FIC: "Different Tastes" 4/4

[lobelia321]

Title: Different Tastes
Part: 4/4
Author: Lobelia; lobelia321@aol.com
Other details: See Part 1.
-----

The next weekend, Karl was not there. He'd gone to Auckland.

On Friday evening, Dom sat around his room, surfing channels. He hung around with some of the others. He got drunk. He came home very late, too late, and fell onto the empty bed. He crawled into Karl's part of the mattress. He put his head on the absurdly fat pillow of Karl's. He ate some of Karl's absurd snacks, carefully stashed in the bottom drawer of the night table. He turned on the TV and listlessly zapped through the offering of the small hours.

On Saturday, he went round to Bernard's for lunch.

This in itself was unusual. He'd never been to Bernard's room during the daytime.

Dom was a bit shy around Bernard without Karl there. He'd got dressed somewhat formally, in a suit jacket and white open-collar shirt. He squinted into the swathes of sun wafting across the room. He said, "Hello, Bernard", and rubbed his eyebrow. Bernard leaned down and kissed him. Dom put one hand on Bernard's elbow.

They ate soup and salad. They talked about this and that. Dom drank mineral water against his hangover headache.

After lunch, Dom followed Bernard to the sofas. Bernard bore a tray of coffees and slivers of digestive lemon biscuits. He sat down and put his hand on Dom's thigh.

Dom sighed.

"You're missing Karl, aren't you?" said Bernard.

Dom's thigh flinched under Bernard's hand. "Uh," Dom said. "No. Well, a bit, I guess. Just because I'm used to having him here with you."

"Not only here with me, I don't think," said Bernard. "Sugar?"

"Yes, one, please. But..."

"I've been enjoying watching you two over these past few weeks, you know," said Bernard. "To observe the, ah, unfolding of young love."

"Oh no. We're not young love." Dom laughed unsteadily.

"No?" Bernard looked at Dom with shrewd eyes. "What then?"

"We're just... you know, just friends."

"I get the impression," said Bernard, "that you're terribly in love. Milk?"

"No, we're not. I mean, maybe Karl. Karl is. I'm not. Sorry, what did you say?"

"Would you care for milk, Dominic?"

"No. No, just black."

"Dominic," said Bernard. "I may be completely wrong about this. I just watch and I've got my own ideas about what I see. And my ideas may well be coloured by my own, ah, fondness for John."

"Right. Yes," said Dom.

"But what I see when I observe you two together is not a pair of just friends."

"Uh..."

"And it doesn't exactly look very one-sided, either. Although, of course, I may be completely and utterly mistaken here." Bernard stirred the coffees. The saucer shook when Dom received it into his own hands.

"Well, not completely mistaken," Dom said. He blinked. "Karl's..."

"Karl!" said Bernard. "Karl's a changed man. You don't know what he used to be like. A charming boy, delightful... but rather scatterbrained. Rather absentminded. Oh, not in his acting, very focused when it comes to his acting, no question about that. But otherwise... his mind always on something else, some sort of food or thought or thing outside the window. Now, well, now he's completely focused on you, isn't he?"

"Uh," said Dom. "I wouldn't know..."

"My dear Dominic. I'm quite sure you *do* know."

Dominic stared into his coffee cup. A plume of steam crept up his nostrils. The liquid rotated counter-clockwise. His face burned.

Bernard looked at him. He put his own coffee on the table. He took Dom's cup out of his hands. He put his hands on Dom's shoulders.

"I'm not..." said Dom.

"Oh, I think you are," said Bernard and pushed his tongue into Dom's mouth.

-----

Karl came back at five on Sunday afternoon. It was still light outside. Dom stood at his hotel room window and saw him get out of the cab and cross the street. He rubbed his hands along his forehead.

Minutes later, there was no knock. The door opened. Karl came in. He dropped his bag. He smiled at Dom. Dom put his hands behind him on the window sill.

Karl walked across the floor. He rested his palms on Dom's waist and said, "How's my favourite Dominic?"

"Fine," said Dom and swallowed the frog in his throat. "I mean, fine." He laughed.

"I'm fine, too," said Karl. "Now that I'm back."

"How was Auckland?"

"A bore. I'll tell you. Do I get a kiss?"

Dom kissed him quickly on the mouth. He moved his hands from the sill to Karl's hands on his waist, and back to the sill. He laughed again.

"That was very grandfatherish," said Karl and licked his lips. "Don't you love me anymore?"

"I," said Dom.

"Anyway." Karl slapped his hands against his own thighs. "What shall we do? Shall we go for coffee? I could really do with an espresso."

"Okay. Sounds good."

"Shall we go to that place we always go to? The one with the high tables?"

"Yeah, great." Dom laughed.

"You're in a jolly mood today. It must be because you're so ecstatic to have me back."

"Actually," said Dom.

But Karl was already at the door. "You don't need a coat," he said. "It's really warm out. Come on. I don't want to bump into thousands of others."

The coffee shop was half-full of New Zealanders. No one they knew was there. They sat where they always sat, by the window, and they ordered what they always ordered, espresso and double espresso. Dom watched Karl's fingers tear open the sugar and pour it into Dom's cup. He watched Karl's lips grip the cup. He put his hand below the table and touched Karl's knee.

"You okay?" said Karl. "You're not saying very much."

"I", said Dom. "Fine." And he laughed again. He shifted so his thigh rested against Karl's thigh.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" asked Karl.

"Am I? Like what?"

"I don't know. Like, in a special way like."

"Am I?" Dom repeated inanely.

"I missed you."

"Karl."

"Yeah?"

"I wanted to tell you something."

"Yeah, what?"

"I..." Dom blinked. "I saw Bernard yesterday."

"Oh yeah? What was that like, without me there? Did you get up to much?"

"No, not much."

"Not much? Can't believe that, what with Bern being involved. I would have thought you'd be glad to be rid of me and finally have him all to yourself."

"No. No, no. It's nice to have you there. It's better."

"Well, I think so. Drink your coffee. It's getting cold. Have you ever had any of those almond thingies they've got at the counter?"

"No."

"I wonder if they're any good. Hang on, I'm going to get some."

Dom watched Karl's arse all the way up to the counter. When Karl turned round to come back, Dom laughed again. He spilled a drop of coffee on his jeans.

"Here," said Karl. "Two for you, two for me. Apparently, you're supposed to dip them into the coffee. Don't know, sounds a bit off to me. I don't like crumbs swimming round in my coffee. But maybe just a corner. Mmm, it's quite good. Try it. So, Dom. What? What were you going to say? Has it got to do with Bern?"

"No. Not directly. It's more to do with something Bernard said. And it made me think."

"What? What did he say?"

"Oh, bugger," said Dom. His almond biscuit had plopped into his coffee. Karl reached over and fished it out with his coffee spoon.

"Yuck," said Karl. "Soggerama."

"Bernard said that he thought we were in love," said Dom quickly. "Or something."

"He said that?" Karl curled his lips. "Well. He got half of it right, anyway. Do you want my coffee? Yours looks disgusting now."

"I don't know. Maybe he got all of it..."

"Shit. Now my biscuit's fallen in." Karl frowned at his cup. "Shall I get us some more coffees? I should have known this dipping thing wasn't a great idea."

"Karl..." said Dom but Karl was already half-way across the room.

Dom watched him get smaller, stand with his hands on the counter, point at something, pull out his wallet from the front pocket of his jeans, count money out, coin by coin, look back at Dom, rock on his feet, pick up two small cups, put them on a tray and make his way back.

"There," Karl said. "Did you know, by the way, that you can get stamps here? On a card? Collect ten stamps and you get a free coffee. This is good: we've just clocked up four stamps in one go." He ripped open another sugar and stirred Dom's coffee. "So."

"What are you doing?" said Dom. "Are you eating that soggy biscuit?"

"Yep. Waste not, want not. It's not bad, actually. It's stopped being a biscuit and become a sort of coffee porridge. Do you want some?"

"Karl. What I was going to say... I feel stupid now."

"What? Why?"

"It's to do with something you always say."

"Me? Something I always... Oh."

"And I feel stupid because I've been saying the opposite for so long that..."

"No no, listen," said Karl and put down the soggy biscuit, the coffee spoon, the sugar sachet, licked his biscuit-coated fingers, put a hand on Dom's wrist, took it away again. "I know what you're going to say. I've been thinking about that while I was away. I'm not going to do it anymore."

"Do what?"

"Say 'I love you, I love you' all the time," said Karl in a lowered voice. "I've realised that you're right. There's nothing as annoying and pathetic as unwanted love being shoved up your nose non-stop."

"Did you have some unwanted love shoved up your nose in Auckland?"

Karl leaned back and grinned.

"You did!" shouted Dom. He looked around and stopped shouting. He pulled up his shoulders and grinned.

"Well, I might have done," said Karl. "Anyway, it's not relevant now. What..."

"It might be relevant. Did you sleep with someone?"

Karl pursed his lips. "And what if?"

"Nothing. Nothing what if."

"Pity," said Karl. "Had hoped you might be madly jealous. But I didn't. I could have. But I couldn't be bothered. Don't laugh!"

"Okay," laughed Dom. "It's just that I've never known you not to be bothered."

"With you, Dom," Karl said. He looked at Dom with dewy eyes. Then he sat back, squeezed his eyes shut, opened them again and shook his head. "Stop, stop. I will stop. I swore I would and I will. I won't pester you any longer with all that syrupy love stuff. You're always complaining about it and you're absolutely right. I'll stop. See, I've stopped."

"Uh, you don't have to stop."

"I've stopped already."

"I don't mind. I'd like you to say it."

"Don't be silly."

"I've sort of got used to it."

"Well, you can now get used to life without it," said Karl. He leaned close and said in a low voice, "But don't worry, I'll still fuck you."

Dom turned an unexpected shade of red and burst out laughing. He nearly slipped off his chair. "You're too kind," he managed to get out.

Karl grinned. "I know. You're looking nice. You look all flushed and nice."

"Look, Karl." Dom composed his face. "I... Come here."

Karl leaned across the table, shirt sleeve trailing in coffee slush. Dom leaned across from his side. He whispered something into Karl's ear.

"What? What?" said Karl. "I didn't catch that. Can you say it in a normal loud voice?"

"I'm not sure I can," said Dom. "It's too public here."

Karl looked round. "Here, write it down on the napkin." Half of the napkin was brown and on its way to dissolving into paper pulp.

"I haven't got a pen," said Dom.

Karl patted his person. "Here," he said.

It was half of a pencil, broken off in splinters. Dom took it and tried to write. The pencil was 2H and tore the napkin more than it left any legible marks.

"I can't read that," said Karl. "Come on, Dom. Just tell me. What's the big thing? You know me. I'm fairly unshockable. You don't have to be embarrassed in front of me."

"I know," said Dom. "But I am, anyway."

"Have you discovered that not only do you have a thing for old geezers but a thing for twelve-year-old schoolgirls as well?"

"No," Dom laughed.

"Or that you get off on licking dogs' balls?"

"No, you maniac!"

Karl spread his hands, palms up. "I don't care. You know I don't. If you want to fantasise about sheeps' arses while..." He lowered his voice. "...fucking me, that's fine. I don't give a stuff. Fantasise about whatever."

"You then," said Dom.

"Me?"

"Can I fantasise about you?"

"Why would you want to do that?"

"Karl," urged Dom. "You know what I'm trying to say."

Karl dropped his spoon on the floor. He didn't bend to pick it up.

"You know your strategy?" said Dom. "Your strategy or whatever of wearing me down?"

"Yeah," Karl said slowly, "the one I've abandoned now."

"You can abandon it now. Because, well, I think it's done its job. It's worked."

"What do you mean, worked?"

"You know what I mean. I mean... How will you know I mean it this time?"

"Mean it?" said Karl. He gave a short laugh. He ruffled his own hair. He looked at the table. He looked at Dom. "I don't know. I don't know how I'll know. *Do* you?"

"Mean it?"

"Yeah. Do you really mean it?"

"Yes," said Dom.

"Shit," said Karl and laughed.

"Yeah," said Dom and laughed, too.

Dimples popped into Karl's cheeks. Light sparked into Karl's eyes. "What?" he said. "Why? How? Dom."

"No doubt all due to your vibrant personality and great arse. And the fact that my feelings aren't static entitites."

"Are you throwing my own bullshit back in my face?"

"Yes," said Dom and laughed.

Karl laughed. Dom laughed. They sat there and laughed at each other, and their coffees sat on the table, forgotten.

Then they walked back to the hotel and made love until the sun went down.

Dom didn't think of Bernard -- well, not above once or twice, and only very briefly. Karl didn't think of anything to do with food -- except when he discovered that Dom had eaten his cache of pine nuts and trailer mix. They bickered over whether to have the TV on during sex or not, what channel to tune to, and over who was going to be fucking whom. They spilled condoms all over the place, they tore a button off Karl's shirt, they nearly rolled off the bed. They moaned. They groaned. Karl bit Dom's tongue by mistake. Dom didn't flinch, just gripped Karl's neck and sweated against Karl's stomach.

Karl said "I love you" about three dozen times in the course of the evening. Dom only said it twice because that wasn't the kind of thing Dom said, really.

But he felt it all right. Oh yes.

-----

The End.

14 November 2002

If you enjoyed this story, please send feedback to lobelia321@aol.com

Comments

[brightest-blue.livejournal.com]

Well, it should come as no great shock to you that I loved loved loved this! However, I want to read a few more times before sending you real feedback. And maybe wait for my stuffy head to clear up a bit more so it will actually be coherent. *goes to read 3 or 8 more times*

thank you

[lobelia321.livejournal.com]

Thank you very much and I have got your fb now, so thank you even more! :-) :-) :-)

[hjartad.livejournal.com]

Yessss. The first thing to actually make me forgot how crappy I'm feeling right now. Thank you! Of course, better feedback will be sent by e-mail after another reading :)

thank you

[lobelia321.livejournal.com]

Thank you, and I have got the 'extended fb' now, so thank you even more! :-) :-)

[crazybutsound]

I would have commented last night, right after I'd finished reading it, but this kept me up until 2:30am, simply because I could not tear myself away from it. By then, I wasn't exactly coherent, so...

Not that I am now, lol.

Anyway, I don't know if I'll ever be able to send proper feedback, even though I really want to. Something this long, good, complex, deserves better than a mere lj comment. But like I said, I might not have time. So in case you never hear from me again about this, I wanted to say that I found it gripping. Extremely well-written as well, and sweet without being sappy, which is something I love.

So yes, basically, if I can't find the time to say more, I'd like to at least let you know I loved this. Loved it loved it loved it.

thanks

[lobelia321.livejournal.com]

Thanks so much for the kind fb! And for staying up till 2:30... oh dear, I know that feeling.

sweet without being sappy,
This especially made me very happy, and I keep thinking about it still.