Married 61 and 62

Read chapters 61 and 62 before everyone else

 

Chapter 61

Thomas was exhausted by the time he got home. It was almost four in the morning. There was a lot of time until the sun came up and even more to the usual hour he woke up and went jogging with the man he loved. 

Guess I won’t be doing that today… I’m sure Lin will forgive me for skipping, he thought, letting out an exhausted laugh, falling on the bed without changing clothes. He had no energy for that. 

After dinner, as Lin packed, he bought the plane ticket and found a place for his boyfriend to sleep. Then he drove him to the airport. Even though it would be a few hours before the flight, they went earlier because it would be too dangerous to go in the middle of the dawn.

Lin wanted him to go home and rest, saying he didn’t mind waiting a few hours alone at the airport. But Thomas refused it and even though he was dangerously close to snoozing, he stayed with his boyfriend until the plane left.

Despite all his exhaustion, Thomas still woke in the usual hour without the alarm. Thanks for reprogramming my sleep habits, Lin, he thought. His eyelids were heavy. So was his head. No matter how much he tried to go back to sleep again, he couldn’t. With a great effort, he picked up his phone. He hasn’t landed yet… Hope he calls me when he gets there…

He got out of bed and went to the kitchen. Though exhausted, he couldn’t help but smile when he opened the fridge. There were premade meals with little notes on each. When did he have time to make all this?

Ah, it must be when I took a nap to handle staying up so late. He picked up the sandwich labeled breakfast. He knows this rabbit food isn’t enough, Thomas thought.

Even if I’m not around, I’m not letting you skip on your diet. You’ll have only healthy meals full of love, Lin wrote and then put many hearts around it.

Thomas blushed and grinned as he read and reread it. How can he write something so embarrassing and sweet like this? My boyfriend is so cute I can handle so much cuteness. I’m so lucky to be with him.

After he ate and took a warm shower, he went back to his room, turned on the AC, and tried to sleep again. This time, with his belly full, he managed to fall asleep.

By the time he woke again, it was just after midday. He wasn’t hungry, so instead of lunch, he went to the living room to play videogame. However, he played for less than twenty minutes before he grew bored. 

Usually I play on Saturday and Lin does his own thing. But he does it by my side… If he’s not around, playing like usual feels weird… Even so, he tried for a little more. Half an hour later, he gave up and turned off the console.

As he lay on the couch and thought of his boyfriend, his phone rang. Grunting, he got up and walked to the table where it was. Then he beamed when he saw it was the man he loved.

“Lin!” he exclaimed, his mood increasing by the second. “How’s everything? Did you arrive without trouble? How’s the seminar?”

There was silence on the other side. Then a chuckle. “Hey, honey. I’m fine. Sorry for not calling you when I landed. I had to rush to the hotel where the seminar is right away. There was massive traffic. I had no idea it happened so early in the morning. Every time is rush hour here.”

“That sucks.” Thomas smiled. Just hearing Lin’s voice was enough to make his day brighter. I’m so used to having him around I took it for granted. “Whenever I see it on TV, I’m glad I don’t live there.”

“Yeah, it’s not like our city is great either. Anyway, the morning part of the seminar was great. I had seen a few people doing it at the clinic, but it’s much more complex than I imagined. I can’t wait to practice.”

“Sounds like you’re having fun.”

“Is it that obvious?”

“Yeah. Or maybe I know you too much.”

“Then what I’m doing now?”

“You’re smiling,” Thomas answered right away.

“How did you know?”

“Because I’m doing the same.” 

“Great. Now I’m blushing because my boyfriend is too cute. Thanks for that,” Lin mumbled. He did sound embarrassed as far as Thomas could tell. “And I know you’re feeling lonely without me. Because I miss you two.”

“It’s only been one morning… It’s not like we spend the entire day together. We both have jobs.”

“Yeah, but we’ve never been apart like this. I don’t even know how many states we have between us. I get a little sad thinking I won’t sleep with you close to me. Even when we were back home, our rooms were only a few meters apart.”

Thomas felt a pang in his heart. He had thought about it but had forgotten after falling asleep. “D-don’t say that. It’s not like we’re one of those codependent couples who can’t do anything without the other.”

“I know that. It doesn’t mean I can’t miss you,” Lin muttered. Then his voice became chipper. “But I’m a good boyfriend and made sure you’ll have some company tonight.”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“Ah, I gotta go. I met a few people from Pernambuco and we’re gonna look for a cheap place to have lunch. Everything in São Paulo is so expensive. I love you. Bye.”

“I love you too,” Thomas said before the call ended, the smile plastered on his face.

What did he mean by that? As he wondered, his phone rang again, but this time with a text. From Lin?

When he opened, he grinned and blushed at the same time. It was a nude photo of his boyfriend. Hope it helps you tonight, Lin wrote.

When did you take this pic? 

When we went to your mom’s birthday.

Thanks, he wrote and then looked at the picture again. But instead of Lin’s exposed private parts or the exposed chest, Thomas couldn’t take his eyes off his smile. I really love this man.

It took a long time for his smile to vanish. When it did, he didn’t feel like playing videogames. Nor reading manga or watching anime. Lin’s doing what he likes and I’m… 

After thinking for a moment, he made his mind up and called his college friend, the game master of his table RPG sessions.

“Hey, Green,” GM voice was tense.

“Hey, man. How’s the search for a new programmer?”

“Bad. Awful. Everyone I can pay has no idea what they’re doing.”

“Sounds like you’re having trouble.”

“Yeah. I’ve been working on my own, but since that kind of code isn’t my expertise, progress has been too slow. I might not have a beta version for this meeting I managed to get with a few investors.”

“You got prospective investors? That’s awesome, dude!”

“Yeah. It was really luck. I was in this forum and showed a little of the program. A guy saw it and said he knew some people who were interested in it.”

“Let me help you,” Thomas said at once.

“I appreciate, but you know I can’t pay what you’re worth.”

“Forget about money. You’re letting Lin stay in your home tonight for free. Let me help you with the meeting.”

There was a moment of silence. “Thanks, man. I’ll send you everything right now.”

“Just don’t forget to put my name on the credits,” Thomas grinned, running to his laptop.
 

Chapter 62

“You had him too?” Lin exclaimed.

“Yeah. And I had the bad luck of getting him twice.”

“No way! How did that happen?” he asked. “I thought he didn’t teach any class beyond the fourth semester.”

“Me too,” the man said, dropping his shoulders. “But when I was in my seventh semester, there was a combination of too many people failing and retaking the class and a lot of students taking it for the first time. It was so many students they had to open three more classes and I was unlucky enough to get him again.”

Lin and the woman laughed.

“Talk about bad luck,” he said, sipping his drink.

“I remember that. I was one that failed, but I was lucky enough to avoid him,” she said, smiling as the memory came back.

“Why did so many people fail? It was such an easy subject,” Lin said with a wry smile. At least when the teacher liked the class. If he hated…

“Yeah, but no one studied that month. With the World Cup and all the days off because of the games, it was impossible to focus…”

“Ah, yeah… The campus was used as a parking lot when there was a game in the arena…”

Even though they were having fun sharing college stories as they had dinner, Lin couldn’t stop the yawn. He was exhausted and couldn’t wait to go to the GM’s house and sleep on the couch or wherever he could lie on. He was the only one who felt like this though. The people from the same state he had met at the seminar didn’t look tired.

“It’s getting late. And I need to call a driver…”

“Nonsense. C’mon, Lin. Stay with us,” the guy said. “It’s rare to get this many people from Pernambuco in the same seminar.”

“Yeah, Lin. Don’t leave us,” the woman said. However, by the meaningful glance she gave him, he could tell she wanted him to go so she could hook up with the guy.

I’ll be the wingman here, he thought trying and failing to stifle another yawn.

“I really need to go. The place I’m staying is about an hour drive. With traffic, I bet it’ll be two hours.”

“There’s nothing we can do, then,” she said. “How about if we wrap this up and go somewhere more private?”

Lin couldn’t help but smile in his head. It wasn’t the first time he had helped a woman hook up with a guy. This feels like I’m back in college, he thought as he asked their waiter for the check. When he saw how much it had cost, he widened his eyes. Holy crap! Everything is too expensive in São Paulo! Thank goodness I don’t live here.

Glad they had agreed to pay only what they consumed beforehand, Lin left his share of the bill, said goodbye to his colleagues from the same state and used the app to call for a car. As he headed to GM’s house, he did his best to not think about money.

Tom paid the ticket and the seminar for me and told me to not worry and make the most of this opportunity. That’s what I’m gonna do, he thought, looking out the window. As he expected, the traffic was awful. Though he usually liked to talk to the drivers, he was glad the man wasn’t trying to start a conversation this time. I bet he’s tired after a long day.

To his luck, trying to fight his sleep was distracting enough, and he arrived at the address he had gotten from Tom much faster than he expected. This is the place, right?

It was a simple apartment complex. After the doorman buzzed him in, he headed to GM’s apartment, knocking on the door.

To his surprise, the girl who opened the door to him was Ericka, the cosplayer and web designer who had made his blog.

“Lin! It’s been a while!” she said, hugging him.

“E-Ericka? What are you doing here?” he returned the hug after his surprise passed. “Did Tom play a prank on me saying it was GM’s apartment instead of yours?”

The woman laughed and shook her head. “Do you think Green would prank you? Better yet, do you think Green has the capacity to prank anyone above the age of five?”

Despite his exhaustion, Lin couldn’t help but chuckle. “He might have the capacity, but he could never prank me. I’d never fall.”

“If you’re saying, I can’t argue,” she laughed. “And to answer your question, this is GM’s place. Just like you, I’m taking advantage of his goodwill. Isn’t that right?”

There was no answer. Soon he realized why. The man Lin assumed was GM was too concentrated on his laptop and the many notebooks around it.

I’ve seen the exact scene back home, he thought, remembering when he came home one day and found Tom thrilled as he worked on the program. Too bad he can’t do what he loves.

“Hello, GM. It’s nice to meet you in person.”

The man didn’t answer. He didn’t even seem to notice there was someone talking to him.

“Don’t think too much. He’s been ignoring me ever since I got here too,” Ericka sighed. “Boys get too excited with their little games.”

“Can’t argue with that,” Lin chuckled. “What are you doing here, anyway?”

“A convention. Money’s tight right now, so I thought about saving some by staying here. Luckily the place is close to the convention hall. Everything is too expensive here.”

Lin nodded and dropped his shoulders. “I’m not so lucky. My seminar is too far. But I’m thankful to stay here. Even if I stayed close to the hotel, it’d be way more expensive.”

“Green told us. You have it rough.”

“When did you talk to Tom?”

“When I got in from the convention,” she said, indicating GM’s laptop. “But your boyfriend is too engrossed with the game and barely talked to me. How rude. I should tell you some of his embarrassing past just to teach him a lesson.”

Though Lin chuckled, he was more interested in the computer. “Tom?”

“Hey, Lin. You got there safely. I was about to call you,” his boyfriend’s voice came out from the laptop’s speaker. “How was the rest of the seminar?”

“It was great. We had a test to make sure we had learned and I aced it.”

“That’s great, honey.”

“Thanks. What are you doing?”

“He’s saving my ass,” GM answered for the first time. He didn’t raise his eyes from the notes he wrote down feverishly.

“It’s a TRPG program. Since I had time today, I’m helping.” 

Even though Lin couldn’t see his face, he knew his boyfriend was smiling. “Glad you’re enjoying.”

“I’m lucky you left him alone and he was bored enough to help me,” GM mumbled, his hands leaving the notes and flying on the keyboard. “I made a few changes. Can you implement them now?”

“Yeah, give me a moment.”

“I’ll leave you two alone,” Lin said, smiling as he walked away. Then he yawned, the biggest so far.

“They’ve been like that ever since I got here,” Ericka said, sighing and shaking her head. “Anyway, there’s the bathroom, if you wanna take a shower. I must warn you there’s only cold water.”

“I’m not picky.”

“But I am. I’ll let it slide this time because he’s letting us sleep on his bed. Last time I was here, I had to sleep on the couch. My back killed me the next day. It didn’t help that my cosplay had heels. I thought I was gonna die.”

Lin laughed but then looked at GM’s back. “He’s letting us sleep on his bed?”

“Don’t worry about it. Programmers are night time creatures. He’ll be working on the game all night long.”

“I heard that,” he complained, though he didn’t look at her.

“Good.”

Lin chuckled and yawned again. He was reaching his limit.

“Thanks again for letting me stay here,” he said.

“No problem,” Ericka grinned.

“He was talking to me,” GM muttered.

Laughing, Lin headed to the shower.