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"Would you like to go to a movie this weekend?"
Will sounded a touch more uncertain than Tharkay thought such an invitation warranted, especially considering where it was he was doing the asking: namely, stretched out together on Tharkay's mattress, with only a worn blanket covering them. (Will's earlier avowal that the mattress--and indeed, the entire flat--was unfit for use had been hastily retracted when he found his flatmate quite intent on staying home this weekend in hopes of recovering from the past weekend he'd spent at home.)
It was terribly comfortable, intermittent heat be damned, simply to lie curled up next to Will, silently recalling the activities of their afternoon with great pride and pleasure. Either Will had an impressive learning curve or Tharkay was an effective tutor when it came to the art of hand- and blowjobs, for Will's technique had improved markedly sometime in the week since they last saw each other. (The fact that Will's confidence had increased tenfold was likely one of the primary reasons for improvement, but Tharkay found it much more satisfying to claim some of the credit for himself.) They had yet to move on to other entertainments, but Tharkay had high hopes for those possibilities when Will was ready to attempt them.
The question required an answer, however, and Tharkay made himself think on something other than Will's mouth for a few moments. "What did you have in mind?"
"Well, I did not exactly--you see, Jane has invited us, and also John--" Will said, and the arm curved around Tharkay tensed slightly. "She wants to see the sequel to The Fly."
Why this was in any way cause for the sort of alarm Will used to reserve for requesting to kiss him, Tharkay was still unsure. Tracing one hand in a line back and forth over Will's breastbone, he said, "That could be agreeable." It was not an outing he could mention to his friends, of course, but he could sit through a horror film for an afternoon if Will wanted to.
"There is one thing I must tell you before you agree," Will said, and whatever he had in mind, it was the thing that had been hiding in his voice from the moment he brought the subject up.
Tharkay inched up slightly, that he might see Will's face as he spoke, and Will in turn closed his eyes. "Jane is a good friend of mine, but we have--so to speak, a history--"
There was a cold, twisting feeling in his stomach. "You want to go on a group date with your ex-girlfriend," Tharkay said flatly.
Will's eyes flew open at the world "girlfriend," and he shook his head. "No--not precisely, as I said, she was--was simply a friend--"
"--but with benefits," Tharkay finished.
"...So to speak." He looked pained--whether at recalling a relationship that seemed incongruous with everything Tharkay had known about him before this moment, at Tharkay's reaction, or a combination of the two, Tharkay was unsure--and moved to sit up, drawing his knees towards his chest. "I--we are colleagues, and will see a great deal of each other anyway, and so it is best to--to remain friendly." Will paused, then continued in low tones. "I enjoy her company as nothing more than a friend at this point in time; I assure you, I would not--would never dishonour you by--"
Tharkay sat up as well, trying to quell the dark wave of jealousy that had washed over him as he'd listened, and lay a hand on Will's. "Of all things, I do not doubt your honour."
Will took a deep breath. "You must understand that if we--continue dating, you will undoubtedly meet her. And if I did not mention our history to you, you would inevitably learn of it from her." Another paused, and then, with a wryness that rivaled Tharkay's own, he added, "Quite possibly in great detail. I would rather an uncomfortable conversation now than later."
"I appreciate that," Tharkay finally said, and he realized as the words left his mouth that he was not lying. He could not say he was pleased by the situation, but it was difficult for him to fault Will's earnestness; the man seemed to wear his heart not on his sleeve but in his every expression, and there was no question in Tharkay's mind as to his sincerity in what he said. With some effort, he continued, "If you wish to go...I am willing."
If he was to be subjected semi-regularly to one of Will's old lays, it seemed best to get the meeting out of the way; should the situation prove to be unbearable, it would be less difficult to end the relationship at this early a point in time.
He hoped.
The tension in Will's shoulders relaxed with Tharkay's words, and he nodded. "I will let her know, then. She meant for us to go sometime next weekend, if your schedule is free."
"It should be," and Tharkay's patience for discussing people Will had once slept with was gone. He lay back down, pulling Will with him, and let a hand drift down Will's chest, savouring the small noise he made when Tharkay's fingers brushed against his cock. "With that settled," Tharkay murmured, his lips against Will's, "perhaps we could return to--other matters."