Is It Possible

Is it Possible? By Adam Stewart

Author's note: A gay love story in which a guy has to cope with sorrow to find true love.

Steve was bored with life. He had a good job as a software engineer and enjoyed that but his personal life sucked. He'd come out to his parents when he was sixteen and to give them their dues they both accepted his sexuality without question despite him being their only child and knowing that the patter of little feet were unlikely.

At school he'd always been a loner and frequently bullied because of his need to have everything in perfect order. He hated the rough and tumbles that most of his contemporaries liked and avoided all the rough games whenever he could. He was a bright lad and did well at school, frequently at the top of the class which didn't go down too well with some. He also showed certain signs of being gay although at the time he didn't recognise them so these too provided fodder for the bullies in the pack. As such he made few, if any friends, and only had one special friend outside of school. When he went to university they lost contact but having accepted his sexuality by then he'd hoped that would offer him the opportunity to meet others and perhaps find the man of his dreams. Sadly that was not the case so he ended up with having numerous one night stands. As such, he was now twenty five years of age and still alone.

At work there were several guys he fancied but they were either straight so only interested in women or if gay, were not interested in him. It was a large firm and had its own LGBT forum which he attended frequently so everyone knew he was gay and he was comfortable with that. He'd go to the gay bars and clubs to see who he could find but invariably ended up with yet another one night stand, who as soon as the deed was done, would up and go. He was earning good money so had bought himself a smart loft apartment in Wapping near the river but even that didn't help him attract the kind of guy with whom he could fall in love and spend the rest of his life with.

Then one day his life took a turn for the better. His manager had told him about a new employee who was joining the team and that he'd like him to pair up with Steve on the large project he was currently working on.

"Steve, I'd like to introduce Wayne to you" Michael said. Steve looked up expecting to see yet another young lad wet behind the ears that he'd have to train up. Steve was now the longest serving in the department and considered to be the best so he always got the job of training up the trainees.

When Steve saw Wayne, his heart stopped. The guy was not only about his age but drop dead gorgeous. For a moment, Steve's mouth dropped open as he looked the guy up and down. He was about Steve's height, which was five foot ten inches, had red hair and was immaculately dressed in designer jeans and an equally smart shirt. He also oozed sophistication as he stepped forward offering his hand.

Suddenly realising he was staring open mouthed Steve quickly moved forward and took the offered hand. As he felt the warm flesh, sexual shudders shot through him. He also had a feeling that Wayne held his hand far longer than necessary but perhaps he'd imagined that.

"Oh, hi, good to see you Wayne" Steve eventually managed to say. Even Michael noticed Steve's unusual behaviour and could guess why. Although he was straight and married with two kids, even he had noticed Wayne's charm and sophistication. Knowing Steve was gay, he guessed the reaction he was feeling right now.

Being a professional, Steve quickly collected his thoughts and explained what he was working on once Michael had left them.

"So where have you been working before coming here?" Steve asked trying to keep his mind on the job. Wayne gave him a rundown on what he'd been doing which was quite impressive. He clearly knew his stuff from the questions he was asking even though he'd never worked on anything like the project currently being undertaken by Steve.

"This is impressive stuff" Wayne commented as he moved up close to get a better look at what Steve was doing. Steve could smell the expensive eau de cologne Wayne was wearing and could feel the heat emanating from his sexy body. He could also feel his heart palpitating which didn't help matters.

When it was coffee break time, Steve rushed off to the machine to get Wayne a coffee. He liked it black, just like he did. They sat at their desks and chatted as they drank.

"Where do you live?" Steve asked trying to be as casual as could whilst gazing at the gorgeous guy sitting opposite him and mentally stripping him.

"Islington"

"Nice"

"It's only a tiny flat above a shop; how about you, where do you live?"

"I've got a loft apartment in Wapping" Steve replied casually.

"Wow, nice, bet that was expensive"

"Mum and dad helped me with the deposit"

"Lucky you"

Steve immediately sensed the topic of parents was not one that Wayne wished to talk about so he quickly moved on. "So do you live alone?" he asked instead trying not to show that he was hoping against hope that Wayne would say 'yes'.

Wayne nodded as if that was something he was sad about, "How about you?"

"Yep, still fancy free and not found Mr Right yet; I take it you realise I'm gay" Steve quickly added. He'd always been out at work and liked to get it out of the way early on whenever a new person arrived in the department even though his sexuality was well known to everyone.

Wayne grinned, "Yeah, I had gathered that" but said no more so Steve was still none the wiser as to whether his new workmate was gay or not.

"Is it that obvious?" Steve grinned.

"Well" Wayne replied somewhat embarrassed, "shall we say you don't hide the fact; don't get me wrong I have no problem with that at all and I admire guys who have the confidence to be who they are; just wish I did too".

Steve was about to explore that one further when Michael popped his head in the door. "How are things going?" he grinned, "Not been put off yet I hope Wayne" he chuckled.

"No, no way; the work looks very interesting and I'm going to learn a lot from Steve I can see".

Steve smiled to himself. He so hoped so in more ways than one!

The morning seemed to fly by and it was soon lunchtime so Steve took Wayne to the staff canteen, or 'staff restaurant' as it was now called ever since the facility had been outsourced. However the quality of food was certainly better so was a big improvement.

As they stood in the queue to select what they wanted, another member of Steve's department came up to them. He was a mouthy guy called Ted and Steve didn't like him one bit. Nor for that matter did most other people in the department.

"You're the new guy are you" Ted said to Wayne in an almost challenging tone. Wayne nodded and tried to avoid getting into conversation with him since he immediately recognised the type. "You teamed up with Queen Steve then?" Ted remarked with a sickly grin. Wayne nodded not wanting to comment. "Just make sure you keep your back to the wall then" he laughed.

For a moment Wayne frowned wondering what the guy was on about but then suddenly it hit him. "And what is that remark meant to imply?" Wayne retorted.

Even Ted was taken aback at Wayne's tone but nothing knocked Ted back for long. "Well, you know, he's one of those" he replied using a limp hand to show what he meant.

"Do you have a problem with sexual differences then?" Wayne responded holding his ground, "I was led to believe that this company was proud of its diversity and such attitudes as yours were not tolerated."

By now several others in the queue were listening in to the conversation. Ted was known for his intolerant views so they were glad to see someone stand up to him. Steve stood back feeling slightly uneasy since he knew Ted could be a difficult sod. He'd had run-ins with him on several occasions but had never taken the matter further despite being urged to do so by his colleagues.

"Suit yourself mate; as long as you're happy working alongside a queer" Ted replied having realised he was not going to get any support from the new guy.

"I'd rather work with people who accept diversity than bigots like you" Wayne replied smiling. Ted glared at him and stormed off.

"Sorry about that" Steve said once he'd gone.

"Don't be; people like him really annoy me."

"Good for you mate" someone nearby told Wayne, "It's time someone reported that guy to management; he's always making unsavoury remarks about people, often behind their backs."

Steve nodded. Perhaps he should do something about Ted now he had so many witnesses so he made a mental note of who was around and had clearly shown their disgust at Ted's remarks.

"I doubt he'll be talking to me again" Wayne giggled, "but I think I can cope with that".

Steve smiled. The question racing through his mind was whether or not Wayne was gay. Had his reaction been just to support Steve or was it as a result of his own sexuality?

Wayne was a quick learner and was soon making a contribution to Steve's project. They worked well together and enjoyed each other's company. Steve just wished he could explore beneath the surface since he was sure there was more to find out but he was afraid to delve too deep just in case it upset their excellent working relationship.

At the end of the week, Michael asked Steve to join him in his office to review how things were going with the project. It was something they did regularly so it was nothing unusual.

"So, how is Wayne coming along?" Michael asked smiling. Steve reported he was doing fine and already providing some good input. "And you two get on okay?" Michael asked with a mischievous grin.

"Yeah, fine; he's a nice guy"

Michael nodded. "And how's he fitting in with the rest of the team?"

Steve said from what he could see everybody liked him.

"Except Ted" Michael replied, "I understand there was some argument or disagreement in the staff restaurant on his first day".

Steve pondered for a moment whether or not to brush it aside. "Yes there was; Ted was expounding his usual bigoted views regarding diversity." Michael wanted to know more so Steve gave him chapter and verse plus the list of people who'd witnessed the incident. He then asked what other incidents there'd been.

"How long have you got?" Steve replied before listing numerous other unsavoury remarks Ted had made about him and others, especially those who were gay. Michael noted down all that Steve was telling him as he spoke.

"Why have you not mentioned this before or made a complaint? You realise this is very much against the company's diversity policy."

Steve said he'd often thought of doing so but didn't want to make waves.

"Well, I don't accept that kind of behaviour in my department; you know very well Steve that I have no problem with a person's race, religion or sexuality so I won't have someone behaving like that. I'd like you to put in a formal complaint and I'll speak to those who witnessed the last incident to back it up."

Steve nodded and returned to his desk.

"Everything okay Steve?" Wayne asked seeing Steve's worried look. Steve related what Michael had said and asked him to do. "Well I think it's about time he was dealt with if you ask me; you know he's going round telling people that I'm queer too so to watch their back and stand to the wall when I'm around; I'll add my support to whatever you say."

Steve looked at Wayne and smiled. He still couldn't decide if Wayne was really gay or not and it was killing him because he so wanted him to be so.

"You fucking bastards" Ted shouted as he stormed into Steve and Wayne's office a few days later, "I'm now facing a disciplinary interview because of you two faggots."

Steve gasped at Ted's ferocity and physically moved back.

"I suggest you leave now Ted before we make another complaint about your offensive language" Wayne said standing up to him.

"You fucking queer" Ted sneered.

"Whether I am or not is my concern but from my experience, those that shout the most about sexuality are closet queens".

"Fuck off" Ted shouted and left the room. When he'd gone Steve was shaking. He didn't like aggression like that and always shied away from it.

"I'm sorry Steve; are you okay?"

Steve nodded and tried to concentrate on what he was doing.

"I'm going to report what has taken place to Michael; I for one don't accept that kind of behaviour and it's time Ted was taught a lesson." Steve watched him leave the office still asking the question 'is he gay or not?'

A few days later rumour had it that Ted had been given a final warning following which he'd told Michael he could stuff his job and left. Nobody was that bothered to see him go and Michael was now looking for a replacement.

Steve still felt uneasy about the situation. He never liked conflict even though he knew Ted deserved all he got. Wayne immediately picked up on his feelings so put an arm round him and said it was not his fault and shouldn't take it personally. Just having Wayne touch him made him shiver with excitement but he still couldn't decide if the guy was gay.

"Do you fancy going out for a drink tonight and perhaps a bite to eat afterwards?" Steve asked trying not to sound too excited at the possibility of spending leisure time with Wayne.

"Yeah, okay, not got anything on tonight; not that I have much on any night these days" Wayne replied somewhat despondently.

"Now that sounds sad" Steve laughed, "so I suggest we go out and have some fun since it's a Friday night". Wayne grinned and said that was a great idea.

At first, Steve planned to take Wayne to a gay bar and see how things progressed from there but in the end he bottled out and decided to play it safe. Instead he took Wayne to a small bar he knew not that far from where their offices were situated in Waterloo. It was a straight bar and on a Friday night would be busy with office workers having a drink before they made their way home or went off for an evening out. He also knew there were little alcoves where, provided there was one free, they could have a quiet chat. He still wanted to find out if Wayne was gay or not because he'd given no sign at all so far, yet he seemed very interested in Steve. It was all very confusing so he needed to know one way or the other since it was doing his head in.

Fortunately, when they arrived at the bar there was a small alcove available so Steve told Wayne to grab that whilst he got the drinks. Once he'd bought a pint of lager for himself and a pint of cider for Wayne, he took them to where Wayne was sitting. As he approached, Wayne smiled at him and Steve felt a wave of lust shoot through his body. 'Please say you're gay' he told himself as he carefully placed the drinks on the table and squeezed onto the small corner bench seat.

"Cheers" Wayne said once Steve was settled and chinked their glasses together.

"So, how's the first week gone? Do you think you'll enjoy your new job?" Steve asked for something to start the conversation.

"Brilliant; I really love the work; I think we make a good team" Wayne said excitedly before hastily adding, "Well, that's assuming you think I meet your high standards".

Steve felt like replying, 'You more than meet my standards' but held his tongue. Instead he said "Of course you do; you bring a new perspective to the project which is great; it's very easy to get stuck in your old ways sometimes."

"Yeah, suppose it is; but thanks, I really enjoy working with you and I'm sure I'm going to learn a lot from you."

After a few moments of quiet reflection during which both guys sipped their drinks and pondered how to talk about what they really wanted to say, Steve asked "Where do you originate from or have you always been in London?"

Wayne shook his head and seemed hesitant to talk about his home life for a moment but eventually he replied "Hatfield in Hertfordshire; how about you?" Steve said he'd been born and bred in Guildford which was where his parents still lived. Wayne pondered for a moment before speaking again. "Can I ask you something?" Steve nodded as he sipped his lager. "When did you realise you were gay?"

It was a question he was often asked so smiled. "I think I was fairly sure around the age of thirteen. My schoolmates were always going on about their girlfriends and I never had any and wasn't interested in them. Not that I had many boyfriends but I knew I felt more comfortable in their presence than with girls.

"Did you ever go out with a girl?"

Steve laughed. "Yeah once when I was sixteen; it was a complete disaster; she tried to get me in bed and when she started to feel me she found I had no reaction at all so she hastily gave up on that idea. I remember her asking 'are you gay?' and I replied 'yes' so she left in a huff. It was then I decided I needed to come out to my parents since I didn't want them to find out from someone else."

"Wow and how did they react?" Wayne gasped.

"My mum giggled and said 'tell us something we don't already know'. We all laughed and that was that. They've been very supportive since then and don't have any issue with the fact that their only child is gay so they won't have grandchildren although these days that's not impossible."

"Would you ever want children?"

"Not sure, never really given it much thought; first need to find the man of my dreams" Steve laughed and looked at Wayne longingly.

"And what kind of man is that?"

Steve smiled. Was Wayne fishing or just interested? He couldn't tell. "Well, he needs to be a kind, considerate, loving guy about my age, not overweight, intelligent, good looking and have a sense of humour." He'd in fact described Wayne almost exactly.

"And what about in bed, you've not mentioned that" Wayne grinned.

"Sex is important but it's not everything if a relationship is to be successful; I know some guys think it is but I'm looking for someone to spend the rest of my life with so don't want it to only be based on how good we are in bed; don't get me wrong, I like sex but if I that's all I want I can get it whenever I wish." As Steve said that he heard his phone buzzing away in his pocket. He pulled it out and noticed several messages from Grindr. He quickly scanned down the list but there was nothing which immediately caught his eye; besides, he had the man of his dreams sitting beside him if only he could find out if he was gay. He put the phone back in his pocket and no sooner had he done so when there was more buzzing.

"You seem to be popular" Wayne grinned.

"Sorry, I'll switch it off if you like; it's my Grindr app"

"No, it's okay; you're on Grindr are you then?"

"Live in hope" Steve grinned. "Another drink or do you want to go somewhere to eat?"

Wayne suggested they have another drink there and then go somewhere to eat so immediately got up to go to the bar. As he stood there, Steve gazed at his backside. The guy was just gorgeous. 'I've just got to find out' he told himself.

When Wayne had returned and sat down again, he picked up his drink and held it towards Steve "Here's to finding the man of your dreams".

Steve looked at him and smiled. He was so tempted to reply 'I've already found him and he's sitting right here beside me' but of course he didn't. Instead he asked "So what about you? I think you said you didn't have anyone at the moment but what are you looking for?"

Wayne thought for a moment before answering and Steve wondered whether he'd gone too far. "To be honest I thought I did have someone but when the chips were down he chickened out".

Steve's heart skipped a beat. Did he hear correctly? Did Wayne say 'he'? "So...you are gay then?"

Wayne grinned, "Yeah, didn't you realise?"

"Well, I didn't want to jump to conclusions but to be honest I rather hoped you were" Steve replied trying to hold back his excitement.

"And how do I measure up to your ideal man?" Wayne chuckled. It was an unfair question, he knew that, but he couldn't resist asking. "Sorry, I shouldn't have asked that".

Steve grinned and patted Wayne's hand. "Its okay and the answer is, from what I've seen so far you're damn close to it."

Wayne smiled and enjoyed the feel of Steve's flesh against his but he was still not totally at ease with his sexuality so gently slipped his hand away with the pretence to pick up his drink. Steve then asked if Wayne wanted to talk about the guy who got away. Wayne looked at Steve with pain in his eyes. Steve could tell the guy had been badly hurt so decided not to press the point.

"How about we drink up and go to eat; I'll then give you my life history if you're really interested."

Steve smiled and said that was great so they downed their drinks without saying much more. As they did so there were more buzzes from Steve's phone.

"You really are popular" Wayne grinned. Steve apologised again and this time switched his phone to silent.

Steve suggested they went to an Italian restaurant he knew. Wayne said he loved Italian food so they made their way. Steve just hoped it wouldn't be fully booked but took pot luck. Fortunately there was a table for two still available in a corner at the back of the restaurant which suited them well.

Once they'd ordered and the waiter had served the bottle of white wine they'd selected, Wayne told Steve about himself. He was the youngest of three with a brother who was five years older and a sister who was two years older. His parents were very religious and considered homosexuality was a perversion. As he spoke, Steve could sense the hurt in Wayne's face. He wanted to jump up and take him into his arms.

"Do they know that you're gay?" Steve asked during a brief pause. Wayne nodded and Steve could see a tear form in his eyes. "I take it that didn't go down too well" he added seeing Wayne's sad face.

Wayne nodded. "Even though like you I never had girlfriends and much preferred being with boys when I was younger, I didn't really admit to myself that I was gay despite the fact that I was very close to one particular friend. We'd been friends from about the age of ten and had been inseparable. We both went to the same university where I did computer sciences and he did English but still we were close friends; nothing sexual but we did everything together. Then one day things did become sexual; we'd been to a party so both had drunk quite a lot and our guard was down; before I knew what was happening we were in bed together making passionate love. We were both twenty by this time and accepted we were gay so joined the university's LGBT group and enjoyed life together. When we'd finished our degrees we both went back home to live because of a lack of funds to do otherwise despite having said we'd get a place of our own and live together. Life seemed perfect despite knowing that our parents were deeply religious and very much against homosexuality."

Wayne paused as his mind went back to what then happened. Just at that time their food order arrived so no more was said until the waiter had served them. Steve looked at Wayne and could see he was struggling with his story but wanted to say more.

"What happened?" Steve gently asked.

Wayne went on to explain that his parents challenged him about his relationship with Tom, his long term friend. It seemed Wayne's brother had seen them kissing somewhere and had told his parents. His brother was also deeply religious unlike Wayne or his sister who had left home when she was nineteen because she'd shacked up with a guy much to the disapproval of her parents. "They asked me what exactly my relationship with Tom was so I decided to tell them even though I knew what their reaction would be. As expected they said I was perverse and a sinner and that they would find me treatment to relieve me of this terrible affliction I had. Since I had nowhere else to go, I went along with them for a while even though they'd banned me from seeing Tom but we still met in any event. I was twenty one for god's sake yet they tried to control me like a kid. I later found out that it was my brother who'd shopped me so I told him what I thought of him and we've not spoken to each other since. The only person who understood and supported me was my sister but since she was already the black sheep of the family she couldn't persuade my parents that being gay was a natural thing and that I was born that way.

To be honest Steve, I thought for a while that perhaps they were right and it was perverse so I tried my best to expunge it from my thoughts. I even went out with a girl like you but knew I'd never love a woman like I loved Tom. Then things came to a head when I was twenty two. I had an enormous row with my parents about being gay and stormed out of the house saying I'd never return. I went round to see Tom to ask him to leave home as well and we'd rent somewhere to live together. By then we'd both found jobs so could afford to do so. But, when I put it to him he said he couldn't because he didn't want to come out to his parents. I was devastated and we ended up having a massive row with me saying I thought he loved me and what the hell was he playing at but I could tell he wasn't prepared to stand up and be who he really was so I left and we've never spoken or seen each other since. I called my sister and she told me to get a train and come to London. Since she lived in north London I commuted to Hatfield everyday from her place until I eventually found my own place in Islington. I knew I had to find another job because by that time I hated Hatfield and all it stood for but it took me another two years until I saw the advert for this job.

So, that's the story of my fucked up life. Since living alone I've hardly been out socially and have never been to a gay bar or club, so I'm a sad queer living a lonely existence."

Steve reached across the table and took hold of Wayne's hand. "I'm so sorry, I really am; fuck that must have been so hard for you to come out to your parents knowing what the reaction would be; that takes some guts; with me it was a simple task of coming out and I had no doubt about how they would react because I knew they loved me and they still do. Have you seen or spoken to your parents since?"

Wayne shook his head. "Nope and I doubt I ever will; the whole episode has caused a rift in the family since my sister won't speak to them either; her boyfriend is really nice and was very supportive so at least I've got them."

"And me" Steve added patting Wayne's hand. At least he now knew the answer he'd been looking for but the question was where did they go from there? He had a feeling Wayne's experience to date had left him somewhat scarred so knew he'd have to take things very slowly indeed. Normally he'd have suggested they went back to his place but something told him that was not a good idea.

"That was really nice; I enjoyed that" Wayne said as they made their way out of the restaurant some two hours later having devoured a delicious dessert followed with a black coffee.

"What would you like to do now; go somewhere for another drink?" Steve asked.

Wayne nodded. He'd half hoped that Steve would suggest going back to his place but like Steve, decided not to rush things. He had a strong feeling that Steve liked him and he certainly liked Steve; in fact in his eyes the guy was hot and he couldn't quite understand why he was still available in view of the number of guys on Grindr who were clearly interested.

Steve suggested they go to the Retro Bar in the Strand near Charing Cross since they could both get home fairly easily from there. "It's gay, is that okay?" he asked as they walked to the tube station.

Wayne laughed, "Yeah, that's fine by me; I don't suppose I'll have guys trying to rip the clothes off me, more the pity" he chuckled. Steve looked at him and grinned. 'I would if I had half a chance' he muttered under his breath.

The Retro was packed so they squeezed their way in and Wayne bought two drinks. They squeezed their way back and found somewhere to stand and enjoy the ambience. Wayne felt so happy and relaxed. It was the first time he'd felt like this for a long time. He was amongst people who wouldn't judge him and who understood what being gay was all about, and he was with a stunning guy who he'd love to jump into bed with but he had a feeling that wasn't going to happen, at least not yet.

After taking a few sips of their drinks, Wayne whispered into Steve's ear, "Can I kiss you? Just a quick kiss on the lips" he added grinning. Steve's heart skipped a beat and another certain organ jumped also as he nodded and turned towards Wayne's luscious lips. Wayne moved his face forward and their lips touched. They stayed touching each other for several moments before moving apart. Both had been dying to make it more passionate but neither had the nerve to do so; Wayne because he was unsure of himself and Steve because he didn't want to rush him. One thing he was certain of was that in no way would Wayne be a one night stand; he was far too special for that, and of course, they worked together so that too had to be added into the equation.

After another two rounds of drinks, they decided to go home to their respective abodes. Both wanted it to be different but knew what they were doing was the sensible thing to do.

"Thanks for a great evening; have really enjoyed it" Wayne said once they were outside the bar. Steve said he too had enjoyed it and asked if Wayne had any plans for the weekend ahead. Quite why he asked he wasn't sure but it came out as part of the conversation. Wayne said he was going to lunch with his sister on the Sunday and Steve said he had chores to do at home.

"See you on Monday then" Wayne said as they finally parted to catch their respective train home. Steve nodded and gave him a quick peck on the lips before rushing off to the escalator that led to his line. Wayne savoured the kiss all the way home. "Oh god, he's gorgeous" he said to himself as he watched Steve disappear down the escalator.

"He certainly is love" a middle aged woman chuckled who was standing nearby. "If I was twenty years younger I'd have not let him go" she grinned. Wayne blushed having not realised that his remark had been said out loud. The woman smiled and moved closer. "You love him don't you and he loves you". Wayne nodded. "Then don't let him go; make sure you meet up with him again dear; I let the man of my dreams go when I was about your age and I've regretted if ever since."

Wayne felt tears in his eyes and mouthed a 'thank you' to her as he parted. Yes, he knew they'd meet again but would Steve want to take things further? That was the question.

When Wayne arrived at work on the Monday he wondered whether Steve might have had second thoughts about their night out but he seemed the same jovial guy and grinned.

"Good weekend?" Steve asked.

"Yeah, very nice, especially since it started so well" he added grinning. "I hope we can do that again sometime"

"Yeah, love to, perhaps one evening during the week". Steve had deliberately suggested midweek since he wasn't sure he could trust himself if they went out again on the Friday with a non working day following.

When Wayne had been with the company for a month, Michael called him into his office for a review.

"How are things going?" Michael asked.

"Great; I love the work and am learning a lot; Steve is very knowledgeable and a good teacher"

"He should be" Michael grinned, "He was my assistant when he first joined the company so I trained him up but you're right, he is very knowledgeable as well as being a nice guy and good with the customers; if you follow his example you won't go far wrong. So you two are getting on okay then" Michael added having noticed that the pair were almost inseparable. He wondered whether there was a relationship of some sort going on since he had a shrewd feeling that Wayne was gay, not that it bothered him one jot but he liked to know his staff were happy both at work and in their personal life.

"More to the point, how do you think I'm doing? Am I meeting the standards required?"

"According to Steve you are so that's all that matters to me; if he's happy, then I'm happy so congratulations. As you've probably found out, Steve has high standards and doesn't accept sloppy work."

"So Steve is happy with what I'm doing?" Wayne asked. He so wanted to impress Steve in more ways than one.

"Yep; so much so that he's recommended your salary be increased to the full rate since he's sure you'll sail through your three month probation with flying colours."

"Wow; thanks" Wayne replied somewhat surprised but more than pleased to receive the increase.

"And what about the rest of the department; I know you two don't have much need to mix with the others on work issues but how are things with them?"

"Yeah great; as far as I'm aware, now that Ted has gone, I get on with everyone".

"Yeah well, that guy was a complete idiot; must have had a bad day when I recruited him but you can't win them all I suppose" Michael grinned, "Anyhow there's one other thing I need to discuss with you. One of our customers by the name of Langley want one of the programs that Steve designed installed on their system and their staff trained up to use it so I've asked Steve to go up and deal with it but he'll need someone to assist him and he's suggested you go with him. They are based in Manchester so it will mean staying up there for about four days; would you be interested?"

Wayne's heart jumped with joy at the thought of spending time away with Steve. "Yeah, great, I'd love to if he feels I'm sufficiently knowledgeable to do so" he replied trying not to show how excited he was.

"If he didn't, he wouldn't have asked for you, I can assure you; as I say, Steve has very high standards and expects everyone else to have the same so take it as a compliment."

Wayne left Michael's office beaming and feeling on top of the world. He'd not only found a job that he enjoyed but a work colleague he loved working with. All he now had to do was see if he could move things forward with their personal relationship since he was fairly sure Steve wanted to but was not wanting to push things.

"Thanks" Wayne beamed once he was back in the office with Steve.

"For what?" Steve asked whilst pouring over a screen full of code trying to find an error.

Wayne moved up to him and put an arm round his shoulders. He hugged him tight and lightly kissed him on the cheek. "You know very well for what; for recommending that my salary be increased and for asking that I join you on the Manchester trip".

"Ah, that" Steve grinned rather enjoying the closeness of Wayne. He clasped his hand and squeezed it. "You deserve it; you've done well and we make a good team."

"Well, thanks all the same; it means a lot to me to be appreciated."

That afternoon Jo, the departmental administrator popped in to discuss their hotel booking for the Manchester trip. "It seems the hotel you normally use Steve is holding a large sales conference so the only room available is a twin bedded room. It's either that or you use another hotel which is about twenty minutes away from the customer, and Canal Street." As she mentioned Canal Street she grinned knowing Steve always liked to go there of an evening. She was a lesbian so was aware of Steve's search for Mr Right.

Steve looked at Wayne to assess his reaction to sharing a room as he raised his eyes with a slight smile on his face.

"Yeah, I'm cool with sharing a room" Wayne grinned.

"Are you sure?" Jo asked looking at Wayne.

"Sure"

Jo said she'd book the room at the usual hotel in that case but as she was about to leave she turned and said to Steve, "I'll see you at the LGBT Forum meeting this evening".

Steve nodded and added that Wayne was going too. She looked at Wayne somewhat surprised. He grinned and leaned forward. "Yes, I'm one too".

"That's brilliant" she exclaimed and gave him a big hug, "That makes three of us in the department; I'm so pleased to hear that; mind you, Marie will be devastated; she almost wets her knickers every time she sees you Wayne."

"I'm sorry; you'll have to tell her I bat for the other side" he chuckled.

"You do realise that once you attend the Forum meeting it will become common knowledge" she added. Wayne nodded and said he felt comfortable with that and was happy to be out and proud. "Good for you; us queers need to tell the world we're not afraid to be who we are." With that she left almost dancing down the corridor.

"Think you've made Jo's day" Steve laughed once she'd gone. "She's lovely Jo and her partner who works in accounts is equally as nice."

Wayne smiled. He felt so much more relaxed about his sexuality now he'd met Steve. All he now had to do was make him realise that he was madly in love with him.

The chair of the LGBT Forum was the sales director so opened the meeting by welcoming everyone, especially new members such as Wayne. Steve was the secretary so also sat at the top table. After giving out some notices about the Christmas concert the group put on each year, he introduced the main speaker who was a gay rights campaigner and was to talk about the horrendous life gays had to endure in places like Russia and Uganda. Everyone was riveted and appalled at what was happening to their fellow beings in those countries. Afterwards, Steve announced that the raffle and the proceeds from the concert were going to the campaigner's foundation. As he listened, Wayne realised how insignificant his problems with his parents were in comparison so made sure he bought several raffle tickets. He was also interested in the concert since he played the piano and sang so afterwards spoke to Steve who was responsible for producing the concert. The more he got to know Steve, the more amazed he was with the guy. Steve was delighted when Wayne said he'd be willing to take part so it was agreed he'd have his own slot as well as play the piano for the gay chorus since they were short of a decent pianist.

By the time the Forum meeting had ended, Wayne had been spoken to by several guys having realised he was gay. As Jo had warned him, it soon became common knowledge round the department and she said several female members of staff were deeply disappointed that yet another good looking guy was gay.

On the following Tuesday morning they made their way to Manchester and having met at Euston were soon on their way for the two hour journey. Wayne was feeling excited. Not only because he was considered good enough to meet a customer and train them on the new software they were to install, but also to be spending four nights away with Steve. Michael had told them that as they were willing to share a room, which saved the company money, they could stay over on the Friday night so they could enjoy themselves on the gay scene. Wayne had never been to Manchester, let alone to Canal Street and all the gay bars and clubs so he was really looking forward to it.

When they booked in, Wayne noticed that the reception guy wasn't the slightest bit surprised by the fact that two guys were sharing a room. He just smiled at them and wished them a nice stay. When they got into the room they were somewhat surprised to see the room was made up with one large double bed. On further investigation they realised it was two singles joined together.

"Do you want me to get them to separate them?" Steve asked.

"It doesn't bother me" Wayne grinned, "Just as long as you realise I sleep in the nude".

"So do I" Steve grinned. "So you're okay about us sleeping together then?"

"Sure, aren't you?" Wayne smiled,

"Yeah; no problem; if you're comfortable with the arrangement".

Wayne moved over to where Steve was standing and took him into his arms. "I shall enjoy having your hot sexy naked body in bed with me" he giggled as he pulled Steve into a kiss. Steve couldn't resist and let Wayne kiss him far more passionately than he'd thought they'd ever do. Soon tongues were probing each other's mouths and bodies were beginning to react.

"Come on, we'd better unpack and get a bite to eat; we've got to meet the customer at two" Steve said having pulled out of the kiss even though he was tempted to strip Wayne naked there on the spot and jump into bed with him. He was still unsure if this was the right thing to do despite aching to do so.

The customer had met Steve before so they knew each other well. Wayne was also welcomed with open arms and soon felt comfortable. It was nice to be in a position where he knew more than those around him which helped. By the end of the afternoon they'd installed the new software onto the server and tested it out. They were now ready to train up the members of staff who'd be using it, which would be done over the next three days.

Since they had to be back at the company at nine in the morning, they decided to have one drink in a gay bar in Canal Street after they'd finished their meal and then go back to the hotel for an early night. In reality, both were keen to get into bed to explore each other some more but neither admitted that fact.

Both guys casually undressed on their side of the bed but as they did so, they peeked at the other as the naked flesh started to appear. By the time both were fully naked and they'd admired each other's bodies, they were both showing signs of interest. Without saying anything, they slipped under the duvet and met in the middle. As soon as their hot naked bodies touched they were in a passionate embrace. They were both hungry for each other so kissed and explored frantically. Soon both were hard and hands were feeling each other. Neither said anything but both had the same thoughts. What did the other one like?

"God, you're beautiful" Wayne muttered as he kissed up and down Steve's nakedness. Without saying anything, he worked his way down Steve's body until he reached what he wanted. Steve gasped as Wayne's hot lips surrounded it. He'd experienced many a blow job but for some reason this was very different.

Having satisfied each other's sexual needs, they finally settled down for the night with their backs to each other and a large gap in between. Both had wanted to hold each other tight as they slipped off to sleep but neither had the nerve to do so.

When they woke, they both grinned at each other and said good morning. Steve jumped out of bed and Wayne was amused to see he was sporting a morning wood the same as his but he said nothing as Steve trotted off to the bathroom to get showered. Wayne was tempted to join him but held back not wanting to take things too fast for the moment but one thing was for sure, he knew he wanted to and just hoped that Steve felt the same way.

Once in the shower, Steve satisfied his morning urges wishing it had been with Wayne. He was still worried that if they became lovers it would affect their working relationship and that was something he couldn't face because he admired him too much and didn't want to lose him. He was an excellent worker and they made an excellent team. He had to be one hundred percent sure that if they started a serious personal relationship it wouldn't affect their working one despite knowing that he wanted to do so.

The three days of training went well and the customer was very happy with everything the two guys had done. He'd received excellent feedback from the members of staff who'd all enjoyed the training and become proficient in the use of the new software.

When they got back to their hotel they both stripped off and had a shower before getting into their casual gear to go and have a meal. Once they'd eaten, they set off to Canal Street and ended up in Manto. Wayne loved it having not had that much experience of being in gay bars before and it wasn't long before other guys were taking notice of them. They ended up staying for the club night and finally dragged themselves back to the hotel in the early hours of the morning. Neither of them was drunk but certainly feeling relaxed so when they finally got into bed their bodies were ready for some action.

"Are you a top or a bottom?" Steve giggled as he pulled Wayne's naked body into his arms.

Wayne considered the question for a moment. So far in his short gay life he'd been a top but was willing to try it both ways. "I'm normally a top" he finally giggled, "How about you?"

"I like it both ways so if you want to fuck me then you're welcome" Steve giggled in reply and turned over onto his stomach.

Wayne knew he was itching to take Steve so knelt between his legs and pushed them wide apart. "Got any lube?" he chuckled as he kissed Steve's naked backside.

"In drawer" Steve muttered from the pillow excitedly. He so wanted to feel Wayne inside him. Wayne pulled the bedside drawer open and grabbed the lube along with the condoms having guessed he'd better use one. He fumbled with the foil packet until it was open and slipped the latex over his excited organ. Once lubricated he gently pressed the large head up against Steve's waiting body. It slipped in easily and he was soon fully encased.

"Oh Steve, that feels so good" he gasped as he slowly moved back and forth. Steve groaned and moaned as he did so clearly enjoying what was happening.

Once the deed was done, Steve turned onto his side and Wayne pressed his naked body up against his back. "Mm, nice" Steve muttered as he gently slipped off to sleep.

In the morning, they both looked at each other wondering what each was thinking. Wayne was concerned that in the light of day Steve might regret letting things go so far. Steve on the other hand was still concerned whether it would affect their working relationship. Not wanting to discuss their feelings, they got showered and dressed. Once they'd had breakfast they checked out and made their way back to the station to catch the train home.

"A successful trip I think" Steve commented once they were in their seats.

"Yeah, very" Wayne nodded wanting to say 'in more ways than one' but instead held back.

"So how did the trip go?" Jo asked breezily on the Monday morning, "Managed okay sharing then?" she grinned.

"Yeah, we did" Wayne replied glancing at Steve to see his reaction. Steve just nodded and grinned so Jo assume that to mean both guys got it off together which is what she hoped. She could see that both wanted each other like mad but had the feeling both were holding back, or at least Steve was.

Later in the morning Michael came to see them to say the customer was highly delighted with what they'd achieved and to pass on his personal thanks. "Good job guys and another very happy customer so well done" Michael told them. "Oh, and did you enjoy your extra night in Manchester?" he asked with a big grin.

"Yeah, brilliant" Steve replied noticing that Wayne had a big wide grin on his face which said it all.

Over the next four weeks they were busy rehearsing for the Christmas concert. Steve was impressed with Wayne's piano playing skills and his singing voice. Wayne had played the piano since a child and had his own electronic piano at home and put in at least half an hour's practice every day if he could.

For his solo slot, he'd decided to sing two Elton John songs, 'Can You Feel the Love Tonight?' and 'Candle in the Wind'. What everyone didn't know was that he was going to dress up like Elton just for a laugh. The choir loved him and as a result the gay choir moved on in leaps and bounds now they'd got a decent accompanist.

Eventually the night of the concert was upon them and both were feeling nervous. Apart from being responsible for the overall production, Steve was also in a comedy sketch with another guy in which they were doing a ballet send-up in which Steve would be wearing a tutu and the other guy would be wearing tights which showed off his attributes to the full.

At Steve's request, the company had purchased an electronic piano for Wayne since the old upright was well past its sell by date so was thrown out. He was therefore able to include strings and percussion which added to the overall sound and the audience were well impressed. When everyone saw it was Wayne playing they were even more impressed because so few people knew him.

When it came to Wayne's solo and he came on stage wearing his Elton John costume everyone applauded. Once he started singing, the whole audience fell quiet. Nobody could believe he had such a beautiful voice. When he'd finished both songs, there was a standing ovation as he took his bow. He'd never received such rapturous praise and it filled his heart with joy.

As Steve and his fellow performer came on stage for their comedy slot, the audience went wild and wolf whistled when they saw the costumes. It went exactly as they'd hoped and the audience loved it, especially when the other guy pretended to be embarrassed at showing off his tackle inside his tights and Steve showed off his bum when his tutu exposed all as part of the act.

The gay choir also received a huge applause when they'd finished singing and Wayne was once again applauded for his musical accompaniment.

Finally the concert came to an end and the MD came on stage to thank all those who'd taken part with special thanks to Steve for producing it. The raffle that had been organised to raise money for the gay activist's organisation was then drawn. The first prize, which had been provided by the company, was a one hundred pound Christmas hamper from Fortnum and Mason. Second and third prizes were bottles of wine. The guy organising the raffle asked someone in the front row to draw the first ticket. As soon as the number was read out, Wayne gasped. It was one of his. When his name was announced, the audience went mad. Everybody was so happy that he'd won the first prize. He felt embarrassed when he was called forward to accept the prize from the MD and was in half a mind to suggest they drew another ticket but didn't have the nerve. Steve grinned at him and blew him a kiss as he accepted the prize.

After the concert there was a reception for all those who took part. Once they'd changed, Steve took him into his arms and kissed him. "You are gorgeous" he whispered as others passed by. Wayne was just on the point of replying when someone called Steve and told him to get his arse into the room where the reception was being held and to put his boyfriend down. Everyone laughed as the pair walked into the room where the others were assembled. A loud round of applause met them and Steve was thanked for producing a brilliant show. Wayne looked on and basked in the glow that was surrounding his boyfriend. He felt so proud of him and he felt on top of the world. At last he had the man of his dreams beside him. What could be better than that?

When the reception party had ended and they were on their way home with Wayne carrying his hamper, Steve asked him if he'd like to go back to his place in Wapping.

"I thought we might go to a club tomorrow night now that the concert is over and we can relax"

Wayne jumped at the idea so they made their way back to Wapping. Wayne was very impressed with Steve's apartment which had a large living room with a kitchen area at one end, two bedrooms, and a large bathroom that contained a shower area large enough for two. Once they'd dumped their stuff, Steve said he needed a shower so they both stripped off and walked naked into the bathroom. It wasn't long before they were both sexually excited. They moved into the shower area and embraced, kissing and feeling each other all over. Both wanted to say the 'love' word but neither did so they enjoyed each other's bodies.

"Come on, let's go to bed; I'm whacked" Steve finally said so they made their way into Steve's bedroom and climbed into bed. Despite their tiredness they made passionate love and satisfied their needs before finally slipping off to sleep in each other's arms.

At breakfast the following morning, Steve looked at Wayne and smiled. "What are you doing for Christmas?"

"Not going to my parents that's for sure" Wayne said bitterly, "Last year I spent it with my sister and her boyfriend but they've decided to go away this year to avoid having to go home so I guess I'll just spend it on my own."

"You can't do that" Steve exclaimed, "You must come home with me".

"But..." Wayne started to say before Steve interrupted him.

"No buts, you're coming home with me"

"But your parents don't know me, I can't"

"Don't be daft, of course you can; they'll love having you and mum will spoil you rotten"

Wayne felt tears in his eyes and nodded his thanks. It would be wonderful to spend Christmas with Steve and to do so within an environment where he was accepted.

"I'll give mum a ring straight away to warn her" Steve said excitedly as he went to find his phone. A few minutes later he returned with a broad grin on his face. "Right, all arranged; she says she can't wait to meet you".

Wayne felt so happy that he jumped up and pulled Steve into a passionate kiss.

"If this gets any more passionate, I shall strip you naked and take you back to bed" Steve laughed.

"Mm, sounds a nice idea" Wayne giggled and pressed his body up against Steve's.

That evening they went to Barcode in Vauxhall. They'd eaten at home having worked together as a team in the kitchen. Steve tried to imagine life always being like that. He liked the idea and wondered whether he would say something but decided to leave it until Christmas. They'd have four whole days together so could see how things went.

Being a Saturday night, the club was packed. When they weren't drinking they moved into the throng on the dance floor and pressed their bodies together, kissing as they did so. Both were in love but neither actually said the words.

They got back to Steve's apartment in the early hours of the morning, by which time they were both aching for each other. Despite the late hour they had a wonderful session of sex and Wayne let Steve top him for the first time ever. He loved the feel of his lover inside him and knew then that he enjoyed it either way.

Not wanting to go home, Wayne stayed over yet another night and they spent the Sunday enjoying each other's company interspersed with sessions of sex or watching porn, which Steve seemed to have loads of much to Wayne's amusement. "I reckon you could start a porn shop" Wayne laughed as he sifted through the wide range of DVDs, "You've got everything; leather, bondage, twinks, bareback, black guys, Asian guys" he listed as he went through the large array inside a cupboard.

"Yeah, well; I like to sample everything" Steve laughed.

The last few days leading up to Christmas were very relaxed at work. Everybody was in the festive spirit so no serious work was done. The company always shut down for the week between Christmas and New Year and closed the day before Christmas Eve so that staff could journey to wherever they were celebrating Christmas. Steve said they would travel to his parents in Guildford on the morning of Christmas Eve and suggested that Wayne stay over with him the night before.

"I'd like to give your parents the hamper as a thank you present" Wayne said when he arrived the day before with his bag ready for the Christmas break. He'd left it at Steve's apartment after the concert to save taking it home having already decided that was what he was going to do.

"They'll appreciate that, thanks" Steve replied giving his lover a kiss.

The following morning they packed Steve's car with their bags and the pile of presents for everyone plus the hamper. Finally they set off mid morning so they'd arrive just before lunch.

"Can you drive?" Steve asked as he drove along. Wayne said he could and that he used to own an old Ford but since it was falling apart and he couldn't afford it any longer he got rid of it when he moved to London.

"This is nice" Wayne commented enjoying the relative luxury of the Peugeot 205 that Steve owned.

"When my grandmother died, she left me some money so I decided to buy this as my old car like yours was falling apart; it's nothing special but its fine for what I need."

Wayne sank back in his seat, closed his eyes and enjoyed the wonderful feeling that was washing over him.

"You okay?" Steve asked after a while.

"Yeah, fine thanks; was just thinking how wonderful my life is now; no more worrying about homophobic parents; great job and a great colleague to work with." He nearly added, and a great lover but decided not to. He could still not understand why Steve was holding back and he was sure he was.

When they arrived at Steve's parents his mother came rushing to the door to greet them. Wayne watched mother and son hug and kiss each other and he envied Steve.

"This is Wayne" Steve eventually said to his mum as he pulled Wayne forward. Steve's mother immediately hugged him and gave him a gentle kiss on his cheek.

"It's lovely to meet you Wayne"

"And you Mrs Carr" Wayne responded feeling a glow flow through him at the welcome.

"Oh do call me Mary, please".

"Hi dad" Steve called out when he saw his father coming towards him. Wayne again watched the two men hug and kiss each other and he tried to imagine his father doing that, even if he wasn't gay.

"And I assume you are Wayne" Steve's dad said when he'd let go of his son.

"Yes sir, good to meet you"

"Oh for heaven's sake, less of the formality; call me Ben"

Wayne then found himself being given a bear hug and a kiss on the side of his cheek. He still couldn't believe that two sets of parents could be so different.

When Steve and Wayne had unloaded the car and given all the presents to Ben to put under the real Christmas tree that decorated the back living room, Wayne picked up the hamper and walked over to Mary. "This is for both of you as a thank you for letting me join you for Christmas".

Mary looked at the hamper and then at her husband. "You shouldn't have; it looks very expensive".

Steve laughed and explained how Wayne had won first prize in the raffle at work.

"But you two should keep this for yourselves" Mary said but Wayne was insistent and said he'd love them to have it.

"Okay, let's open it up and see what's inside" Ben chuckled as he unfastened the leather strap holding the expensive looking hamper. When Mary and Ben looked inside they gasped. It was stuffed full of bottles of expensive wine, cheese, brandy and a host of other delicacies. Mary pulled Wayne into her arms and gave him another big hug and yet another kiss.

"Thank you so much Wayne; it's very generous of you; we'll have some of this over Christmas so you can both enjoy it."

Steve then suggested they take their bags up to his room to unpack. Wayne noticed the room had a double bed and looked at Steve. "Don't your parents mind us sleeping together?"

"Of course not, why should they; mum asked if we normally slept together and I said yes so she expects us to do so; just have to be a bit quieter when we have sex; although I don't suppose they'd even mind hearing that" Steve giggled.

Wayne's face went a bright red. The thought of having sex under Steve's parents' roof was not something he'd thought about. In fact he'd assumed they'd be sleeping in separate rooms.

Seeing Wayne's face, Steve giggled and took him into his arms. "You surely didn't think we were going to go a whole four nights without sex whilst having your hot sexy body up against mine".

Wayne grinned and kissed the guy he loved so much. "You know best, as long as I don't get thrown out in the cold when your mum and dad find us at it".

Steve grinned and assured him that would never happen. In fact his parents would be surprised if it didn't.

"Come on, let's go downstairs; think dad wants to have a drink".

When they got down to the living room Ben was already opening a bottle of champagne. "Thought having you both here deserved a bottle of bubbly so come on guys and sit down."

When the champagne had been consumed, Mary said she'd better go into the kitchen to finish off lunch. As usual she seemed to think that her son needed feeding up when he was at home so she'd prepared a meal rather than a snack. Steve followed her into the kitchen and closed the door.

"So, what do you think of Wayne?" he grinned.

"He's a lovely guy and I can see you're both very much in love with each other"

For a moment Steve was taken aback. "Is it that obvious? Do you really think he loves me?"

Mary laughed. "My dear, Wayne doesn't take his eyes off you and nor do you off him; of course he's in love with you; you love him don't you?"

Steve nodded, "Yeah, I do"

"Have you told him?"

Steve looked at her for a moment.

"For heaven's sake, tell him Steve before you lose him"

"Is it possible do you think that he really is the man of my dreams?"

"Only you can answer that but from the little I've seen I would say he is, but why are you unsure?"

Steve said he wasn't unsure, in fact he was very sure he loved Wayne with all his heart but was worried about whether it would affect their working relationship.

"There are no certainties in life Steve but if you really love someone then you can make it work whatever the hurdles may be"

"But what if he decides I'm not right for him?"

"Come on Steve, this is not like you; if you love him, tell him; okay you won't always be gazing into each other's eyes for your whole life because love changes as time goes by; the initial sexual excitement tends to wear off as time goes by but other things take its place if the love between you is solid."

"Is that what's happened with you and dad?

Mary took her son into her arms and held him tight. "We both had the same misgivings at first but took the plunge since we both knew we loved each other; we still enjoy each other physically as well as emotionally so yes to a certain extent that's what has happened but one thing is for certain, we both love each other now every bit as much as when we first met, if not more so."

Steve kissed his mum and thought about what she'd said. He did love Wayne and wanted him as his life partner. The thought of him not being so, was too much to bear.

Once the food had been taken into the dining room, his mother told him to tell the other two that everything was ready. Steve found Wayne deep in conversation with his dad which made him happy. "Come on guys; dinner up" Steve grinned as he took hold of Wayne's hand and pulled him up. Once he was standing he kissed him and whispered "I love you".

Wayne looked at him hardly believing what he'd said. Did he hear correctly? Did he actually say 'I love you'? His heart was thumping away like mad as they made their way into the dining room.

The next time they were on their own was when they'd finally gone to bed leaving Ben and Mary to turn off lights and lock up downstairs. Once they'd both been to the bathroom and undressed, Steve pulled Wayne into his arms before they got into bed.

"God I love you so much" Steve groaned as he kissed and petted the gorgeous naked man in his arms.

"I love you too" Wayne managed to say in between kisses, "Have done from the moment I met you".

Steve pulled out of the kiss for a moment and looked into Wayne's eyes. "Did you really?"

"Yeah, I did but I wasn't sure if you felt the same way and didn't want to risk being dumped yet again"

"I'd never dump you my love, I just wasn't sure if it would upset our working relationship."

"Why should it?" Wayne asked somewhat confused, "If we love each other we should be able to live and work together

"I know; I've been stupid but I really do love you Wayne and if you're willing I'd like you to be my lifelong partner"

"Wow" Wayne grinned. He hadn't been expecting that despite feeling the same way.

"Have I gone too far: am I rushing things?"

Wayne grinned and pulled his lover onto the bed. "Of course you haven't and just to prove the point I'll show you how much I love you and want you".

They were soon rolling on the bed licking and sucking each other. Once they were both hard, Steve went onto his back, lifted his legs and offered himself. As Wayne pulled out the lube and condoms, Steve held his hand.

"When were you last tested?"

Wayne looked at him and grinned. "As a matter of fact it was last week and all was well; how about you?"

"The week before and ditto, all was well; and the only person I've had sex with since then is you."

"Same here; so are you suggesting we dispense with the condom?"

Steve nodded, "Would you be willing seeing that we're official partners now."

"Mm, I love the sound of that and yes I am" Wayne giggled as he tossed the condoms back into the bedside cabinet, lubricated his shaft and offered it up. "Oh god, yes, that feels so much better" he groaned once he could feel flesh against flesh.

"You bet it does" Steve chuckled. He'd only once before had bareback sex and that was years ago but he'd always thought that once he found the man of his dreams he'd want to feel his naked flesh against his.

The sex between them seemed to go on for ages with both trying to keep their moans and groans as quiet as they could but in fact they were heard by Steve's parents as they walked past their door to the bathroom. Both smiled and were happy that the two young bucks were that much in love and enjoying themselves.

Christmas Day was very much a family day but Wayne was made to feel part of it. One particular highlight of his day was a call from his sister to wish him a happy Christmas. Despite them having both sent their parents and their brother a card and a small gift, neither had received anything in return which they found upsetting.

"What the hell is wrong with them" his sister exclaimed, "If this is the way god says you should behave towards your flesh and blood then I'm glad I'm a non believer". Wayne had to agree. He certainly couldn't understand their behaviour and it just made the rift even more permanent.

"You okay my love?" Steve asked when Wayne returned from taking his sister's call.

Wayne nodded but Steve could see tears in his eyes.

"What's wrong?" Steve asked taking him into his arms whilst his parents looked on concerned.

"I'm sorry; we were just asking ourselves why our parents and our brother hate us so and can't even send us a card for Christmas."

Both Ben and Mary were horrified to hear that Wayne had received nothing from his parents.

"Did you send them a card?" Mary asked.

Wayne nodded. "And a present, we both did but have received no acknowledgement or anything in return".

"I'm really sorry Wayne, that is so unkind; I can't imagine how you must feel" Mary said as she caressed his back to console him.

"That's the religious right for you I'm afraid" Ben commented, "They make out they're so pious yet can't accept difference; I'm really sorry Wayne but you are welcome to treat us as your family because anyone that Steve loves is loved by us."

Wayne found that very moving and thanked him. Mary also agreed and kissed him gently on his cheek.

"Thank you; anyhow let's forget them and enjoy ourselves because this is the best Christmas I've had for a long time; I suggest we have a giggle and watch Steve in his tutu."

"Oh thank you" Steve laughed, "I love you too".

Mary and Ben wanted to know what they were talking about so Wayne explained that the Christmas concert had been recorded and they'd got the DVD with them. Both Mary and Ben said they wanted to see it so Wayne ran upstairs to fetch it from his bag.

"I feel so sorry for him" Mary commented once Wayne had left the room, "It must be terrible to feel you're not loved by your own flesh and blood; you must look after him Steve."

"Of course I will" Steve giggled, "I love him" he added just as Wayne reappeared wondering what they were talking about. "Mum says I've got to look after you my love".

Wayne grinned and gave him a kiss "I shan't object to that" he chuckled.

When Ben and Mary realised it was Wayne playing the piano they gasped. "You didn't tell us Steve that this young man was so talented" Mary exclaimed.

"Yeah well, he's brilliant in so many ways" Steve chuckled and pulled his lover into a hug.

When Steve's comedy slot came on screen, both Ben and Mary rocked with laughter. They loved it and congratulated both of them on a fantastic concert.

On Boxing Day Steve's uncle Derek came with his family. He was Ben's younger brother and had got married late in life to a younger woman. Their two children, who were eight and ten, loved Steve and as soon as they saw him rushed up to him. Steve hugged the two boys and kissed the top of their head. They also knew he always gave them an expensive present at Christmas so looked forward to receiving that once everyone had settled down.

"This is Wayne my partner" he told them once the hugging had finished. The two boys then rushed over to where Wayne was standing and gave him a similarly exuberant hug. Wayne loved the enthusiasm and the fact that they didn't make any judgement about him. "Are you Steve's boyfriend then?" the youngest asked.

"Of course he is silly" the oldest replied.

"Yes I am and I love him very much" Wayne replied to the youngest whilst crouching down to his level.

"So do we, he's the best" the oldest replied looking over to the Christmas tree to see which was likely to be his present.

"Only because I give them presents" Steve laughed as he put his arm round Wayne and kissed him. Wayne's heart filled with joy. He was so not used to this show of affection in front of others and briefly thought back to his own family.

"When are we going to get our presents?" the oldest asked.

"Not at all if you don't come and sit down and behave" Derek replied and grabbed his son to sit beside him. The lad grinned at Wayne and pulled a face in the hope that he'd support him.

"Come on then, you can be Father Christmas and hand out the presents" Steve laughed. The two lads rushed over to the tree almost knocking Steve over. He then passed them a present for their mum and dad before giving each of them theirs. Within seconds the wrapping paper had been ripped off to expose a Lego toy each.

"Wow, cool" the oldest shouted as he looked at his.

"What do you say then?" Derek reminded them.

"Thank you Steve" the two lads said in unison and then hugged him and gave him a wet sloppy kiss.

Derek's wife was a quiet soul but very nice all the same. Whilst her boisterous sons were playing with Steve and starting to make up the large Lego trucks, she talked to Wayne wanting to know what he did for a living and where he lived.

"Wayne is a very proficient pianist" Mary said, "We've seen him playing on film at their company concert".

"Can we see?" the eldest son called out despite busy making up his toy.

"As long as you cut out my bit" Steve laughed but the others said everyone had to see that too so Ben set up the DVD again and they all sat down to watch. Even the two boys were quiet as they watched Wayne play and then sing his Elton John songs. When Steve came on in his tutu and did the ballet sketch the two boys rolled over the floor with laughter but Steve took it all in good part and enjoyed the limelight.

"Do you play professionally Wayne" Derek asked once the show was over. Wayne shook his head saying he only played for pleasure but had enjoyed the concert and being the accompanist for the gay choir which looked as if he'd continue doing from now on.

Since Christmas had fallen at a weekend, the Monday and Tuesday were Bank Holidays so Steve and Wayne spent those days too with Steve's parents. They went out for walks and drove round the area since Wayne didn't know that part of the country.

When it was time to leave on the Wednesday morning Wayne felt quite sad at leaving. He'd so enjoyed his Christmas and couldn't thank Ben and Mary enough.

"Now you must come down again" Mary told him, "Treat this as your home". Wayne nodded and gave her a big hug trying to hold back the tears.

Once they were on their way, Wayne turned to Steve and said "Thanks".

"For what?"

"For inviting me to your parents and making it the most perfect Christmas I've ever had; I love you so much Steve; you know that don't you."

Steve nodded and patted Wayne's leg. He too had enjoyed it immensely having his lover with him and now had no doubts in his mind that Wayne was the man he'd been seeking for so many years.

After a while of quiet contemplation, Steve said "Can I ask you something; you don't have to give me an answer straight away if you don't want to and I won't be upset if you say no but I'd like you to think about it".

Wayne was intrigued at what the question was to be so replied "Fire away".

"Would you consider moving in with me so we really are partners?"

Wayne gasped and for a moment Steve thought perhaps he'd gone too far too quickly but Wayne was certainly not expecting such a question at this point in their relationship.

"Wow, are you really sure?"

Steve nodded. "Yeah, unless you feel I'm moving things too fast for you".

"No, I'd love to" Wayne replied excitedly. He couldn't believe that within four days Steve had said he loved him, introduced him as his partner and was now inviting him to move in. This really was the best Christmas present he'd ever had.

"Is that a yes then?" Steve laughed.

"You bet it is"

"Okay, when we get back to my place we'll discuss the logistics and the timing; how much notice do you have to give to relinquish your place?"

Wayne said it was only a week and that he couldn't get out of the place soon enough since he didn't really like it but it was the best he could find at the time for the money he could afford. Steve suddenly realised he'd never been to Wayne's flat so had no idea what it was like.

"And you'd be happy living in Wapping would you?"

"Are you joking? It would be fantastic; much better than what I've got at present even though Islington is a nice enough area but I can't afford a better place on my own.

Steve was happy and patted Wayne's leg. He couldn't wait to have his lover living with him.

That evening they discussed the matter further and since they had five more days before they were back at work it was agreed that Wayne would move in straight away even though he'd have to pay a week's rent for nothing but it was worth it.

The following morning they drove to Wayne's tiny flat in Islington to pack things up. He'd emailed the landlord the night before giving his week's notice and transferred the final week's rent to settle things up. Steve was somewhat shocked when he saw the size of the flat, which really was tiny, and it was situated in the busy main High Street above a shop so was often noisy. He could understand why Wayne wanted to get out as soon as possible.

It didn't take long to pack Wayne's things and get them into the car along with his electronic piano which they dismantled so it would fit in. By the time they'd finished the car was packed to the hilt and after a quick clean round Wayne dropped the keys through the door on their way out as instructed by the Landlord. He felt over the moon and said he'd treat Steve to a slap-up meal that evening.

Once back at Steve's apartment, they unpacked everything and he made room for Wayne's clothes and other personal items. The biggest thing to decide was where to put the piano but with a bit of reorganisation in the large living room it was soon in its pride of place. Steve looked forward to listening to Wayne play when he practised every night. Quite what the neighbours would say they weren't sure but if necessary it was possible to use headphones to keep the noise down.

As promised, Wayne took Steve to a local restaurant that evening and treated him to a meal. It was all perfect and when they got back to his new home, Steve pulled him into his arms and kissed him. It wasn't long before they were both naked and wanting action so he led Wayne into the bedroom and they made wild passionate love.

"I still can't believe all this is happening" Wayne exclaimed after they'd satisfied their needs.

"Nor can I but I love you so much and I know it is going to be perfect"

"Yeah so do I and I love you too; I do have my off days though so you'll have to get used to those" Wayne giggled.

"Now he tells me" Steve teased him, "Did I tell you about mine?" he grinned.

They both laughed and grabbed each other for another hug and a kiss. As they did so, Wayne thought 'If only my parents could accept who I am; they'd like this gorgeous man if they weren't so bigoted.'

"I'd like you to meet my sister" he said after a while. "At least she'll welcome us and you'll like Becky; and Dan her boyfriend is rather cute as well".

"I see, drooling over other men are we" Steve teased.

"Yeah, sadly he's not interested, just nice to look at."

When they returned to work, everyone was still talking about the Christmas concert and congratulating Steve on the production. It also soon became common knowledge within their department that they were now living together so yet more congratulations were piled on them. Steve and Wayne were both so happy and the working relationship seemed to become even stronger. Michael also congratulated them but warned them to make sure they left work issues at work and not spend their private time talking about things they were working on. Steve said they'd already made a pact that once they got home, any mention of work was taboo. The only time they agreed to talk about things was over breakfast before coming to work.

Michael was more than happy with the arrangement since he'd already noticed that they were producing great work together which meant the customers were happy. He'd been tempted to put the young guy he'd recruited to replace Ted with Steve to train him up but decided it was more important to keep Steve and Wayne together since they sparked each other off and produced some fantastic work.

When Wayne told his sister about him and Steve and the fact that he'd moved in with him, she was delighted and said she definitely wanted to meet him. It was arranged that they'd go for a meal on the Saturday evening.

Becky gave Steve a wonderful welcome when they arrived and Dan, her boyfriend, did too.

"I'm so glad you've at last found someone to love" she told Wayne after she'd given him a big hug and a wet sloppy kiss. "I'd love to see their faces if they did but know". She was referring of course to their parents and their brother.

"Have you heard anything from any of them?" Wayne asked more out of curiosity than any other reason.

"Mum phoned and tried to persuade me to admit I had sinned against god by living with Dan and you must go back and redeem your soul but I told her where to get off. What is more interesting is that I think our big brother's marriage is on the blink from what I've heard. His wife called me just before Christmas to have a chat and reading between the lines I get the feeling things are not going well. Now wouldn't that be a laugh if our pious brother blotted his copy book?"

Wayne chuckled but was not particularly interested in any of them. As far as he was concerned they were no longer a part of his life. He now had Steve and his family, so he was happy.

After a very pleasant evening and a particularly good meal which Dan had prepared, Steve and Wayne made their way home to Wapping. Wayne now felt at home there and was so happy. As soon as they were in bed, Wayne pulled Steve into his arms and kissed him.

"I love you" he said in between kisses, "And I want to feel you inside me".

Steve grinned. He was always happy to oblige with that request so prepared Wayne and then his raging erection that was aching for action.

Over the next few weeks they were busy at work and visited several customers but none of those required an overnight stay. After a particularly busy week, Steve suggested they go out on the Friday evening to a club. They chose Barcode in Vauxhall again and after they'd had their meal they made their way over. As usual the place was packed. Whilst they stood around drinking they eyed up the guys nearby and Steve chuckled at the number of guys who were flirting with Wayne and him back but he was relaxed about things since he knew the love they had for each other was sound.

In between drinks they'd press their way onto the dance floor and jiggle against each other kissing and cuddling as they did so. On several occasions one particular guy pressed himself up against them. It seemed he was on his own and clearly trying to pick someone up. When the other two went back to the bar for another drink, he followed them and soon they were chatting. The guy was from Liverpool and down in London on business for a couple of weeks so was making the most of his trip. His name was Dave, reasonably good looking and twenty one years of age. As time went by he put several feelers out to see if Steve and Wayne were interested in a threesome. Whilst he went to the bar to buy more drinks Steve asked Wayne if he was interested.

"I'm easy if you'd like to" Wayne grinned. When Dave returned with the drinks Steve raised the topic again. Dave jumped at the invitation so when they'd drunk up they left to go back to Wapping. Dave was staying in a hotel in the centre of town and clearly wasn't that keen on taking two guys back there.

Dave had a swarthy look about him with black hair, dark eyes and a teasing line of black hair that went down his abdomen to his pubic region. Once inside the apartment and they'd undressed each other, the other two noticed that he also had black clipped pubes and a long thick dick.

"What do you like doing with guys?" Steve asked whilst he and Wayne were kissing and licking his sexy body.

"Anything, as long as it's safe" Dave grinned as he lay back on the bed enjoying the attention.

The other two grinned at each other before continuing to lick his long shaft and the head which was now fully excited.

After a while, Steve pulled out the necessary items from the drawer and prepared Dave and himself so he could sit on the long thick shaft. He suggested to Wayne that he kneel astride Dave and offer him his to suck.

"Fuck, you're big" Steve groaned as he slowly sat down on the stiff rod but gradually he managed to take the whole length and once inside it felt wonderful. Dave groaned and moaned as he sucked Wayne off taking him right down his throat. Steve loved watching his lover's bare arse bobbing up and down and was itching to penetrate that too but that would have to wait for the moment.

They continued like this for quite some time making sure that nobody reached their climax since they wanted it to last as long as possible. After a while, Dave suggested that he sit on Wayne's so they changed about. Once Dave had Wayne fully inside him he told Steve to get behind him and stuff his in too.

"Love having two cocks inside me at the same time" Dave chuckled. Steve couldn't wait to do that so hastily prepared his and slipped it in alongside Wayne's. He'd have loved to have felt their naked flesh rubbing against each other but that was out of the question. Even so, the feel of his organ sliding against Wayne's was exciting and it wasn't long before both had reached a climax. Whilst Dave was being stuffed by the other two, Wayne was bringing him off. Suddenly Dave yelled out loud and his body shuddered as waves of seed were ejected.

"Fuck, that was brilliant guys; thanks" Dave exclaimed once everyone had come down from their high.

"You want to stay over?" Steve asked, "The last train has gone so your only option is a taxi now". Dave grinned and said he'd love to stay over. Steve thought about offering him the spare room but decided it was more fun to all sleep together which is what they did.

When Steve and Wayne had been living together for a year, they decided to celebrate by having a meal out. Their love for each other had grown even more and even though they worked, slept and played together, they never seemed to tire of each other's company. Neither could imagine being without the other and at work they became known as the 'gay twins' but it didn't bother them.

Since the Christmas concert the previous year, the gay chorus had also become popular and was asked to appear at various functions, most of which were charity events. Because of his success with the concerts, Steve was asked to produce each show along with the leader of the choir. Wayne of course was asked to be their pianist so they spent many an hour practising or planning programmes.

One particular charity had asked the choir to appear at a major fundraising event. They'd been given the use of a large hall so it was a big affair. During the programme, Wayne would also play a solo piece and he'd chosen an excerpt from Swan Lake. In the second half, he had been asked to sing another Elton John song with the choir backing him.

The event was very successful and everyone was on form. The audience loved it and gave them a tumultuous applause at the end. The organiser announced the amount raised and it ran into thousands of pounds. Having thanked the choir and Wayne plus various other people, he asked Steve to come on stage and take a bow as the producer. He too received a big applause since a large contingency from the company were there including Michael. Even Becky and Dan had come to see them perform so Wayne was feeling particularly happy.

Once Steve had taken his bow and the organiser had finished his thanks, Steve took the microphone and said he'd like to say something else. He then asked Wayne to join him at the front of the stage and everyone wondered what was going to happen. Wayne gave him a puzzled look but Steve just grinned as he turned Wayne to face him. Steve then got down on one knee and said "Wayne Evans, would you marry me?"

The audience gasped and waited for Wayne's reply. He too was shocked since they'd not talked about this beforehand even though they'd said at some point they'd like to get legally hitched. Wayne looked down at Steve's face and his whole heart melted. He so loved this guy. "Yes, I will" he announced into the microphone and the whole audience erupted, stamping their feet and cheering whilst Steve stood up, took his lover into his arms and kissed him in front of everyone. Behind them the chorus were applauding and cheering and Wayne was conscious of cameras flashing like mad round them. He knew the concert was being recorded again and Steve had made sure that the local and gay press were there to report it. The only person who was in on the secret was the organiser who was standing nearby grinning.

Finally the happy couple pulled apart and took another bow before everyone moved off stage. Once off, everyone gathered round them and congratulated them patting their backs. "Just as well he said yes" someone shouted, "otherwise it could have been embarrassing Steve".

Suddenly Wayne found Becky and Dan beside him giving their congratulations. His mind was in a spin and all he could do was grin and hang onto the man he loved so much. A freelance reporter was also trying to grab them for an interview since he wanted to know if they were having a civil partnership or getting married since the new legislation allowing this had come in just a few days before. Steve looked at Wayne and they both answered "marriage but not in a church".

"Your parents must be so proud of you" the journalist said, "What with the great concert and now this".

Becky almost choked. "Well I can tell you that Wayne's parents don't, that's for sure; they consider he's a sinner and a disgrace to the human race because he's gay".

Wayne gave Becky a stern look but he knew that once Becky was on this tack there was no way of stopping her. The journalist loved stories like this and wanted to know more so pulled her to one side to interview her. Wayne decided to get away so dragged Steve back to their dressing room to get changed.

"If mum and dad see anything in the press about this they'll go mad" Wayne said.

"So what" Steve replied taking Wayne into his arms, "Perhaps it's about time the world knew what guys like you have to put up with; you saw the reaction from that audience; everyone was happy for us and it was a mixed audience of straights and gays; your parents are in a minority my love and it's time they knew it, and that includes your brother."

Wayne nodded. Steve was right but he hated conflict so always took the easy way out. When they'd changed they went to find Becky and Dan since they'd agreed to go out for a late meal together. When they found them Wayne was shocked to see that Linda, his brother's wife was with them. Robin, his brother, had married just before Wayne had left home so apart from odd meetings at home and the wedding he hardly knew her. He quickly looked round for Robin but there was no sign of him.

"You remember Linda" Becky said. Wayne nodded and gave her a polite hello. Since she'd married his religious brother he'd assumed she was the same.

"I thought you were brilliant Wayne; I never knew you were so talented". Wayne thanked her and wasn't the slightest bit surprised as he knew his brother would never have mentioned Wayne's musical talent since if the truth be known, he was jealous of his younger brother. "And I'd like to congratulate you both on your engagement; I think it's great that same sex couples can now get properly married."

Wayne was shocked at her remarks and was about to say something when Becky interjected. "You should be aware Wayne that Linda has left Robin; it seems he's been cheating on her almost from the time they got married."

Wayne was amazed and looked first at Becky and then Linda. "Are you telling me my brother who thinks I'm a sinner has been cheating on the side all this time; what a fucking hypocrite."

Even Steve was surprised at Wayne's outburst since it was so unlike him but he knew he felt strongly about his brother's religious views regarding homosexuality. Linda nodded, "Yep, not just one either; seems he's slept with most of the women in his company from all accounts and now's he got one pregnant which is why it's all come out".

"And what do our illustrious parents have to say about this?" Wayne asked Becky.

"Oh they still think he's their perfect little boy and blame the women saying they must have lured him to their beds."

Wayne was speechless as they walked off to the restaurant they'd booked. Once they were all seated and the waiter had taken their order, Becky leaned over to Wayne. "Just be aware that the balloon could well rise over this because that journalist we spoke to is going to do a piece on your musical talent, your forthcoming marriage to Steve and how hypocritical our big brother is and our parents."

"Oh god" was all Wayne could say.

"Good for you" Steve was saying with Linda adding her support as well.

"Linda and I have agreed to be interviewed by him so watch this space as they say" Becky grinned.

"And what about you Dan, are you happy about this?" Wayne asked.

"Yeah, why not; it's time these religious bigots were brought down a peg or two; I know it's your parents Wayne but let's face it, they and your brother have done you no favours have they or Becky for that matter; we're treated as sinners the same as you guys."

Wayne nodded. Perhaps it was time to say what they all really felt. "Okay, if you need me to add anything let me know."

A few days later, Becky emailed Wayne a link to the report that the journalist had done and which would also appear in the Hatfield local press as well as the gay press. The article was headed 'Religious fanatic who considers his gay brother is a sinner, found to be sinning himself'. The article then detailed the rift inside Wayne and Becky's family and how they'd now been cut off by their religious parents and their brother. Steve's marriage proposal at the concert and the success of the concert itself including Wayne's musical talents were also mentioned and it ended by saying 'How can parents not love a son who is so talented, loving and kind just because he's gay?"

Several days after it appeared in the Hatfield local press, Becky received a call from her mother. "How could you both be so unkind and callous?"

Becky laughed. "Now you know how Wayne and I have felt for the past few years yet I understand you and dad are still proud of your eldest son who's been fucking every woman in sight. Does your god not bother about heterosexuals cheating on their wives?"

Her mother didn't answer that but instead tried to heal the rift between all of them since it was tearing the family apart.

"When you, dad and Robin apologise in writing to both me and Wayne about the way you've treated us and accept our differences, then perhaps I might consider it but I can't speak for Wayne since he feels very hurt and let down by all of you and at present doesn't wish to see or hear from you ever again."

Her mother gasped realising that she'd lost her youngest son and daughter because she knew her husband and her eldest son would never do that.

Several days after this, Becky had Linda call her, "Guess what" she laughed "It seems Robin has been ostracised by everyone in his company over the article and has had to leave; and from what I've heard, your parents are also being given the cold shoulder by the local population; well done girl, you're a star; oh, and just to dig the knife in some more I've instructed my solicitor to get as much as he can out of Robin for the divorce settlement; I must have been mad when I agreed to marry that guy."

Becky came off the phone chuckling but decided not to tell Wayne since she knew it would upset him. He never liked to see people being pulled down, even when they deserved it.

Steve was pleased for Michael that he'd been promoted to the new post of Technical Director but he and Wayne were not so pleased with the guy who'd been recruited as their new manager. In fact the whole department found him to be a complete bastard and there was a lot of unrest. He'd been in post for just over four weeks yet within that time had upset several people within his own department and the company in general.

Steve and Wayne kept their heads down and out of his way as far as possible so they inwardly groaned when Bates came in to see them.

"I want you to move immediately to the Johnson project" he barked at Wayne.

Both Steve and Wayne looked aghast at the guy. Not only was the Johnson project low priority but it was well below Wayne's expertise.

"Wayne and I are working on the major upgrade at present" Steve exclaimed.

"You can finish that on your own" Bates barked in reply.

"Are you mad? We are working on a major upgrade to the company's flagship product and have to complete it within an agreed timescale; I need Wayne to work with me on this; besides, the Johnson product is low priority.

"Are you questioning my instruction?"

"Yes, because I know the importance of what we're doing even if you don't" Steve replied impatiently.

"Just do as I say" Bates barked and stormed off.

As soon as he'd left, Steve called Michael and asked to see him immediately. Michael sensed that Steve was upset about something so said to come right up.

"I've had enough of that bastard; either he goes or I do"

Wayne gasped; he'd never seen Steve so annoyed before. "Are you serious?"

"I'm not staying here if that bastard continues to be our manager; he's been on our back ever since he joined; he doesn't like the fact that we know more than him."

"I think he's been on everyone's back for that matter; don't think anyone likes him" Wayne commented, "But if you leave my love then so am I, so let's go and see Michael together."

"He's what?" Michael exclaimed hardly believing what Bates had instructed and when Steve said he and Wayne would be handing in their notice he nearly expired. "No way; it's not you who'll be leaving" Michael replied, "Leave it to me guys and go back to what you're working on".

As soon as Steve and Wayne had left him, Michael asked the Sales Manager to join him. Once he'd told him what Bates had done, it was agreed they'd go down and see him together.

"What the hell do you think you're playing at?" Michael asked Bates clearly showing he was displeased; "You are splitting up two of our best software engineers to put one on a low level, low priority project and take him off a high value flagship product; are you mad?"

Bates stiffened and huffed. "I'm the manager so I decide who does what and I don't like having my authority undermined, especially by two queens who keep on about having a gay marriage, which in my view is disgusting."

"Do you have a problem with gays?" the sales manager exclaimed, knowing that neither Steve nor Wayne had been going on about their forthcoming marriage, which everyone else was pleased about, "Because if you do, then you should realise that this company takes diversity very seriously and you're talking to one."

Bates glared at the Sales Manager before turning towards Michael.

"Or is it having two members of the team who have more technical knowledge and ability than you that bugs you" Michael added. "Either way, perhaps you should find another company to work for".

"Are you sacking me?" Bates retorted, getting red in the face.

"It's your choice" Michael said calmly, "Either you leave of your own accord immediately and receive a month's salary in lieu of notice, or I terminate your employment and suspend you for incompetence and discrimination against two employees; the choice is yours".

Bates glared at the pair of them whilst he considered his options. He did hate gays and to have two who could run rings round him when it came to technical things made him hate this pair even more. The company's diversity policy had been raised at his interview but because he was desperate for the job he bluffed his way through that particular question. Eventually he said he'd leave immediately and started to pack his things. Michael asked the sales manager if he'd see him off the premises whilst he went to see Steve and Wayne.

"He's packing his things" Michael grinned once he'd closed their office door behind him.

"What, he's leaving?" Wayne gasped.

Michael nodded. "So, I take it you guys won't be handing in your resignation now". Steve grinned and confirmed they would not. "Tomorrow I'll discuss with both of you about where we go from here but are you of the same opinion Steve that you don't want the departmental manager's job." Steve had been offered the job before Bates had been appointed but he much preferred being at the sharp end rather than dealing with people management problems. He was a techie and that was where he wanted to remain. Michael nodded and said he understood. He too sometimes wondered whether he'd made a mistake going into management and it was too late now to go back but he had a plan in mind which he first had to discuss with the MD.

"Steve, could you remove Bates from the IT system so he's locked out; don't want him logging in and causing havoc." Steve nodded and immediately logged onto the master system. He and Michael were the only authorised personnel to do so. He rather enjoyed deleting Bates from the system.

"What's going on?" one of the other software engineers asked excitedly as soon as Michael had left, "Is that bastard leaving?"

Steve nodded and the guy jumped up and down with glee as he ran out to tell the remainder of the department.

"Would you really have left?" Wayne asked Steve once things had calmed down.

"I certainly wouldn't have continued working for that bastard that's for sure but I knew Michael would be furious once he found out" he grinned.

"You crafty sod" Wayne giggled.

"Would you have left?"

"Yeah, if you did"

"Mm, I love you" Steve smiled and gave his lover a big kiss.

The following morning Michael called them into his office which he'd relocated back to his old office in the department.

"Come and sit down guys, I've got a proposal to put to both of you".

Wayne and Steve looked at him with anticipation although they didn't have a clue about what he was about to say.

"We've decided not to replace Bates" he explained, "instead we'd like to split the job into three parts making both of you guys Project Managers with me as the overall manager responsible for people management; you guys will only supervise the technical aspects so I suggest you Steve are responsible for the development projects and you Wayne are responsible for technical support. That more or less divides the work equally. The smaller projects you currently undertake would be done by the other guys who we feel would work more efficiently under your control. How do you feel about that?"

Steve and Wayne looked at each other.

"Yeah, sounds great" Wayne replied feeling pleased that he was getting a leg up.

"And you'd deal with all people matters" Steve clarified with Michael.

"Yep, any problems or matters associated with personnel would come to me but all technical things would be your responsibility; to be honest I don't know why I didn't think of doing this before rather than recruiting that idiot; I'm sure the rest of the staff will much prefer dealing with you guys since you have the technical skills so your responsibilities will be to ensure all technical items work to plan and provide your expertise as and when required; very much up your street I'd have thought."

Steve agreed and was happy to take on the responsibility. "Will we get a salary increase?" he grinned.

"Of course and if necessary we'll recruit another junior but to be honest I think with the team working more efficiently and the three of us using Jo and Marie more fully since they have spare capacity, I feel we can manage with what we've got."

Steve and Wayne agreed and when Michael told them what their salary increase would be they immediately accepted the offer.

"That's great and I'm sorry I put you through the agony of the other idiot; in future I'm going to include you guys on the recruiting panel; I reckon you'd both do a better job than I've done."

The other two grinned. "Well, at least you recruited us" Wayne laughed.

"Yeah, that's true; so can't be that bad can I" Michael laughed. He then asked the pair of them to gather the other eight staff together in the conference room so he could announce the new structure. Everyone was intrigued as to what was going on and when Michael announced the new plan they all cheered. Everyone liked Steve and Wayne and nobody had any problems with them taking over their supervision.

By the end of another month, Steve and Wayne had organised their respective areas and everything was running like clockwork. They still had their major projects to work on alongside their project management role and both enjoyed their new responsibilities as well as the extra salary which came in most useful.

They were also busy planning their big day. The actual ceremony was to take place at Islington Town Hall where the Registry Office was situated and then all those invited were going to a local venue for a meal. All the members of the department were invited and Michael had been asked to be their best man. Steve's parents attended as did Becky and Dan along with a few other close friends and some members of the gay choir. At the ceremony they exchanged rings and once all the legal things had been done everybody cheered.

At the reception, those from the gay choir gave a short recital which everyone enjoyed. It was then time for speeches and Michael stood up to give his.

To end his speech he said "Not only are these two brilliant at their job but they're both really nice guys, always happy and always willing to help anyone out; thank you guys, it's a great pleasure working with you and I wish you every success for the future which from what I've seen is going to be a long and happy one."

Steve then stood and having thanked Michael for his kind words, thanked all those who'd made their day so special. "I'd also like to thank my mum and dad who not only accepted my sexuality but have continued to love and support me; in addition, they've taken Wayne into their hearts and made him feel part of the family too which is particularly important to him because as some of you may know his parents rejected him when he came out as being gay."

"Shame on them" a guest shouted.

"Yeah" several others added before Steve was able to continue.

"Finally I'd like to thank the guy who has changed my life; when I first met him I kept on asking myself, is it possible that he is the man of my dreams; I didn't have any doubts that he was but I'd been searching for so long that I had to keep asking that question to make sure; so thank you my love, you are the man of my dreams and I'll love you forever."

Wayne had tears rolling down his face as he stood up and took his new husband into his arms and kissed him. The guests stood, clapped and cheered as they did so before Wayne said he'd like to add a few words.

"I too would like to thank Ben and Mary for making me feel so welcome in their family because as my husband has said (cheers from the guests) my parents have refused to accept me as their son now that they know I'm gay but two people did and that's my sister Becky and her boyfriend Dan so thanks to you too; you both mean a lot to me. Finally I have to add my thanks to my husband (more cheers) for proposing marriage, even though it was in front of an audience of around two hundred people (roars of laughter), because he is the kindest, loving guy I have ever known and he too has changed my life; so thank you my love and may we look back on this day in years to come with fond memories because as Michael said, I too am sure we have a long happy life ahead of us."

Everybody cheered and the happy couple once again kissed each other. The cake then appeared and they both cut the first slice. Whilst the cake was being sliced up by the staff and champagne glasses were being topped up in readiness for the final toast, another guy stood up and came to the front. Once the guests realised who it was they all gasped. Blake was a gay singer who was frequently seen on TV and lived in the same block as Steve and Wayne. When they invited him to their celebration he agreed to sing for them but his presence had been kept under wraps for a surprise.

Several weeks later, Wayne's mother called Becky to once again see if the family rift could be mended. Becky again said that when her father and brother had apologised in writing she and Wayne would consider it. Becky took great delight in telling her about Wayne's wedding and her mother cried when she realised she'd missed such an important day in her son's life. The more she thought about what had happened, the more she blamed her husband and her eldest son. As a result, her own faith had waned and she hardly ever attended church leaving her husband and son to preach their hate. Even her own marriage was feeling strained and she wondered how much longer that would last.

"Tell Wayne that I'm happy for him and Steve" she told Becky "and if he does feel it in his heart to contact me I'd appreciate it very much". Becky agreed to do that although she knew that Wayne still felt very hurt by the actions of his parents and his brother.

She did pass the message on and Wayne wrote his mother a letter which poured out his hurt and ended by saying "I can never forgive dad or Robin for what they did and said about me and I find it difficult to forgive you mum for not standing by me and showing that you loved me when I needed it most but now I have a wonderful man who loves me with all his heart, as I do him, and I have his parents who treat me as their son so I no longer need my own family, although Becky and Dan are still very close to me as they will always be. They too feel very hurt by the way they were treated so you've managed to lose a loving daughter, a loving son and lost out on gaining two lovely guys who make your son and daughter so happy. Is it possible I'll be in contact again? I doubt it, so goodbye mum."

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