Buddy continued to run down the street as fast as he could, before he turned his head back for a moment. He didn’t see anyone chasing him anymore, so he pulled over into a neighbor’s bush and hid. Panting rapidly, he sought to catch his breath from the miles of non stop running he had done just now. Peering out the bush, he looked to see if he had evaded the detection of the mayor and the police.
“Coast is clear” Freddy thought to himself, as he was relieved to have avoided capture by his enemies.
Buddy’s panting became louder and more frequent, as he sought to catch his breath.
“Man” Freddy thought to himself. “That was a close one. If I had gone on for too much longer and lost my energy, then I would have passed out and they surely would have caught me. I almost could have had a heart attack, too. I’m so tired right now, that I’m almost tempted to pass out in this bush.”
Deciding against this course of action, Buddy waited a few minutes to cool off. After he felt ok again to continue walking, he began to sniff the air.
“I don’t think I’m that far from home now” Freddy thought to himself, as Buddy tried to find a recognizable scent. “With my more powerful nose, I might be able to sniff my way back. Even without these super senses, I can recognize Michael’s scent. Maybe, if I’m not too far away from him, I can use my nose to lead me in his general direction.”
The night breeze rushed into his more sensitive ears, as Buddy continued to sniff the air. He moved his head around, until he picked up on a faint scent off in the distant. Sniffing more aggressively, he finally managed to recognize it.
“That’s absolutely Michael” Freddy thought to himself, as Buddy popped out of the bush and walked in the direction of his husband’s scent. "I'm not too far away from him, thank God.”
Buddy used his nose to lead him in the direction of home. Meanwhile, Michael sat on the bed and began to worry. He had hoped that Sofya’s amnesia spell would save his husband from passing out and being dognapped by the mayor. He wasn’t sure if the spell had worked, though, as he had still remembered his husband.
“It’s been more than a minute” Michael thought to himself, as played with his communication device with his hands. “So far, I remember Freddy. I just hope Chris still does as well.”
At the scene of the five car pile up, the police officers, in a state of confusion, began to discuss with each other what had happened to them just now. All of them agreed that they stopped their vehicles suddenly because they had no idea why they were speeding. Smoke emitted from several of the police cars, as they phoned a nearby towing agency, asking them to bring their cars into the shop for repair. Standing around in confused daze along with them was the mayor.
“How did the car I was in get into such a pile up accident like this?” the mayor thought to himself. “It makes absolutely no sense to me that they’d be pursuing someone, with myself right behind them, only for them to stop so suddenly like that. There’s no logical explanation for this and no one can give me a definitive answer about what was happening just now.”
Hearing the impact of the crashed police cars from their respective homes, the local residents woke up and went outside to survey the damage. The police angrily pushed the curious citizens back into their homes, angering them as they did so. They watched as the police began to try to piece a narrative together; one they would sell to the public on what had occurred on this block just now. They wanted their answers to match, as they didn’t want questions being asked about inconsistencies in their statements by journalists and others with an agenda.
“Man” a neighbor said to his wife “these police officers are the worst. They go speeding through a residential block in the middle of the night and then cause a big pile up like this. They’re lucky no one got hurt or injured.”
“The fact that the mayor allows this to go on is a scandal” the wife replied. “The fact that he may have been enjoying a joy ride with them through a residential block like ours is even worse. If someone was running against him on election day, I’d vote for them in a heartbeat.”
“If only someone had the courage to challenge that man. He needed one in the worst way.”
Sitting in his car a few blocks away from the scene of the accident, Chris was attempting to put the pieces together. He was in a car, one that was not his own, in the middle of a residential block on a Saturday night or a Sunday morning, he couldn't tell which. He had no idea why he was there, who may have asked him to be there and where he was supposed to go from here.
“Should I just go home?” Chris thought to himself. “But wait a minute, where is home? Even though I have an apartment of my own, I still have the feeling that I need to be sleeping somewhere else tonight. Is it a woman’s house? Some client I’m forgetting off the top of my head? Why can’t I figure out what's going on and why I'm here?”
Just as Chris was contemplating these questions, he heard his communication device ring. Looking at the screen, he recognized the name that popped up on the screen in front of him.
“Michael Scavolini” Chris said aloud, as he went to answer the call. “I wonder why he’s calling me?”
Back at the house, Michael finally decided it was time to try to call Chris. He wanted an update on what was happening, but figured he needed to wait a few minutes to call him before he could get one. Finally, after anxiously fidgeting in his bed, Michael decided it was time reach out to Chris. Dialing the number, it took several rings before Chris finally picked up.
“Hello?” Chris asked nervously.
“Chris?” Michael asked. “What’s going on? Did Freddy manage to evade the mayor?”
“Who is Freddy?”
“Uh oh.”
Michael realized in that moment that Sofya hadn’t been able to protect Chris from the amnesia spell she cast. He wondered if this was going to be a problem in regards to getting him to come back to the house. He also wondered if there was some way to break the spell. He needed Chris’ help at moment. Having him draw a blank at this time was going to be a challenge he’d need to over come quickly, if he was to successfully take advantage of the lull in the action.
“Michael…erm, Mr. Scavolini” Chris continued, before he paused for a moment. “Wait, why am I calling you Mr. Scavolini? I never used to call you that before.”
“It’s a long story, Chris” Michael replied. “I just need you to come back to the house immediately. If you lost track of Freddy, then you should get back here so we can re-strategize.”
“I don’t know who this Freddy person you keep referring to is. I’m not even sure whose car I’m driving right now. I don’t recognize this vehicle. I just know it's not mine.”
“Chris, you need to listen to me very carefully. This witch cast an amnesia spell on the whole town for 24 hours, so you won’t remember certain details until then. I want to try to help you remember this stuff, but you need to come back to my house in order for me to do it.”
“Your house?”
“Freddy and my house.”
“I keep telling you this, but you refuse to listen to me. I have no idea who this Freddy guy is.”
“Alright, fine. Do you know where I live?”
Chris thought carefully for a moment, before he answered.
“I do. You’re the dad to that wonderful boy Evan, aren’t you?”
“Yes, Chris, I am. And Freddy is his papa.”
“Who is Freddy?”
“Never mind about that for now. Do you know where I live?”
“Yeah. I have an idea of where you live. You want me to come stay with you for the night? I could use a place to sleep, seeing as it’s so late.”
“Sure, Chris. Come by the house. I could use the company.”
“Alright, it looks like I’m only a few minutes away, according to the GPS app. I’ll be over there soon.”
“Ok, Chris. Stay safe.”
Chris ended the call and drove in the direction of Michael’s house. It only took a few minutes, but he soon found his way to the correct block and parked the car in the driveway.
“This place looks so familiar to me” Chris thought to himself, as he closed the car door behind him. “For some reason, though, I’m having a really hard time figuring out why that's the case. I know for some reason I’m supposed to be here, but for what, I’m not so sure.”
Chris walked to the door and rang the bell. Upstairs in his bedroom, Michael heard the bell ring and immediately bolted down the stairs to answer the door. When he opened it, he saw Chris looking at him with a confused expression on his face.
“Mr Scavolini” Chris said. “I…I actually can’t remember the last time I saw you or why. I also don’t know why I keep calling you that, but it’s like I’m respecting your wishes by doing so, for some reason.”
“Don’t worry about it too much, Chris” Michael replied. “Just come inside and I’ll help fill you in on all the details of what's going on.”
Just as Chris was about to enter the house, they could hear a loud panting noise from something that was coming towards them. Turning to look down the street, they spotted a German Shepherd dog running towards the house. Buddy had used his nose to track down Michael’s scent. As he got closer to the house, he could also pick up on another scent as well.
“That musky man scent smells an awful lot like Chris” Freddy thought to himself, as Buddy ran towards the house. “That must mean I’m heading in the right direction.”
Turning a corner, Buddy could see Chris standing in the doorway to his house.
“There it is!” Freddy thought to himself, as Buddy ran up to his bodyguard.
When Buddy approached the house, Michael let out an excited gasp.
“Freddy!” Michael said, as he bent down to pet Buddy all over his furry body. “You’re ok.”
“That’s not Freddy” Chris said, as he eyed Michael petting the dog. “That’s that guy Tom’s dog, Buddy. We should really go and return it to him now.”
“No, you don’t understand.”
Michael stood up and looked at Chris with a serious expression on his face.
“This isn’t Tom’s dog” Michael continued. “This is my husband, Freddy.”
“You’re married to a dog?” Chris asked, with a confused expression on his face.
“No, Chris. Freddy was turned into this dog."
"It looks an awful lot like Tom’s dog Buddy to me. Are you sure you’re not just needing some sleep?”
“Positive, Chris. If you come inside with me, I can explain all of this to you when you're in there.”
“I really think we should bring the dog back to Tom's place first.”
Chris tried to grab Buddy by the scruff of his neck, but the dog growled in his direction.
“Let’s bring him back to Tom tomorrow” Michael replied. “It’s very late now. He can have him back in the morning.”
“Ok” Chris replied hesitantly, as he and Buddy made their way into the house. “I’m going to hold you to that though, Mr. Scavolini. I don’t want him accusing you of stealing his dog and then calling the police on you.”
“Let me make a call first and I’ll be with you in a few minutes.”
Michael closed the front door behind them, as he went up to his bedroom. Looking around the house, Chris took it in. It was as if it was the first time he had ever seen it before. Yet, for some reason, he innately knew that he had been in this house previously.
“It looks so familiar to me” Chris thought to himself, as he could feel Buddy rubbing up against his leg. “I could have sworn I’ve been in this house before, but why would I have been here? I haven’t seen Michael since high school. Why do I feel like we’ve patched things up since then?”
Noticing Buddy continuing to rub against his leg, Chris bent down and scratched him behind the ears.
“Aren’t you a good boy, Buddy” he said happily.
Buddy happily panted, as Chris hit the right spot on his head. After a moment of scratching, Chris sat down on the couch and Buddy followed him over to it. Feeling that it was ok to do so, Chris continued to pet Buddy all over his furry body. While he did so, Michael pulled up his communication device from his room. He knew it was late, but he needed to make an urgent call.
“Sofya made this mess” he thought to himself, as he dialed her number. “She ought to know how to clean it up.”
Inside of her bedroom, Sofya had attempted to fall asleep. She sensed that all was right in the town that Freddy and Michael lived in for the moment. Feeling a sense of relief, she decided to take the opportunity to catch a few winks. Her attempts at sleep were short lived, however, as her communication device began to buzz from the living room.
“Who the fuck is calling at this hour, Sofya?” Roberto asked in a groggy state.
“Ugh” Sofya groaned in response.
Sofya got up from the bed and made her way to the living room. She had a feeling she knew who was calling her at this hour and she wasn’t happy about it. She had done a lot for him already in the past few hours. Although she didn’t need much sleep, she still needed some to be able to fully function throughout the day. She had a long day ahead of her. She’d need all the rest she could get.
Looking at the communication device on the table in the living room, Sofya let out a loud groan. Answering the call, Sofya began to speak with an annoyed tone in her voice.
“What do you want now?” she hissed. “It’s way past a decent hour for you to be calling me.”
“Sofya, I need you help” Michael replied urgently. “That amnesia spell you cast has made everyone forget Freddy.”
“Yeah, you fucking moron. That’s the point of how that spell is supposed to work.”
“No, I mean you didn’t protect Chris from its effects. He’s forgotten all about Freddy.”
“Listen, Michael, I did the best I could, but I could only protect people I have some sort of connection to.”
“You did have a connection to him, Sofya. In fact, you two literally connected body parts together.”
Sofya paused for a moment, as he tried to piece together who and what Michael might be referring to.
“At your sex party…” Michael prompted.
“I can’t seem to recall” Sofya replied. “Anyways, it’s not a permanent memory wipe. It’ll wear off in less than 24 hours from now.”
“But I need him to remember now, Sofya. He’s Freddy’s bodyguard and protector. We need his help if we’re to have any chance of getting the ring back from the mayor.”
“The best you can do for now is to keep trying to trigger the memories back in your bodyguard’s mind. The spell makes it so that no one speaks of Freddy or Freddy as a dog to you. That doesn’t mean you can’t bring it up to other people. As long as you remember him, you can keep prompting Chris until he somehow snaps out of his amnesia. Otherwise, he’ll definitely remember him again by tomorrow night.”
“There’s nothing else you can do to help me?”
“Unless you want everyone else to remember your husband too, then no. It’s a tied spell. If one person is freed of its magic, then everyone else is as well.”
“Argh.”
“Just calm down, Michael.”
“Sofya” Roberto called from her bedroom. “Hang up the call now. It’s past 3 AM. No one should be calling you at this hour.”
“In a second, honey.”
Sofya paused for a moment, before she continued.
“Try to do things to trigger that guy’s memories of Freddy. That is my suggestion to you for now. Show him pictures you might have of him. Describe their time together. Do what you can to make that guy remember your husband. I’ve gotta go now, Michael. I’ll be over there tomorrow afternoon. If you can’t trigger this memories by then, then I’ll do my best to assist you in those efforts.”
“Ugh, fine. I’ll see you in the afternoon.”
Sofya ended the call and made her way back to bed. Michael got up from his bed and made his way down to the living room. Sitting on his couch was Chris, who was slowly petting Buddy’s back. Buddy panted happily, as he enjoyed the attention from the man who was his protector. Making his way down slowly, Michael approached Chris. Hesitantly, he sat next to him on the couch. Buddy noticed Michael’s arrival and trotted over to where he sat.
“I want to try to trigger your memories of my husband” Michael began, as he slowly pet Buddy’s back.
“I didn’t even know you were married” Chris replied with a confused tone in his voice. “I thought you were living in this place by yourself.”
“No, Chris. I share this place with my husband, Freddy.”
“Who is this Freddy guy you keep mentioning?”
“Freddy Benson.”
“The name does not sound familiar to me.”
“We all went to high school together.”
“I remember that you and I went to high school together, but I don’t remember this Freddy guy.”
“We were a couple and you used to say he was too good for me.”
“I remember that I used to a mean bully, but I’m a grown man now and I’ve changed since then.”
Chris put his hand on Michael’s lap, which he allowed to occur.
“I’m glad to hear that, Chris. But you’re here because you were hired to be here.”
“I knew it. I knew that I was supposed to be here, but I still can’t figure out why. Did you hire me to protect you for some reason? I’m a personal bodyguard, you know. My services are very highly sought after.”
“I didn’t hire you, Chris.”
“Huh? If you didn't hire me, then who did?”
“My husband did. My husband Freddy.”
“I keep having to ask you this, but who the hell is this Freddy guy?”
“I keep trying to explain it to you.”
“And I keep trying to tell you that I don’t remember who he is.”
Buddy whined, as he looked up at Michael.
“Man” Freddy thought to himself. “Why has Chris seemingly forgotten all about me? It’s like, in his mind, I never existed. It must be some remnant of magic that Sofya performed to help me out of that pinch just now. Still, I hope Michael is able to get him to remember soon. It’d be a big problem if I’m totally forgotten by the man I hired to save my life.”
“You were hired by husband to protect him” Michael continued.
“I’m not recalling this” Chris replied.
“He’s running for mayor of this town.”
“The mayor doesn’t have a challenger next month. He’s running unopposed.”
“My husband is challenging him. Look at this.”
Michael pulled up his communication device and typed in Freddy’s campaign website. He showed the information to Chris, who became freaked out upon seeing it.
“Woah!” Chris exclaimed. “Who is this guy and how come I can’t seem to remember him? How am I forgetting someone who is running such a public campaign like this?”
“Most likely” Michael replied “Sofya temporarily gave you amnesia when she was trying to protect Freddy just now.”
“Freddy?”
“My husband. The man you were hired to protect.”
“I don’t remember some guy named Freddy hiring me to protect him.”
“He’s the papa to my son, Evan.”
“I know your son, Evan. He’s a great kid.”
Chris paused for a moment, before he continued.
“But wait? Why am I so intimately familiar with your son? I don’t recall ever spending any time with him, so why does my instinct suggest that he’s such a good kid.”
“Because he is a good kid” Michael replied “and you’ve spent a lot of time with him while you've been staying here.”
“When?”
“When you were staying with us these last few days, while you were protecting Freddy.”
“Who is Freddy? And where is Evan now?”
“Evan is with his grandmother right now. We sent him over there to protect him from being targeted by the police again and from the assassins who were attempting to kill my husband. You were hired to protect my husband from assassination attempts on his life.”
“I was?”
“Yes.”
“So where is Freddy now? If I’m supposed to be protecting him, then why isn’t he in my sight.”
Buddy nudged his head into Chris’ lap.
"Buddy is here" Michael replied.
"He is?" Chris asked. "Then where is he?"
Buddy continued to nudge his head into Chris' lap.
"He's nudging up against you right now, Chris" Michael replied. “Buddy is Freddy”
“That’s not possible” Chris said in a state of disbelief, as he looked down at Buddy looking up at him.
Buddy nodded his head in Chris' lap, staring deeply into his eyes.
“It is, Chris. There’s a ring with a curse on it that changes my husband into this dog.”
Buddy got up and made his way back to Michael’s lap.
“The Ruggeri ring” Michael continued. “Don’t you remember any of this?”
“I’m not recalling a single thing you’re talking about” Chris replied honestly. “If this were all true, then why can’t I remember any of it?”
“Because you’re suffering from a temporary bout of amnesia brought on a witch.”
“Who? Who is a witch?”
“Sofya is a witch.”
“Sofya Roshkovitch? The weird, hot girl from high school?”
“Yes, Chris. Her.”
“What ever happened to her, anyway? She just left school so suddenly and then no one ever heard from her again.”
“She moved to Sacramento and….wait, that’s not necessary right now. The point is that she put an amnesia spell on this town to try to protect Freddy from being captured by the mayor and the police. She didn’t shield you from its effects like she was supposed to, so that's why you don't remember any of this.”
“Are you sure you just don’t need to get some shut eye right now? Perhaps you’re tired and losing your mental faculties. Getting some rest will help you think more clearly.”
“Chris! I’m trying to tell you what’s going on here! Please listen to me!”
“Jesus Christ, Mr. Scavolini. There’s no reason to snap at me like that. I know you’re tired and all, but—“
“Look at this!”
Michael had pulled up a picture of Freddy on his communication device and showed it to Chris. Chris stared at the image carefully, as he began to feel a sense of familiarity wash over him.
“Wait a second” Chris mumbled to himself. “That guy looks really familiar to me. Why do I recognize this man?”
“That man is—“
In that moment, Chris began to convulse, which caused Michael to gasp. Holding on to Chris’ shoulders tightly, Michael tried to make eye contact with him.
“Chris? Chris, are you alright?”
“Arf? Buddy whimpered, nervous at what he was seeing above him.
Buddy moved over to Chris and nudged his head into his lap. After a few more seconds of convulsions, Chris began to shudder. He shook his head and looked at Michael. He was feeling incredibly nervous in that moment.
“Mr. Scavolini?" Chris asked. "What’s going on? Why am I back in your house? Is Freddy ok?”
“Chris!” Michael exclaimed.
Michael gave him a hug, which Chris reciprocated hesitantly. Chris looked down and noticed Buddy looking up at him.
“Freddy! You came back!”
Chris bent down from the sofa to rub Buddy all over his body. Buddy happily panted, as Chris rubbed his fur and scratched him under his belly.
“What happened?” Chris asked, as he finished petting Buddy. “How did I end up here?”
“You were dealing with a bout of amnesia caused by Sofya's magic” Michael replied. “She did it to try to get the mayor and the police off of Freddy’s tail, which seemed to have worked out. I asked her to protect you from its effects, but she evidently didn’t or couldn’t do so. At least I broke you out of it now. I don’t know what I would have done if you had continued to be effected by the spell like everyone else in this town will be.”
“Man, this is so creepy. It’s like something out of a sci fi movie or something. I never would have believed it if I didn’t see this shit with my own eyes.”
Chris looked at Michael from the floor.
“So I guess that spell held up the mayor, huh Michael?” he asked, as he got up and looked directly at him.
“I guess it did” Michael replied, as he stood up from the couch. “I guess I was able to break the amnesia spell on you, too.”
“Amnesia spell?”
“Don’t worry about it. Let’s just go upstairs and figure out what we’re going to do about sleeping arrangements tonight.”
“Ok Mr. Scavolini.”
Michael, Chris and Buddy made their way up to the bedroom. Not too far from them, in another part of town, the mayor sat in the back seat of a car. He was being driven home from the scene of the accident. He had no idea how it transpired and was nervous about how the incident would damage his reputation. Neighbors were already complaining about speeding by police and what a danger it was to the community.
“They’re going to be wanting my head on a spike now” the mayor nervously thought to himself, as he looked outside the window.
The mayor felt an odd sensation in that moment, as he looked at his hand. The Ruggeri ring seemed to be glowing on his finger.
“What the hell is this?” the mayor thought to himself, as he carefully examined the ring. "How did this thing get on my finger?
The mayor noticed that the ring had an ugly bug on the top of it. Turning it around, he noticed an inscription on the bottom. He couldn’t read Italian, but one word stuck out to him in that moment.
“Cane” the mayor quietly mumbled to himself. “Cane means dog. Dog. There’s a dog I sense I need to go after. Buddy. Buddy is….”
The mayor paused for a moment, before a thought immediately hit him.
“Freddy Benson!” he exclaimed. “We were supposed to go after Freddy Benson! That’s why the police were speeding like that!”
“Sir?” the driver asked nervously. “Is everything alright back there?”
“Turn this vehicle around right this second! We have to go find my political rival!”
“Sir, you don’t have a political rival. You’re running unopposed next week.”
“What are you talking about?! That’s not true! I have to deal with this commie as my rival! He’s within four points of me in the polls and I have to—“
“Sir, let’s just get you home now. It’s really late and I think you could use some sleep.”
“I don’t have time for sleep! Don’t you understand?!”
The driver ignored the mayor’s demands, as he continued his route with the intention of taking his boss home. Back inside Michael’s house, a discussion about a sleeping arrangement was occurring.
“So now that Freddy isn’t a human anymore” Chris began “you and I should talk about new sleeping arrangements, Michael. I figured that since everyone has seemingly forgotten about Freddy for a short period of time, then that means you should be safe from another assassination attempt for the time being. That means I can either go sleep in your son’s room or go back to sleeping on the sofa bed.”
“Either one works for me” Michael replied. “Though Sofya is coming over tomorrow and will be sleeping in Evan’s room starting tomorrow night. Freddy?”
Buddy, who was lying on the floor, looked up at him with puppy dog eyes.
“You can’t sleep on the bed with me.”
Buddy whined, as he got up to paw himself into Michael’s lap.
“No Freddy!” Michael scowled. “Bad dog!”
Buddy whined louder, as he continued to nudge himself up into his husband’s lap with his head.
“I don’t want to get any dog hairs on the bed. You’re lucky I’m not making you sleep outside.”
Buddy whined even louder at this comment.
“It’ll be alright” Chris said optimistically, as he went down to scratch Buddy behind the ears. “When the daylight comes, we’re going to work on turning you back into your old self again. That way, you can end this nightmare you’re dealing with and be in your husband’s arms again.”
Buddy nodded, as Chris looked at Michael in the eyes.
“I’m going to go resume sleeping on the sofa bed, then” he said. “I’ll go make it up and then take a shower. Where are the linens?”
“In the hall closet” Michael replied “along with the bath towels.”
Chris nodded, as he made his way out of the bedroom. Before he could do so, however, Buddy quickly trotted over to the door and blocked Chris’ ability to exit.
“Hey Freddy” Chris said. “You need to move out of the way now.”
Buddy growled, as he nudged his head in Michael’s direction. Confused, Chris turned to look at Michael.
“I don’t think your husband wants me to leave” he noted.
Buddy nodded his head and nudged Chris back into the bedroom.
“Freddy…” Michael murmured out.
Continuing to be nudged by Buddy’s head, Chris slowly walked over to the bed and sat next to Michael. When he was seated, Buddy trotted over and looked at the both of them in the eyes.
“I think your husband would feel better if I stayed in here” Chris said, as he looked at Michael, who would not make eye contact with him. “I mean, it’s your house and it’s entirely up to you what to do about this, but your husband seems pretty adamant that I stay in the room with you tonight.”
Buddy nodded his head, as he nudged Michael to look up at Chris.
“He seems quite persistent about it” Chris continued.
“I don’t know, Chris” Michael replied nervously. “Freddy.”
Buddy looked up at Michael and nodded his head.
“Are you going to be totally hell bent on this?”
Pausing for a moment, Buddy shook his head.
"And you're sure you're ok with this?"
Buddy nodded his head. Michael sighed, as he looked down in his lap and thought about what to do. He knew that he was safe for the time being, so Chris didn’t need to be in the bed with him any longer. However, he wasn’t sure how powerful Sofya’s amnesia spell really was. He worried that the mayor or someone else might snap out of it and go after him and his husband again when they least expected them to.
Although he was uncomfortable with the idea, he knew that there would be no sexual attraction between them. Chris was straight and Michael did not think he was sexy. In his mind, sleeping together was for the best, even if it wasn’t seemingly necessary in that moment. Sighing, Michael looked over at Chris, who had been staring at him the entire time. He was patiently waiting for an answer.
“I guess you can sleep in the bed with me tonight” Michael reluctantly agreed.
Buddy let out an excited bark, as he circled around the room.
“I think your husband thinks you made the right choice” Chris said, as he chuckled and went over to rub Buddy all over his body.
“I’m going to take a shower now” Michael said, as he got up from the bed. “You should too, Chris. You smell kind of funny.”
“Do I?” Chris asked curiously, as he reached his head down to smell his armpit. “I don’t think I smell so bad. What do you think, Freddy?”
Buddy sniffed at Chris and let out a little whine.
“Guess it’s that bad, huh?”
Chris chuckled and patted Buddy on the top of his head. Michael nodded, as he made his way up from the bed. While Chris showered in the hallway bathroom and Buddy laid down on the bedroom floor, Michael showered in his own bathroom. As he cleaned up, he worried about what the future would bring. He was glad that he was able to snap Chris out of his amnesia. Sofya should have been able to protect him from its effects, but he was relieved that he now had another ally back on his side.
“Chris is a good guy to have in your corner” Michael thought to himself, as he shampooed his hair. “He’s not someone you ever want to be on the bad side of.”
Michael finished showering, as he worried about what would happen now that he was sleeping in the bed with Chris. He hadn’t slept in a bed with someone other than Freddy in his entire life. He had slept with Chris in the bed the night before, but Freddy was still next to him and it was unusual arrangement in and of itself.
Michael speculated that he may have slept with his father when he was a toddler, but that would have been the only other time it ever happened in his entire life. Chris reminded Michael of his own father in a lot of ways. He knew it was late, but he felt he needed to address this with him. When they were in bed together, there was a lot he wanted to say.
“In fact” Michael thought to himself, as he ended the shower “there’s a lot we need to address.”
When Michael got in to bed with Chris….