Oil Slick

Disclaimer: Just the usual. A bunch of lies.

Challenge: A response to the Showcase July Challenge! Indoors but not in a place of residence; the colour blue; unusual weather for this time of year; less than 2000 words. Visit http://www.dreamreaver.com/showcase for more info.

-----

“That about wraps it up, Billy. Thanks so much for your time this afternoon.”

Billy smiled and nodded. “My pleasure.”

The journalist laughed. “I have to say once again, I just love your accent. I’m looking forward to listening to the tape tonight!”

“I feel so dirty all of a sudden! What you do with that tape in your private abode is your business.”

The journalist shifted in his chair. “Are you still available for the photo shoot with Dominic on Thursday?”

“Yes, I’ve got Thursday in my diary. Ah, do you know what we’ll be doing for the shoot?”

“Um, sorry?”

“Doing? For the photo shoot?”

“Oh, right! We’re not quite sure yet, I’ll listening to the interview tapes with my editor and see if we can get some ideas from those. It’s just in a studio, nothing too extreme.”

“Right then. I’ll look forward to reading the article.” Billy shook hands with the journalist and headed for the door, thinking he should call Dom before Thursday to catch up.

*****

Billy was late to the photographer’s studio, as he gave the wrong address to the cab driver. By the time he got there he was directed straight to the makeup chair.

He looked in the mirror at the dark human shape in the chair next to his. “Dom? Are you under there somewhere?”

Dom’s teeth and eyes showed white in the mirror. “Billy, you bastard! What the fuck did you say to give them this idea?”

Billy raised his eyebrows. “I can’t even tell what you’re done up as.”

One of the makeup therapists interjected. “It’s a surf slash oil slick thing. Could you take your shirt off please, Mr Boyd? I don’t like to rush you but we’re running a bit behind and this body makeup will take a while to apply.”

“Surf slash oil slick?” Billy questioned as he took off his jacket and started unbuttoning his shirt. “Doesn’t sound like anything I said.”

Dom rubbed his forehead and frowned at the blue paint that now covered his fingers. “Must have been me then. They asked how our film script was going and we got around to talking about surfing, how you and I learned in New Zealand.”

“The film script, hey? Might have to pull that one out of the drawer some time.” Dom looked like he was about to say something but Billy had already started talking again. “Isn’t it unusual weather for this time of year? So, are you getting psyched up for the Wellington premiere? The first of the last round. The beginning of the end.”

“The end, yeah. It does feel that way.”

*****

Dom stood in front of the white backdrop, toes covered with gritty sand. His wetsuit was rolled down to his waist and he held a surfboard under one arm. Blue and black gunk tinged the curls of his hair and made him glisten from hairline to mid chest. He was giving the camera his most determined scowl.

Billy sat on a large rock off to the side, chin on folded hands, looking wistfully up at Dom. Kelp was draped over his shoulders and greenish-yellow skin showed underneath. A small fluffy toy penguin was peeking out of the arm of his wetsuit, which was rolled down to the waist like Dom’s. He thought about how nice the waft of hot air from the industrial heaters was.

“Right, don’t move too much thanks fellas, I’ve just got to change the roll of film.” The photographer and his minions moved away to the other end of the studio. Dom lowered the surfboard to the floor and kicked at the sand. He didn’t lose his scowl.

Billy mused, “So if you’re an oil slick, what am I?”

Dom opened his mouth and shut it again. He started a second time, “Billy, what did happen to the film script? When did we stop working on that?”

Billy shifted on the rock. His arse was getting a bit sore. “We didn’t really stop, we just haven’t done anything on it for a while. Different projects and all that.”

“We haven’t talked about it for ten months. We haven’t talked to each other in two. And we’re about to start up on the premiere circuit again and I had to sit through an interview pretending to know what you’re working on at the moment and I’m standing here covered in industrial waste. What the fuck is up with that, Billy?”

Billy felt surprised. This stuff just happened, didn’t it? Not the industrial waste, but just being busy and losing touch with people. He wouldn’t have expected it to happen with Dom, and was starting to feel shocked in the realisation that it had.

The photographer strode back over to them. “Ready to go again? Billy, I like that expression on your face. Sit on the front of the surfboard looking like that, and Dom stand behind like, yes, like that. Great, let’s go.”

*****

Billy stepped into the studio’s bathroom and waved an arm at the steam that filled the room. Dom would be using the shower, washing off the paint. Billy stood there for a moment, in the centre of the bathroom, thinking, feeling, missing. Dom was so hurt that Billy had moved on, seemingly left him behind. Billy had had no idea. Had no idea he was missing Dom too, until today.

He pushed the shower curtain open and stepped in, surprising Dom who mustn’t have heard Billy come into the bathroom. Before Dom could react Billy wrapped his arms around him and lay his head on Dom’s shoulder. He felt the paint on his body start to soften from the steam and wash off under the water flow. He shifted his arms around Dom’s torso and hugged him tighter. The sensation of becoming clean and reuniting with the guy who was pretty much his best friend in the world was overwhelming and for a minute Billy couldn’t do anything else.

“Billy?”

Dom’s voice made Billy stir a little. His eyes opened and saw blue and yellow and green and black paint swirling around in the shower base. He felt drowsy, almost intoxicated, from the steam and the comfort of Dom’s shoulder. He noticed that Dom’s hands rested on his shoulders, not quite returning Billy’s hug. He couldn’t still be mad, could he?

“Billy, what the fuck is going on? I’m in the shower, naked, having a shower. You still have your wetsuit on but you may not have noticed that I am *naked*. What the fuck are you doing?”

Billy didn’t feel like explaining himself or letting Dom’s hostility get to him. “I miss you, Dom. I don’t care if you’re naked. I just want us to be close again.” Billy’s lips came into contact with Dom’s wet skin and he kissed it, wanting to make amends to his friend for being such a thoughtless shit over the last year. Wanting to let Dom know how much he meant to him.

At the touch of Billy’s lips Dom pulled him closer, then suddenly pushed him away. “What?” Billy asked. Was Dom so resentful that he was going to tell him to leave?

“Oh fuck, can we do this after I get out of the shower? This isn’t really the best time.”

Billy looked down. “You’ve got a hard-on. That’s okay, we’re both blokes. I mean... Yeah, it’s okay. It’s good.” Billy pulled Dom close again with one arm while tugging his wetsuit off with the other. “Everything’s going to be good from now on.”

“Maybe even better than good,” Dom replied, then gave Billy a hand with his wetsuit.