Bader

5

The next day came and still Bader still failed to show up. My suspicion turned into worry. Normally, he would call me up in the evening to check if I was in my room, who was with me, what I was doing, or if had already taken my dinner. Then he would order me to go to bed. Bader was a jealous type, a typical local. His day wouldn't just be complete without knowing my activities for the whole day. But at that whole day, there was no single trace of him.

The next day Bader came to the training room. "Mike, sorry for the other night, I was unable to pick you up…"

"It's ok but, you see, I was waiting there for two long and terrifying hours wondering what on earth had happened, and whether I would stay there until the end of the world! You have no idea how terrified I was that I could have died there of anxiety!"

"Ok, Ok, I'm sorry! But listen... do you know what happened on my way to pick you up?”

“What?” I asked in a raised voice. My mind was busy with the thought that he was with someone that night and he forgot me.

“Police had caught me and jailed me!"

"What??? Why?"

"I was overspeeding and I beat the red traffic light. I had to pay 900 Riyals but I did not have enough money with me. So I was detained for 24 hours. They released me only when my Dad came to the station and paid the penalty."

It was like I was doused with cold water. "It's how strict they are with that traffic violation?"

"Yes! And they won't mind locking you up in jail for months until someone comes up to pay the penalty."

"But what happened to your phone? I kept calling you and it says you can't be reached?"

"I lost it earlier. I don’t know where that damn phone is!"

"Oh, I'm sorry Bader…" as I extended my arms to hug him, empathizing with his predicament.

But to my surprise, he ignored my attempt to hug and in an air of suspicion asked, "Who drove you back to the accommodation?"

I was surprised by his question. But I answered hesitatingly, "Yousef. I've been calling you in your mobile but there was no answer. So I phoned in your house and he was there. I pleaded for him to come."

Bader's facial expression turned somewhat angry. He looked into my eyes and said, "Nothing happened?"

I became a little edgy with his line of questioning. "Nothing happened… what?" I said playing innocent.

"You know what I mean, Mike you know what I mean. And stop playing innocent!" raising his voice.

"Nothing happened, Bader, ok?" I said raising my voice too and turning around and sat on my chair. I couldn’t look straight into his eyes. "And he is your brother, you are suspicious of him?" I asked back.

"Yeah, he's my brother, and I know him! He likes you and he's always asking about you! So, nothing really happened?" he repeated.

"Nothing, ok?! Why don't you ask your brother instead? Call him if you don't trust me."

"Ok, if nothing happened, say it straight to my eyes, and I will know it!"

It's Bader's way of finding the truth. He claimed he could tell if a person is lying by simply looking into his eyes. So thinking that he really could tell, and for fear of getting caught, I went straight to the door and locked it, turned off the lights. Then I unbuttoned my shirt, threw it on the floor, "OK, you want to check my damn eyes…" unbuckling my belt, unzipping my pants, pushing it down together with my brief and stood there completely naked in front of him, "Well, then check my entire body, not only my stupid eyes to find out if something happened between me and your brother!" I said with the intention of distorting what was on his mind.

His eyes swelled in amazement, and with a big grin on his face said, "Cool, nice technique!" as he hurriedly removed his shirt, unzipped his pants dropping them all on the floor, stood there in front of me completely naked and his swollen front revealed.

"Bader! I said check! Not remove your clothes!" I shouted controlling myself from bursting into laughter.

"Well, you can check my body too if you want. This is yours. Besides, it's always nice to check someone's body if you are naked, hahahaha!"

"Tarantado!" I was about to pick up my clothes and put them back on when suddenly, Bader rushed and charged me to the wall, his hands pinning mine above my head facing him. I could not move as he was so strong, his full force pressed my back hard on the wall. But I was able to untangle myself and ran. He followed and we kept outrunning each other inside the room like two innocent kids playing, unmindful of the world around.

Finally, he managed to corner me, hugged me tight. I could not break out from his grip owing to tiredness from running and his overpowering strength. So I stayed put and let him do what he wanted – kissed me on the lips, ran his mouth into my neck and chest, sucked my n*****s without releasing my hands, our hard-on pushed against each other… until we both reached orgasm.

After we were done and dressed up, I went back to my seat without saying any word. He followed, sat by the seat, front of my desk, then silence.

I chanced upon some pictures of me and my four best friend co-employees. It was taken a year earlier in one of the cave formations in in the neighboring location. Bader took one picture, looked at it and suddenly, he asked, "These are your friends?"

"Yes, my best friends. Why?" I asked feeling surprised.

"And they come to your room too?"

"Sometimes, yeah!"

"Shittt! I know now that you are doing it with others too! You are a liar!" He shouted looking straight into my eyes, pointing his finger on me in anger.

I was dumbfounded with his reaction. I could sense some jealousy but I could not figure out in what sense. "Hey, hey, hey, I don't understand what you are talking about! Can you explain?"

"These are your best friends ha? s**t! The two guys in this picture – this and this,” as he identified them with his finger “I screwed them up! So, now I know you are doing it with others too!"

"What?! I don't believe you, all my friends are straight!"

"Hahahahaha! Straight? Your face!" Bader laughed sarcastically. "You don't know they like my d**k?"

I was devastated and so shocked. First, I just found out that that Bader was not after all faithful with me and second, I could hardly believe my friends could really do that.

The friends he mentioned were Carlo and Rodney. Carlo, 24 was a married man with his wife on the family way while Rodney, 23 was equally masculine and would always talk about women and all those stuffs whenever we are in the group. I even thought he was homophobic because he would usually react negatively whenever we come across same-s*x topic. How could I believe the two of them would fall prey to Bader’s promiscuity? It was just beyond belief.

"You did these together at the same time and while we were already in a relationship?" I asked in a raised voice.

"On different occasions and yeah, we're already together," Bader confessed.

It was at that moment that I got really mad. "Why did you do this to me, Bader, why???" I blamed him, my heart seemingly to explode in anger and feeling of betrayal.

"It's not my fault, ok? Why should I refuse if something is offered to me? I should be the one to be jealous because you are always with them and I don't know what you are doing every time you are together!”

“We don’t do it, Bader! We don’t have s*x with best friends! It’s not like what you do with your friends!” I shouted.

“And I did not force them to have s*x with them, okay?”

“Oh shitttt!” was my only reaction. With how spontaneous Bader opened up the issue, I knew he was not lying.

“But my advise is don’t talk to them or you will expose yourself… and our relation…”

“Shut up! You maniac!”

He kept silent for a moment. “Sorry…” he murmured. It’s with that affirmation that I realized I was in a relation with someone who was a player or promiscuous.

I did not talk anymore. I was so confused on what to do.

“Mike, think carefully before making any decision. I don’t want you to ruin your reputation by exposing yourself. If you are angry with me, just scold me, hit me, harm me. Release your anger on me. This is for your own good,” Bader said feeling regretful.

"Where did this happen?"

"Inside the site, of course, during night shift and no one was in the stock yard toilet. We chanced upon each other there. While I peed, that first guy kept looking at me. At that instance, I knew what he wanted… It all happened. And that's it."

I did not say any more words.

“Please think before you act. One mistake could expose you and you will be the center of gossip and the butt of joke in this whole company.”

Bader was right. I've analyzed that if I will confront my friends about it, they will know our relations. "Besides, I knew it was not their intention to hurt me, only that they were probably tempted…" My mind reasoned. I can’t blame them for liking Bader. I think everyone agrees that Bader is the most-good looking local I’ve ever seen. He was so manly, and oozing with s*x appeal. And not only was he tall, endowed with good looks, but his perfect physique said it all.

"Ok, I won't talk to them," I said, "But on the condition that you will not do it anymore with them because I tell you, I don't do it with these friends. Our friendship is clean and if you would believe otherwise, then there is no reason to keep a relation where two people don’t trust each other."

"Ok…" he nodded. I can feel that his mind was still clouded with doubt.

Few days had passed and still that incident failed to go away from my mind. I could not sleep well, I could not concentrate. Whenever I would meet these two friends, I felt my heart was ripped apart and something in me would shout "Traitor!" Since Bader’s disclosure, I never looked at them the same way again. I considered them to be two wolves dressed up in a lamb's skin acting like no one knew the skeletons inside their closets. I wanted to freak out and shout to their ears, "I know what you did last summer!" alluding to that movie. But I couldn't, owing to what Bader and I agreed and thinking of its negative repercussions.

One day, I decided to insert a note into Carlo's room saying, "Buddy if you have done something which in your conscience is not right please don't do it again." hoping that such a note would stir his imagination and at least cause him to confide to me something.

I observed.

But few days passed and he still played hard-to-get, totally ignoring my note although I had observed him to be sometimes in deep thought and in contemplation. "Maybe, what I wrote bothered him and his disregard for it meant that he was guilty" I said to myself.

After a few more days, Carlo came to my room. Upon getting in he said, "Buddy, I would like to talk with you".

"Yes, what is it?" as if I did not know what it could lead to.

He paused for a while and gathering his whole strength he said, "There is this local, good-built, good-looking. I think his name is Bader. I saw you rode in his car one time. Had something happened between you and him?"

I was surprised by his question I thought it should be the other way – him telling me something which happened between the two of them. But I answered "First of all, he is under me in the training, and second, he is only a friend I requested to drop me to the downtown." wondering what he would say next.

"Buddy, I think we should talk heart-to-heart and be honest here. I need you to tell me straightforwardly, considering that it was you who opened this up in your note to me…" He said in a poignant voice and sensing that there was an air of cover-up in my answer. "Is there something between you and Bader?" he repeated.

I was taken aback and a little uneasy of the seriousness of his tone. I thought for a while and keeping in mind that if I were to clear things out with my best friend, then I should also tell the truth on my side. "Yes, we do have a relation…" I said in a serious tone, looking him straight in the eyes, and observing his reaction.

Carlo looked stunned, almost like crying, stooped holding his head with his right hand and nodded, "Arghh!" he exclaimed controlling the burst of his emotion, his tears flowed down from his eyes.

"Why, what's the matter?" I was surprised to see him reacting that way.

"Buddy, I admit something happened with me and Bader… and he courted me!"

"What?!!" I exclaimed stunned about what I heard. I felt a surge of anger and feeling of self-pity crept over me. The thought that Bader suggested for me not to talk to any of my two friends connected instantly with what Carlo just said. "Could this be the reason why Bader wanted to close this matter and forget all about this?" The more my mind was troubled. I felt everyone betrayed me and I did not know who to believe in.

"Yeah, it happened three times, and he kept saying he would want us to be in a relation."

"And what did you say?"

"I did not say anything. I just laughed at him every time he would say it."

"What about you, what do you feel about him?" I asked.

"I don't know… I always think about what we did. But thanks I know your situation now. This way I will avoid him the next time our paths cross."

"Are you sure you are ok?"

"Yeah… and regarding your relationship with him, don't worry, I understand. What we shared will remain to be our secret.”

I couldn't explain how I really felt after I talked with Carlo. There was sense of release and satisfaction to have told him about my status with Bader but at the same time, anger and a feeling of betrayal overwhelmed me.

(To be continued)