"Asher, I think I love you," the man under him breathed, pulling down on his shoulders.
"Damn, that's crazy," Asher mumbled against his skin, barely listening to him at all.
Jim's body tensed under him. He sat up, pushing Asher away slightly. "Did you just say 'That's crazy'?"
Asher sat back with his legs folded under him. "Probably," he said honestly.
Jim frowned.
Asher tried to bite back the twinge of irritation he felt. "We fuck on the weekends sometimes, Jim. We've never even been on a date. You don't love me."
Jim crossed his arms. "You don't know that."
Asher sighed. He slid off the bed and grabbed his shirt from the floor. "Yeah, I'm gonna take off." He gave Jim an awkward wave as he backed out of the bedroom. With a tug he pulled his shirt over his head, and left the apartment quickly. He breathed a sigh of relief as he entered the elevator, thankful Jim hadn't followed him out. He wrapped his scarf around his neck as the elevator doors opened again, and buttoned his coat.
Asher exited the building onto the snowy street. Jim lived in a much nicer neighborhood than he did. More expensive, at least. He pulled out his cellphone and sent out a few texts to friends to see who was out in the city tonight. Just because his plans fell through didn't mean he wasn't going to have a good time somehow.
The first to respond was Rachel, who was staying home, but would allow him to come over if he stayed silent. He politely declined.
Goose was going to their usual bar, Friar's. Asher had a standing invitation to join Goose there, he knew that.
He got a few other responses, but none that sparked any interest. Friar's it was. He turned and started walking down the street. He could catch a cab and be there in ten minutes, but Asher wanted the exercise. Besides, it was a nice night, snow gently drifting down and muffling the noise of the city.
Walking on the sidewalk seemed easier for Asher than most. At his size, people moved out of his way pretty quickly. Standing taller than the majority of the crowd, he had no problem seeing where he was going. It was late, and there weren't too many people around. He strolled at a comfortable pace, taking his time.
Hanukkah was coming up. It had been a while since he had been home. He felt a pang of guilt in his stomach. He knew Ma hated it when he went long stretches without visiting, but it was so hard to be around them knowing they had no idea who he was. Everything about Asher's life was a secret. He hated living like this. He wondered if he would ever come out to his parents. He scoffed to himself as he rounded the corner, Friar's coming into view at the end of the block. That was unlikely.
He opened the door, a gust of snow and wind blowing in with him. Goose waved to him from their usual booth in the back. He nodded, shedding his extra layers of clothing as he crossed the bar. He tossed his snow-drenched clothes in the unoccupied side of the booth and slid in next to Goose. "Hey, man."
Goose raised his glass to Asher, his eyes slightly glazed. He must have been here for a while. "M'lord," he said in a bad English accent.
Asher clapped Goose on the back gently. "Work sucked?"
Goose nodded into his beer, and hummed a confirmation while he drank.
Asher nodded knowingly. "Jim told me he loved me." He shuddered. "It was so weird."
"Gross," said Goose, making a face. He laughed to himself. "Hasn't that happened before?"
"Twice," said Asher, laughing with his friend.
Goose cringed. "I don't want to know what you do to them that makes them say that."
Asher laughed harder, leaning down against the table. "No, you really don't."
Goose gagged and shuddered. He took another long drink of his beer. He pushed his plate with a pile of fries to Asher, who took it gratefully. "Did I tell you I met someone?"
Asher shrugged as he ate a fry. "You meet people all the time, Goose. You gotta be more specific."
He rolled his eyes at Asher. "No dude, like a girl."
Asher balked. "You met a girl," he said, stunned.
Goose punched Asher in the shoulder. "Thanks for the vote of confidence."
Asher laughed, pretending the punch hurt more than it did by massaging his arm. "That's awesome, dude. What's her name?"
"Jess," he said with a grin.
