Puzzle Me This Read online

  Alex drew a booklet from his bag. “Really? I pegged you for more of a Mars devotee.”

  “Pegged?” Luke said with interest.

  Alex ignored him. “Want me to read off what’s on the schedule for tonight and tomorrow? We can plan our strategy.”

  “Go for it.”

  They agreed on a slate of panels, parties, and signings. And by the time they reached the parking garage at the hotel, Luke was stoked.

  The first day of the convention was a blast. There were elevators and wide hallways and aisles, so they had no trouble getting around with Alex’s chair. In fact, Luke was surprised how many other wheelchairs were at the con.

  None of the other occupants were anywhere near as cute as Alex, though.

  No one paid them any mind either. Not Luke’s long blond hair, which often got him double takes, as if people weren’t sure if he was a boy or girl. Not Alex’s chair. And not the mild PDA they sometimes engaged in—Luke’s hand on Alex’s shoulder as Alex wheeled through the crowded hallways, or his arm propped on Alex’s wheelchair while they sat in a panel audience.

  Con people were cool people. And probably horror con people were his people, though Luke was not gonna admit that out loud.

  They attended a panel on horror in gaming, which made Luke itch to work on a horror game in the future. There were elements of horror in the fantasy games he’d worked on, but it would be a blast to work on a pure horror game like Silent Hill. And that absolutely was not because it was Alex’s all-time favorite.

  The lunch scene was a mob. Alex parked along a bank of windows while Luke girded his loins and dove into the cafeteria line. They ate with Alex in his chair and Luke sitting on the floor since the tables were full, nay unto the horizon. They people watched.

  “There are too many Freddies,” Alex observed. “Those rubber masks have to be hot as hell.”

  “The Freddy in the pink tutu is cool, though.”

  “Yup. Respect.”

  “What’s the best one you’ve seen all day?” Luke prompted.

  Alex thought about it. “There were some awesome cenobites. But it’s hard to beat the ten-foot-tall Slenderman.”

  “True. Thank God the restrooms have tall ceilings.”

  Midafternoon, they went back to their room, lay down on the bed to rest, and ended up making out and rubbing each other through their pants. Zippers finally went down so they could finish the job. Forearms bumped as they laid on their sides, kissing deeply and stroking each other until they both came.

  They didn’t hit a snag until Saturday night. There were several events going on, but they both wanted to go to the Wild West Horror Happening. A few of the stars of Ravenous, a cult historical Western cannibal movie, were going to be there. Alex was giddy over the idea of meeting Robert Carlyle.

  They waited in line for twenty minutes. But when they made it to the entrance, one of the attendants stopped them.

  “Sorry, but you can’t go inside with a wheelchair.”

  Luke felt a flush of annoyance. “What?”

  Alex’s face flushed, but he raised his chin. “The program didn’t have a ‘no wheelchairs’ icon on this event.”

  The attendant shrugged. “Sorry, but that’s what I was told. There are peanut shells and sawdust all over the floor. We’ve been told not to let wheelchairs or scooters in.”

  “You couldn’t have told us that while we waited in line forever?” Luke asked.

  But the attendant was already looking past them. He waved to the next group.

  Alex wheeled off to the side and Luke followed. He felt annoyed at the con but also upset for Alex’s sake. “Well that sucks. I swear that guy saw us in line.”

  Alex looked up at him, a spot of color high on each cheek. He put on a smile that looked forced. “It’s cool. Why don’t you go inside for a while? We can meet in front of the Universal party in an hour?” He glanced at his phone. “At eight o’clock?”

  “Nah, let’s both go over there. I can skip this.”

  He started to walk away, but Alex grabbed his arm. “No, really. Luke. You wanted to see this. Go on in and I’ll meet you later.”

  “But I don’t—”

  “Get a pic with Robert Carlyle for me.” Alex waggled his eyebrows hopefully.

  Luke let out a breath he hadn’t been aware he was holding. “I don’t know. Are you sure?”

  “Yeah. Definitely. I’ll see you in an hour.” Alex gave Luke two thumbs-up, turned, and wheeled away.

  Luke watched him go. What was the right thing to do? Show solidarity with Alex by avoiding the event? Or go inside so he could get a picture for Alex?

  He went inside.

  A bar against one wall looked like an anthill, it was so swarmed with people. Luke gave up on the idea of getting a beer. Split-rail fencing, mechanical bulls, horse cut-outs, and other Western decorations were abundant. And, yes, there was sawdust and peanut shells on the floor. Cosplayers drifted by, including the usual horror icons along with those in cowboy hats or old Civil War uniforms. There were chaps, and not on people you’d care to see chaps on, but at least people wore pants underneath.

  It was cool. But it didn’t feel the same without Alex there to point stuff out or to share an amused glance. There was a sense of niggling uneasiness, wondering if he’d done the right thing to let Alex go off alone.

  Then he spotted Robert Carlyle in a cluster of fans. He was doing photos at a huge poster for Ravenous. A long line of fans waited their turn. With a grin, Luke joined the line.

  By the time he made it to the front, thirty minutes had gone by. He’d borrowed a piece of paper from a girl with a backpack and wrote “HI ALEX” on it. Robert was patient as Luke stammered out his admiration for Hammish MacBeth and Ravenous. Luke didn’t consider himself a huge Carlyle fan, but it was still intimidating to meet the star in person. Robert held the “Hi Alex” sign, putting his head next to Luke’s to take a selfie. At the last moment, he kissed Luke’s cheek, which made everyone laugh. Luke thanked him and walked dazedly away.

  He wandered around for a few more minutes, but the darts didn’t hold their usual lure, nor did the mechanical bull or the gaming tables. He wanted to find Alex.

  He walked through the hallways to the Universal Classic Monsters party. He’d relaxed while waiting for the photo, but now his unease kicked back in. Was Alex okay? He hadn’t gone back to the hotel, had he? Was he upset?

  Thoughts of having a big scene came into his mind. He’d grown up with a lot of that. Big scenes. He dreaded nothing more. He shouldn’t have gone into the Wild West party. He should have insisted on staying with Alex, no matter what he’d said.

  Dim lights and flickering screens greeted Luke as he walked into the Universal Classic Monster Party. Large TVs on pedestals played the classic black-and-white films. Frankensteins and Brides of Frankensteins served hors d’oeuvre.

  It took Luke several moments to spot Alex. He was talking to two guys. One was a skinny white guy with a shaved head, red goatee, and a friendly gap-toothed smile. The other was a suave-looking dark-skinned guy with a brilliant white smile. They were both wearing con T-shirts and jeans and all three held beers.

  Alex was laughing as the guy with the red goatee talked and gestured. Their conversation looked so friendly, in fact, that when Luke reached them, he placed a hand on Alex’s shoulder. Yeah, it was kind of a caveman move, but he couldn’t help himself.

  “Hey!” Alex said, his eyes bright. “How was it?”

  “Awesome. Look what I got.” Luke brought out his cellphone and showed Alex the selfie.

  Alex gaped. “Oh my God. I hate you right now. He kissed you.”

  “Hey, now. You’re supposed to be jealous over me, not him.” Luke showed the screen to the two guys. “Right? Which one of these stud muffins would you rather be stuck in a dark mine shaft with overnight?”

  The two guys looked at Luke like he was crazy.

  “Dude, that’s Robert Carlyle,” said the one with the brilliant smile
, as if the answer was obvious.

  Alex snorted. “Jeremy and Ryan, this is Luke, my b-, um, friend. We drove here together. Luke, this is Jeremy and Ryan. They’re from Baltimore. They make indie horror movies.”

  “Amateur hour, but yeah,” Jeremy said with self-deprecating humor. He was the one with the red goatee and he held out his hand. Luke shook it and then Ryan’s.

  “Alex told us you’re a designer for Saints and Sinners?” Ryan sounded impressed.

  “Yup. If you’re going to complain about the minotaur, it’s not my fault, I swear.”

  Ryan grinned. “I didn’t play that mission, but I saw some of the drama online. The one I played had devil bats and this long mountain cliff puzzle? That was rad.”

  “Thanks. That’s one of my favorite scenarios.” Luke spoke casually, but inside he was high-fiving himself. It was still strange to meet people who knew his work, but damn, it was sweet.

  “Devil bats? You’ve been holding out on me,” Alex teased with a twinkle in his eye.

  “Oh, you know. There are so many great missions, I can’t remember then all.” Luke stretched his arms with exaggerated swagger.

  Alex tilted his head back and smiled up at Luke with such a look of fondness that it stole Luke’s breath, and he had to take a shaky gulp of air. So Alex wasn’t mad about earlier. In fact, he seemed to be having a great time on his own, and there was no weirdness at all.

  Damn. Alex was pretty great.

  “We were thinking about getting some pizza at the food court,” Ryan said. “You guys wanna go?”

  “I could eat,” said Alex.

  “Pizza,” Luke grimaced. “All that gooey dough, mounds of mammalian secretions, and disgusting pork bits. Let’s go!”

  They found a table in the cafeteria atrium and chatted about horror movies and the con as they ate. Even though Luke had been hanging out with Alex a lot, he still felt socially deprived working from home, so it was nice to be in a group. Jeremy mentioned a girlfriend who wouldn’t be caught dead at a horror convention, and Ryan checked out a voluptuous Black Widow who walked by, so the two weren’t gay. But they didn’t even blink when Alex wiped some sauce from his mouth, asked Luke if he’d gotten it all, and Luke couldn’t help leaning in for a quick kiss in answer.

  The big smile Alex gave him in return lit up the entire freaking room.

  Also? It was nice to observe Alex being smart and funny around other people. Luke was so proud to be with him. That nervous tingle of attraction sparked in his belly anew, and by the time they said goodbye, he was more than ready to get back to their room.

  They hurried into bed but took their time kissing, touching each other lightly, wanting to make it last. The sensation of bare skin and clean sheets was worth savoring. Then Alex wiggled down the bed and commenced to torturing Luke, edging him for ages.

  Luke had this fleeting thought: He was at a horror convention with a hot guy who was giving him the best head of his life.

  That was his definition of paradise right there.

  Chapter 12

  Alex Goes to Eleven

  September and October went by quickly. At first, Luke tried to play it a little cool, he really did. But Alex’s face would light up so goddamn sweetly when he came over, and Luke soon stopped pretending Alex’s apartment wasn’t exactly where he wanted to be. Alex had never been to his place because he was on the upper level, and steep concrete steps were the only way to get there. Besides, Alex’s apartment was outfitted with everything he needed to get by—an extra-wide shower with bars, a low counter and sink in the kitchen, and pull-down cabinets. It became routine that Luke would work all day at his own place and then spend the night at Alex’s. He started bringing Trevor along, so the poor dog didn’t have to be alone. Trevor accepted the rug next to Alex’s bed as his spot with only a few doggie grumbles.

  Sometimes Alex would cook something simple like spaghetti or chili, and sometimes Luke would pick up takeout. As the fall progressed, it got dark earlier and earlier, so they didn’t get out much. Sometimes they read. Alex preferred real books while Luke was always on his iPad. Sometimes they played games. And sometimes they watched movies, alternating between Alex’s collection and Luke’s.

  Most of the time, they never made it all the way through whatever it was they were doing. Because when Alex was sitting on the couch with Luke, he was just so cute and solid and warm, and it was impossible for Luke not to touch him, to put an arm around his shoulders or a hand on his leg or run fingers through his hair. That would inevitably spark a slow burn in a pair of brown eyes. Alex would stroke Luke’s hand with a finger, or turn to kiss his cheek and linger, exhaling softly. And then Luke would be right there, totally turned on, and he’d have to taste Alex’s mouth. And then one or both of them would moan and that, as they say, was that.

  Frottage was a mutual favorite. Luke would lie on top of Alex and squeeze some lube over both of their cocks. The smooth-gliding friction as they slipped against each other’s erection and belly while kissing long and deep, well, damn. It was so good it was hard to imagine anything better. Unless it was Alex wrapping one of his strong hands around them both. The sight of their two slippery heads moving in and out of Alex’s fist, the feeling of Alex’s stiff shaft rubbing against his frenulum, was so erotic it always made Luke finish embarrassingly quickly.

  One night they sat on either end of the couch and watched each other masturbate. And the next, they took turns masturbating each other, mimicking the moves they’d seen each other use. It was hot as hell.

  But nothing could really compare to the way Alex gave head. Alex loved to shove a naked Luke back against the arm of the couch and lie down on his belly between Luke’s legs. He was so beautiful like that. Luke would look down to see Alex’s thick brown hair and broad shoulders glowing in the lamplight, and just the hint of Alex’s delectable white ass farther down. The sight alone could practically stop Luke’s heart. And while Luke was enjoying the scenery, Alex’s mouth ravaged Luke’s cock. Alex was fearless and unrelenting, slipping Luke’s erection into a cheek and down his throat without a trace of gag reflex. If he used a hand at all, it was only to steady Luke at the base. His tongue never stopped stroking and coaxing, even when he sucked hard, and his rhythm and timing were perfect. All Luke could do was stare and try as hard as he could to last more than a couple of minutes.

  After one such session, with the face of Obi-Wan Kenobi frozen on the TV midmovie, Luke leaned back his head and tried to still his racing heart. “That’s it. I’m starting a petition to make blowjobs an Olympic event. Because you, my friend, would win gold.”

  Alex giggled. “I can imagine the corporate sponsors now.”

  “How can you possibly be that good? I mean, seriously. Was it the English teacher?”

  “Um… no.”

  There was something loaded in Alex’s tone. Luke looked down at him quizzically. Alex daintily wiped a trace of come from the corner of his mouth and gave him a sly smile.

  “What?”

  “Remember how you said you tried to eat with your feet when you were twelve, but you weren’t flexible enough?”

  “Yeah?”

  “Ever try to do anything else at age twelve related to flexibility?”

  Luke thought about it. “Uh… yeah. Didn’t work, though.”

  Alex grinned at him evilly. He held Luke’s softening cock and gave it a wicked lick from base to tip.

  “You cannot!” Luke said in disbelief.

  “Oh, yeah.”

  “All the way?”

  “Yup. I’m double-jointed—everywhere. I don’t know if it’s related to my birth defect or not. I never quite worked up the nerve to ask my doctor about it.”

  “You lucky dog!”

  Alex looked smug. “The Lord taketh away and the Lord giveth.”

  “Damn, I want to see you do it! That would be so hot!”

  Alex shook his head. “Oh, no. That’s, like, a ten-year anniversary reward or something.”

&n
bsp; “What?! Are you saying I have to marry you to get to watch you perform autofellatio?”

  Luke was teasing, but Alex suddenly looked embarrassed. “Who said anything about marriage? Our first date was August 10th, so you have nine years and nine months to go. At a bare minimum, we both have to still be breathing, and you have to be in my good graces at the time this offer expires.”

  “Is this like the tier thing? Can I knock off months with good behavior? Flowers? Trips to Mexico? Unrequited blowjobs?”

  Alex tapped his chin thoughtfully. “I’m negotiable.”

  “Oh, man,” Luke moaned. “Make a list. Please.”

  They lay there content for a few minutes. Luke couldn’t help picturing it. In Technicolor. “Dammit, that is so worth the chair,” he finally said.

  “It really isn’t. I’d much rather go hiking up Henneman Hill with you and Trevor every morning.”

  Luke thought about it some more. “Okay, but it’s close.”

  “Yeah,” Alex admitted with a satisfied smile. “It is.”

  Chapter 13

  Trick and Treat

  On Halloween Alex hosted a Wheels And Meals potluck at his apartment and invited Luke. Luke could tell Alex was excited about introducing him to his friends. Alex’s sister was going to be there, and Luke was nervous about meeting her. He rejected his first three costume ideas as being too nerdy and ended up going as a noir detective in an old brown suit, skinny tie, and a fedora he picked up at a thrift shop.

  Alex was dressed as a vampire, and he looked so hot when he opened his apartment door, Luke got a little hard. His dark hair was slicked back and his skin whitened. He wore kohl around his eyes and his lips were blood red. His white shirt had a flounced front open almost to his navel, and his pants were tight and black. A red-lined satin cape completed the look.

  “Mmmm. A bloodsucker. How appropriate.” Luke hummed.

  Alex laughed. “The heat-o-meter scores before you even say hello. I’m flattered.”