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steel bar between his teeth and winked. Mitch grabbed his bag and practically ran out of the store, chased by the sound of Sam’s cheerful laughter.
    Fuck! Mitch couldn’t believe the total ass he’d just made of himself. His only consolation was that he would never have to see Sam again except for fantasies, and probably not even there. Mitch doubted he could think about Sam without feeling like a fool.
     
    *  *  *
    Sam laughed quietly to himself as he made his way to his car after work. Despite it being a long, tiring day dealing with the holiday madness, he had actually enjoyed filling in for Joan at the perfume counter, especially after tall, blond, and clumsy had come through. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d seen someone so obviously checking him out.
    The guy was so not Sam’s type with his tall, bulky frame and blue-collar wardrobe, but he sure was fun to tease. That blush and bumbling clumsiness totally contradicted the image the guy projected. Sam chuckled again as his phone began ringing.
    “Hello?”
    “Sam, hey. What time do you think you’ll be ready tonight? What time do you want us to pick you up?” asked James, Sam’s longtime best friend.
    Every time he heard James’s voice, he still felt a little prickle in his gut. He really was over his crush, for the most part. He had to be, because James was taken, had been for two years now. And while Sam was truly happy that his friend had found love, he sometimes still wished he’d spoken up about his feelings. Who knows? James could’ve been his. At one time, it seemed like James was interested, and they’d almost had sex. That was in the past, and James was so drunk at the time that he probably didn’t even remember. Sam was determined to put the last little bit of his pointless regrets to rest and find someone else to obsess over.
    “Sam? You there?” James asked, breaking the silence of Sam’s thoughts.
    “Yeah, sorry. Long day at work. Let’s see, it’s seven-thirty now. I need to go home, take a shower, get ready. How about you and Chris swing by around eight-thirty? Sound good?”
    “Cool. See ya then.” James hung up, leaving Sam to his thoughts.
    I so need to hook-up with someone and get laid tonight, Sam thought as he pulled into a parking spot in front of his apartment building.
     
    *  *  *
    Mitch had just finished packing his sister’s perfume when the phone rang.
    “Hello?”
    “Hey, Mitch. It’s Dave. Are you busy?”
    “Oh, hey Dave. No, not really. What’s up?”
    “I have a really big favor to ask. The Beaverton Gay Men’s Association is throwing a party at the Double Clover to raise money for charity. The cover charge is two canned goods. My uncle is one of the people running this thing, so he expects me to be there, but my car is in the shop. Can you give me a ride? You’re more than welcome to stay. Drinks are on me if you do.”
    Mitch groaned. He was already settled in for the night. He didn’t want to fight the crowds that would be at the Double Clover on a Friday night.
    “Dave—”
    “Come on, Mitch. I’m begging you. My uncle is expecting me, and it’s for a good cause. One dollar from every drink purchased goes towards feeding the hungry. You don’t want anyone to go hungry during the holidays, do you, Mitch? Plus, weren’t you saying the other day that you needed to get out more?” Dave pleaded.
    “Fine,” Mitch sighed, “I’ll go, I’ll go.” It was for a good cause and all. “What time do you want me to come by? I gotta shower if I’m going out.”
    “How about eight-thirty? Sound doable?”
    “Yeah, yeah. See you then.” Mitch hung up the phone and sighed again.
    “So much for a nice quiet evening alone,” he said to himself as he got up off the couch and went to shower.
     
    *  *  *
    James arrived at eight-thirty, prompt as always. And Sam, like usual, was running late. He ran to the door half-dressed to let James and Chris in.
    “Sorry. Give me five more minutes.