Mindbottling

The Oasis was originally beautiful, but as the area became more run down and seedy, so did the hotel. It had gone from a place where the rich and famous would stay while visiting the city, to a place for middle-class honeymooners to vacation, to a dump for crack whores and scumbags to do business.

Eventually, it was shut down by the health department and remained that way for years.



'I don't know why Jimmy's dad bought it,' I thought, as we pulled up behind the ramshackle dump, 'but he certainly hadn't made any improvements on it since.'



"We should call the cops," I said.



"I can't find my cell. Maybe we should find a pay phone?"



"There's no time, Coach. Jimmy's in trouble and I've got to save him."



Coach looked doubtful, but nodded anyway. His trust gave me a boost of much needed courage. I fingered the door handle and nodded back.



"Let's go kick some ice."



It was a warm day and the heat downtown was oppressive. Maybe it was my nerves, but I was already damp with sweat by the time we had reached the back doors. Not surprisingly, they were locked.



"What now?" asked Coach, jiggling the handle.



"A little something I like to call the 'Detriot VIP Access." I took a credit card from my wallet and using my teeth, ripped out a notch just below the top. I then slid it down through the slot between the doors until it caught on the bolt. Then I tipped the card up and pulled. The door snicked open and I spread my hands. "Tadaa!"



"Huh," he said, "Back in Vermont we just call that 'Break and Enter."



"Tornado, tor-naudo," I smiled, pulling the door open and peering inside.



"Does anything look familiar?" he asked, pressing in behind me.



"I can't tell, it's too dark." We both stood in the back lobby letting our eyes adjust to the dim light after the door clicked shut behind us.



"What now?"



I put up a finger to shush him. I could hear voices coming from further down the corridor. We tiptoed down the empty hallway, stopping in front of the door which seemed to be the source of the muffled voices. I pressed my ear against the wood and strained to make out what they were saying. Coach leaned an ear against it too, and we stared at each other while the conversation played out.



"Face it, the two of you are through. He's never gong to recover enough to skate again. At least not at an Olympic level."



"You don't know him like I do. I have faith that he will."



"Come on, Jimmy, this is a great chance for you to revive your career. Move on from the laughing stock of men's pairs. You proved that you could make it on your own, now why struggle when you don't have to? Not to mention, this would be a great chance for us to spend some time together. Mend our relationship."



"You disowned me, remember? We don't have a relationship."



I tried the door handle, but it was locked. I was about to reach for my wallet and get out my 'VIP Access card' when the conversation turned ugly.



"He's a good for nothing has-been, Jimmy. Open your eyes! He's only got a year or two left, max, and after that, he'll be lucky if the Ice Capades will have him.



"Sorry Dad, your offer is very generous, but I'm going to have to pass."



"Don't make my force your hand, Jimmy."



"No, I've made my decision and it's final. What are you - Dad! What are you doing?"



"I gave you an opportunity Jimmy, and you just threw it in my face. You should know by now that I don't take no for an answer."



"But Dad, a gun? This is crazy! What are you going to do, shoot me?"



Coach and I locked eyes.



"Dad! No!"



A shot rang out and my stomach turned to jelly.



"JIMMY!" I bellowed, and slammed all of my weight against the door. It burst open surprisingly easily and Coach and I both tumbled through and landed in a heap on the other side.



"Jimmy!" I cried again, afraid to look and see his crumpled body on the floor by Darren's feet. Except it wasn't.



It was Darren on the floor, holding his bloody arm and Jimmy standing over him, gun pointed at his head. His hand shook so badly that he had to bring the other one up to steady it.



"Don't do it," I said, untangling myself from Coach and getting to my feet.



"But he-" Jimmy began, hands shaking even more, "he was going to kill me."



"I know," I said, slowly inching towards him, "he tried to kill me too."



Jimmy's mouth fell open and he leveled his red-rimmed gaze at Darren.



"Dad ... how could you?"



Darren shook his head. "He's lying. Or confused. I wouldn't do that, Jimmy."



Jimmy cocked the gun and stilled his trembling hands.



"I didn't! I swear!" he cried, letting go of his bloody arm and holding up his hands. "Plus, he was going to leave you anyway."



Jimmy looked to me then back at his father. "What do you mean?"



"The note," said Darren, "didn't that letter say he was leaving? You were going to lose him either way."



"The only way you would have known about that note," interrupted Coach, "is if you had planted it yourself. That's something that the police never released to the press."



"How could you?" whispered Jimmy, a solitary tear spilling down his cheek. "You took everything I had and dumped me at the side of the road, like an animal, and now, when I've managed to build it back up and make a life of my own, you went and took it all away again. I was happy, Dad. For the first time in my life I was truly happy."



Jimmy looked at me and another tear spilled forth. "And even though you didn't kill him, you took him away from me anyway. The one person who loved me just for me, and now he doesn't remember a thing." Jimmy wiped his face on his shoulder then leveled the gun to Darren's head.



"I'm sorry Dad."



"Don't do it, Jimmy," I said, touching his arm.



"I have to, Chazz," he said, tightening his grip on the trigger.



"You don't have to Jimmy, I remember."



Jimmy swallowed, but kept his eyes on his father.



"Look at me," I said. "I don't remember everything, but I remember enough.

Like ... the day I asked you to grow your hair."



Jimmy looked at me, his eyes searching my face for the truth.



"You wanted me to grow a beard, but I didn't want to."



"Too itchy," he whispered, as if afraid to believe.



"Yeah, and then I said that you should grow your hair, that you'd look hot."



Jimmy chewed his lip, still undecided. I stepped closer and put my arm around his shoulder.



"But ... but you don't like boys," he said, his voice cracking.



"I don't like boyZA," I said, grinning despite myself, "just one."



"Really?" he asked, his hands dropping to his sides, "Do I know him?"



Instead of answering, I leaned in and kissed him. His lips were as soft and inviting as I had remembered, and I slid an arm around his waist and pressed him to me.



"Oh sweet zombie Jesus!"



We broke apart to see Darren dry-heaving in disgust. "Do you mean to tell me ... you're both ... the two of you are ..."



"A couple?" asked Coach



"Uhrg!" Darren made a retching noise.



"That's right," I said, smugly, "I'm packing your son's fudge."



"Chazz!" squealed Jimmy, but the flush in his cheeks looked good on him.



"Give Coach your cell," I said, "I think it's time that we called the cops."



~*~*



Twelve long hours (and multiple police interviews later) we were finally home. It seemed like a year ago, that I had woken up in the hospital, and in some ways, I suppose it was. I still couldn't remember everything, of course, and I probably never would, but I had remembered the most important thing of all and that's all that really mattered.



I hadn't spent much time with Jimmy all evening, since they had split us up to be interviewed, but I had found it hard to take my eyes off of him for the entire ride home.



He really was mine, and we really were ... a couple. Cool!



As we entered our bedroom, I turned to shut the door, and was surprised to find myself roughly shoved up against it. Jimmy snaked one hand up my shirt and let the other one slide down the front of my pants to cup my quickly stiffening cock.



His lips brushed against the nape of my neck and he pressed his hips against the firm flesh of my ass. Oh man! Me likey!



I fumbled for my belt as he dragged us, stumbling, towards the bed, and I dropped my pants as he pushed me down on the lower bunk, my knees on the Berber. I huffed in surprise as he spread something cold and slick along the crack of my ass, and then groaned as he pressed a thumb inside me.



"Oh fuck, Jimmy," I moaned, my legs trembling from fatigue and arousal and he pressed with his thighs to spread my knees further apart. I reflexively grabbed the sheets as he pressed his cock against my opening, waiting for a pain that never came, and before I knew it, I was pressing back against his thrusts, amazed that being so stretched and full could feel so good.



His still slick fingers found my cock and I grunted into the mattress, not quite sure if I should press into his hand, or back against his dick, but soon enough we found a rhythm, and before long I had blown my wad all over his fist, and soon after that he grunted into my ear and his thrusting became erratic, then came to a slow stop.



We lay like that for a while, me half on the bed and him draped over me, both of us sweaty and trying to catch our breath, until he rolled off of me and I hauled my sorry carcass up a bit further until my legs rested on the mattress as well.



"Welcome home," he said, his grin evident even in the dim room.



"Shit, if that's how you say 'Get Well Soon,' I'm gonna get shot in the head a lot more often."



"No, don't," he said, one hand gently tracing the line of my jaw, "I don't think I could take that again."



"No, me neither," I agreed. "That was a pretty crazy thing, albait an interesting one."



"What?"



"Albait. You know, when you're trying to catch something, like a memory, and you don't know what it is, so you have to try all different kinds of bait?"



Jimmy turned to look and me, then smiled.



"Yeah, I do know. All bait. I'm glad you finally caught it."



"Yeah," I said, resting my head on the crook of his arm, "me too."





Teh Enz