Stephanie Vaughan

Promise Me

"No. Sorry, Gabe. I can't go."

Danny crossed his arms over his chest and tucked his hands under
his armpits, hunching his shoulders.

Gabe stared at him, blue eyes widened in surprise, his expression a
little stunned. "Well, why not?"

"Because I can't. I'm busy." All of Danny's defenses were up,
working overtime just to withstand the threat of Gabe's charm. He
couldn't risk looking Gabe square in the face; he'd crumble under the
force of just one smile and he knew it. So Danny only took quick
little looks at Gabe's slightly crooked nose, his silky red-gold hair, his
soft pink lips, before staring at the ground again.

"What do you mean, you're busy? It's Friday night. What could you
possibly be doing?"

"Stuff." He knew it sounded lame, but it was the stunned disbelief in
Gabe's blue eyes as he stood just inside Danny's doorway that
pushed Danny over the edge. As if Danny couldn't possibly be doing
anything on a date night--nothing except waiting for Gabe's call,
that is. "I've got things to do. Surprise. So find someone else to hit
up at the last minute to go to the movies with you."

"But, what…" Gabe's exasperated little huff of disbelief made Danny
want to hit something.

Made Danny want hit Gabe, and how crazy was that? He loved
Gabe. Loved him hopelessly, and had done from practically the
minute they'd met. "What could be more important than dropping it
to spend time with you, you mean?"

Gabe stopped twirling his key ring around the fingers of one hand to
peer into Danny's face. "Dude, what is up with you? What are you
so pissed about? Geez, all I did was ask if you wanted to go to the
movies."

"At the last minute. Just like every time." Shoving his hands in his
pockets to keep from smacking the shit out of Gabe, Danny tried to
hold the words in, but they wouldn't be stopped. "Just like every
other goddamned time. After I asked you on Monday if you wanted
to do something on Friday and you said you didn't know. Like it's got
to be so spur-of-the-moment spontaneous that you can't possibly
plan that far ahead. Like you're so fucking special that I'll drop
everything just to spend time with you."

"Jesus, Valdez, what is your problem? What are you, my girlfriend? I
have to call you three days in advance or you're busy? What the
fuck." It was Gabe's turn to stuff his hands in his pockets
and-shit-it wasn't fair how even the curl of his lip when he snarled
was attractive.

Gabe was funny and charming and breathtakingly beautiful-and he
was Danny's best friend. He was also infuriatingly oblivious to the
fact that his best friend was in love with him.

Normally Danny didn't let himself get this angry with Gabe. One look
in Gabe's blue eyes, one smart-assed grin from Gabe's mobile,
expressive mouth and Danny melted. He was helpless in the face of
Gabe's personality and had been from the minute they'd met in
freshman comp, back in college.

"My problem is…" Danny stopped. He was about to say something he
couldn't take back. He took a good, hard look at Gabe and every
one of the dozens of times Gabe had done this exact same thing
flashed through Danny's head "My problem is that my best friend is a
one-way."

"A one-way?" Mouth falling open, Gabe stared. "You're calling me a
one-way?"

"I thought I was pretty clear, yeah." It was a surprise how freeing
the truth was. Danny'd said the words and the world hadn't
stopped. His heart was pounding like he'd just run five miles, but he
was still standing and Gabe was still gaping at him.

"You think… " Gabe's jaw worked, but all that came out were
incoherent sputters of incredulity.

"Okay, I guess there could be some confusion over the best friend
part. But, yeah, I was talking about you." Now that he was rolling,
the words just kept coming. All of the resentment and frustration
he'd let build up came pouring out. "You're a one-way, Gabe. You're
selfish and self-centered and it's always all about you. Like it never
occurs to you that other people might have another idea or different
plans. It's always what you want, when you want it."

"That's bullshit. That is such bullshit."

"Yeah? So what was the last thing you and I did together?"

"I don't know." Gabe shrugged and Danny's gaze was immediately
drawn to the hunching of Gabe's shoulders under the thin material of
his t-shirt. From there it was an easy thing to skim down to the
tanned forearms showing beneath the long sleeves Gabe had shoved
up to just below his elbows. The fine golden hairs that showed there
glinted in the late afternoon sun. "Okay, I remember. We went to
the mall last week."

Danny's answering smile was small and bitter. "Saturday afternoon. I
was home washing my car. You called from two blocks away and
said you needed help finding a present for your mom."

"So? You didn't have to go. You could've said no."

"Yeah, I could have. " Gabe was right and it only added to Danny's
anger. "But I didn't. Because it was you. I never say no to you."

It didn't help at all that Gabe's bewilderment was genuine. It
honestly didn't occur to him that someone else might have alternate
plans that didn't include him, let alone that those other plans might
take precedence.

"So what's your problem, then? We went to the mall and you found
that dopey flower thing-which my mother loved, by the way-for her
birthday. Big deal, Danny." Shoving a hand through his hair, Gabe
looked up, blue eyes on full display. Clear, appealing, showing a
glimmer of hurt behind the confusion. "Danny, can we just cut the
crap and go? It'll be fun. Come on."

"You don't know, do you? Can you really not get it?" Danny knew he
was on shaky ground, but he'd probably already blown the
friendship, so what else was there to lose?

"Get what? That my best friend thinks I'm a selfish fuck?" Hands on
his hips, Gabe's eyes glittered with anger and hurt. "Oh, you mean
there's more?"

"Yeah, there's-oh, just forget it, Gabe. What's the point?" So what if
that Saturday it'd been Danny's birthday, too? Just because they'd
been friends for almost five years and Gabe still didn't know that
birthdays were kind of a big thing to him, or even when Danny's
was, for that matter--it didn't have to be a big deal.

They stood looking at each other, and Gabe didn't seem to know
what to do next any more than Danny did.

It was Gabe who broke the silence, finally. "I didn't know you felt
that way. Any of it. Is that really how you see me?"

"No. I…" The reflexive denial was out of Danny's mouth before he
could think; rushing to smooth things over like he always did, so
that Gabe wouldn't bail on the friendship and Danny could keep
hanging around. Just this once, though, he wanted beautiful Gabe
to see him for what he was and how he really felt, regardless of the
consequences. "Yeah, Gabe. It kind of is."

Turning his face away to hide the tears that suddenly welled in his
eyes, Danny pressed one hand over his eyes. Gabe would leave
now. He didn't take criticism well and Danny'd witnessed more than
one verbal evisceration in the past when some poor fool had had the
bright idea to mouth off to Gabe. If Gabe was feeling benevolent,
maybe Danny'd get away with only a little minor scarring.

Danny braced himself when Gabe drew himself up, sucked a breath
in and blew it out. "Well. I guess I'll just get my selfish ass out of
here and go the movies by myself, then. Maybe Vince wouldn't mind
a, what was the phrase--last-minute, spontaneous--call."

"Spur-of-the-moment spontaneous," Danny corrected him
automatically, and then wanted to kick himself.

Vince.

The new guy at Gabe's job, who'd been sniffing around to see what
he could get for himself. He'd love to take Danny's place, no doubt
imagining a lot more perks than actually came with the position.

"Right. Spur-of-the-moment." Gabe was already pulling himself
together, twirling the key ring again after fishing it from his pocket
and glancing repeatedly at the door. "So, uh, I guess I'll see you
around. I'll be sure and call first. Way in advance."

"Yeah. See you around." God, would he just go, already, so that
Danny could cry in private? There was a ball of anxiety forming in his
stomach and throwing-up wasn't out of the question.

"Danny?" Gabe's hand was on the doorknob, as he turned to go, so
Danny couldn't read his eyes.

"Yeah?"

"I didn't know. I'm sorry, man." Gabe looked back and the diffuse fall
sunlight lit up his reddish-gold hair, his eyes were hooded and
sultry-looking. It was that mouth, though, that completely undid
Danny. It was pink and it looked soft and Danny'd never tasted it,
not even once.

Not sure how it happened, the next thing Danny knew, he had Gabe
by the arm and was pushing him back against the door, his gaze
fixed on Gabe's mouth. He wanted to feel those lips. If Gabe was
going to walk out of his life, he wanted to go at least knowing what
Gabe tasted like, so Danny closed his eyes and pressed his mouth to
Gabe's.

For a moment, for one breathless moment, Danny registered Gabe's
stunned surprise. Frozen and immobile, Gabe stood pressed against
Danny's front door as Danny feasted on Gabe's mouth, absorbing the
incredible flavor that was at once unique and familiar. Danny leaned
into Gabe, savoring his one chance to be exactly where he wanted
to be, with the only person he wanted to be there with, because
any second now Gabe was going to get over his surprise and push
Danny away.

Instead, Gabe groaned, opening for Danny's tongue as Danny
eagerly pursued. Gabe's chest was firm beneath Danny's and to be
this close, to finally be sharing himself with Gabe the way he'd
wanted to from the first was possibly the scariest and most thrilling
thing he'd ever done.

Shifting beneath Danny, Gabe widened his stance as his hands
settled on Danny's waist. And then Gabe was grabbing Danny's ass,
dragging him closer as he slanted his mouth to take more of Danny's
tongue.
Shock waves of lust reverberated through Danny. Gabe was so
fucking pretty, so hot, so utterly fascinating. And he was kissing
Danny back.

Danny surrendered to Gabe's tugs on him and let his rapidly
hardening dick rub against Gabe's; he let himself reach behind Gabe
to hold Gabe in his arms. To press himself as close as he could so
that maybe he could fuse their bodies together and he'd never have
to let Gabe go.

Suddenly Gabe was shoving on Danny's shoulders, pushing him back.
"Wait a second. Danny, wait."

His dick had never been happier, rubbing on Gabe and absolutely
certain things were finally going to turn out they way they ought to
have, at the same time his head was rejecting the idea of their
bodies ever parting.

Afraid of what he'd read in Gabe's eyes, Danny shut his own tightly
and leaned his forehead on Gabe's, panting as he licked a little more
of Gabe's taste off his lips.

"Don't say it, Gabe." Danny raised his hands to touch Gabe's face,
knowing its shape by heart already, but wanting to feel it under his
fingers before the moment vanished. He let the smoothness of
Gabe's skin seep into this fingertips as the rest of his body ached,
already missing the warmth of Gabe's body next to his. "I don't want
to hear it."

"Don't want to hear what? That you're too smart to do something
stupid like this?"

"Smart, yeah, that's me." A bitter smile twisted Danny's lips as he
pulled reluctantly away. It had been every bit as amazing as he'd
knew it would be, but damn his stupid, hopeful heart for wishing it
could somehow miraculously be more.

"You are smart, Danny--way smarter than me. You actually finish
things that you start. And when you say you're going to do
something, you do it." Chancing a look, Danny's body surged with
lust again at the wet, pouty look of Gabe's mouth and the way his
body had relaxed into an inviting, come-fuck-me slouch.

"Look, Gabe, don't start making excuses, okay? Now you can't say
you don't know, so just go call Vince, all right? He's probably waiting
next to his phone right now in case you do."

"Danny. Now you're the one who doesn't get it." Gabe looked up at
him from beneath his lashes and Danny remembered to the day
when he'd fallen in love. It had been that same look, backed by the
power in those gorgeous blue eyes, devastating in their willingness
to seduce. "You deserve better. You're a good guy and you need
someone who remembers to return phone calls--one who doesn't
blow off birthdays and hope nobody notices because he forgot all
about it."

"But what if it's you that I want?"

There.

It was out there.

He'd laid it all out and now all he could do was hold his breath and
wait for Gabe to slice his pathetic heart to ribbons.

"I don't know why you would. I'm a sucky best friend and I'm an
even worse boyfriend. I just can't seem to get it right."

Gabe's voice was soft and a little wistful and it tied Danny up in
knots to hear Gabe talk about himself that way. Gabe might piss him
off six days a week and twice on Sundays, but Danny loved him.

"Gabe, take me to bed." Danny held out his hand as he raised his
gaze to meet Gabe's. "Please."

"Okay, but." Giving Danny a cautious smile, Gabe moved closer and
wove his fingers through Danny's. "Don't let me screw this up, okay,
Danny? Promise me."

Danny leaned in for another kiss, unable to resist. "Promise."

END

© 2007, Stephanie Vaughan
All Rights Reserved