CHAPTER 10

In the stillness of the morning, Calem lay tangled in the sheets, his mind tormented by the look in Ben’s eyes the night before. The echo of Ben’s sudden attack and subsequent warning consumed his thoughts. As dawn slowly started to paint soft hues across the room, Calem traced the contours of his own confusion. Forcing himself out of bed, he began preparing for the day as the morning sunlight cast a revealing glow on the room. Yet, the shadows of the previous night clung to his thoughts, leaving him with an uneasy sense of foreboding and a feeling of dread, anticipating Ben’s visit that evening. The expression on Ben’s face, as he promised to visit later that day, persisted as an unsettling image that refused to fade throughout the course of the day. Calem hoped that Ben would not come. However, around sunset, Ben walked into his room without knocking. He was not alone. Larry was with him. Larry sat on the bed, and Ben on the desk chair. Their behaviour seemed odd to Calem, but he decided to let events unfold naturally.

“Do you have something to drink?” Larry said.

“What do you feel like? Coke, water, tea, coffee?”

Ben looked at Larry through a smile that looked meticulously prepared.

“I think I need something stronger,” Ben said.

“I’ll get the beers I left in the car?”

Larry’s expression seemed to convey a prearranged meaning, as he exchanged another rehearsed glance with Ben.

“Yeah, why don’t you do that.”

Ben’s behaviour seemed coldly mechanical as he never took his eyes off Calem while he spoke to Larry. Before Calem could object, Larry had left the room. A tense silence followed as Ben kept his differently coloured eyes unnervingly fixed on Calem, with an intensity that gradually made Calem more and more uneasy. Judging by the pure hatred and anger that had ignited in Ben’s eyes, Calem knew that nothing good was about to happen.

“I’ll get some water,” Calem said.

As he stood up, Ben quickly darted in front of him, blocking the exit from the room. Ben lowered his face in a manner that suggested he was about to kiss Calem, but just before making contact with his lips, stopped.

“Don’t leave.”

Ben pressed his cheek against Calem’s for a few seconds. Then, with a deliberate show of care, he moved Calem back to sit on the edge of the bed. Ben stood in front of Calem as he lowered his track pants. When Calem turned his head away, Ben slapped Calem’s cheek with his cock and tried to force it into his mouth. Failing, Ben pushed Calem onto the bed, immediately getting on top of him. When he settled on Calem’s chest, he slowly rubbed his cock again on Calem’s lips.

“Open your mouth!”

Ben wore a maliciously ecstatic grin as he alternated between slapping and rubbing Calem’s face and mouth with his cock. Unexpectedly, Calem’s attention was diverted from Ben by the dull snap of a twig just outside the window. Calem looked up and saw Larry watching them through a narrow gap between the curtain and the window. His attention was drawn back to Ben, whose frustration was mounting as he landed another slap on Calem’s upturned cheek.

Ben’s smile gradually faded as he realised he was not going to succeed in getting Calem to open his mouth. After a brief struggle, Ben eventually gave up and placed his hands next to Calem’s head. Feeling no movement above him, Calem reopened his eyes and found himself gazing directly into Ben’s eyes, which hovered just above his own. Calem saw a blend of disgust and humiliation in Ben’s expression, leaving him more alarmed.

When they heard Larry returning, Ben reluctantly got off Calem. He got dressed and perched on the edge of the desk. Calem, too, sat up as Larry opened the door. He walked in, feigning ignorance, cheerfully holding up a six pack of beers. Sitting in the desk chair near Ben, Larry handed a beer to Calem, who declined the drink. Larry gently flung a can to Ben, who slowly moved it from one hand to the other before he cracked it open downing it in a single gulp. Ben reached out for another can, wearing a noticeably dissatisfied expression on his face. It became clear to Calem that Ben had hoped to simultaneously humiliate him while demonstrating to Larry that Calem was his. Unable to prove either and visibly stung by this apparent humiliation, Ben downed the can.

“Ben, are you going to play tomorrow?” Larry said.

Larry looked at Ben a few seconds before he repeated the question.

“I don’t know. Probably.”

Ben looked deep in thought as he stared at the empty can, crushing it. Calem noticed that Ben’s ears were turning red.

“Who are you playing against?” Calem said.

Ben sneered at Calem, his expression turning into one of intense loathing.

“Since when do you care?” Ben said.

Ben, opening another can, looked away and took another sip.

“Good Hope,” Larry said.

As Ben’s mood deteriorated, Calem became increasingly concerned. Calem observed a smirk playing on Ben’s lips, a subtle sign that he was calculating his next move. Suddenly, Ben looked up at Calem.

“Why aren’t you drinking?” Ben said.

“You know I don’t drink.”

“Yeah, but you do swallow…”

Ben smiled with pride, knowing that he had humiliated Calem, and laughed as he shared a high five with Larry. Calem paused, narrowing his eyes in disappointment as they locked onto Ben’s.

“Well, you would know all about that.”

Calem’s cutting insult hit Ben like a verbal punch. Ben’s jaw tightened, and he shot a glance at Calem. Ben banged his fist on the desk as he stood up and stormed angrily towards Calem. With a look of alarm, Larry immediately stepped between them, but Ben shoved him out of the way with ease.

“You think you are better than us?”

Without uttering a word, Ben reached for a fresh can of beer. Upon opening it, he held it out to Calem. Seeing no reaction, Ben took a deliberate swig. Stepping forward, he placed his left knee on the bed beside Calem. He grabbed Calem’s t-shirt, held him by the chest, and leaned over, attempting to pass the beer from his mouth to Calem’s. Larry could not believe his eyes. A brief stillness settled in the room. However, Calem swiftly pushed Ben away. Ben’s face flushed with a mix of embarrassment and anger as he stumbled, allowing beer to spill out of his mouth, staining not only his t-shirt but also the bedding and carpet.

When Ben regained his stability, he extended the can toward Calem.

“Drink!” Ben said.

“No.”

Calem turned his head away, and when Larry stood up to intervene, Ben forcefully pushed Larry back into his chair.

“Stay the fuck out of this Larry!” Ben said.

“Ben, bra... come on!” Larry said.

Larry remained seated as Ben returned his gaze to Calem.

“Drink!” Ben said.

“No.”

“No?”

“Fuck you!”

“Fuck me, eh? No, fuck you!”

Ben’s eyes narrowed as he took another gulp of his beer, forcefully spitting the contents onto Calem’s face. A self-satisfied, malicious, mocking laugh escaped him as he poured the remaining contents of the can over Calem’s head. Yet, as their eyes met, regret immediately began to overwhelm him.

“Ben, bra… that was a bit much,” Larry said.

Calem observed the mix of shame and concern on Ben’s face transform into anger and spite.

“It’s nowhere near enough to repay this little bitch.”

Calem calmly wiped the beer out of his eyes.

“Have you gotten everything you came for tonight?” Calem said.

Larry immediately pulled Ben aside.

“Bra, that’s not cool. We’re leaving. Calem sorry about this, my bra. I’ll call you tomorrow.”

Yet, as they left, Calem remained seated on the bed, watching them go. When Ben looked back, a profound sense of disappointment and anguish welled within him as he recognised the same expression on Calem’s face that he had witnessed in the toilet a few weeks before. Ben pulled free from Larry, returning to Calem, eager to apologise. However, Calem stood up, closed the door in his face, and as Larry caught up with Ben, he dragged him away.