Rainfall 7
by Redkage
“I think I can handle a few blocks on my own Ray.” I complained.
Ray shook his head as he looked down at me. Bryce, you have not fully recovered from your injuries. I would be a horrible person if I allowed you to become harmed once more.
I gave a deep sigh. After three weeks of bed rest and constant mothering from Ray, I finally decided to go back to work. I would have gone back much sooner, but Ray, being the kind hearted person that he was, practically tied me down to my bed so that I could recover. All of the bruises had long disappeared, and the only thing that bothered me were my sore ribs, which were painfully healing themselves at a snails pace.
“I’m not a baby Ray, so I don’t need a chaperone.” I rolled my eyes. “I’m perfectly capable of taking care of myself.”
Ray shook his head again. You have done so much for me already, so now I wish to return the favor.
“Maybe, but…” I looked around us. Ever since we left the apartment, people had been giving us frequent glances and I could barely hear whispers behind our backs. And I wouldn’t blame them, because even I would do the same thing if I saw a huge 7’8” tall 375 lbs. giant teenager aiding a 6’ tall 150 lbs. 24 year old man walk to work (The doctors had gave us Ray’s official stats so we had something to go by besides my own guesses). Ray was actually holding my hand gently in his huge paws and acted as if I was a child just learning how to walk. It wasn’t that I didn’t appreciate Ray’s concern, but it was just so…embarrassing for me. For some reason, I felt like a child again standing next to Ray. On impulse I looked up at him and then I smiled.
Just about anyone would feel like a child next to Ray.
Ray had changed a lot since the first time I had met him (Though of course it had occurred during the course of a certain five minutes, but in my mind it had been a gradual change). He had grown so tall now that he stood out like a giant sore thumb in a crowd. Two feet taller then the average person, Ray towered over everyone. And it was a miracle that we had found clothes that would fit him! Ray refused to have custom made clothes at first, but after he had torn several shirt and pants trying them on I finally convinced him that it was more of a waste to pay for those ruined clothes then to have some special ordered.
The clothes I got for Ray fitted him perfectly. Perhaps even a bit too perfectly. His shirt was tight against his huge pecs, and the sleeves were just the right length and size to show off the size of his biceps and triceps. His jeans were shaped specifically for Ray’s tiny waste and huge legs, and he even had an extra large basket for his crotch. Even with these modifications, his pants were still tight on him to show off his thick legs and large bulge. Privately I suspected that the man who fitted Ray for his new clothes purposely made it tight on him. My gaydar may be crappy, but even i could tell that the guy had it in for Ray.
My lack of attention caused my foot to misstep and slip on a piece of candy wrapper. Before I could fall, Ray’s hands immediately moved to support me and prevented it from happening.
“T-thanks.” I said meekly when I regained my balance.
You’re welcome. Ray mouthed, a faint smile on his lips.
I felt my knees began to wobble again as I gazed at his handsome face. Quickly I turned forward and continued walking again. As of late I had begun feeling rather conflicted inside. I would find myself looking at Ray in an indecent manner. A very indecent manner. I know I had promised Nick that I would take care of Ray, but ever since his little growth spurt I suddenly found myself biting off more the I could chew. I unconsciously began touching him more often then before. Not only that, but my hand lingered longer then usual as well, and sometimes giving a small squeeze to feel the dense muscle underneath my fingertips. There was some sort of magnetic attraction that made my hands seek out to touch his hard, muscular body for at least a moment.
I think I mentioned that I was attracted to large men some time before. However, seeing Ray was like a sensory overdrive. He was just so big and masculine and strong. Just remembering how he had pushed that truck back upright sent shivers down my spine. And even when Ray wasn’t around me, I found my thoughts begin to wader towards Ray’s muscular body. How it moved and flexed as he performed the simplest tasks with a grace and poise that affected me just as much as the idea of him being able to lift a Volkswagen.
It was wrong.
It was all wrong.
I quickly rubbed my eyes to relieve some of my frustration. To me, Henry had been my first and maybe even my last true love. Perhaps I would be able to fall in love again in the future with someone else, but right now it still hurt too much. And not with Ray. I kept on telling myself over and over again that he was just too young, but I knew deep down that wasn’t the main reason why. I found myself comparing Ray and Henry over and over again, and each time I do, it seemed that slowly Ray was outclassing Henry in everything way. His size, his handsome looks, his intelligence, his gentle touch and kindness; Most of Henry’s best attributes were starting to be overshadowed by Ray’s. One day I was horrified when I realized that I couldn’t remember Henry as clearly as I used to.
To comfort myself, I constantly told myself that it was lust I was feeling and not love. I blamed it all on my stupid hormones and my fetish for large muscular men. I couldn’t be in love with Ray. I can’t.
A gentle shake of my shoulder returned me to the present. Without even realizing it, we had arrived at the front steps of my workplace. I looked up at Ray and he mouthed a few words, but I was unable to understand most of them. I had become very adequate at lip reading, but I still had some problems from time to time. Ray paused briefly to write on his pad, his huge hand holding the tiny pen carefully in his thick fingers. My eyes drifted towards his bicep, which looked so big and round at that angle. He quickly wrote and showed his pad to me to read.
I have brought you to the address you informed me about.
Is this the correct location?
Oddly, Ray gave my hand a small squeeze and held on to me just a bit longer before letting go. I looked over to him and frowned. Was he…?
I will rendezvous with you later and escort you home later. Ray mouthed to me, showing no change of emotion on his face other then his usual kind expression. With a cheerful wave he said his goodbyes and left.
I watched him walk away from me, his upper body completely visible above the heads of everyone else. I stood there until he vanished around the corner and let out my breath. Perhaps I was thinking about it too much again. After all, there was no way Ray could…
I reached up and rubbed my forehead. I shouldn’t even be considering these kinds of thoughts. Perhaps if I buried myself in work, I could forget about everything. With that thought in mind, I climbed up the steps and walked through the glass door.
“Surprise!” A deafening roar nearly knocked me off of my feet, followed quickly by several loud popping and bright flying colors. I gripped the door feeling a little disorientated as I took what I saw.
A lot of people were gathered around a small table brought from the coffee room. Some of them wore party hats, others had plastic leis around their necks. There were balloons and streamers everywhere, and confetti was still falling through the air. On the table was a cake, and written in big, blue letters were the words “Welcome Back Bryce!”
“You guys…” I said, speechless.
“Welcome back Buddy.” Carter said, coming forward and clapping his hand on my back. I winced a bit when he did this, since my ribs had not completely healed yet. Carter noticed it and pulled back a bit. “Ah, sorry buddy, I forgot.”
“It’s okay.” I told him. “It’s just a little sore, that’s all. But what is all this?” I waved my hand at all of the decorations.
“Haven’t you figured it out?” Carter smiled. “It’s a welcome back party!”
“Yea but…” I looked around, at all of the decorations. “You guys didn’t need to do something like this for me.”
“What are you talking about?” Someone asked. “We’re all buddies here!”
“You helped us all out a lot!”
“It ain’t the same without ya!”
“As you can see,” Carter cleared his throat, “these guys will use anything as an excuse for a party. So loosen up and enjoy yourself, cuz in fifteen minutes it’s back to work.”
Everyone made sarcastic complaining noises, but then fell back into the carefree mood again. Someone was already cutting up the cake and passing them out, and several of my work buddies came over bringing a paper plate with a huge slice of cake on it.
We all conversed with each other. All of my coworkers had a chance to talk to me, and from what I could tell they were genuinely concerned when they had heard that I was in the hospital. It made me feel…happy.
After exactly fifteen minutes had gone by, Carter began giving the orders for everything to get cleaned up. I tried to pitch in since it was my party, but apparently it was the same reason why Carter stopped me.
“You just came back.” He told me. “Just relax and we’ll handle all the manual labor. We don’t want you to pop a stitch or something.”
“Alright.” I reluctantly gave in, and went to my desk. I had been expecting my work to have piled up high since my absence, but to my surprise I found less then half my usual amount of work.
“Carter,” I called him over, “I appreciate what you’re doing, but I don’t want you to be treating me like I’m made out of glass.”
“I didn’t do your work.” Carter said as he looked down at my box. “Everyone else did it for you before I could get my hands on them.”
Boy, it was just one surprise after another. “Really? Why would they do that?”
Carter shrugged his broad shoulders. “Because everybody here likes you, I guess. You’re a really great guy to work with, and you’ve even managed to save quite a few from getting fired.”
“I-I think you’re over exaggerating.” I said, blushing.
“I’m serious!” Carter said. “How about that time you covered for Kenny? Or what about the time you talked Sara through her breakup with her boyfriend and did her work for her? And that’s not to mention the fact that you filtered out every single bad article before it reached the higher ups.”
“I’m just doing what anyone else would do for me.” I said a bit shyly.
“My point exactly.” Carter threw his hand over my shoulder, this time being wary of my injured ribs. Then he leaned in and grinned devilishly. “Now, tell me about that big hunk you came to work with.”
My eyes widened. “Y-you saw him?” I said in a low, strained voice so that no one else could hear.
“Of course I saw him. We all did. The whole front entrance is made out of glass, remember?”
Oh God, everybody saw Ray!
“And you were right, he really is cute." Carter continued on. Somehow that sounded wrong coming from a straight man. “Actually, as much as my male pride hates to admit it, he’s a serious eye popping drop dead gorgeous hunk. I mean, the guy is F-ing HUGE! I can’t believe a guy can grow up like that. You’re seriously lucky to have caught a guy like that. Just how old is he?”
“Sixteen.” I blurted out without thinking. I gasped and clasped my mouth.
“He’s SIXTEEN!?” Carter exclaimed. Suddenly every eye in the office was on the two of us as everyone stopped what they were doing to stare.
“Carter!” I hissed under my breath.
“Get back to work!” Carter barked, and everyone resumed their jobs.
I reached up, grabbed Carter’s ear and pulled his down, ignoring his small cries of pain. Quickly I dragged him into the coffee room, which was luckily empty at the time. “Listen here, Carter, and listen well. What I am about to tell you, you must keep it in that small brain of yours or else I’ll rip it out and use it for a sponge, you got that?” I can’t believe that I was threatening my superior!
“Alright, alright.” Carter said quickly. “Just let go of my ear, would ya? Even my own mother didn’t twist my ear as hard as you.”
I roughly let go of his ear. “Ray is a kid I found on the streets. He’s a good kid who was kicked out by his parents, and I’m just letting him live with me for awhile. HE is the one who rescued me twice in one day, and he was just walking me to work since I’ve still haven’t completely recovered. I do not, I repeat, do not have any intimate feelings towards him and if you go spreading the word I swear I will hunt you down, rip you apart and then use what’s left of your carcass for shark bait, you got that?”
“I got it, I got it.” Carter said quickly. “I wasn’t planning on telling anyone anyways, and I’m sorry I butted in. I shouldn’t have pried into your personal life and everything, I was just happy that you might’ve found someone, ya know?”
“I…I know.” I said, calming down a great deal. “Sorry I acted that way, but things between me and Ray are…complicated, and it doesn’t help that everyone seem to label us as a couple. Lately, a lot of things have been piling up on me, and I guess I was so high strung that I took out my frustration on you. Sorry.”
“Hey, no worries man.” Carter placed a hand on my shoulder. “If you ever need anyone to vent out on, you can always come to me, alright buddy? I may be your superior, but I’m your friend first.”
“Thanks.” I sighed. I turned and began to walk out.
“Oh, and by the way Bryce.”
“Yes?” I turned.
“You really need to work on your life threats. A brain sponge and shark bait? You can do so much better then that.” He laughed.
I joined in and laughed as well. “I’ve spent the last three weeks doing nothing but bed rest, so I guess I’ve gone a little soft.” To demonstrate I slapped my stomach, which was no longer as firm or flat as it used to be.
“Maybe you can have your new friend help you burn it off.” Carter suggested. “Or at least give you some tips. I mean, damn he must be a pro at exercising. He looked like he’s strong enough to bench press a truck or something.”
This time I laughed because it was true.
The rest of my workday flew by without any major event. There were several people who mentioned the “Helpful young man” that escorted me that morning, but other then that they didn’t ask further. It was possible that Carter broke his promise and told everyone not to talk about it too much, though I would be grateful if he did. I didn’t even feel like someone was talking behind my back. For the first time since I started working for that magazine company, I felt truly blessed to be able to work alongside such friendly and understanding co-workers.
“Uh, Bryce?” Carter came to my desk near the end of my shift.
“Yea?” I said without looking up from the article I was correcting.
“Your chaperone is here.”
I lifted my head. “My what?”
“Ah, your ‘little friend’ is waiting outside.” Carter nudged his head towards the front several times.
That got my attention.
“I’m leaving a bit early.” I said as I hastily finished correcting the paper and throwing it back into its box. I stood up and headed out. “I’ll make it up some other day.”
“Have fun.” Carter said before I walked right through the door.
Sitting on the bottom step was Ray, his broad back turned towards me. Even covered by his shirt I could see the ridges and crevices that resembled a mountain range. It made me wonder if there was anything that wouldn’t make Ray looked so hot.
Hot? I shook my head for the millionth time. I was starting to let my fetish take over again. Getting myself in check, I trotted down the steps to meet him. “Hey, you really didn’t need to come and pick me up.”
Ray lifted his head. But I wanted to pick you up. I read.
If I didn’t have such awkward feelings about Ray, I would have thought of that as the sweetest thing.
We walked through the city towards home, with Ray guiding me. Despite my protests, he insisted on taking my hand again as if I were a frail eighty years old. But if I were that old, I probably wouldn’t be worried about suddenly springing a boner, so there was something to look forward to. For now, I just had to deal with my current situation, hormones and all.
Holding Ray’s hand was torture to me. A side of me thought I was becoming too close to Ray, and that I should pull back before it got any deeper. Another part of me enjoyed it, and desired to stay like that. Having a strong person to hold my hand was a very comforting feeling to me.
Before long we reached my apartment building again. When we walked through, Ray tried to take me to the elevator but I rooted myself to the ground.
“Can we use the stairs this time?” I asked, though I already knew his answer.
You shouldn’t place yourself under too much physical stress. Ray lectured me.
“I’m a grown man Ray.” I told him sourly. “I can choose between taking the elevator and the stairs, and right now I want to use the stairs.”
Ray looked at me thoughtfully. Alright, if you really desire to travel by stairs, then I will be happy to oblige. Before I knew it, Ray reached behind my head and knees and swept me off my feet cradling me in his arms like a princess being rescued by a prince.
“Ray, what are you doing!?” I exclaimed.
You wished to use the stairs. Ray said as he started climbing. I am just climbing them for you.
“Ray, put me down this instant!” I protested. This was humiliating, fun and hot all rolled up into one action! My head was already starting to spin from being carried around like I weighed nothing while his muscles bunched and flexed against my body without any sign of strain. I continued to yell at Ray as he carried me up the stairs. I would occasionally pound on Ray’s chest, but I didn’t really try to hurt him. Not only that, his chest was so fucking hard that I couldn’t even put a dent in them, like always. In fact, I was hurting my own hand more then I was hurting Ray.
When we finally reached the top step, Ray gently set me back down on my feet. From there he guided me to the door, which was lucky for me since I was still a little light headed from my sudden ride. I reached into my pocket and brought out my keys, but I kept on fumbling with them while searching for the correct one. I don’t think I’ve ever been that flustered before. Ray came to my rescue when he pulled out his own set of keys that I had made for him and unlocked the door for me.
Now feeling thoroughly stupid, I entered my apartment with Ray trailing behind me. I don’t know what to expect, but I didn’t really expect to see dinner all set out on the table. And it wasn’t just ordinary dinner like pasta or lamb chops. There were two slices of well prepared smoked salmon, complete with garnish and everything. And it didn’t stop there; there was a bowl of salad, mini quiches and two wine glasses set out along with a bottle of chardonnay and a can of coke.
“Ray, what’s going on?” I asked.
Ray said nothing. Instead, he went over to the coffee table, picked up a book and brought it over to me.
When I saw the title on the book, I felt as if my heart had stopped. “Is this…?”
Ray nodded, grinning ear to ear.
I stared at the book. I reached out, my hand trembling, almost afraid that it would disappear if I touched it. My hand came in contact with the smooth hardbound cover. It wasn’t just a figment of my imagination or a delusion. Hastily, I grabbed it from Ray and held it in my hands, clutching it tightly as if I were afraid that I might drop it. Hesitantly I opened the book, I read the title page inside.
Heart Carved from Stone
By Bryce Summers & Reynard Frost
And then I let it all out in one, explosive cry.
“WE DID IT!” I cried as I jumped up and wrapped my arms around Ray’s neck and my legs around his waist. “WE DID IT, WE DID IT, WE DID IT!”
Ray’s entire face lit up like a red light bulb as I hung onto him, but I was too busy crying out at the top of my lungs to notice. I let go of him and began twirling around the room with the book at arm’s length, going ‘Woohooo!’ all the while.
“Oh man, we have to celebrate!” I turned towards Ray, my face beaming. “We’ll go to a restaurant! The fanciest one in town! How does that sound?”
Ray pointed to the already set dinner table.
I felt a big duh go off in my head. “OH of course, you already had everything set up! Oh, you’re so sweet, you know that? No, not sweet, amazing!” I just couldn’t stop myself from rambling on and on. I was just so excited to have our book published that my mind reverted back to an eight year old.
It may have just been my excitement, but the food was the best I had ever tasted in my entire life. It was obvious that Ray didn’t cook this meal, even though he had improved greatly ever since his first disaster in the kitchen. However, something this good had to have been expensive, and I wondered where exactly Ray got the money for it.
“Say Ray, how did you manage to pay for all of this?” I asked, moving my fork in a circular motion.
Ray shifted uncomfortably and avoided eye contact. It’s a…a secret.
“Oh come on, tell me!” I insisted. “After all, we’re buds, aren’t we? Come on, spill it!”
Ray hunched down a bit. Promise you won’t laugh? He mouthed meekly.
“I promise.” I told him, although I had a feeling I wouldn’t keep it.
Ray flipped through his pad until he came to a certain page, then held it up for me to see.
I burst out laughing. On the sheet written in big, bold letters were the words:
Flex: $1
Touch: $5
Ray was blushing so hard I thought I could see steam come out of his ears, which made me laugh harder.
After awhile I calmed down enough to finish eating dinner. When I was done, Ray cleared the table and brought out a whole New York style marble cheesecake that was absolutely delicious.
“Man, that was incredible!” I said as I leaned back and patted my stomach. I had really let myself go, but I suppose I couldn’t have done much about it. However, it was about time for me to start hitting the gym again. Henry would never forgive if I allowed myself to go flabby.
I decided to stand out on the balcony to look at the view while I digest. Although it wasn’t as breath taking like a penthouse view, my third floor scene was still great. The far off city lights, the ever present ambience of cars, horns and so on. To most people this would be a nuisance, but I found that I rather enjoyed listening to it. The only think that could make this night perfect for me was some rain.
Curiously I looked up at the sky. It was cloudy, but hardly rain type weather. “Oh well, tonight is still great with or without rain." I told myself.
“…A…ahh….” Someone said something behind me.
I turned around and saw Ray standing in the doorway. “Did you say something?” I asked.
“A….ah…aaaahh.” Ray opened his mouth again. He appeared to be struggling with something, his face concentrating deeply.
It took me a moment to realize the significance of what I had said. Ray wasn’t suppose to be able to say anything. “R-Ray! You’re-”
“Brraah….Brrrry….” Ray’s face strained, as if it was the hardest thing for him to do. “Brrrryiiiice.”
“Oh my God, you said my name!” I ran over and clasped him on the shoulders. “Congratulations!”
“Brrryce.” Ray repeated again more clearly.
“That’s it, you almost got the hang of it.” I encouraged him.
“Bryce…” He finally said, and I felt like jumping again. “Bryce, I….v…u.”
“Huh?” I asked. “What are you trying to say, Ray?”
“Bryce, I…ve….ou.” He attempted again. I could almost make out the words.
“Come on, you can do it.” I said, reaching up and touching his face. His skin was surprisingly hot to the touch. “Come on, just try a little bit harder.”
“Bryce, I ..lo…..ou.” He was breathing hard, and his skin grew hotter.
Wait a minute, was he…?
Ray took a deep breath, the leaned down and caught my mouth. I was caught off guard as his lips touched mine and he gave me an intense kiss, though I was too stunned to respond.
Ray broke it off and pulled back. He spoke again, in a clear, smooth voice.
“Bryce, I love you.”