He was the one with more strength, and so with one strong pull of his arm Dom was forced to sit down again. Matthew at once was on him and pressed his lips on Dom’s. Dom tried to kick and free himself but it seemed hopeless. And suddenly it struck him like lighting. He was in the same situation that Billy was in some days ago. Dominic had forced himself on Billy, wanted more than Billy wanted. Oh my God. It was only now that he understood what he had done. Thinking of that he suddenly had stopped defending himself and lay still on the couch, staring at the ceiling, motionless.

Apparently Dom’s nonexistent participation in this lovemaking disturbed Matthew for he let go of Dom and looked at him confusingly.

“I think you really should go now.”, he said. He had a strange gaze in his eyes, as like he would remember something. “Sorry for that…”, he added in a whisper.

Dominic didn’t need to hear that twice and left the room at once. Although he was curious about Matthew, what made him stop? Bad experience? All at once Dom felt very dizzy and sleepy. He was more drunk than he had thought. Everything was circling and he could not focus properly. Yet somehow he managed to get outside, he could not even remember how. With all the music and the people but finally he breathed in some fresh air. Oxygen streamed into his brain and he started to think sensible again. That didn’t solve his problems at all. But it had drowned them for a while. He started walking down the streets, glad that Matthew had found to his senses. He threw the hood of his pullover over his head and was on his way to the place where he had left his bike.

“Now will you look who we got here?”

Uhoh. That voice sounded familiar. It couldn’t be the guys from the school, could it?

“At last we meet again, Dominic. It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”

“What d’you want, Liam?”, Dom asked threateningly.

“Maybe…revenge? I don’t know how or why or when you did it but Mr. Holloway kept watching us for the whole goddamn week. And I can’t help but think that it was you who took care of that.”

A fist hit Dom unexpectedly in his stomach. He dropped to his knees.

“Take him over there!”, Liam ordered his three companions and they all dragged him into a little side street. Dom was being roughly thrown to the hard stone ground.

“Thought we would stop, didn’t ya, fag?”

Another punch in the stomach. Dominic didn’t even had the strength to defend himself anymore, so he endured the beating. At first only Liam had attacked him, then all of them were hitting and punching fists and feet into Dom’s weak and fragile body. Eventually they let go of Dominic when they noticed that he didn’t make a move.

“You think he’s still alive?”, one of the boys asked.

“Of course he is, stupid!”, Liam shouted at him. The night was cold and white puffs of air came out of Dom’s mouth. “See? He’s still breathing!

“Hey! What do you think you’re doing there!”

This could not be. This was not happening. Someone helped him. Someone wanted to safe him. Rescue him. Keep him from falling down. Going under. Dying again.

Dom tried to cry out the name of that someone, but his call ended up to be a soft and painful whisper.

“Josh…”