When Tony Met Adam (Short Story) Read Online Free PDF Page A

been more intent on following the bottle of gin that Adam had carried with him, into the bedroom of the hotel suite.
    But, here and now, Tony was obviously into playing it more subtle—or maybe he was just being cautious before parading around naked in a place he’d never been before. For all he knew, Adam’s bedroom had floor-to-ceiling windows and the shades were pulled up.
    Either way, he still had his jeans on despite being unzipped. They weren’t particularly fashionable, certainly not designer, but they fit him extremely well, riding low on his narrow hips and revealing a tramp stamp, tattooed low on his back.
    It was a series of Chinese characters and Adam resisted the urge to ask what they meant—or what Tony
thought
they meant, which was probably more likely the case.
    Instead, he just counted to ten before following Tony down the hall. No point in looking too eager, even though he knew for sure that he wasn’t going anywhere. Not until Tony … how had he put it? Ran his hands over every inch of Adam.
    Yeah. No point in rushing off before
that
happened.
    As he went into his bedroom, he heard the sound of the shower going on.
    “This place is nice,” Tony said from the bathroom, raising his voice to be heard over the rush of the water. “I really like the layout. When did you move in?”
    No doubt he’d taken note of the boxes that still sat in the corner of both the bedroom and the living room. Adam no longer saw them, they’d been there for such a long time.
    “When I got cast in
American Hero,”
he answered, citing the movie that had been his first big break. In other words, he’d lived here for years. “Every now and then, I think about leaving. It seems stupid to unpack, just to pack it all up again. But then I stay …”
    Why was he telling Tony this? Why was he saying anything at all? What he really should do was walk into that bathroom and take off his clothes, get into that shower and get his rocks off.
    And then adios his ass out of here. As quickly as possible.
    But Tony appeared in the doorway, looking out at him. It was weird. He was so at ease—almost as if this place were his, and Adam the visitor.
    “Why’d’you stay?” Tony asked.
    Why
did
he stay? It wasn’t because he’d wanted to wallow in it—the fact that he’d been the happiest he’d ever been when Robin was with him here, even though most of the time he was so drunk that he’d called Adam
Jules
.
    “I don’t know,” Adam said. “It’s been easier to just … renew my lease.”
    Tony didn’t accuse him of being a freaking liar. He didn’t point and call him a loser who
was
in fact wallowing in his own pathetic, never-to-be-requited despair. Instead he nodded. “It’s a nice place,” he said again. “A little crowded though, with what’s-his-name’s ghost still lurking. You want to get your butt in here and exorcise the shit out of it?”
    Adam laughed his scorn. “You honestly think I haven’t tried that?”
    “If I had to put money on it, I’d say … Probably not lately. And timing’s pretty important.”
    “I didn’t invite you here to psycho-fucking-analyze me.”
    “The right verb’s in there somewhere,” Tony said.
    “And still you stand there, talking,” Adam countered. “You want it? Come get it.”
    “So … you like it rough.” Tony moved toward him, the light from the lamp on Adam’s bedside table gleaming and skittering and making shadows that leapt and emphasized his incredible arms and upper body.
    “Is there any other way?” Adam quipped, even though his mouth was suddenly dry.
    “Absolutely.” Tony stopped his advance well short of an invasion of Adam’s personal space, but then reached out and pushed Adam’s hair back from his face with the gentlest touch, cupping his cheek and chin, his hand warm against Adam’s face.
    He was so beautiful, with those crazy-blue eyes that were nothing like Robin’s. Who’d have thought blue could come in such a different