Cherish

Karl had waited, and stopped waiting when midnight hit and it was evident that David was not coming back. He went to bed, rubbing at his sore chest. The pain wasn’t outside, but rather something deeper within. Reaching for the pillow beside his he pulled it into the cradle of his arms and into the curve of his chest, holding it as he would a lover had he one there with him. Is that where David was, with his lover? Had Viggo won?

Sleep was long in coming, but it did come. Karl was sucked into the vortex of a dream that he couldn’t escape. At first it was only David and he, both sitting under a tree and surrounded by flowers. The heady scent intoxicated them, and they danced through the matting of them, casting petals and more perfume into the air. They fell laughing and kissing on a soft knoll of earth and grass.

‘Touch me, David. I want you to touch me so much,’ he hotly urged against the redhead’s lips.

The Aussie obliged, eager to explore and become familiar with his new lover. Karl moaned and arched into the wide hands, twisting and shifting to help give better access. Then a shadow covered them, and David moved away. ‘No, don’t leave me!’ he reached for David.

‘I’m sorry,’ David moved to where Viggo stood. ‘I love him.’

‘No, you don’t or you wouldn’t have been here with me! You said you’re unhappy. I can give you everything he won’t!’ he shouted, jumping to his feet as the other two’s shapes began to dwindle the farther they moved from him. ‘I love you!’ he begged.

With a gasp Karl sat up in bed, blinking. It took a moment to realize he’d been dreaming, and yet it was quite prophetic. Groaning he lowered his head to his hands, his proud shoulders slumping. “Jesus bloody Christ, I’ve fallen in love with a man who loves someone else.”

Insistent pounding at the door made the Kiwi scowl and wrap a sheet about his waist. He had a feeling he knew who it was, and he didn’t think he’d be too happy to see him right now. Pulling the door open he scowled at the redhead on the other side of the threshold.

David’s chin rose, and he met the glare without flinching. “I’m sorry. I had every intention of being here last night, but…” Karl snorted and turned away, heading back inside so the Aussie entered the hoteom aom and shut the door behind him. “I did have the intention of being here. I even went shopping to put some kind of surprise together for for for what you did for me. I’ve never woken up to a room full of flowers before, and…”

“Save it,” Karl dismissively waved an arm, his back still to the other man. “So it meant so much to you that you spent the night fucking with Viggo.”

Wincing David hissed in a breath. Low blow, but too bloody accurate. “He was drunk, in my apartment, and…”

“And lov love him and can’t resist his bloody charms.” Karl fell in a plush chair and regarded the man he loved with forced indifference. “Whatever gets you hard, mate.”

Holding out a pleading hand David shook his head. “Don’t do this, Karl.”

“Don’t do what? Tell the truth? One of us has to,” he shot, now unable to hide the anger from burning in his eyes. The redhead was taken aback by his verbal attack so he forced neutrality out instead. With a shrug he got more comfortable in the chair. “Viggo drunk is pretty persistent, if I remember correctly.”

Startled David blinked. “What do you mean?” He was afraid to know, but had to.

“In New Zealand when we were filming there was a stretch where we had a few days off. Viggo and I went out to see if we could get lucky, he had a few more drinks than I did, and we both got lucky that night. That’s the night I came to the blaring conclusion that sex with a man was as good as with a woman, and in some cases even better.”

Shocked David took a step back, and came to a stop against shutshut door. “You and Viggo?”

“He never told you?” Karl chuckled. “Oh yes, we had one hell of a fuck-fest that night. Next morning he bluntly told me not to expect more than what had happened. He wasn’t lookfor for forever, you see. I guess you’re privileged, really. How long have you been in his bed?”

“Six months,” the reply was soft and stunned.

Karl nodded, pushed up to his feet, and his lashes fell to cover the pain in his eyes. “Six months. Imagine that. So no need to break the news to me that you’re his, I may be a lot of things, but stupid isn’t one of them, mate. Hope the two of you are bloody happy together.”

David leapt forward when Karl began to walk away. “He let me inside him. He’s never done that before. It’s always been him in control, but last night it was me.”

The confirmation that the Aussie had been with Viggo sent that pain in his chest again, and he rubbed at it as though trying to ease it. “I’ll see if Hallmark makes a card to celebrate that fact, and send it to you.”

He was walking away again, and David caught at his arm. “What the bloody hell is wrong with you? You’re being deliberately cruel.”

“It’s a little side-effect that afflicts me when my heart is broken. But don’t worry about me, mate. I’ll go have a few drinks, and maybe I’ll find someone who’ll try desperately to help me forget that I’m in wit with you.” Yanking his arm free he slammed into his room.

Stunned David stood rooted to the spot, his face pale.