'Unexpected Love' - Discover Yourself Set 5 - LGBT, manXman

1

"Hello, stranger."

Graham glanced up as his ex-boyfriend slipped into the seat beside him.

He moved his focus from the dance floor, where Joe was dancing with his friend Zoe, and looked at Carl.

"Hello, Carl." He answered warily.

They had not parted on good terms, several weeks before.

"What do you want?"

"Just saying hi... We haven't seen each other for weeks."

"We broke up, Carl," said Graham coolly. "The general definition of that is that we don't see each other anymore."

"Come on, Graham. Give me another chance." Carl began to plead.

Graham tried to ignore him.

"Leave me alone, Carl," he said firmly.

He glanced over, saw Carl's eyes harden, and braced himself against his ex's anger. He felt Carl's fingers grip his upper arm, hard, and before he could protest, he was being dragged outside.

Carl slammed him back against the wall, making his teeth rattle.

"What is your problem?" Carl snarled. "Why can't you just give me a chance?"

"I did give you a chance!" Graham growled back. "I gave you several. And you blew all of them."

"We were good together, Graham," Carl insisted.

"No, Carl, we weren't. The sex was good... The rest of it was..." Graham shook his head. "You were abusive, you were drunk most of the time, and you cheated more times than I care to remember."

"I can change," said Carl earnestly.

"I've heard that before." Graham muttered.

He tried to wriggle free.

"Let me go, Carl."

"No."

Before Graham could protest, the door of the village hall opened, and Joe came out.

"Are you okay?" He asked Graham quietly, one glance taking in Carl's angry look.

Graham nodded, his eyebrow cocked curiously at Joe.

"Who the hell are you?" Carl growled.

"I might ask you the same thing," Joe said coldly.

Carl looked for a moment as though he was going to hit Joe, before he decided against it.

No-one in their right mind would take on Joe.

Carl shot Graham a look of disgust, before he stalked away.

Graham leant back against the wall, his eyes closed.

"Thanks." He murmured softly.

"For what?"

"You saved me from a beating," said Graham quietly. "He had that look in his eyes."

Joe cocked his head sympathetically.

Graham sighed, and straightened up.

"I'm going home," he said quietly.

Joe could see he was very upset.

"Wait a minute."

Joe darted inside and came out a minute later, pulling on his jacket.

"What're you doing?"

"Come on."

They walked home together, up the long track leading to the small farmhouse Graham lived in.