Chapter 03: May
The next week flew by. Cliff's job got easier, but the atmosphere was more tense. During discussions with other interns during lunch breaks, he learned that he wasn't the only one with this complaint. Instruction and direction for the interns had slowed dramatically over the past few weeks, and now it was very rare that an intern be given new materials to work on. Occasionally one of the interns would hear an employee whisper something about 'merger' or 'new management', but the employee would stop talking as soon as they saw the intern.
Scott took over running the business, while his father observed and made suggestions as needed. Frank, Scott's dad, had decided not to wait until the end of the year. Since Scott was doing so well, he decided to retire early. Louise, Frank's mom, was excited to have Frank retire so they could do some travelling they had always talked about.
George, Scott's uncle, also continued to talk about retiring. He had originally said he would retire the following April; but Louise and Frank had been on him about going on a few trips with them.
Cliff and Scott were able to get a few times a week for dinner, or to watch movie, or to talk, and, of course, learn more about their mate's bodies. They talked on the phone the nights they couldn't see each other.
It was a Tuesday night in early May, about five weeks after they met, that Scott decided to drop by unannounced with pizza and a new release. He knew Cliff would be home but they hadn't made plans because Scott expected to work late at the shop that day. Scott also knew how stressful things had been going for Cliff at work, with more and more hints about mergers and secretive meetings for management. Scott's meeting had ended early and he thought it would be great to see his lover rather than just talk on the phone.
Cliff was happy to see Scott and let him in. As Scott sat the pizza down Cliff clicked a few buttons on his laptop, preparing to shut it down. Scott asked what he was doing, and Cliff replied he had put off working on his resume to send emails to his family and a few friends. Scott wanted to know more about them, so Cliff pulled up pictures and explained who each person was.
They shared the pizza while Cliff showed Scott pictures of his parents and friends: Tom, Cliff's best friend, who went to college in California and was still there, working for some sort of Electronics Company. Bobby, who was sort of Cliff's first boyfriend, had stayed in their hometown and married young due to an unexpected pregnancy. Cliff also had pictures of the wife and baby, now 7 years old.
"Do they know about me?" Scott wondered as he looked at a picture of Cliff's 'sort of' first boyfriend.
"No way, I'm keeping you a deep dark hidden secret," Cliff teased with a smile on his face as he laced his fingers into Scott's. "Are you kidding? Of course they do."
Scott laughed. He pulled Cliff close, so Cliff's back rested on his chest. Wrapping his arms around Cliff's waist, he nodded toward the screen and asked "Tell me about your sort of ex boyfriend there." Cliff thought he detected a bit of jealousy in that statement, but couldn't tell exactly.
"Not much to tell, we knew each other from when we were young. We had similar interests. We went out a few times when we were 17 or 18. Bobby liked to hold hands, kiss, and cuddle. When it came to intimate touching, he couldn't handle it... literally." Cliff raised an eyebrow as he slightly turned and stared pointedly at Scott's crotch. "We discovered he wasn't as bi as he thought; he was just an extremely touchy/feely person with those he considered close. We stayed friends, and a few months later he met his wife."
This, of course, led to a more detailed conversation about past lovers and boyfriends than they had had before. Cliff had only had 4 boyfriends before Scott, 3 of which had become lovers. His last had been 3 years earlier. Scott admitted to having had 10 or so boyfriends, most of whom had become lovers; and a few one night stands. His last had been just a few weeks before meeting Cliff. Both admitted to being versatile, enjoying being either top or bottom. They both tested regularly, and agreed to get tested together soon.
"Scott, how would you like to meet a few of my friends." Cliff asked. Scott looked at Cliff in surprise, "Are they coming to visit?"
Cliff laughed, "No, I meant a few friends I've met here. Jo and Trent are from work and their families. And a few guys I've met around here. I'd like to have a BBQ on Saturday afternoon and invite them to meet you."
"Yeah, honey, I'd love to. But that means you have to come to my place the following Saturday for a BBQ with my friends." Scott grinned.
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The BBQ that following Saturday went great. Scott met Jo and Trent, both interns with Cliff at NPS. Jo brought her husband Bob, and their baby Sadie. Trent came with his latest girlfriend. Cliff's other friends; Mark, Jake, Paul, and Matt were all gay, guys he had met at one of the gay bars. For the most part they got along okay with Scott. Jake was a little jealous, because he had asked Cliff out and been turned down. Jake just wasn't his type. Matt and Paul were a couple and Scott really got along well with them.
Cliff, Trent, and Jo spoke a little about the changing atmosphere at work, and all agreed something big was coming down. From what little gossip they had heard, they assumed it would be a merger with another Payroll Company. As nobody had learned the new company's name, they were anxious as to where that left them in their internship roles. Jo was only about 2 months away from completing her internship and she HAD been looking forward to a full time position with NPS, at least until recently. Trent had about 4 months left, and hadn't fully committed to staying with NPS. He was keeping his options open, especially with the new unsettling rumors flying around work. Cliff, with 9 months left for his internship, was the most unsettled of the three. He had already known he didn't want a full time commitment with NPS, but he had fully expected to complete the internship, especially for the experience it would provide him when looking for a new job.
While they talked briefly about happenings at work; Scott and Bob fired up the grill. They soon were joined by Matt and Paul. It became clear after a few minutes that Bob wasn't necessarily homophobic, but he was not comfortable being surrounded by gay men discussion Scott and Cliff's new relationship. He quickly excused himself to join his wife.
Jake had mostly avoided any conversation with Scott, which Scott didn't understand at first. Finally, Paul pulled Scott aside and quietly explained that they all met when Cliff first went to "David's", the gay bar in Cliff's area. Cliff had danced once with Jake, and joined Paul, Matt, and Jake at a table for drinks. When the night was over Cliff made it very clear to Jake that they weren't going home together. Jake had been upfront in letting Cliff know he was interested in a fun night, but nothing more. Cliff had explained to Jake that he wasn't into one night stands... he was looking for something more long term.
