Kyle
We didn't hear anything over the weekend, then Monday I got a call from Leonard. He sounded frantic. "Dexter just walked out. I told him that our relationship wasn't going to work. He's really upset."
"Do you think he's headed over here?"
"No, he's heading to school. That boy won't miss class for anything. The thing is, when he gets out he's going to go try to find an apartment. You remember what we talked about on Friday?"
"Yeah, I'll call Preston and have him tell Dexter to come here after school. Why don't we move his stuff today? I can ask Preston to tell him it's all done."
"You better wait until Preston talks to him. I don't want him to feel like I'm kicking him out."
Not wanting to aid in a breakup, I gave it one last try. "Are you sure you can't make a go of it?"
"I like him a lot. I liked you a lot too. I just can't have another sub go Dom on me. He's a total switch and no matter what he says, I know it matters to him. You know I can't sub for anyone. As his Dom, I can't have him heading out occasionally to be a Dom to someone else. That's just not my style. I could never allow that. I did that once early on and it was hard on me. It WOULD happen again with him. It's only a matter of time."
"I hope this isn't because of me. There's one big difference between Dexter and me."
"What's that?"
"I'm not a switch. I can only sub for one man. You know that. I never subbed for anyone but you. I don't think I could."
"That does make me feel better, about you I mean. Look, now that I think about it, I'd prefer not to have to deal with this after he gets back from school to get his stuff. If Preston's able to ask him if it's okay, we can move his stuff over there. It'll be easier all the way around."
"Okay, I'll call Preston and have him tell Dexter to come over here and see if it's alright to move his stuff. I'll call you when I know something."
"Thanks Kyle."
"Hey, I owe you."
When the call was over, I rang Preston and filled him in. He sounded excited. I wasn't crazy about having another person in the house because being a Dom tends to be a very private thing to me. A third wheel is just that, but it was important to Preston, and I'd already promised both him and Leonard. So, it was going to happen.
It wasn't long before Preston called me back. It turned out that Dexter was relieved not to have to go apartment hunting since he really didn't have the money. He was upset over the breakup, but relieved to have a place to go when his classes got out. Not having to move his things was just icing on the cake.
I called Leonard back and filled him in. I told him I'd pick up some boxes to help pack, but he told me not to bother. He already had a few, and Dexter didn't really have much.
Within an hour, we had everything packed up and loaded in the car. "I'm sorry this didn't work out for you, Leonard. It would have been really nice to have a couple nearby we were already so close to. It just seemed right."
"I know," he said. "At first, I thought so too, but you and I are still friends. Hopefully Dexter and I can be too. I'm grateful for your help." Leonard seemed really down. The energy I'd come to expect from him just wasn't there. Falling for guys who were half of what he needed was a habit of his. "Try to talk Dexter into continuing the classes. He's doing really well, and I do want to know he can defend himself if he ever needs to."
"Will do. Take care."
When I arrived home, I loaded everything into the spare room. I was nervous, so I just started to unpack for him, hanging his clothes in the closet and deciding where the socks should go. Before I knew it, everything was done. There was a collapsible laundry bag filled with his dirty laundry, so I took it to the laundry room and started a load.
I wasn't looking forward to that evening. Dexter was probably devastated. Losing a sub is hard, but I knew from experience that losing a Dom is harder. It was going to be grim having Dexter there.
*~*~*
When the boys got home that night, the atmosphere was nothing like I'd expected. It felt more like a celebration. Preston was all smiles and I saw no evidence that Dexter was mourning the loss of his Dom.
Preston prepared a grand meal for the three of us and set the table. We usually ate in front of the TV, but apparently now that there was an extra person in the house, we were eating more formally. Once I made it clear that I did not take kindly to cell phones at the table, the rest of the evening was enjoyable.
Monday, the boys were up before me. They both had early classes. I decided it might be best to shower later in the day when the water had time to heat again. About two that afternoon I was getting ready for my shower when I got a call from Glenn Bass, my literary agent.
I was used to him calling to light a fire under me from time to time, but since I was on schedule I was curious what he was calling about. To my surprise he said, "Pack your bags and meet me at Sky Harbor at seven tomorrow morning."
"What are you talking about? I can't just drop everything like that. I have a life going on here. What's up anyway?"
"The New York Times just did an article on your last book. I have you scheduled for signings in New York all over town. You'll be gone a week. Now hang up and pack. Bring a couple of suits and anything else you can think of. This is going to make us some serious green."
"How come I didn't know anything about this?"
"They called me first because I'm the one who sent it to them. When I found out, I got to work scheduling the signings. Now you know."
"Ok, I'll be there. What airlines? Did you get tickets?"
"Everything is taken care of. Meet me at American Airlines. Our direct flight to New York City leaves at eight-thirty but be there at seven."
Hanging up, I began to think about how I'd present this to Preston. I'd have taken him if I could, but he couldn't get away anyway and then it dawned on me. The New York Times had written a story about my book! It was probably a review. In all the excitement, I forgot to ask.
I didn't have time to hunt down a copy. I had to make sure I had everything for the trip.
By the time I closed my bags and got them in the car for the next morning, the boys, returning from classes, pulled into the driveway. I ran up to both of them and asked them to pull out long enough for me to park my car behind them. I was going to need to leave in the morning long before they would. "What's going on, Sir?" Preston asked.
"I'm headed to New York in the morning. Would you guys take a second and see if you can find a few copies of today's New York Times? Somebody did a write-up on my last book. I'm going on a book signing tour."
"New York City?" Dexter yelled, allowing his voice to raise a full octave.
"Yes, New York. I've never been there. Actually, I've never been east of the Mississippi."
A half hour later, they walked out the front door to do a little grocery shopping while I started working on my next chapter, 'The Guest.'
They returned after about an hour with a bag full of burgers and fries and a stack of newspapers. We rarely ate like this, but that night was special. If Dexter felt a twinge of sadness from his breakup, it didn't show.
We found the article in the paper and during the evening, it must have been read aloud a dozen times. Preston cut the article out and put it in a scrapbook along with images of my book covers, a few contracts and printouts of readers' reviews. He had a separate section for each book. This was the first professional review, so Preston was careful to center it on its own page. Once carefully fastened into place, he read it aloud once again. After creating this scrapbook for me, he created a new one about us. It held printouts of emails we'd sent to each other before we actually met, a bar napkin from our first night out, a printout of our home taken from the street, and pictures of our friends.
The next morning, I showered early, thinking the boys can shower in cold water if they have too. I'm not about to leave without being fresh. Dexter was running between the guest bath and his bedroom in his underwear. Heading back to our bedroom, I had a talk with Preston.
"I'm going to be gone a week. I'll expect you to wait until I return."
"You mean?"
"Yes, that's what I mean."
Then, it occurred to me that I'd be gone a week and airport parking was crazy expensive. The boys haven't showered, but they can skip one morning, I thought. "Now someone's got to take me to the airport."
Both of them jumped at the chance. "We can head straight to the campus from the airport." The boys threw themselves together and a few minutes later, all three of us hopped in my car and took off.
I was excited about the trip to New York, but something made me uneasy about leaving Preston. I had no reason to distrust him, but I couldn't get his reaction to Dexter in the shower off my mind.
We pulled up outside American Airlines and jumped out to unload my luggage. I had over-packed. A week is a long time and I didn't relish the idea of doing laundry in New York or paying a New York hotel for laundry services.
I gave a tight hug to Dexter and then I turned to Preston. "I have to leave now. Come here." I pulled him to me and kissed him. Then pushing him away, still holding him by his arms, I looked at him, taking a mental picture. It had to last me. It was that look I'd remember for the rest of the week.