Love is Always Write Anthology Volume 3

then." Omar jumped at the sound of his teacher's voice. "Tell me how you've managed to have the whole place in uproar after just a week in the field. And that noise . What in heaven's name have you done to the boy?"
    "Sir, I…" The words stumbled. Omar didn't know what he'd actually done to cause such a pickle. He only knew it was wrong. He didn't even know why it was wrong. Okay, he sort of knew why and he knew very well what but it was easier to focus on denial.
    "Oh, lord." The teacher took a long, laboured breath. His legendary patience seemed wrinkled. "What's the first rule, Omar?"
    "Never interact with your subject beyond the state at which you become easily forgettable."
    "How bad is it?"
    "Bad."
    "Sliding scale of one to ten?"
    Omar dropped his gaze to the crystalline floor that sparkled from the light of the heavenly suns. "About fifteen." The teacher said nothing. "I didn't see the warning signs." A half-truth, not a lie . "I'm not sure there were any." Little white lie . "Then it was too late. Everything I did to disconnect made it worse." Blatant, full-blown lie.
    "Are you asking for a termination?"
    "No! I'm asking for leave."
    "Impossible. You've barely finished your training. It's customary to actually work before taking time off."
    "Just a year."
    "To do what, exactly?"
    "To be with him."
    ****
    A year earlier .
    Oh the wonders of having a day off during the week. Jesse ambled along the empty shopping aisles pulling things off the shelf without having to fight through a crowd three deep to reach them. Bliss. A strange admission of bliss for a twenty-four-year-old single guy but Jesse enjoyed the simple pleasures. He sighed contentedly as he scooped a jar of his favourite coffee from the display and plopped it in his basket.
    "Hey, Jesse."
    "Gee." Abandoning his catch, Jesse bounded the few feet between him and the source of the greeting, leaping on the young guy that now chuckled under the hail of arms and legs. Gee, once-upon-a-time lover, long-time friend. Jesse had never figured out what went wrong between them, if anything did. Maybe they just grew up. Whatever it was, he was still always a welcome sight.
    "Gee, where've you been, man?" Finding his feet, Jesse straightened his clothes and grinned. "I thought you'd fallen into the love pit with that guy, what's his name?"
    "Oh," his friend's smile slipped a fraction, "no, he's gone. Another one bites the dust. What about you, you hooking up with anyone lately?"
    Jesse played with a stray lock of his friend's hair before tucking it behind his ear. Still bleached as white as it would go, the opposite of Jesse's dark curls. It suited him. Took the edge off his nerdy side and gave him a little ounce of cool. "You know me, all business."
    "And how is the advertising business, still working for the iceman? I swear I've never met anyone with less passion."
    This time Jesse's smile faltered. Iceman had passion all right. Jesse knew for a fact. Had tasted it. Bathed in it. And then been thrown out of the door just like every other piece of ass before him. "Still frosty," Jesse managed without sounding too depressed. He shook off the dark rumble in the pit of his stomach and smiled brightly. "But you know me, I can survive sub-zero temperatures and besides, the job pays well and I love it."
    Gee grabbed a jar from the shelf. "This one of yours?"
    "Coffee's for the grown-ups. I'm working on a kid's cereal and toothpaste."
    "Bummer. Listen, I've got to go, but your number's still the same, right? I'll call."
    They shared a hug, and Jesse planted a wet kiss on Gee's cheek. "Do that, kiddo. At the moment, the only shoulder I have to cry on is my sister's."
    Gee scrubbed his cheek with his sleeve and chuckled. "No wonder you're out on a school day. I'd play truant from Mistress Beckett too. We'll hook up soon though, yeah?"
    "Hook up? You coming on to me? Again?"
    "What's not to like?" Gee ran his hand over Jesse's ass and squeezed. "Comfort of friends and all that, right? Not as if I haven't been there before. Sweet with a twist of naughty, if I remember correctly."
    "Cheeky devil." Jesse hugged Gee again. Maybe a casual hook up wouldn't be so bad, and Gee was always good fun. He was certainly looking good right now. "Call me."
    A small sigh escaped as Jesse watched Gee disappear around the corner. He was a good friend. A good lover. It would be a satisfactory setup for the short term. "Needs must and all that," he murmured to himself. "Now where did I put