Chapter 129

   Byron slept restlessly on the floor that night. He couldn’t even bear to look at the bed. He groggily showered and dressed. He stared blindly into the fridge before pulling out some cereal. He merely toyed with the food before pushing it away. His stomach was in knots. Any food would surely come back up violently even if he managed to choke it down. Today was his wedding day.

   The ceremony was simple. The man stood beside him in the living room and slipped a ring over his finger. The words spoken were meaningless sounds. He took the other ring with cold fingers and slid it over the other man’s finger. He spoke more meaningless sounds and it was done.

   The man kissed him. He wept. This was not how he’d pictured his first kiss. 

   He followed the man, his husband, into the bedroom. He stood there like a statue while the man undressed him. He lay on the bed and watched the man.

   “Byron, relax. You look like a deer caught in the headlights.” The man commented.

   He couldn’t relax, not until after. The man studied him for a moment before rolling onto his back and pulling Byron close. Slowly Byron felt the tension ease from him as the man did nothing more than hold him close. He could feel the other man’s erection pressing into his thigh, but as the minutes passed and nothing happened, he relaxed.

   “That’s better,” the man whispered into his hair. “See nothing bad’s going to happen.”

   Byron tensed again as the man began stroking his back. It didn’t take nearly as long for him to relax again. As the man’s hands stroked his backside, he began to respond to the gentle touch. He rubbed his erection against the other man. The man pulled away. Byron stared at him as he left the room. Surely he’d done what the man wanted? Why didn’t the man finished the job? Byron was aroused. He lay there for many long moments before drifting off to sleep.