Fathers and Law: Lom and Fah Book One

Chapter 5

"All yours," said Lom as he exited the bathroom. He walked over to his bag, bent down, and began searching for something.

Fah watched in disbelief. How was he so casual and unembarrassed? Why didn't he want to talk about what they had done? Fah certainly did. At the same time, he wondered if he would look foolish asking to discuss it.

"Thanks," said Fah as he entered the bathroom. He showered quickly, brushed his teeth, and shaved. He wondered what Lom was doing and if he noticed the stripped-down bed. Even if he had, it probably didn't make him feel awkward.

He decided to be brave and face Lom. He walked out of the bathroom and looked around. Lom wasn't anywhere. He got dressed and brushed his hair while discreetly looking around the apartment.

He noticed Lom's bag was also gone. Had Lom left? Somehow that thought made Fah feel dirty. Maybe Lom was as uncomfortable as Fah was and, not knowing what to say, returned home.

The door to the condo opened and in walked his missing guest.

"Hey, I put my stuff in the car since I have to head back today. Do you want to grab breakfast somewhere?" Lom smiled and Fah relaxed.

"Sure, sounds good. Let me call Manao."

"Can you not? No offense, but I don't want to see her. After I leave, you can spend the rest of the day holding hands and feeding each other." He smiled at Fah.

"We're not like that all the time. Fine, I'll call her after you're gone."

They found a small restaurant close by. They ate and talked about old friends from high school and laughed about stupid things they had done as kids. Soon they were chatting and laughing as if they had never become estranged. Although the conversation flowed easily Fah kept hoping Lom would bring up their morning activity. He desperately wanted to understand how Lom felt about him and what it meant.

Several times he considered reaching across the table and holding Lom's hand. Somehow that seemed more relationship-based whereas their bedroom activity had been purely sexual.

Perhaps Lom was one of those people who liked sex but avoided relationships and that was why he easily dismissed what they had done. He forced himself to stop thinking about it and pay attention to the conversation.

Lom regaled Fah with a tale about the time he hacked into the school's website and replaced the photo of a teacher who failed him with a photo of a buffalo. He noticed Fah getting ready to say something several times and it looked serious.

He probably wants to talk about this morning, thought Lom. It was no big deal, just two friends helping each other get rid of a little stress. Leave it to Fah to think it's something we need to discuss. He's probably feeling guilty that he did something with someone other than Manao. It was nice but it's not as if I have feelings for him.

Every time it appeared Fah might bring up the topic, Lom told a new story. He was a master of this as he used this tactic with one-night stands who wanted more. He never thought he'd have to use it on Fah.

He wasn't sure if he was being narcissistic but he even thought Fah wanted to hold his hand. Each time he sensed it, he put his hands on his lap until Fah gave up. He felt guilty but he was still confused about everything himself and he didn't want to say or do anything that would cause the two of them to stop speaking again.

They paid the bill and walked back to Fah's condo. In the parking lot, Lom stopped by his car.

"Are you leaving now?" asked Fah, staring down at his hands. He wanted to hang out for another few hours; he was having so much fun and didn't want it to end. It had been a long time since he laughed with anyone. Manao was kind but always serious.