Tarzan and The Bell
"Hey."
"Hi, Chris."
"Justin told me what happened."
"I thought he loved me." Chris pulled the curled body close to him for a hug.
"Do you even know what love is?" Lance sighed, glad that he had run out of tears for the time being. "You're so young."
"Maybe I don't, but he knew I thought we had it. He knew that I would never have... have done what I did if I didn't feel what I thought was a deep love for him." The older man rubbed his upper arm as he tried to explain the situation.
"Lance, what you had was puppy love. I think Joey just had lust. It was awful for him to let you go on like you did, but there's no way to change the past." The blond cried, seeing that he did had more tears left.
"I want to change it, though. I can't believe I... I'm just such a whore."
"No, you're not."
"Yes, I am. I should have known it wasn't real." Lance pulled his friend's hand close to his face, weeping into the soft cotton of his shirt. "I should have known."
"Why don't you go to bed? You can share a room with me instead of Joey tonight."
"Ok." Lance felt himself being pulled up and walked over to a bedroom. He dropped down to the soft pillows and cried some more. "Please, don't leave me alone right now."
"Sure." Lance crawled underneath the covers. Chris sat down on the bed next to him, rubbing his back gently. He felt tears forming in his own eyes as the mass underneath his hand shook from sobbing.
"Talk to me."
"About what?"
"I don't know. About anything. I just need to hear your voice." Chris thought for a few seconds.
"Wanna hear a joke?"
"Ok."
"Have you ever heard the one about the bell ringer?"
"No." Chris stretched out his legs and leaned against the wall with his hand still on the younger man's back.
"Well, this Cathedral needed a new bell ringer. The priest put up a help needed sign on the door and this guy comes in. He says 'Hi, I saw your sign. I think I could ring the bell.' Well, the priest brings him up to the top of the building and shows him this huge bell. The priest says 'Here, let me show you how to do this.' He hits the bell and it rings. The guy tries, but he's standing in the wrong spot and when the bell comes back at him, it knocks him out the window. Well, soon another guy comes, and the priest takes him up there and the same thing happens. The guy gets knocked out the window. After that, the priest is starting to give up, but another man comes. He goes up there and the priest says 'Let me show you how to ring it.', but the guy says he has his own way. He bangs his head on the bell and it hits him and he falls out the window. The priest goes to down to see if he's alright and a cop comes by. The cop asks if he knows the guy and the priest says 'No, but his face rings a bell!'." Chris smiled when he noticed half-way through the story Lance stopped shaking.
"That's really stupid."
"You get it, though, right?"
"Yeah, I get it."
"Well, that's the best I've got. I thought it was funny as Hell."
"Don't you have another one?"
"Sure. Why did the elephant wear big sunglasses?"
"Why?"
"So no one would recognize him."
'That's that funny."
"Fine, Tarzan was taking a walk and his friend, the elephant was up on the hill. What did Tarzan say to him?"
"What?"
"Nothing, he couldn't recognize him with the big sunglasses on!" Chris broke out in laughter.
"That's stupid." Lance let out a little chuckle.
"Then, why are you laughing?"
"I'm not." The young man let another giggle out. "I'm crying." Chris turned Lance over onto his back.
"That's odd. I don't see any tears." Lance reached up and hugged the older man.
'Thanks." Chris thought about kissing Lance, but didn't. That's not what he needed right now.
"You´re welcome."