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By the time they got back to the apartment, with a stop at an all-night pharmacy to fill the prescription, Evan was so sleepy from the new medication and his recent ordeal that he seemed barely aware as Travis undressed him and put him into pajamas, trying not to get too aroused in the process.

After getting Evan tucked in on the couch, Travis went to the kitchen and put up a pot of coffee; by now it was 7 AM and there would be no point in going to bed for an hour before he had to leave for work.

He drank two cups of coffee and then went into the living room to check on his guest. Evan was fast asleep. Gazing at him lying there in quiet slumber, Travis had a sudden desire to stay home and keep watch. However, being late for work was one thing, breaking a perfect attendance record would be too much. He left the room and completed preparations for his departure.

Fifteen minutes later, as he was opening the door to leave he stopped and went back to make sure the blanket was snug all around so that Evan would be warm and comfortable. Satisfied following a few adjustments, he looked once more at the sleeping man, and impelled by affection he leaned down and placed a soft kiss on Evan's forehead.

Evan groggily opened his eyes.

Travis felt a flush of shame. "I'm sorry I woke you. I've left a note on the kitchen counter telling you where to find things. It has my number at work; call me if you can't find something or you have a problem. Definitely call if you have another seizure. It's all in the note. Now go back to sleep. See you this evening."

He waited to see if Even knew what had awakened him and had been shocked by the kiss. Evan just smiled lethargically before closing his eyes again.

On the bus, Travis thought about what a shambles his schedule had become these past few days. There was also the matter of his impulse to stay home and take care of Evan, and most alarming was the spontaneous kiss. It was all very disturbing. He concentrated on the reassuring fact that soon Evan would be identified, he would leave, and things would return to normal.

***********

When Travis got home from work, Evan was sitting on the couch, still in pajamas. He greeted his host with a cheerful "Hi, thanks for the note."

"You're welcome. What have you been doing?"

"Mostly I've been sleeping."

"That's good. What were you doing when I came in, you weren't reading and the TV is off."

"I've been trying to see if I can remember ... anything."

"The neurologist said no intense mental activity. Besides, I don't think that's the way it works. I believe the memories will come back on their own, or they'll be triggered by something you see, or hear, or maybe even by a smell. You can't force them back. Trying might even make things worse. So relax, let your brain recover. I'm going to order takeout, are you ready for dinner?"

***********

Shortly after they finished eating, the phone rang. Evan heard only Travis's side of the conversation, consisting of: "You did? That's excellent. Yes, he is. Oh that's interesting. Yes, we'd appreciate it very much, thank you."

Travis hung up the phone. "That was the police, and I know why you were thinking of 'hill and dale': Dale is your first name, you're Dale Williams, a naturalized American citizen born in Australia. You're some kind of consultant and you must be very successful at it because you own a condo in an upscale section of the city. They're sending over all the information."

The former Evan sighed heavily. "I finally have an identity. Wait ... are they sure?"

"It's definitely you. They identified you through your fingerprints."

"I have a police record?"

"No. Seems you've been fingerprinted in connection with some work you've been doing for the government. They didn't say what kind."

"The government. I wonder what I consult about. Now I need to wait for someone to report me missing."

"I don't think anyone will. You have no immediate family and since you're self-employed there's nobody to notice."

"Wow."

"The police have your wallet and smartphone. A kid they arrested for shoplifting had them. He claims he got them from a dumpster."

"That's great! The phone could give me a lot of information. Do they think he's the one who mugged me?"

"No. He has a rap sheet but all for petty stuff, nothing violent."

Within an hour there was a knock on the door, and a police officer turned over a thick manila envelope. Inside was a folder full of information about Dale, as well as his smart phone and wallet. He switched the phone on and looked through the contents. "It has an address book. That will give me a start. I was hoping for some photos too, but there are none here. There's also nothing about what kind of work I do." He read through some of the papers in the folder. "A fancy section of the city, huh?" he mumbled when he saw the address of his apartment.

Seeing him yawn, Travis snatched the papers from him. "I think you'd best go to bed now and continue this in the morning."

In spite of Dale's protests, Travis refused to give the papers back. He waited with arms crossed, until Dale had washed up and gotten to bed on the couch. Then he took the papers and the other items with him into the bedroom.

He spent half an hour going through the past two days' unread newspapers and then went back out to check on Dale. Finding Dale asleep, he retired for the night.

In bed, he lay thinking: He was happy for Dale - and unhappy for himself. Only two days ago he had been looking forward eagerly to having the apartment all his own again, and now he was unhappy about Dale's impending departure. That troubled him. Was he falling in love? The possibility was not welcome.

***********

The next morning, Dale picked at his breakfast, engrossed in a review of the papers from the manila envelope and the entries in his smartphone.

Travis watched him. "And I thought I was impatient. Can't you wait until you finish eating?"

"I'm anxious to find out about myself."

Following their meal, Dale removed the sheet and blanket from the couch and began folding them.

"I'll do that" Travis said, "You don't have to bother."

"It's the least I can do, after all you've done. I'll bet when you stopped to help me you didn't expect me to be this much trouble."

"To tell the truth, I'm sorry to see you leave." Travis smiled. "I liked having you here."

"And I liked being here ... with you."

Travis looked at him uncertainly.

Visibly ill at ease, Dale said: "Now that I'm leaving, I can tell you something: I think I'm gay."

That was a surprise. "Why?"

"Because I've been wanting to kiss you ever since that first day. I wouldn't have done it but still I was afraid that if I told you it would make you nervous. Would it have?"

"Let's see." Travis took Dale's face in his hands and kissed him, holding the kiss long enough to make it clear that this was not an experiment. Then, stepping back from the astonished man, he said: "I guess not. Dale, I'm gay. And you're very attractive. I kept my feelings from you partly for the same reason you kept yours from me."

Dale heard him but only responded: "Whew! That was some kiss!"

"Did you like it?"

"You bet I did! And I'll tell you something else: The boner I spiked when you gave me the sponge bath? It wasn't from the warm water."

"Neither was mine. I managed to hide it, but trust me it was a doozie. I loved bathing you."

They stood smiling at each other for a few moments, then Dale had a question: "You said you kept your feelings to yourself partly for the same reason as me. What was the rest?"

"I was afraid of what it might lead to if you responded. A few years ago I went through a bad breakup, it made me gun-shy about any new relationship. The last thing I would want is to fall in love with anyone."

"I understand. I'm sorry you had a rough time. Thank you for telling me." He paused. "I'll be going to my apartment now." Another pause. "Any chance you'd come too? I'm asking because ... I confess I'm a little nervous about what I might find. Your moral support would be welcome."

"Tell you what: I have to go to the office, but spend the day here and I'll pick you up after work, ok?"

Dale didn't answer. He was staring into space.

"Dale?"

It was almost a minute before Dale turned and looked at him. "So will you come with me?"

"I told you I will. You were zoned out. I think you had an absence seizure. They used to be called petit mal episodes. Was that one of the mild seizures the neurologist said you might have?"

"Yes. And she mentioned another kind, it sounded like some sort of enema."

"Myoclonic."

"Right! I see you've been doing your homework. Or rather mine."

"I wanted to know what we're dealing with."

"We?"

"Yes, 'we'. I didn't expect you to be identified so soon, I thought you would be here a while longer. No let me rephrase that: I was hoping you would be here longer, so that I could take care of you. Now get some sleep, I'll pick you up after work and we'll go to your apartment."

***********

The doorman at Dale's building greeted him warmly as he and Travis approached. "Good evening, Mr. Williams, welcome back. Been away on a short vacation?"

"You might say that" Dale replied. He went to the reception desk and said that he had lost his key. "Do you have a duplicate I can use?"

"Of course, Mr. Williams." The concierge went to a large, compartmented box and withdrew a key. "You're welcome to keep this one until you find yours, or I can order a copy for you."

Dale asked him to order a copy.

Dale's apartment was 26-H. They took the elevator to 26, which was the top floor, and searched until at the end of the hall they saw two doors on opposite walls, both marked "H". They made an arbitrary choice and tried the key.

The door opened and they found themselves in a large, fully-equipped kitchen. Travis looked around and said: "Now we know why there are two doors."

"I don't."

"Who would have reason to come from the hall directly into the kitchen?"

Dale briefly looked puzzled. Then: "Oh my god, we came through the servants' entrance, I might have servants!"

From the kitchen they proceeded down a hall past several rooms and turned a corner into another hall. At the end was a closed door. They opened it, walked through, and both said "Holy shit!" before looking at each other and laughing at their simultaneous outbursts: They were in a very large, thickly-carpeted living room, two of whose walls consisted almost entirely of floor-to-ceiling windows that provided a panoramic view of the city. Outside, apartments in other tall buildings were beginning to light up in the gathering dusk.

Turning from the panorama, Travis noticed a staircase. "Dale, it's a duplex!"

They explored further, and found the master bedroom. It was as opulently furnished and decorated as the rest of the apartment. Its king-size bed, topped with a luxurious quilt and pillows, looked almost small in the spacious room.

Dale turned to Travis. "I hope you've been keeping that tab, I'm obviously well-off."

After they had explored several other rooms, Dale said: "I'm going to look for financial records. If I find a credit card or enough cash, would you have dinner with me?"

"I'd like that."

Travis went into the living room and watched the evening news on the large-screen TV. As the sports portion of the program was starting, Dale came in and told him "I found bank statements and a lot of other stuff. I also have a safe, but unless I eventually remember the combination I may never know what's inside it."

"Don't' worry; there are experts who can get into almost any safe."

"I'll keep that in mind. Oh the good news is that there's no indication of servants, there are just receipts from a weekly cleaning service and a catering company; apparently I throw parties from time to time."

"You're relieved not to have servants?"

"Yes. I don't like the idea of ordering people around. Hey I also tried the bed. Travis, it's like a cloud. Now I'm going to look upstairs."

When Dale came back down, he said wonderingly: "There are three more bedrooms up there, two with full baths and one with a half bath. That makes five bedrooms and five bathrooms total. This is the top floor, the level upstairs is the penthouse. And, I have a roof garden."

"You must be one hell of a consultant" Travis remarked. "This place is larger than the average house." He pointed to the pictures that stood framed on various pieces of furniture. "Do you have any idea who those people are?"

"Not a clue" Dale replied unhappily. "Let's find a restaurant."

They had a good dinner, including wine (Dale knew that he preferred a dry white) and then returned to the apartment. As soon as they sat down, Travis saw Dale yawn. "I'm going to leave so you can sack out" he said. "Or better yet, some back to my place. You had a seizure even with the medication. Admittedly it was a mild one, but even so I'd feel better if you stayed with me at least until the follow-up exam."

"I'd like to stay with you, but how about we stay here? You could use one of the guest rooms. Or if you want ... there's my bed."

Travis was tempted but reluctant. He didn't answer.

"It's a king-size, we don't have to have any physical contact" Dale promised. "It's a great bed, Travis."

For another minute Travis stood deep in thought. Finally, he said: "Alright, we'll stay here and yes, I'd like to sleep with you." He smiled. "Of course it's not the bed that's the primary attraction."

Hearing that last, Dale asked with a smirk: "Did I mention that there's a price?"

Travis knew this would not be a serious demand. "What's the price?"

"Another one of your dynamite kisses. Payable in advance."

Travis put his arms around Dale. "This is one bill I'll be happy to pay promptly."

And he did.

In the aftermath of the kiss, Dale let out a breathy "Whoosh! Could you teach me how to do that?"

"I will" Travis told him, "on one condition."

"Uh oh. What's that?"

"I saw computers in some of the rooms. I don't know anything about computers, will you teach me?"

"It's a deal."

They stood with their arms around each other; then suddenly Dale pulled away slightly, squinting at Travis. "Did you stop that day because you liked my looks?"

Travis guffawed. "Are you kidding? You wouldn't ask if you had seen yourself with the scraggly hair and the bloody face. And it's not why I invited you to stay with me either; what you looked like once you were cleaned up was a bonus."

***********

They found that Dale had a streaming service, and decided to watch a film from the wide selection available. Sitting next to Dale on one of the living room couches, Travis became so engrossed that it was a while before he noticed that Dale's head was resting on his shoulder and Dale was fighting to keep his eyes open. "Why don't you get more comfortable?" Travis suggested. "I've been told that my thighs make nice pillows."

Dale smiled. "Ok." He lay down with his head on Travis's lap and let his eyes close. Within minutes he was asleep.

He was still sleeping when the film ended. Travis looked down and resisted the desire to caress Dale's face. He leaned back. Soon he too was dozing.

When he woke up, it was dark in the apartment and Dale was sitting in a chair, watching him. "What time is it?" Travis asked.

"About eleven. I didn't want to wake you but now that you're up, we need to talk."

"We need to talk always means something ominous."

"It's not anything terrible, I was just thinking: I might have been too hasty with the invitation. I'm pretty sure I'm gay, but I don't know whether I'm out. If you stay overnight the doorman will assume that we slept together, in both senses of the word. I'll be alright by myself; there's a phone on the bedside table if I get into trouble."

"I have a better idea: Come back to my place as I originally suggested. I can't offer you a cloud, but if you share my bed you'll have an attentive companion."

"What excuse would I give for leaving with you and being gone all night?"

"You went bar-hopping with your old friend Travis who you hadn't seen in years."

Dale nodded. "Ok." He packed the things he would need for the next days using large paper bags instead of a suitcase so that the purpose wouldn't be apparent. Then he and Travis went down to the lobby.

Holding the doors open for them as they approached from the elevator, the night doorman said "Good evening Mr. Williams, welcome back." Glancing at Travis, he asked: "Is this your new boyfriend? He's a hunk."

For a moment, Dale was taken aback by the question. Then, realizing its full significance, he turned and smiled at Travis. "I hope so, Ralph, I'm working on it."

Without a further word he took Travis's hand and led him back to the elevator.

***********

As soon as they were in the apartment again, Travis said "You called the doorman 'Ralph'."

"That's his na... Oh." Dale's eyes widened. "Oh!"

"What's the day man's name?"

"Tom."

"So you remembered both names."

Dale's face lit up. "Yeah!"

"Dale, you're beginning to get your memory back."

"I am!"

***********

In the master bedroom, they asked each other almost in unison: "Do you wear pajamas?"

"Not usually" Dale said, and Travis said "No."

They undressed, each with his gaze fixed on his companion. When Travis was naked, Dale declared: "Ralph's comment was an understatement. You're a hunk and then some."

Travis grinned. "You sure know how to flatter a guy. You're not trying to seduce me, are you?"

Dale feigned shock. "Heavens, no! (pause) I was hoping I had already accomplished that."

"Then I have good news for you."

"Terrific! When can we consummate it?"

"How about now?" Travis answered, grabbing Dale's hand and jumping onto the billowy bed, pulling Dale with him. "It's been a struggle to keep my hands off you" he whispered, kneading Dale's muscular shoulders. "While I was giving you that sponge bath I was in heaven." He began kissing his way down Dale's chest as he ran his hands down Dale's back. When his lips reached a rod-rigid penis, he kissed it. Meanwhile, his hands had reached Dale's behind and he was caressing the shapely cheeks. "Oh how I wanted to do this while I was drying you the other night" he said between kisses.

Dale was a vision of pure transport: His head was thrown back, his eyes were closed, and his mouth was open.

Still caressing Dale's buttocks, Travis licked the purple crown of the erect penis, causing it to issue a little stream of precum. Then he plunged forward and engulfed the entire shaft. Dale's ecstatic shout drove him onward; his tongue did a dance on the bottom of the shaft. Dale began babbling like an infant and Travis felt him approaching climax.

He pulled away.

Dale whimpered.

"Not yet" Travis teased, and continued kissing his way downward, moving along Dale's thigh and his leg, all the way to his foot. He took the foot in his hand and ran his tongue along the bottom.

That moved Dale closer to the brink. "Please, Travis" he begged.

Travis relented. He took Dale's leaking erection back into his mouth and started to move.

In moments his throat was deluged by spurt after spurt of warm semen. He had to swallow in such rapid succession that he almost choked.

When it was over, Dale exhaled deeply and said "That was unbelievable!"

"For me too" Travis responded. "Everything about you is appealing, including your cum." He moved in until his mouth met Dale's, and with a kiss he shared some of Dale's semen. "Taste familiar?"

"What?"

"Do you know whether you've ever tasted cum?"

Dale considered. "I don't know. If I did, it was probably only once. Please don't be offended, but I didn't much like what I just had."