A New Kind of Love Story

“Jen, I know that we only just got married, but I’ve got something awful to tell you…” Kris found himself unable to speak as his wife fixed him with a stony glare. It was only two weeks after their wedding, and Kris had only been able to sleep with his wife once. Jen, of course, couldn’t understand what was wrong, and neither could Kris for a long while, but he’d figured it out quickly. He realized, after long hours of introspection, that he was not at all interested in anyone of the female gender, and that he’d been foolish to try to pretend that he was. He’d also, in his attempt, hurt Jen. “Jen, I know that you love me, and I know that these past two weeks have been terribly frustrating for you, but I’ve got to tell you this…I’m gay.” Kris took a deep breath and slowly released it, and waited for the storm of Jen’s fury to break.

“You’re…gay? As in, you married me, but you’re some kind of faggot? I don’t believe this! I loved you, trusted you, and you do this to me? You know, my mom warned me about marrying a scumbag like you, told me that it would never work out, and I didn’t believe her, but now I see that she was right. Now, I’m gonna go sleep at my mom’s house tonight, and when I get back in the morning, all traces of you will be gone from this apartment. And you will send me divorce papers as quickly as you can.” And with that, Jen walked out of Kris’s life forever. Kris would have found himself at a loss as to what to do, but he’d already been prepared for this contingency. Jen wanted him gone? Oh, he’d go; he’d go all the way across the country, straight to California. Back home, for a little while, and then who knew where. This way, he’d be unable to hurt Jen any more than he already had.

aa

Kris was exhausted, and stressed. Kris was both of those things, and angry as well. Sure, the rest of the public thought it would be great to be a big-shot movie director, but to Kris, it was his idea of Hell. The stars were uncooperative, the technology was always failing, and things were always running late. It didn’t help Kris’s mood that on that particular day, everything that could possibly go wrong, had. What he wanted was a quick, cheerful, stress-relieving encounter with someone of the same gender, but he knew that if he went clubbing, he would only wind up more stressed. The answer, after moments of considering where to go once he finally got out of work, came to him remarkably quickly. Hookers were, after all, wonderful people, and they existed specifically for his purposes that night.

With that thought in mind, Kris cruised through the lower-income districts of Hollywood, noting a few offers here and there, but none worth taking. And then he saw him. Oh, the boy was beautiful, with honey blonde hair and huge green eyes. For some reason, Kris was struck with the thought that the boy looked a little like Jen. That thought alone made Kris slow down the car when he reached the boy. If that hadn’t been enough, Kris would have kept the boy just for the sweet smile he gave as he sat delicately in the car. And when he spoke, Kris nearly melted, for his voice was like velvet. “I’m Eric…I mean, I guess my name is whatever you want it to be. I’m sorry, I’m kinda new at this, I just got here last week, and…well, I guess you aren’t really all that interested in my life’s story, are you?”

“Oh, no, by all means, keep talking. And Eric is fine by the way.” Anything to hear that wonderful voice of yours again, kid. Kris had to restrain himself from moaning aloud as the kid began rambling again, but he found himself only concentrating on the voice, rather than the words. About fifteen minutes later, they reached Kris’s house, decently sized one for Hollywood. And it was in a nice neighborhood, too. “Kid, we’re here.” He could see by the look on Eric’s face that the child was in awe of Kris’s house, but he was impressed when all the kid did was gasp at it, and didn’t begin chattering again. He led the boy inside, and into his bedroom. Eric smiled sweetly at him once again, and that was the end of Kris’s self-control…

aa

A lazy year passed, and Kris found himself unable to get that sweet, adorable boy out of his head. The very night after he had him, he purchased his time once again, then again and again. Kris, never truly aware of time passing, didn’t realize how long this had been going on, but Eric did, and decided to bring it up to him. The young hooker, who had never needed a client other than Kris, debated with himself on the perfect time to mention anything to Kris, and found himself starting to talk one night after a wonderful session of love-making.

“Kris? Kris, you awake?” He wasn’t aware that his voice shook, or that Kris caught on to it immediately. “I was wondering if we could discuss something?” Eric had to fight to keep himself from crying, he was so nervous.

“What’s up?” Kris found himself running a hand through his lover’s hair, trying to calm the young man down.

“Well, I don’t want to seem presumptuous or anything, but it’s just that...you’ve hired me every night for a year! Kris, that’s almost fifty-five thousand dollars! Don’t you think it would be cheaper if I just moved in with you?” Eric flinched when he realized what had burst out. He hadn’t wanted to mention that so quickly. Maybe now I’ve scared him off, and he won’t want me anymore…Oh, what an idiot I am, I should have just let him continue with this…things were going wonderfully…

Eric didn’t get a chance to finish his internal dialogue, because a moment later, Kris was kissing him fiercely. “I think that I’ve never heard so wonderful an idea in all of my life. I’d be honored if you’d move in with me.” Kris grinned at him, and Eric found himself unable to resist grinning back. “So, I guess this makes you my lover instead of…what you were.” Kris quickly amended what he’d been about to say, not wanting to upset Eric, and Eric found himself giggling. Soon, both were cackling with laughter on the bed, both cheered by the future ahead of them.

Neither considered the fact that Eric was twenty-three years younger than Kris, and only nineteen years old himself. Neither wanted to focus on all of the things that could go wrong, but hopefully wouldn’t, and neither of them really cared about any of it.

aa

It was a month later, and Kris had discovered after much careful probing, that Eric’s mother was going to be in town. After much begging, as well, he’d convinced Eric to introduce him to his mother, and allow the three of them to have dinner together. It was the night of the dinner, and Eric’s mother would be arriving within moments. Kris mentally rehearsed what he wanted to say to her, but was interrupted by the ringing of the doorbell. He swiftly stood to answer it, getting there before Eric could. He opened the door and found himself staring at…Jen. All thoughts left his mind as he stared at his ex-wife. If Eric’s nineteen, and this is his mother, then she would have had to get pregnant directly after I left her…Interesting. “Well, this is a little awkward.”

“Yeah, that’s one word for it. You’re sleeping with Eric?” Her voice was numb, and she seemed shell-shocked.

“Yeah. I don’t suppose you have a problem with that, do you?” Kris smiled hopefully at her, and she paled a little further. Kris, thinking there was about to be a storm of fury like the last time he’d shocked her, was quick to continue with, “You know, we both love one another very, very much. It’d break his heart if you didn’t approve of us, Jen.”

“It isn’t that…It’s just that…Eric…Kris, Eric is your son.” Jen looked up at him with tears in her eyes, and Kris felt his entire body go numb with shock. He couldn’t speak, he couldn’t move. He dimly heard the sound of shattering glass behind him, dimly realized that he needed to go and talk to Eric, but nothing really sank in. He just stood there, with the door gaping open, staring stupidly at Jen. It was the pounding sound of feet on the stairs that brought him back to himself, and he immediately went to talk to Eric. He found Eric in their room, sobbing his heart out into an already soaked pillow.

“I knew that my father was in California, because I’d hired an investigator, but that was where the trail ended. So I came here myself to look for you, only I ran out of money fast. So I decided to prostitute myself, and hopefully find you. Even over the past year, I kept looking in my spare time for my father. And finding you now…it’s both a dream come true and a nightmare, all in one. I love you, even if you are my father, and I can’t stand the idea that now you’re going to leave me and I…” Eric had to stop then, because he wasn’t able to talk any longer.

Kris, who had frozen at the first sound of his heartbroken son’s…lover’s?…voice, found the raw desperation in Eric’s voice unfreezing him. “Eric…I love you too, even if you are my son.” The word, son, it felt strange to Kris, and he wished he didn’t have to use it. “And I don’t see why we shouldn’t be together. I mean, other than the law. It isn’t like we’re ever going to have kids, and if we don’t tell anyone, nobody will know…” Kris stepped towards Eric, and Eric lunged up to hug him tightly the minute he was close enough.

“You mean it, Kris?” Eric’s voice, so hopeful, so happy, told Kris all he needed to know, and he nodded, a smile blooming on his face. Eric smiled back, his eyes still bright with unshed tears, and a few of them spilled over.

“Now why are you crying?” Kris frowned, exasperated, and Eric simply laughed softly and shook his head, the tears stopping almost as suddenly as they’d begun. “Well, I guess now we’ve got to convince Jen to keep her silence.”

aa

Jen, fortunately was easy to convince, and had a nice dinner with them and flew back to New York in the morning. Eric and Kris lived out the rest of their days in an almost-married state, which isn’t to say that they were happy with one another all the time, merely most of it. And so they lived as happily ever after as one could in this imperfect world, especially considering that simply by being together they were committing what most would see as an unspeakable crime.