Getting On...

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PART 2

The coffee was an inspired thought, Xander was sure. At least pulling in at the truck stop let him sit across from Will and notice the uncanny shades of blue that made up the other man’s eyes. He hadn’t been able to tell their exact shade earlier, but now… oh, he would spend weeks imagining those eyes looking up at him as those pink lips and tongue tormented him mercilessly, and that was a bad thought to be having at the moment although the table between them hid his body’s reaction from the subject of his thoughts.

“Seriously, Will,” Xander found himself saying, “Don’t worry about it. I have a friend who works on cars as a sideline. He probably has an alternator that’ll work, okay? I’ll just get up early tomorrow and swing by his place. We’ll have your car up and running by noon if I have anything to say about it.” He grinned, pretty sure he was keeping the interest out of his face.

William found himself blushing slightly. “Oh, but that’s entirely too much to ask, Xander. I’ll simply call the auto club and have them tow it for me. I… it wouldn’t be right to impose any further upon your kind nature.” Besides which, if he had to spend any more time than necessary with the other man, he’d likely slip up and give some sort of clue to just how attracted he was. It had been bad enough out in the darkness, but here, under the florescent lights…? Xander was even more appealing than he’d seemed, which shouldn’t have been possible.

Eyes so dark they were almost black, and yet so warm; so full of gentleness and kindness… a wide, red-lipped mouth that covered even, white teeth… somewhat bushy brows which only served to give the man a rather hungry look whenever those eyes were half-lidded, as they were now… thick, dark hair that begged for slender, pale fingers to thread through it and hold on tightly while Xander…

“God, no…” William groaned, not as silently as he’d hoped.

“Oh… oh, okay,” Xander said sadly, looking away from the man he was so caught up in, “I… yeah. That’s fine. I mean, I’m sure you have things to do anyway and I guess it’d be better to have a real mechanic take care of things, so it’s cool. I get it. I’ll just, uh… drop you off somewhere, okay? Unless you want to call someone to pick you up because I’m sure my truck isn’t that comfortable. I mean, I know there’s a spring on the passenger side that can be kind of, um… uncomfortable and…”

William blinked, then blinked again. “I… no. I mean… bloody hell! I wasn’t… that’s not what I… oh, bloody hell. I… I would very much appreciate a lift home, if it wouldn’t put you out too terribly much. And as for the other, it is simply… I would hate for you to spend what little leisure you have… working, Xander. It doesn’t seem quite fair. Amy would likely spank me for even suggesting it if she weren’t in London at the moment.”

“Amy?” The name was accompanied by a curious tone and a glance that Xander hoped didn’t seem too prying.

Blue eyes gleamed for a moment as Will thought of his friend. “Yes… I suppose one might say that she is my best girlfriend. We’ve known each other for… years, now.”

‘Been together for years’, Xander translated, his heart sinking even though he’d already known Will’s orientation. “Likes to spank you, does she?” he teased, “I’d heard that about you English guys. Always up for a little kink, huh?”

William found himself blushing and looking away. “I… I meant in the figurative sense. Amy would be quite… shocked at the notion, I believe.” He cleared his throat and swallowed hard. “But as I was saying before your little jaunt down none-of-your-business lane…?” He smiled. “I merely do not wish you to spend your time away from work engaging in an activity which I am convinced will be a chore, rather than a pleasure.”

The brunette shrugged, trying to keep the happy grin from his lips. “Seriously, Will, I don’t mind. I kinda feel… responsible for you in a way and if I don’t see this through and make sure everything’s okay, I’ll spend the rest of my life wondering what might have happened. Uh, to that ‘65 Corvette of yours, I mean.”

And that was better, William told himself. They could talk about the car and Xander would never know that the stranger he’d rescued was an enormous bloody poof. Then they’d get the car working, Xander’s sense of honor would be appeased, and William could stop courting a baseball bat to the head.

“All right, then. But if we are to see to the vehicle in the morning, perhaps it might be wise to…” William arched a brow towards the door.

Xander nearly sighed, not quite willing to start driving again, but then their waitress stopped by and started giving Will that oh-so-interested look and suddenly the thought of being in his truck and on the road alone with the other man gained radically in appeal. “Yeah… let’s go.”

There was a brief disagreement as to who would pay, but William won by pointing out that he’d have had to pay much more for a taxi, if he’d been fortunate enough to have one pass him whilst stranded.

“In fact,” he insisted as they pulled back onto the highway, “I believe a cup of coffee to be the least of what I owe you.”

Xander laughed and shook his head, turning the radio on soft and low. “Fine,” he answered without thinking, “You can buy me dinner tomorrow night, but then we’re even, okay?”

William flushed deeply but managed to keep his voice steady as he replied. “Of course. I would be honored to do so. Are you familiar with the new restaurant at the Ritz downtown?”

Another longer and much heartier laugh later, Xander found his voice. “Uh, that would be a no. Are you familiar with Mamacita’s?”

It wasn’t until a few miles later, after much comparing of the food items available at each establishment that Xander realized he’d made a date with Will. Not a real date, obviously, because Will had Aaaaaaaamy, but still, he’d be spending most of the next day with the blond and he just knew he was going to spend the majority of that time hard as a rock and possibly twice as dense. God knew what he’d say or do.

Hell, Will would probably end up having him thrown in jail.

Bright side, of course… at least in jail, he was likely to get laid.

Xander blushed.

* * * * *

Regardless of the fact that Xander clearly wasn’t interested, William had taken great care in dressing that morning, selecting an old and soft pair of faded jeans and one of the tight shirts from his… former life, along with a light jacket whose arms were knotted around his waist.

The special boot that fit over his right ankle wasn’t obviously different from the left, or not at a casual glance, and that was perhaps a good reason to be glad Xander was merely being friendly with his invitation to dinner, if it could be called an invitation since William was paying, but… thinking too much about that made his head hurt and his blue eyes tear, so William put it from his mind and tried not to look too relieved when Xander’s friend Chuy finally drove off in Xander’s truck.

“So…” Xander said quickly, brows waggling hopefully, “since she’s running again, why don’t you show me how good you are behind the wheel?” And God help him, but that had sounded like a come on. “I mean, I’m guessing you’re one hell of a driver.” ‘Oh, that’s so much better…’

William nearly swallowed his own tongue before reminding himself that Xander had no idea of how he was taking the perfectly innocuous comments. “I… yes. I have been known to drive well, although perhaps a bit fast and hard. I’m afraid that only my contributions to the Police Benevolent Fund have kept me from losing my license thus far.” He looked down, blushing even though he’d taken care to position the dangling arms of his jacket just-so at the front of his jeans. “Perhaps you’d like to climb in and I’ll show you…?”

Jesus fucking Christ. If he didn’t lose the porn-brain, Xander just knew he was going to do something bad. Something wrong. Unforgivable, even. So as much as he wanted to reply to the flirtatious sounding words in kind, he didn’t. Will didn’t mean it like that and he knew it.

He opened the passenger side door and folded himself carefully into the seat with a soft groan as his cock was pinched between the crease of his thigh and his own jeans which were suddenly far too snug.

“Are you alright?” William demanded as he settled himself behind the wheel, “You sounded a bit…” ‘sexy’… “Uncomfortable just now.”

Xander swallowed hard and nodded, staring out through the windshield. “Yeah… I’m fine. It was just kind of hard to get inside… uh, a tight fit…” Oh, God, he was so going to hell. “It’s been a while,” he finished in an effort to make some sort of sense that wasn’t pornographic; “I’m used to the truck, y’know?”

This was a very bad idea, William told himself yet again. Every single thing Xander said was sounding like a proposition to him, no matter how much the other man didn’t mean it that way. It was… disturbing. Or disappointing, rather. That the stunning brunette had no interest, he meant.

“Yes, well…” William smiled slightly and shifted into gear after starting the car and revving the engine, “If you’ll just relax and perhaps wriggle around a bit, I’m sure you’ll find the sweet spot. It’s actually quite comfortable once you’ve gotten settled. Pleasant, even. Trust me, Xander. It took me a good bit of time to get used to it myself.” And bloody hell, he was getting worse and worse. Xander would likely kill him if he noticed even half of the innuendo. Luckily the man didn’t and William was counting his blessings in that. “So… where is this Mamacita’s, then? I’m rather looking forward to trying something new. Something… hot,” he said with relish.

It was true, too. His family had never been much for spicy foods, although the little William had tried had delighted him.

Xander’s mouth was opening and closing like a fish drowning on air, but he counted himself fortunate that William was driving at the time and didn’t notice. ‘Wiggle around some and it’ll feel nicer? Is that what he just said? Jesus-fuck! If he talks like that all the time, I’m amazed he hasn’t been propositioned by every big, nelly queer between here and San Antonio!’

“I, uh… I’ll navigate,” Xander finally said after searching for a non-suggestive word for a good few seconds.

“Right, then,” William answered with a smile, his hands caressing the leather steering wheel cover lovingly, “you tell me what to do and I’m happy to oblige, Xander.” Because try as he might, he couldn’t manage to keep everything he said from sounding like an invitation, and… Xander didn’t seem to notice anyway, so why censor himself? It wasn’t as though he’d ever be seeing the darker man again, after all, sad as that thought made him. “Direct me to your satisfaction,” he murmured, eyes locked on the swiftly darkening road.

* * * * *

William was coughing even as he laughed at the sheer bliss and humor of the habanero pepper he’d just tried to eat. His eyes were watering, his throat was screaming, and he thought his tongue had possibly just tried to escape into his sinuses, but at the same time it was just so good!

He was amazed by the place Xander had brought him, and not only because he hadn’t truly known that such places existed.

He was amazed by the fact that while it was somewhat dank and dirty and smelled just a bit strange, it was also… homey. Welcoming, perhaps. More so than any of the establishments he’d frequented since coming back to Dallas, anyway.

Still more shocking was the fact that… he liked it.

It was true, though.

He liked this dingy little hole that could be called a restaurant only by virtue of the waist-high wall between the so-called kitchen and the alleged dining room. He liked the fact that he didn’t truly belong there. He liked the food, as odd as it seemed to him. Hell, he even liked the somewhat suspicious glances he was still getting from several of the rough-looking men and women at the other tables. But most of all… most of all, he liked that he was there with Xander and that the other man was smiling at him as though they were friends.

They weren’t, of course, and never would be. Men like Xander—strong, manly men with muscles like that and that sort of ease with themselves—were never friends with fellows like him. Still, for the moment, William could pretend.

His eyes stopped watering finally and he lifted the paper—it was paper!—napkin to blot them when a big, strong hand stopped him, thick fingers warm against his skin.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you, Will,” Xander said quickly. “Not unless you want to go blind in one eye, anyway, and believe me. Not a pleasant experience.” He winked. “Habanero juice,” he added, by way of explanation.

William glanced quickly at the napkin in his hand and blushed, seeing the damp spot at the corner. “Oh, bloody… yes, I can see that I might want to avoid such a thing. After all, only one eye would hardly do you justice.” He swallowed quickly. “I’d likely wreck my car, and that would be a shame after you went to so much trouble to repair it.”

Dear God… the guy was driving him bug-fuck nuts. Half his comments sounded like come-ons and the other half completely cancelled them out. Hell, Xander didn’t know what to say or do but if he didn’t get Will to either stop or maybe offer up his sweet ass in the next five seconds, he was going to scream.

“Y-yeah,” Xander growled softly. “Maybe we should call it a night, huh?” A guy could only take so much, after all, and… Jesus, the spank bank was screaming for a withdrawal.

William frowned slightly, but maybe Xander was tired? The man had dropped him at his home at nearly midnight the prior evening and had then been up quite early to go in search of a new alternator which had been harder to find for the make and model of the vehicle than any of them had expected, after all. He was sure that repairing the car with Chuy for nearly three more hours in the hot sun before their trek back into town hadn’t been relaxing, either.

“I… well, yes, if that’s what you wish, Xander. I will be happy to give you a lift home as well, since your friend took your truck…”

Xander nodded sharply, hating the world that had made the first guy he’d really wanted since… no, honestly since before he’d even met his ex, much less broken up with him… in ages, anyway, straight but so fucking perfect. “Yeah, that’s what I want. But I don’t need a ride, okay? I live near here. Thanks for dinner. Enjoy that sweet machine of yours, Will…iam.”

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tbc...