Taken: Gay Erotic Romance

Over the many years I knew him, Leo was always taken. Would the time ever come when he would be mine?

The memory is clear in my mind when I first set eyes on Leo again. The moment he looked up and spotted me. The moment his incredible smile lit up his face.

I hadn't seen Leo in six years. After college, we'd gone our separate ways. Now here he is back in my life again. And my feelings for him haven't changed. I'm enamored with him.

But then, as now, he's taken. Some other man is the light in his world.

After months of hanging out, the reality that Leo has a boyfriend, one he is planning to marry and have children with, becomes increasingly painful. Doesn't help that I don't like the guy.

What are the chances Leo will wake up and realize he is being controlled in an unhealthy relationship? What are the chances he will turn to me instead?

Am I crazy to even imagine he will be mine someday?

---

We'd been hanging out for months. The memory was clear in my mind when I first set eyes on Leo again. I often replayed it. The moment when I walked into Café Pacifica and saw him behind the counter working the espresso machine. The moment he had looked up and spotted me.

The moment his incredible smile lit up his face and he motioned me over.

I hadn't seen Leo since college six years ago. I always wondered what happened to him. We'd never been good friends. Never exchanged numbers. We'd only spoken a handful of times.

But I'd become infatuated with him. He was beyond beautiful. His dark blond hair always a halo of mess around his delicate features. Some might describe him as pretty.

All I knew was that when I approached the espresso machine, he had seemed genuinely glad to see me. He poured his friendly charm all over me. And I fully immersed myself in it.

He'd had so many questions about my life. Did I graduate? Did I manage to get a job in the field of my studies? Even my home and love life. He wanted to know it all.

I'd reciprocated. He'd finished his art history degree and laughed about how it hadn't helped him in getting a job. Hence, being a barista. Thankfully, he loved it. Then he told me about his boyfriend. They'd been together for five years. My heart sank with the realization he was taken.

That memorable day, we'd agreed to meet after his shift. I went home for a few hours. Had another shower and fussed over what I wanted to wear like it was some kind of date.

I'm glad I did. It felt like a date. Our conversation had been pure joy. Leo was an incredibly positive person. Something I had remembered about him. He made me feel like my most cherished dreams were possible. It had felt as natural as breathing to tell him about them.

Leo had dreams too that he shared with me. He wanted to go back to school and become a nurse. But his boyfriend was balking at the idea, using their finances as a reason not to go.

That made me feel all kinds of anger deep into my toes. I tried not to let on how upset I was, but Leo had picked up on it, smiled sweetly at me, and placed his hand on mine.

"I'm glad to see you haven't changed," he'd said.

I knew what he was referring to. Our meeting at college happened when I noticed a group of guys harassing Leo in the food court of the college. The word faggot had been bandied about.

I'd risen from my seat, calmly approached, and extricated Leo from the situation. That was the first day we ate together a few times over our final semester. The conversation had always flowed well. I'd become enamored, crushing hard on him. But as he was now, Leo was taken. He was with the same boyfriend he had in high school. They'd been together for almost four years.

Now, six years later, we'd been hanging out for four months. Typically, at least twice a week, if we could both manage it. The coffee shop, lunch, or a walk on the pier. All safe stuff.

We'd gone out for dinner a couple of times, but Leo had brought his boyfriend with him. I didn't like the guy. Felt like he was sizing me up. And I could feel the need for control cascading off him. It hurt my heart to see Leo defer to him. He deserved absolute freedom. He was like a magnificent butterfly whose wings were still wet. And he'd been made to stay that way.

I would never treat him like that. I'd be by his side, fanning his wings until they dried and encouraging him to fly. To explore. To find all the nourishment he needed from the world.

But it wasn't to be. Six years was a long time to be with someone. And they often spoke of marriage and children. An image that tortured me every time they brought it up, or when I lay awake at night. Over time, I eventually acknowledged I wanted those things with Leo.

That I was in love with him.

"Earth to Garret." Leo placed his hand on my arm, bringing me back to the here and now. "I realize I'm rambling, but dude, you totally zoned out. What are you thinking about?"

I exhaled hard and shook my head. "Work. Sorry about that."

"All good. I know you're not into pets, but our getting a dog has me in knots. I still can't believe Darren finally agreed to let me get one. I want to choose the right breed. It can't be something that would annoy him by barking a lot or disrupting his routine in any way."

My back and shoulders tensed.

"Are you serious? He won't even take the dog for damned walk?"

"Don't get all twisted up." Leo sat back in his chair. "I don't mind. The dog would be mine anyway. I can take care of a dog on my own, surely."

"Would it be that way if you had kids?" I could feel the heat rising in my face. "Raising them would fall entirely on your shoulders? That's not a recipe for good parenting."

Leo crossed his arms, his pretty grey eyes glaring at me. "I know you don't agree with the way Darren and I live our lives together. But I'm good with it. I'm happy, so drop it."

I didn't want to argue with him. I wanted to gather him up in my arms and tell him I could make him so much happier than Darren. That I wouldn't put a bushel over his light.

The best I could do was change the subject. "Tell me about your camping trip."

Leo bounced a little in his seat. "It was so romantic. Being out in the wild with no one around, cuddling near the bonfire." He winked at me. "And other things out in the open. I felt like I was regressing into my carnal animalistic roots having him fuck me fireside."

I did my best to control my cringe. I hated hearing about Leo and Darren having sex. But he sometimes brought it up. Leo was a sexual being. He liked to talk about it.

"Sounds glorious. Glad you took my advice and gave camping a try."

"I've never seen Darren relax like that. He turned almost mellow." Leo let out a breathy laugh, like it was funny that Darren had eased up on keeping his thumb on Leo.

"So, you'll do it again?"

"If you don't mind lending us the camping gear again. Darren put his foot down on buying our own." Leo shrugged. "Which is fine. We are, after all, saving up to buy a house." He fiddled with his coffee cup, then looked up at me. "I'll drop everything off tomorrow before work."

"Take your time. Use it again. I'm in no rush to do any camping this year."

Leo smiled at me. "Yeah, camping would be difficult for you."

Three weeks ago, I'd been cycling to work and had been struck by a car. The collision had left me with a shattered ankle and broken ulna. I'd be out of commission for a while still, but it could have been worse. I was thankful I hadn't suffered anything more serious.

Leo had shown up at the hospital while I was still in the emergency room, his face pale, his eyes searching and beseeching me to be all right. He rushed to my side and held my hand.

Not sure why I phoned him before phoning for an ambulance. I put it down to needing to hear his voice. That everything would be all right if I heard the gentle tone of his words.

Of course, his voice hadn't been gentle. He'd been terrified for me. I'm certain he thought I was going to die, and this was my dying farewell call. I'd never been cared about like that before.

He spent almost twenty hours in that hospital, ignoring the onslaught of text messages from Darren telling him he'd spent enough time with me. And to get home.

I wasn't sure what Leo would walk into when he did go home. He'd never told me what went on when Darren was upset with him. I'd never seen any bruises on him, and I had never asked.

One queue, Leo's phone dinged. He flipped it over and read the message, then looked at me. "I've got to go. Darren is finishing work early. I need to get dinner started. He'll be hungry."

"Are his arms broken? Surely, he can grab a snack for himself."

Leo frowned at me and rose from his seat. "You're pouring it on heavy today. What's gotten into you? You know I love taking care of Darren."

I grunted. "You know I don't like seeing you jump when he says jump."

"Yes, and I appreciate your concern … but it's all good. Trust me." He swept the mess of hair that had fallen forward onto his eyes and tossed his head back to try to tame it.

I finished my coffee and stood. "Are we still on for a wobbly wander on Thursday? Or have I pissed you off enough to cancel on me?"

Leo stepped forward and gripped my arms. "You know you could never do that." He reached out for me. "Give me a hug and all will be forgiven."

I wrapped my arms around him and held him tightly, prepared to release him when the appropriate amount of time for friends to hug one another passed. I struggled with that. This time, though, it was Leo who was reluctant to let go. He'd never clung to me like that before.

I stepped back from him. "What's going on?"

There were tears in his eyes. He waved his hand around in front of him. "It's nothing. I'm just feeling a bit emotional. I needed that hug from you to reset my brain."

I furrowed my brow. "Leo … you'd tell me if something was wrong, wouldn't you?"

Leo wiped the tears off his cheeks. "Of course I would. I'm just going through something, I'm sure I'll get over it. It'll take me some time, but I'll get back on track once I make peace with it."

"Sounds serious."

Leo tipped his head. "It is … but I'll be all right."

I gripped his shoulder. "Promise me, you'll call me if you need to talk to someone other than Darren. You can tell me anything. You know I won't judge."

Leo smiled at me. "Not sure that would help fix the situation." He sighed and backed away. "Okay … gotta go. See you on Thursday." And then he was gone, and I suddenly felt empty.

A month later, I was almost asleep when the phone rang. I wouldn't have answered it if it hadn't been Leo. I was met by the sounds of heart-wrenching sobbing when I opened the call.

"Jeezus, Leo … what's going on? Did he hurt you?"

Leo exhaled a no. Then tried to speak further. His words were broken and didn't make sense at first. Then he pushed out the words, "It's … over."

"What's over?"

"Darren … and … me."

I sat up in bed. "Why? What happened?"

"I … ended … it. Need … you."

"Do you want me to pick you up?"

"Please … can't … stay … here." He rolled into a new bout of delirious and guttural weeping. I'm not sure what could have happened for Leo to break up with Darren. But it had to be something bad. Against all reason, Leo loved that man unconditionally.

"I'll be right there."

It was pouring rain and visibility was bad, but I'd rarely driven as fast as I did. Turned out I was so glad I'd taken the risk. Leo was standing outside, soaking wet, with a suitcase beside him.

I braked, dropped my car out of gear, and leapt out into the downpour. I circled the car and raced toward him. Not surprisingly, he was stubborn and wanted to put the suitcase in my trunk himself, even though it probably weighed more than him. His wet clothes stuck to him, making him look ganglier than I imagined he would look under his clothes.

I opened the passenger door for him. He couldn't deny me that bit of support. I slid back into my seat and whisked him away from whatever had happened in his apartment tonight.

"How did you end up outside getting soaked?"

Leo shook his head. "Don't ask. It'll only make you angry."

I couldn't help the growl that rose in my throat. Darren had obviously forced him to pack and then shoved him outside the apartment doors into the rain. Darren wouldn't escape my wrath the next time I saw him. I sighed and gripped the steering wheel tighter.

Leo would hate for me to do that … defend him against Darren.

Best keep it to myself.

Leo didn't argue with me when I carried his suitcase up the three sets of stairs to my apartment. It was a long haul with something this heavy.

As I unlocked my door, it suddenly struck me that Leo was probably hoping to stay with me for a while until he found another accommodation. I would be there for him as long as he needed.

"Go ahead and have a hot shower to warm up." I pointed down the left hall. "The bathroom is down there. Watch the tap in the shower. It easily jumps to scorching."

"Thanks." Leo lifted his suitcase onto the couch, opened it, and dug around until he found what looked to be lounging and sleeping clothes. Then headed down the hall.

I kept myself busy by making a couple of hot chocolates. I knew Leo liked them. He ordered them often enough at the coffee shop. I nearly dropped the one I was sipping on when Leo emerged into the living room exhibiting all sorts of anguish. It was obvious he'd been crying.

I jumped to my feet. "Come sit down. I made hot chocolate."

Leo gave me a weak smile that didn't reach his eyes. "Thanks." He settled beside me as I sat back down. He reached for his cup. "I appreciate this." He paused. "You're always thinking."

"It's important to be there for your friends."

"Yeah …." Leo took a sip, then lowered his cup. "Friends."

I moved on. "Do you need to stay here with me for a while?"

He turned to face me, his eyes wide. "Is that all right?" He set his cup down and gripped my arm. "I'm so sorry. I just assumed." He released me. "I shouldn't have assumed I could stay here."

I patted his thigh. "Calm down … of course, you can stay here. As long as you like."

"You're sure."

"Absolutely."

"You'll barely notice me, I promise."

"I don't mind noticing you."

Leo tipped his head as his gaze wandered my face. He stopped and reached for his cup. "You wouldn't happen to have a second bedroom with a bed, would you?"

"No, sorry … you'll be on the couch. It's pretty comfy, though. Fell asleep on it plenty."

He nodded his head and yawned. It had been a frantic and eventful night for him. What he needed now was sleep. Not me gawking at him in wonder as he drank hot chocolate.

I rose from the couch. "I'll get you some bedding."

Leo reached for and gripped my hand. He stared up at me. "Thank you, Garrett. You have no idea how much I appreciate this."

"Any time." As I wandered down the hall to the linen cupboard, I wondered when Leo would feel comfortable enough to tell me why he broke up with Darren.

Turns out, that was almost an entire week later. We were sitting on the couch watching a movie, a box of pizza on the coffee table, when he decided to share.

"The reason I broke up with Darren has something to do with why I cried after hugging you in the coffee shop months back." He set his pizza slice down on his plate. "Not something … everything actually."

I watched as he licked the tomato sauce off his fingers. The past week had been amazing. Leo was incredibly tidy, considerate, and loved bumping around in the kitchen.

I was going to get fat on all the baking he'd been doing. Starting from day one, he fit, and my heart felt full; cascades of joy overtaking me, knowing he might be there when I arrived home.

"I'm listening." I set my slice down and turned to face him.

He took a moment, blinking up at me. "I broke up with Darren because I didn't love him anymore. I hadn't loved him in months. I kept up the façade for appearances. And to keep Darren from figuring out what I was feeling until I could sort things out. But it became too much."

"You didn't get things sorted out."

"No." Leo sighed. "I'm still at odds, to be honest."

"And he kicked you out when you told him."

"As soon as I said I wasn't in love with him anymore, he freaked. I thought for sure he was going to beat the crap out of me."

I grabbed Leo's hand and clung to it. "I would've killed him if he had."

Leo emitted a soft huff of a laugh. "I know you would." He set his hand on mine, sealing mine between his two, warming me through. We'd never touched like this before.

"Then he kicked you out."

"He let me pack a bag first, thankfully. But stood over me, glaring at me as I stuffed what I could into my luggage. Called me all sorts of names as I tried to pack what I might need."

"And then that was it … he discarded you in the rain after six years together."

Leo lowered his gaze to our joined hands. "He would have given me a ride, but he kept pushing me for answers. He was scaring me. I eventually told him."

"Told him what?"

Leo looked up at me, tears in his eyes. "That I was in love with someone else."

"Why would you tell him that?"

Leo pulled away from me and jumped to his feet. "Because I am." He paced up and down the living room in front of the television, dragging his fingers through his hair.

I'd never been so confused. What the hell was he doing here?

"Why aren't you with him, then?"

"Who?"

"The guy you're in love with."

He stopped pacing and flung his hands from his hair out to his sides. "I am."