The phoenix's hypothesis - Book 1 (MxM 18+)

Chapter 3: A dark place

Anthony, Thu Jan 15th 2015

Today was another of these long days. I didn't have nightmares last night and managed to score five hours of sleep, but this doesn't make up for all the exhaustion I have accumulated. My brain is more sluggish than ever, which is fine when you have to teach basic facts about vectors to tenth-graders, less fine when you try to move forward in your research. I have been stuck in the same place for the last month, it is very frustrating; the ideas I tested yesterday proved to be complete crap, once again. At least the aikido training went well, leaving me tired, but relaxed. I was then able to enjoy a quiet evening at home. Sadly I woke up at 4am, and as usual, didn't manage to fall back asleep.

My day at high school went without incident. Luke Wells sent me a note telling me his brother could meet with me tomorrow. I hope I manage to catch some sleep tonight to be in better shape than today for this, but I have learnt not to get my hopes up. In any case, I should be able to handle a meeting like this even if I am tired.

Anyway tonight should be fun since the guys want to grab some drinks. Your already know of Paul. Kyle, his boyfriend will be there as well. They met six months ago at their workplace at Google. From what I understood, Kyle is some kind of programmer. He is such a cutie with his baby face, his curly blond hair and his brown eyes! He is a bit shorter than me at 5 feet 7 inches and he is so shy! I swear he is blushing every time I see him.

That is such a contrast to Paul, with his 6-feet 2-inch height, his broad and muscular chest, his brown hair and green eyes. Don't say I'm drooling, because nothing ever happened between me and him. It would almost be incestuous! Besides he is way too bulky for me. Don't get me wrong, I love brawny men with all the muscles in the right place, but Paul has perhaps just a bit too much for my taste.

As I said before we met in our first year of university. Our rooms were next to each other, with a very thin wall, so the first time we came face to face was when I kindly asked him to keep the volume down after a night he spent having wild sex with some random guy. Between the noise of the bed pounding against the wall and the high-pitched moans of his one-night stand, I didn't sleep until they were finished, which was a bit late that night!

So of course I made a point of knocking at 7am the next morning on his door so we could talk about it. Revenge is a dish better served very early in the morning! Oddly enough though, he bought me lunch later that day and we became great friends. And he tried to go to his conquests' place as much as possible after this incident.

I am still surprised about their couple. From what Paul always told me – and he is the kind of friend who tells a lot about his sex life – he likes it rough as far as sex is concerned and I can't imagine a cutie pie like Kyle enjoying that. But I guess you shouldn't judge a book by its cover. Then Paul was the kind of guy who doesn't settle down, having a different partner each night, so it is weird to see him in a steady relationship.

So it's going to be Paul, Kyle, myself and Jonathan, another friend we have in common with Paul, back from university. He is American but went to our school as an exchange student. This one also sold his soul to the devil for money and is now working as an analyst for a trust fund. I'm surprised he managed to be able to go out tonight, since he usually works crazy hours.

I put on a pair of jeans I bought a few weeks ago, the shirt I was wearing today with a nice cardigan my parents got me for Christmas. It's freezing cold outside, so I have to put on my big winter coat and my gloves. My headphones will suffice to protect my ears, since I hate messing with my hair by putting a hat on, and I make my way to the subway, since the guys decided for a place in Chelsea, a bit more south of Manhattan.

Thirty minutes later I'm in front of the bar my friends picked. As I get inside, it's pretty obvious that, for once, Paul wasn't the one who chose tonight's venue. The music is extremely loud and he knows that's a bad trigger for me. Since he is a bit overprotective, I'm surprised he didn't relocate the evening in a quieter place. I take one step in and almost go back outside: I already feel the walls closing on me, and my breath shortens.