Keith helped with the washing up, still not saying much. We quickly got the kitchen straightened up, which was not difficult since I had done the lion share of the washing while the lasagna was baking.

I steered Keith into the living room, bundled him onto the sofa, turned down the lights and pulled him hard against me. I had missed him the past week. Within minutes, we were kissing and his hands were touching and roaming and I was peeling his t-shirt off. Amidst groans and grunts, cushions got thrown onto the floor and someone’s shorts landed on the coffee table. We finally surfaced, spent and breathing hard, as The Last Samurai rolled its credits.

‘Umm … that was nice,’ Keith purred as he stretched lazily, leaning his head on my chest.
I had to agree with him. ‘Very nice,’ I murmured into his ear, and he tried to squirm away as my breath tickled him.

‘Oh no, you don’t! Come back here!’ We playfully struggled a bit, and then I stroked his hair, feeling him settle down once more against me. I had learnt to develop a pretty keen sense of Keith’s moods and I could tell he was in a place where he was tottering between wanting to let things off his chest and trying to work out the problem himself. ‘You want to tell me what’s bothering you, babe?’ I asked softly, hoping he would choose the former.

There was a long moment of silence; he seemed to be considering my question seriously. Then finally, he shook his head. ‘No, not really, it’s about work and I don’t really want to talk about it. Please Dusty. I’m tired.’

And he was, I could see that clearly. I just went on stroking him and petting him till his breathing evened out and he fell asleep in my arms.

I looked down at my sleeping lover and my mind dwelled on what a dramatic change had come over him ever since he started this job. I was happy he was adapting well. More than well actually, he was flourishing in that environment. For the first time, I could see a fire in his eyes as he talked with passion about something apart from partying and getting high.

I had wanted Keith to find a routine and hoped to turn his head to more useful and purposeful pursuit of his time. But I never imagined he would get on with it so well, and in so short a time too. Keith was usually a friendly, generous and easy-going person and it had never been difficult for him to make friends. The difficult part was making friends with the right kind of people. His boss apparently loved him – and I was rather grateful when I learned that it was a ‘she’ boss rather than a ‘he’ boss. Keith was also innovative and intelligent and quick-witted, and if he combined commitment and focus in his work, I could well imagine the kind of results he would and could produce.

Well, I had practically bullied him into getting a job, and now that he had it and loved it, it was only right that I support him and be glad of his success. But I sure missed having him around as much as before.

* * *