Groom Wars

14. Tipsy Ghost Sleeps With A Gentle Giant

Leandro lay with his eyes closed, but his thoughts tossed like a rough ocean. Half-formed ideas rose, fell, crashed, and churned. The cause of Leandro's turmoil had been none other than Adriel. Leandro enjoyed hanging out with the boy. But the members of the upper-class society of British Columbia were spiteful and condemning. The gay rumours about Adriel and Leandro seemed to have erupted from many people at once. Yes, Leandro had slighted women by not dancing or speaking to them. And yes, he had angered a few men by rejecting invitations to hunt, view boxing matches, and perform other menial activities, but Leandro had learned that the failed ghost, Adriel, had also angered many.

The girls were jealous that a mere boy could match the looks of the most beautiful of their sex. That he could outshine them and be like the sun that brightened each room it waltzed into.

As for Adriel's quarrels with men, it was not unnatural for dominant men to take sexual advantage of weaker men. Many men secretly found having sex with those of the same gender to be simpler than being with a woman as they wouldn't have to worry about marrying and sharing their wealth or incurring an accidental pregnancy. They could simply enjoy quick sex.

However, these relationships were rarely ever consensual. It was simply one man beating or tricking the other into submission. Fortunately, the men in their city couldn't touch Adriel because Adriel's father was well-connected and would use his contacts to enact revenge on whoever abused his son. He would blacklist the aggressor and the aggressor's family from many important stores and social events. And he would ensure the rapist went to jail for their crimes.

But that didn't stop others from desiring Adriel and bullying him.

***

Leandro had met a boy interested in Adriel when he had reluctantly gone to see a movie with his older brother, Steven, and a few acquaintances.

The party had rented a theatre for themselves, and as they had watched a man change into a rock, a boy with tousled black hair had turned to Leandro and said, "You hang out with Adriel, right? Did you two fuck? Did you see his dick?"

Leandro said, "What's it to you?"

The guy chortled and said, "Are you dating him?"

"He's a friend."

The boy grunted and said, "If it weren't for his dad, I would have already had a go at that."

The boys' friends laughed.

The boy continued his speech in his same haughty tone, "Can you blame me, though? Any guy that resembles a girl should be fucked like one. They want it, you know? They make themselves pretty because they want other guys to look at them, fuck them."

More laughter.

The muscles of Leandro's jaw rippled as he clenched his teeth. He said, "Should you be openly admitting to entertaining homosexual ideas like that?"

"You going to inform the hugons, bro?"

Leandro smiled at the irony and said, "Like how you and your friends have informed them about me? Or rather, like how you have accused me, as you have no evidence of any transgression? Is there any particular reason I should avoid returning the favour by reporting you?"

The boy's face paled. He stood and said, "I-if my comment bothers you so much, let's fight. Loser keeps his fucking mouth shut."

Leandro sensed the boy's anxiety about being exposed. His fear. He smiled and answered, "Alright, let's fight."

Steven gripped Leandro's knee. "You will not fight over a boy," he said. "The kid doesn't have a good reputation. Let it go and move on."

Leandro removed his brother's hand from his knee and nodded at his opponent. "Let's go outside; it's cramped in here."